Just passed 5000 miles with a set of Gatorskins. Got a slight flat spot at about 2700 miles, so I flipped back to front. Had one flat so far, a steel belt shard after a Houston rain. I weigh about 205. My training rides are 40 miles, just came in from a 50 miles ride with club from bike shop. I inflate to 90 psi on front, 100 psi rear wheel. I'm sure I could go at least another 1500 miles on these, but a couple of months ago I bought some Four Season on half price sale. I know Gatorskins are a little heavier, a little stiffer, but they are exactly what I wanted.
I began using these tires on road bike about 4 years ago and have had no problems. I ride on city streets, roadway, and bike path. Excellent performance. My recent purchase is for a fitness and exercise bike. I expect the same excellent performance as with the road bike.
I live in the California high desert where tumbleweeds and the resulting thorns are as common as snow in Alaska. I have the Continental Gatorskin tires mounted on all five of my bikes. I am not a high-mileage rider, but I do get on a bike 3 to 4 times a week for some decent miles. Over the past two years, I have not had a single flat or tire failure. In addition, roads in the high desert can be fairly rough, and I feel that the 32mm Gatorskins are as fast as the 28mm or 25mm tires on these roads, with a much more pleasant ride. The only reason I use the narrower Gatorskins on a couple of my bikes is due to frame clearance. So I do have experience with all three sizes. By the way, the folding Gatorskin is most definitely easier to mount on a variety of rims, and they mount very true, indicating the precision manufacturing by Continental.
I have over 3,000 miles on my last set of Gatorskins and as the wear dimples are almost gone, it was time to order another pair. First set of road tires that I have not experience any flats with where others have failed. I think they provide a good ride quality (though no the best) and are reasonably light weight (though not the lightest). However, as I don't race I value a trouble free ride where I may be 20 to 30 miles away from my starting point more than a few grams.
I've been using these exclusively now for a few years as my training tires. Where I live, the roads are rough with chip seal, pot holes, and dirt roads. These tires are durable without sacrificing too much in the area of performance.
I put these tires on my Canondale hybrid. They replaced a pair of Avocet Cross tires that were 700x38. The Gatorskins are 700x35. It is a pleasure to ride these tires because they are less rolling resistance and they grip quite well on pavement and also stand up to dirt and gravel. To be fair, I must state that I also replaced the old rims. New tires, new rims right? They went on quite easily and my favorite part is when I roll my bike out of the garage for a ride, the tires squeak on the cement like a finger against a taught balloon. They also look nice on the bike which is a light blue frame, tan leather seat and black rims. I've only got about a hundred miles on them so far and I know I'll be rolling down the road for several more judging by many other cyclists who use them.
I have always been extremely satisfied with Continental tires. This particular style (Gatorskin) is such a great tire. I just completed around 1000 miles in two weeks circling my home state, Montana on a solo tour. Many of the roads had a lot of debris. In addition, I found myself on numerous sections of gravel roads. I had absolutely no issues or flats which is saying something considering some of the roads I was on. While these tires wouldn't be my choice for road racing and such, touring, training rides, and durability are where they shine.
These are my go-to tires for light touring (28 mm) on my road bike with a rear rack & 2 panniers. I put 4500 miles on my last set without a flat. They take the weight and abuse but still roll well for those high-mile runs. I prefer them to Armadillos or DuraPros.
