Went to the gatorskins from the original tires. I seem to be getting a lot more roll with these new tires. Have had the a full season now and am very happy with how they are holding up. Usually ride anywhere from 30 to 100 miles per outing. If you want a good tire without breaking the bank go with these.
I love the plump 32c tires that I recently purchased.
They mounted up perfectly and roll extremely smoothly. Grip is also in both wet and dry.
Weight is not an issue on my commuter/touring bike and wear appears to be good (I have only been riding them for a few months).
My son was getting constant flats. Since we have used these tires he hasn't had any in two months.
ride year round through you name it, glass, gravel, sticks, whatever. i ride year round in Portland OR and i use these tires approx 10 months out of the year. ive even raced on them,which apparently if its wet is not the best idea as i could feel them sliding a bit in the corners and was forced to slow and others came around me which tells me they're tires were not slipping. with that said ive tried many types of tires for commuting/training and these are the best combination of not super heavy, and i can ride through a pile of glass and not get a flat. as opposed to armadillos which i still got flats and they rode like a dead pig wrapped around my wheel (they weigh almost twice as much)in sum if your looking for a tire that your not looking for a ton of performance out of you just want to be able to ride worry free, then these are the ones.
Have put 300 miles on these tires as of writing this review. Off the bat, I'm very impressed with these. I haven't tried out 700x28s before and was initially hesitant to purchase because of the extra weight and perceived slowness. Happy to say that I haven't noticed a weight difference very much, if at all. I also don't believe these to have slowed me down. The gatorskins corner really well and feel like they easily roll over everything. I especially like how grippy they are on wet pavement. I hope these last as long as some of the other reviews I've read
I'v been really happy with the Gatorskin tires, they may not be the lightest but very flat resistant and I get a lot of miles on per set. Pretty much the only tires I run on my road bikes.
Since I've had these, I haven't had to use my spare tire. The roads I ride is rough and very hard on race tires. These, I've used on both race and training and no complain except for one thing...very hard to put on. That's why I gave it a 4 star instead of 5.
Like the wire bead. Harder to get on than folding tires , but sidewall stands up longer , especially after a few flats. If you ride you are going to get flats. This tire lasted the longest last season of the three different brands I tried. So I got another set (on sale) to start the spring
Been riding these since late 80's early 90's.. best road tire out there, for non touring, just buy 'em... in my humble opinion
I got over 4,000 miles on these tires. I DID get a couple punctures, though. One puncture was from a splinter of wood, which I was surprised that it was able to penetrate the tire. On other sets I've seen threads start to unravel and get tangled up in the axle. I'm told this is a common problem but I haven't seen it on my Michelin Pro4 Endurance tires.
I ride on city streets to get to the bike path which is my primary riding since I'm retired. I wanted durability and a smoother ride. These tires did not disappoint me. The ride is a soft feel but seem to roll nicely without much resistance. Perfect tire for my needs.
Some of the people that I ride with go through a litany of tire changes for seasons and road conditions. Tires for racing, short rides, long rides, winter rides, spring rides...etc. I use Gatorskins all the time and usually have to wait for them while they fix flats. This is just out and out a darn good tire. Yeah it's heavy and hard but they have never let me down. I recommend them to all the people I ride and race with.
I keep coming back to Gatorskins having tried other brands. The durability and reliability more than off set any additional weight - I have ridden thousands of miles on these tires without ever having a flat. They can be tough to lever on to the rim and it is easy to pinch a tube whilst changing the tire but that is my only criticism of an exceptional tire,
This is a straight forward tire. 3000 miles on it and I have even pulled staples out of it without a flat! It is a little harder compared to racing softer tires but I will take the bullet proof reliability for training and gran Fondo rides. This my tire of choice by far after being a Michelin guy for years.....
I rated this tire good on value because they apparently wear a long time with few flats, but low overall because they ride harsh and were extremely hard to mount. Perhaps I got a faulty pair, but these were the hardest tires to mount that I have ever used. I actually broke a brake lever trying to install them. I kept them on my bike for only a month or so because they rode so rough, much harsher than other 25s I have used.
I've used a number of other brand tires over the years, but now only use Continental GatorSkin tires. They last longer. The don't generally go flat from picking up road junk (glass, thorns, rock-bruises, etc.) While the sidewalls will begin to wear as the tires age, the wear is cosmetic ... not structural.
I switched to these tires on my bike and my wife's. I am a larger rider, and ride the 25's. I was very curious to find out how they would wear, and how responsive they would be. As soon as I put them on, i ran over a metal spike that holed my rear tire, tube, AND rim. OK, can't really fault the tire for that one.
In all normal wear the tires have worn very well, and traction and cornering is not an issue. Very predictable. Rolling resistance (as far as I can tell) is great. I put over 2k miles on my bike each year, and only notice the tire profile getting flat after about 1,200 miles. They still ride fine, and I keep them as backup/emergency tires after swapping them out for a new pair. Great deal if you can find them on sale.
Overall, this is a good tire. I bought it for winter use, hoping for no flats on sometimes damp roads (Southern Oregon). However, I did get a flat on about the third trip on these tires. A chunk of glass cut right through the tread and protective belt - this on dry pavement. So definitely not flat proof. However, if you can live with max pressure of 95 lb. and an occasional flat, they are a pretty good winter tire.
I've been a Gatorskin user for at least 2 decades. The wire bead tires are not flexible enough for my aging hands. I will go back to the folding ones the next purchase. They wear wonderfully once they're on.
I have been a long time continental tire user. They continue to be durable, great ride feel, and good looking too. The roads are ok, it's Louisiana so they will always be rough.
