I have been riding on Gatorskin tires for over 10 years. I find them to be very durable with very few flats. I'm a recreational cyclist so durability is preferable to possibly a lighter weight. I recently switched from wire bead to folding. I think folding is slightly easier to put on, plus they are much easier to transport on a bike tour.
I've used Gatorskins on my road bike for years and thousands of miles. I love their reliability and ride feel over paved surfaces ranging from smooth and clean, to patched-rough and scattered with debris.
I live near a road that is been deemed 'Shrapnel Alley' on Strava these tires get me through there hundreds of times a year without flats. And when I've had a flat the amount of discarded debris is beyond the normal amount and would send cars to the tire shop.
The Gatorskin is my 'goto' tire for my road bike. I ride through some rough roads and occasional trails on these and they perform well. They last about two thousand plus miles, so a very hardy tire.
I live in an area that has a lot of goatheads and thorns. I tried RhinoDillos but still got a flat, and with all that added extra weight and a very hard ride. So I switched to Gatorskins decent weight and softer, though still pretty hard, ride, due to the belting to make it puncture resistant. I still got another flat, but nothing will completely stop these thorns. I got 5,000 miles out of my Grand Prix 4000's and hope to get similar results from these Gatorskins.
I'm retired, so I usually bicycle when convenient for me, and not with a group. I've owned Continental Gatorskin tires in the past, and they've been very reliable. Having to repair a tire on the road isn't impossible, but it saves a lot of stress not to worry about flats when I ride. I even had an incident where a piece of wire went through the edge of the tire, but was apparently deflected by the Kevlar from getting to the inner tube. I simply pulled out the wire, and continued on my way. The Gatorskin likely isn't the fastest tire available, but speed isn't my highest priority when riding.
I love these tires!!
I've been seduced by cheaper prices and have bought other tires but I keep returning to the gatorskins. I go months without flats with these.
Bottom line for me is fewer flats!
For riding my 623 Jamis Nova in urban areas, I find these tire to the best for puncture resistance. Yes, they are a bit heavy, but it's a good trade off. Best tire made by Continental.
Cannot beat these for a tire that can be used foff for training and racing due to there high reliability from flats. Heavier than 5000s. If you have ever seen a triathlete on the side of road attempting to change a tire during a race you now know what I am writing about.
Since I see that this tire is rated as 5 stars by 90% of users, what more is there to say? One thing I didn't notice in the reviews but experienced is they are very easy to mount on my rims. I have been used to having to use soap and tire levers for the last bit when installing my Vittoria tires. These folding Gatorskins go on with no effort. I've only used them for a month, so can't vouch for the miles or flat resistance yet, but so far I'm impressed. I'm ordering more right now.
Since I see that this tire is rated as 5 stars by 90% of users, what more is there to say? One thing I didn't notice in the reviews but experienced is they are very easy to mount on my rims. I have been used to having to use soap and tire levers for the last bit when installing my Vittoria tires. These folding Gatorskins go on with no effort. I've only used them for a month, so can't vouch for the miles or flat resistance yet, but so far I'm impressed. I'm ordering more right now.
I use these on my road bike. I have been very lucky using them. I think they hold up to what they are about, few if any flats.
You can trust these - good for 6,000 miles of road riding, equivalent to Michelin Pro-4's. Perhaps not as tough as Armadillo's, but I'm getting 80% of the ride for 50% of the price.
I use the tires on my 2019 Trek Domane SLR. Used them on both my previous Madone and Domanes. Not much I dont like about them. Wear well but still pretty grippy. I have very few flats and have pulled out goat head stickers without going flat. I gone over small fragments of glass without significant cuts. I use them for training purposes on asphalt and concrete road surfaces. I typically put at least 1000 -1500 miles on the rear tire before looking at changing it out.
I use this tire for my all rounder because it is tough especially with someone over200 lbs! I get 2-3k out of each tire. I use them on all my day to day bikes including my Tandem. They are some tough tires!
Continental Gatorskins have been my go-to winter tire for years now. I still consider these the gold standard in flat protection. I'm always glad to be running these on miserable, cold winter training rides where stopping for flat repairs would be a miserable, hypothermic experience.
Pro
Flat protection while riding unswept winter roadsshoulders in foul weather. The FEW punctures I've had with these were always wire pieces, not glass or sharp gravel.
Cons
Wet pavement grip lacking. Not terrible, but I'll spin the rear occasionally on a steep, wet hill if riding out of the saddle. I've had the rear slip out a bit going through roundabouts, although nothing that caused a spill. If I'm on a group ride I'll occasionally run a Conti 4-Season on the front for slightly better grip. Solo, I run Gatorskins FR.
Can be tough to mount, but that depends on the wheelset.
Slightly heavy, but that's the nature of this type of tire. Worth the trade off.
Overall, my favorite off-season training tire.
I never get flats with these tires. They're so reliable, I run them all year no matter what the road conditions are.
I have been using Gatorskin's for the passed 5 years or so and ride on average 4 days a week, 5-7,000 miles annually. These are my Go To tires and the only ones I use since the first time I put them on my bike. Now all 4 of my bikes have them. I have had only one flat and that was a nail that would have flatted any tire. They weigh a little more, but I'm not a racer (but do group rides at good pace) , I hate flats and love mileage and dependability of these tires to keep me rolling. Would I recommend them? Hll yes!
I have been using Gatorskin's for the passed 5 years or so and ride on average 4 days a week, 5-7,000 miles annually. These are my Go To tires and the only ones I use since the first time I put them on my bike. Now all 4 of my bikes have them. I have had only one flat and that was a nail that would have flatted any tire. They weigh a little more, but I'm not a racer (but do group rides at good pace) , I hate flats and love mileage and dependability of these tires to keep me rolling. Would I recommend them? Hll yes!
Get the job done nothing fancy, no flats yet
