garage sale GT said:
OP, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
Paselas have low rolling resistance and are strong but they have no protection against sidewall abrasion.
It's a skinwall, I've had several and damaged a few of them by nicking the sidewall. They were the TourGuard version btw.
The sidewall above the black rubber tread cap is just two plies of fabric and enough rubber to glue them together.
OP this guy doesn't know what's he's talking about, but I also made a mistake in the true definition of what a skin wall vs a gum wall is. If youdo a internet search for yourself by asking in Google "is Panaracer Pasela tires gumwall or skinwall, some sites say gumwall some say skinwll. Next go to the Panaracer website and find Pasela tires and look at the small icons under each tire's picture, the first is 400D lite extra cord, this is puncture resistant belt that extends all the way from one bead across the tread to the other bead and the description even says for side (wall) cut protection. Then with Pasela TG they add in another belt called the Tour Guard for puncture resistance but this one does not extend into the sidewall. Not all skinwall tires are bad against sidewall cuts, only the ones that don't have the extra belt protection. Conti tires are skinwalled but are black instead of tan colored, once I give the description of the the two you see that technically the Pasela is a skinwall but with robust fabric in the sidewall as mentioned above.
The gumwall and skinwall translation is loosely defined by a lot people, and because the terms are thrown around loosely I too got confused. So here is the legal definition as promised.
Skinwall tires are a far more superior & complex tire, a skinwall is made up of (In most cases) a thread count of 44 TPI, each individual thread is sealed & protected in a durable coating for added strength & life, (Gumwalls are not, just a side coating that does not penetrate into the wall) the threads are then woven into the sidewall to form the bag of the tire, the rider surface area is then applied on the outer portion of the bag & is in almost all cases a proper rubber form for better life and a far more superior traction surface...
Noteable points
#1 - A Skinwall tire has all the threads in the sidewall visible & very noticeable, a Gumwall tire does not....
#2 - A skinwall tire is app 30% lighter than a gumwall based on material qualities & less gum used for strength.
#3 - A Skinwall tire has tire pressures of 60PSI & higher, as it has a far more structural sidewall.
#4 - A Skinwall tire is only ever used in comparison to a Gumwall when talking about the colour of a tire, but the phrase should be TAN WALL or BLACK WALL - I believe this is where many get confused when calling a skinwall a gumwall.
See: http://www.ozbmx.com.au/?showtopic=13062 This is the site the info above came from.
I own a pair of Pasela TG's and I've owned Conti tires, the Pasela is definitely superior, maybe Conti should call their's thinwall, Pasela is bit more robust, so much so that on my touring bike that I have the Pasela's on I ride on gravel roads occasionally and never had so much as a nick. So without emailing Panaracer directly to get the exact sidewall tread count I would venture to say that the tread consist of a 400D extralight cut resistant belt with another 44 TPI belt on top or behind that belt.
The Panaracer is not a fragile tire, this tire is used in medium to light touring applications which is what the TG stands for and is recognized as being a very capable tire in that regard, some commuters use this tire as well for without issues, if the tire was fragile touring cyclists would have railed against the tire, this is not happening, and the same is with commuters. This is a great durable tire without getting a really heavy sluggish tire that would be superior in flat protection but an overkill for your needs like a Schwalbe Marathon or the Panaracer Tourguard Plus just to name a couple.
There are a lot of tires on the market, you just have to decide which one is best for you at a price you can afford.