Panaracer Paselas are a top choice for touring cyclists and generally smart people who know about bicycle tires. I found out about them from smart people, and I've seen them used by a lot of people who look like they ride their bicycles for a lot of miles.
These tires are available in all kinds of sizes - so if you like them, you can use them on all of your bicycles. I have a quickish old racing bicycle, and a mountain bicycle that is re-configured to cover lots of distance carrying stuff to sleep in and stuff to cook on. Both of these bicycles have Panaracer Paselas. The road bicycle has 700x32c Paselas. These are the fattest tires that will fit the frame. These tires make for a very comfortable ride, and they feel fast. "Fast" here is not a scientifically measured variable, but I feel fast and comfortable, and that makes me happy. My Diamondback "City Bike" (touring, riding everywhere) has 26x1.5 Paselas. If you want wider, there's 26x1.75, or you can get 26x1.25 if you think skinny tires make you super fast. That's a great range! I like the 26x1.5 tires because they are 37mm wide, and that's the same width as tires on almost all old 3 speeds. I love old 3 speeds, so knowing that my tires are 37mm wide makes me feel in touch with an aura of old reliable perfection. 37mm might possibly be the perfect width. Panaracer - seeming to know that I feel this way - also makes a 700x37c version of the Pasela. If I ever tour on a 700c bicycle, that's what I'm using. If I thought that skinny tires would make me super fast, I could also buy 700x25c or several sizes inbetween. If I had some nice old 27" wheels, I could still use them with my favorite tires. Paselas come in several widths for the 630mm bead seat. I only wish one thing: why not make them available with the bead seat measurements of 590mm and 584mm? They already make some that are 37mm wide - so why not make them available to 3 speed nerds and this new breed of 650b cats I've been hearing about?
These are good tires that are slightly meaty without feeling clunky. They are way cheaper than expensive tires, and just a little more expensive than really cheap ones. This is the only tire you need to know about if you want to stop thinking about tires for the rest of your life.
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These were my first "upgrade" tires which replaced the cheapie IRC HP90's that my lbs fitted to their used bikes. The change was drastic even for a first-timer and I didn't get another flat for months afterward. Other good things about them are that they are light, well made, age very well (I've got a secondhand 28x700 that must be 20 years old) and they just look right on nearly anything made before the mid 90's. They are made by the same parent company as the "grand bois" tires which are way too pricey for most and in fact are simply a finer, less durable version of the basic pasela. I've always liked them just the way they are, thank you. I've tried many other tires, but I keep coming back to these as I've found no equal in price, construction, durability and ride.
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