I was getting quite a few flats on long rides and was getting a bad reputation with my riding partners as the guy that always held up the ride. Most of them used the Gatorskins without any problems so I bought a pair. I have about 1000 kilometers on them in the last month and I am happy with the ride and handling characteristics. I have only used them in the rain once, but felt that they worked pretty well.
I cycle in west Texas, and besides the normal glass on the roadways, we also have an assortment of cactus needles, stickers, thorns, and lots of Caliche (hardened deposit of calcium carbonate). When I purchased my bike it came with Ewiva A.F. 700c X 23 tires. Road conditions ate up my tubes, I would have at least one flat each week and one day I had four flats during a two hour ride. I researched tires, found and purchased the Continental Gatorskin 700c X 25., I also inserted the heavier presta slime tubes. I haven't had a flat in over a month, and put on over 400 miles. Some would argue that these tirestubes are heavier, but I haven't noticed in these conditions. Besides, I would rather ride heavier than change tubes 15 miles from town. If these tires stand up here, they should serve you well anywhere.
Love the long lasting rubber and puncture resistant and it rolls really well.
I use these tires for commuting in the winter in Chicago- who wants to change a flat with frozen fingers? Despite broken glass, rough pavement and all sorts of crud on the roads, these tires show very little wear and I haven't had a flat since I put them on.
These tires (28mm width) came as orginal equipment on our Co-Motion tandem. The bike was captained by my wife with a 9-year old stoker on our trans-America cross-country tour. The tires lasted for over 3000 miles of loaded touring (panniers and a Burley trailer) and about 600 miles of unoaded riding. The tires were pretty well worn out when I finally swapped out the tires for something with more tread for the unpaved C&O path between Cumberland, MD and Washington, DC. As soon as we got home, she wanted Gatorskins put back on the bike!
A very good tire for durability and longevity. No complaints, and I've been riding these for several years. Seems about 2500 miles is about average for lifespan. Be aware though, that the sizing is not anywhere close to what they are advertised. Indeed, MOST tire manufacturers state sizing that is less than what they really are. But these Gatorskins consistently measure in the 23 mm range for '25's and in the 25 mm range for '28's. The larger the tire. . the more off the accuracy. Be advised, the next size UP from what you want. . is the tire you should buy.
Wire tires are tough to change, but I like It better than the non wire. Gator skins are tough.
every manufacturer makes a long lasting puncture resistant tire. i have sen them all flat easily over the years while the Gatorskins are somehow immune. Don't know why but they really are head and shoulders better. Get um or get flats - thats been what i have seen.
I one of those guys that like to 'ride the bike' not spend precious time changing flats! Well, these gator skins are the ticket for you if you want nearly flat free riding. The rolling resistance more than makes up for the extra weight. I figure if I'm worried about a few 'grams' I could lose 2 or 3 pounds, ha. I'm 66 and have been biking the Colorado mountains for 21 seasons. I hope to continue to ride as long as possible and will continue to ride 'Continental'. My only beef is I don't have the hands to put the tires on the first time so I just spend $5 bucks and let some young kid at the bike shop break his knuckles.
Durable and made to last. Ive gone on 50100 mile rides with no spare backup tube or patch kit. Thats how confident I am with these tires. You'll probably wear out your brake pads before you wear out these things.
on my road bikes and to two tandems,these are the best.they have long milage and so far no flats.
I have used these tires with incredible results over my first 3 years of cycling. Initially used the 25 wire bead, then switched to the 23 folding No difference, other than slightly faster wear. First set was over 2600 miles and I weigh about 210, but the miracle is no flats. I had experienced numerous flats with the original tires and I ride in SW Washington, where chip seal roads with gravel, glass, and potholes are abundant. I highly recommend these tires.
We ride the hills and mountains of east Tennessee. There are a lot of up hill grinds, curves, and swift downhills. Tires provide a stable and secure ride. So far, flats are seldom and always the results of tube failure.
I am 220lbs and 50 years old. I ride with my son who is a pro on his recovery rides and he tries to kill me on these rides . I ride a Cannondale Super Six 4 that came with Schwalbe Durano 23's and they were killing me, so I wanted to mount 25's. Got the Conti GatorSkins in the 25 size and in the first 50 feet I knew I had made the right choice. I don't ride around debris mainly because I'm so tired trying to keep up and these tires have been flawless. The Duranos were very good as far as flat protection but they were rough riding in comparison to the Conti's, I would be hard pressed to buy any tires other than Contis from here on out, even though I didn't give the Schwalbe Duranos a try in the 25 size.
I'm comparing this tire to a previous set of Maxxis Overdrive 700cx38. The Maxxis cheerleaders claim that tire is just as good as any other. Well, unfortunately they're wrong. The gatorskin has the overdrive tire beat by a long shot. It has way less rolling resistance. Just by switching tires I was able to maintain 3-4 mph faster over the course of a trail. It doesn't ride any more rough pumped up to 110 psi than the overdrive tire did at 75psi. Less road noise. It got the non-folding tire and while it took some effort it really wasn't that hard to put them on with my thumbs.
We have been using Gatorskins for 5 years and several thousand miles on our bikes. We have had a total of 4 flats during that time. Their overall road performance is great.
I was looking for a tire that would be fast and good-handling for weekend club rides, but durable enough for my longer-than-most commutes (55 miles one-way) that sometimes take me on out-of-the way roads where a tire failure would just ruin my day. The Ultra Gatorskin has exceeded my expectations. Plenty of times I have rolled over big patches of glass, but never once has this resulted in a flat with these tires. Not only are they tough, but they are also fairly light. They are a bit tight getting them mounted, but I don't consider this to be a problem because you'll probably never have to take them off (unless you forget to air-up before a ride and pinch-flat). And even though there are less expensive tires out there, I give these a high value rating because (a) time (changing a flat) is money, and (b) they last for quite a long time, especially if you rotate them periodically to even out the wear.
had over 10 flats this past summer... I almost gave up riding for the season. Then my friends recommended the conti-gatorskins - so far, so good... after 10 days of riding hitting gravels and small potholes they are still intact and didn't loose too much air. They feel heavier but still better than not having a bike to ride on.
I just put these on my training rims, and I have to say what a great set of tires. I have ridden over anything and everything and have still yet to see a flat. The roll really smooth and are also good in the wet which is a plus up here in the NW. The only problem, they are super hard to get on and off the rim for some reason, more so than any other tire I have used.
I've used Gators for years, but every so often get the itch to try something else. But always find myself coming back. These are great training tires, they are supple and roll well and last l-o-n-g. This last year I've gone up one size from 23s to 25s on one bike and 28s on my touring bike. I like the idea of a bit more rubber on the road. I like the fact that these are still handmade in Germany. Will they flat?, yes, can the sidewall get cut?, yes...But so will ANY other tire. These less so than others imho. I've never looked down and seen a sidewall bubble as I've on another high brand tire. I don't try to ride over glass, but I almost never brush off my tires as other are in the habit of doing after passing glass.
