I have been using these tires for the past 7 years while riding my bike to work in San Francisco. I put about 50 miles on them during the week with Monday - Friday riding. I'm on my fourth pair and have ridden thousands of miles all over California. In that time, I have only gotten two flats, never a blowout, just small punctures, both times I've been able to patch the tube. These tires have solid traction and I am usually able to get 1,500 - 2,000 miles per tire. These are the gold standard when it comes to durability and flat tire protection. You won't be disappointed!
This is my first experience with the Gatorskins. I ride in an area (like most everybody) where there's always debris on the shoulders, thorns, broken glass, etc. I was fed up with constantly getting flats and replacing inner tubes. So far, I've put just short of 1200 miles on the set and so far so good, not a single flat. The only downside of this tire is that it seems to be stiffer, less compliant and thus gives a little bumpier ride compared to the softer road tires with which I'm familiar. But the advantage of flat protection far outweighs the slightly awkward ride. I'll definitely be sticking with this tire for the foreseeable future.
Use Gatorskins for training and fitness. Like the looks and the durability.
I am a heavy rider at 250pds 6ft 2in and have had trouble with flat tires. After buying Continental Gatorskin 700c Road Tire (Folding) my flat tire problem has almost completely disappeared. They ride smooth and I am a big fan of these tires.
Good tires, easy to install
I've used this tire for years with no failures and no flats. replacing them with the same after 4500 miles. All types of conditions, group rides, Houston Streets, country roads, and Colorado mountains.
This is the smoothest rolling, most puncture resistant tire you can buy, period. It can be a bit difficult to slip on the wheel, but it stays on the rim even when flat � something that could save your life on a descent. I�m a 8000 mile a year roadie and I normally get 3000 miles on the rear tire and up to 5000 miles on the front. I�m on my 20th set.
I decide to buy the Gatorskins because I was getting too many flats on my Turbo Pro tires in my Specialized Roubaix. I'm very happy with my decision. The Gators perform great on the road plus I have peace of mind of not getting flats. Is still early days as I have only about 350 miles on them but very happy thus far.
These have been so much better than I anticipated or expected. I had heard high praise from friends and fellow cyclists years ago and finally joined the cult a few months ago. I ride to and from my office 4x a week along Chicago streets, which are notoriously littered with debris. Broken glass from lazy sanitation workers to ripped up pavement from constant temperature swings to downed tree branches from spring and summer storms you are bound to run over something. And during this Covid-19 pandemic, you are lucky if street sweepers run down a block once a month. These have taken some lumps and still no punctures nor popped tubes. I cannot be happier with my purchase.
I was looking for alternate tires for my gravel bike since I haven't been riding on gravel much this year. I was looking for something that worked great on paved surfaces as well as local trails with crushed limestone, grass, etc. So far I've ridden a well over five hundred miles and have been very happy with them. They have much less resistance than my gravel tires and because I went with a little wider (32c) tire, they work great on most surfaces. (I'm not a racer...) These tires are extremely difficult to puncture, which is nice. Glad I found the right tires for me!
These have been my go to training tires for years. I recently invested in a set of deep section aero rims (Flo) and went through 6 tire irons and 7 tubes (pinched) before getting feedback from others that Gatorskin is not a good choice for aero wheels. Really tough to get over the rim. I live in Chicago and unfortunately we are resigned to a wide range of rolling surfaces, hence the tendency toward a tough tire. I just purchased a set of Continental 5000s and they are much softer but may require replacement more often. Still loyal to the Gatorskin for my cyclecross bike. Stay tuned ...
I have been using gator skins for the past 5 years, very durable, get great milage out of them, would highly recommend them
I wrote that I was disappointed with these tire when I had a flat on my first ride. Since then I have installed Mr. Tuffy tire liners, and now I am happy with these tire. They handle well and feel secure, except riding through puddles at an angle, and they sip out I approach water straight on and they are ok. Overall these are food tires, and I fell confident riding them as they are configured
I have switched most of my bikes to Gatorskin tires. My first set lasted 10,000 miles. I only had one flat during that time. My only complaint is they are hard to put on and take off. It can take 20 to 30 minutes to change the tire.
Use on all my road bikes. Rolls great and puncture resistant.
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 ride a Trek about 1,500 miles a year. I asked some of my riding friends about which tyre they recommended. For the most part they all said get the Continental GaterSkins 700c Road. I did so and haven't looked at the Bontrager tyre's since. Great tyre I will purchase again..
Michigan's road and trail surfaces are often in rough condition (ruts, ridges, & potholes) and strewn with debris damaging to bike tires. Since switching to Gatorskins two years ago, I have had no flats. They live up to their name!
Use the 700c x 28mm for fitness riding on all sorts of paved surfaces. Easy to mount with the wire bead and pump to 100 psi. The casing and tread have held up better than some of the other Conti Ultra tires. Probably have 500 miles and am very happy. I am 6'3" 285lbs.
