Panaracer’s CrossBlaster tires came stock on the Salsa La Cruz that I’m testing, and I had been running them in all conditions for two months before the Michelin City tires came in.

After nearly two months of being used primarily on the road, the CrossBlasters show remarkably little wear. A friend of mine has been using them the same way for over six months, and they’ve still got a lot of life left in em’. Apparently, Panaracer’s ZSG Natural rubber compound lives up to its claim of being extra wear-resistant.

While the CrossBlasters don’t feature any specific puncture resistance, knobby tires are inherently more resistant to punctures since the tread is several times thicker where it contacts the ground. Panaracer does utilize a special slow-rebound rubber technology in the tire’s sidewalls to make them less susceptible to pinch flats.

Most of the time I’m not concerned about tire weight on a commuter bike, but it’s nice to know that these full-blown knobby cross tires are among the lightest of their kind. Panaracer uses a supple 126tpi casing and an Aramid bead to keep the per tire weight down to 280 grams.

Of course the CrossBlasters are made for off-road use, which is where they truly shine. The multi-directional tread pattern allows for good climbing and braking traction, and they perform predictably in cornering and drifting situations. At just 31mm, they’re certainly no match for 29″ mountain bike tires on rugged terrain, but for fire roads, grass fields and reasonably smooth trails, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better 700c off-road tire.

For more information visit www.panaracer.com.

This entry was posted by Urban Jeff on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 12:06 am and is filed under Product Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.