I`ve been using Paselas for several years in certain situations, but wouldn`t care to ride with them ALWAYS. When I do use them, they`re delightful! Since most of the tires I use are much more robust, Paselas are the closest I`ve ever used to a racing tire. Keep that in mind regarding my review. What I like them for is unloaded, fast (fast for me) riding on paved roads, and in nice weather. Paselas in general are available at bargain prices, look great (my opinion, anyway), are relatively light, very smooth riding for their given width, and have very little rolling resistance compared to stouter tires. The 26 x 1.25 version is extra special because there aren`t many other skinny, light duty tires for 26 inch wheels. In fact, these might be the absolute lightest tires available for 26 inch (559) tires, though I can`t say that for sure. All through the winter, I find myself dreaming of the day I can throw them on my bike and rejoice! Their downfall is that they`re fragile. They pinch flat very easily compared to other tires of the same width, and when they start getting worn, I seem to get a lot more punctures with them. I guess that makes sense because I think the thin rubber is what gives them their good attributes. Brand new, they hold out pretty well against thorns, wires, small shards of glass, etc, but I have to replace them with more tread left on them than what I get away with on more rough and tough tires. Because of that, I don`t like to use them on my commute or for other situations where reliability is super important, I rarely take them off pavement (and am extra careful on those occasions), and I avoid using them in nasty weather (when changing a tube on the roadside can be dreadful rather than just a minor nuisance). I`ve tried the Tourguard version in the past and found it "okay", but they didn`t seem more puncture resistant than the non-TG version to me, and they lose some of their smothness and easy rolling that I love with the regular flavored Paselas, so I went back to the plain old wire bead lovely gumwall goodness. I see they`re becoming a little bit harder to find these days- sure hope they don`t disappear completely like some of my former favorite products from the past.
