Formed in 1953, Panaracer began manufacturing rubber products for a variety of commercial and consumer applications. In 1978 we began to exclusively manufacture bicycle tires so we could carefully focus on producing the finest tires available today. Without a doubt, Panaracer is the last Japanese manufacturer still producing bicycle tires in Japan. We feel that our domestic production allows us to maintain our quality control at the highest levels. On staff we have seven full time R&D engineers constantly researching compounds, tread patterns and casing technology. Additionally, there is a emphasis on cutting-edge CAD tread and profile development. This advanced first stage of tire creation allows us to quickly advance new tire designs and product development. We are also constantly upgrading our molds and bladders, both important tools for producing reliable cutting-edge rubber products.
For the tire production itself, we use only the finest hand-picked raw materials to create our casings and compounds. When those material choices are combined with our patented technology, the final result is the finest tires that you can cycle on for racing, touring, urban and offroad cycling.
In the over 50 years of exclusively focusing on bicycle tire design, we‘ve created some of the most ground-breaking tires ever used by cyclists. Smoke and Dart are such an example of that history. These models left such an indelible mark on MTB tire performance that they are still in production today due to their continued popular demand and their trend setting performance. Always moving forward, we’ve started a MTB tire development collaboration with Cedric Gracia, a renowned rider in that discipline.