Great training tire, a bit heavy but worth the comfort and reliability.
I've been riding Gatorskins for about 5 years now. They are my "go to" tire. Let me say, I don't race. These are the best tires for daily riding, group rides and touring! I generally ride 4 days a week, 25 to 60 miles. I hate flats! While they do weigh a bit more the light weight tires, i'll take that any day or getting a flat! In our area we have a lot of "chip seal" roads and other road debris especially during and just after winter, these take it all in stride! Most riders in our group are using these as well! They are tough to put on.
The Gatorskin, black edition tires have been a great choice for my road riding. I typically get around 6000 miles out of a set with very few flats.
Gatorskins provide excellent protection against a large percentage of flat-causing debris on the road. No tire is perfect, but these really offer everything you could hope for. They may be slightly heavier than optimum, but really aren't that many grams heavier than GP4000s, which are a terrible tire, wear-wise.
I usually get about 2500-2800 mi on rear Gatorskin, and over 6000mi on front tire.
I'm 180# and majority of roads I ride are pretty smooth pavement.
I've been using 25mm tires FOR EVER!!!! (over 20 years); love them. Switched to Conti Gatorskins back in 2008 or 2009. Lots of mileage, very few flats (a handful in all these years), decent ride (combination of compliance and traction), and when they're on sale (like these were), I buy a pair.
I have run Continental tires on my bikes for over 30 years of racing & training.
Gatorskins are outstanding for training. The hard shells were good but didn't allow for the road feel the Gatorskins still allow with excellent puncture protection
As a guy who is a daily commuter in a busy growing city I love Gatorskins. I have gone years with the tires and had only 1 or 2 punctures ever. They are completely worth it. The one thing I would warn people about it be ready to fight these to be successfully installed. So install these on a hot day or using a hair dryer so loosen these up and make them more workable.
I've used these at the advice of a fellow bicyclist. They last far longer than less expensive tires and save money ultimately in more rides enjoyed and less replacement tires needing to be purchased.
I live in an area with a lot of road debris. I found using a Gatorskin on my rear wheel significantly cuts down on flats. It is pair with a thick brutal tube and I really can't tell any difference in rolling resistance for those fast group rides or riding solo. I don't race with it but I prefer the 5000 for that.
When I initially mounted the Black Edition Gators on some DT SWISS R460 rims, it was a little tough and required pretty good torque on my levers. After about a month of riding on them, I noticed the directional arrow on the side of the tire was wrong. So here was a good opportunity to correct it and see if the tires had stretched out a bit. Too my surprise, they had definitely loosened up. Now they are not only very easy to get off the rim with my wimpy levers, but I can get them back on with bare hands ! ( Just start putting the 2nd bead of the tire on the rim at 180' opposite of the valve stem and finish at the valve stem).
I have them on my rain bike and they handle very well on Portland's leaf-slop streets.
I have put about 1300 miles on them with no flats. I just use them for general riding. I do like the looks of the black edition.
I've run original gatorskins for years as I do a combination of 40m commutes and long weekend rides. Biggest complaint with originals was sidewalls unraveling before tread wore out. Black edition seems to address that issue, at least has no visible mesh on sidewalls like original.
Beyond that, with about 1K miles, wear is great and ride is about the same (overall good). Seems the tread is less sticky, but just my visual impression - no issues with loss of traction.
There is a reason they are called gatorskin. They just don't go flat. Always dependable and wear very well. I have been using these for years.
Great tire very flat proof and rolls and handles great.
Solid, dependable and great pricing. Have been using this type tires in all my bikes. Long lasting in Arizona heat.
Solid, dependable and great pricing. Have been using this type tires in all my bikes. Long lasting in Arizona heat.
Easy to put on using EZ clincher tool
2 wear dots make it very easy to know when to replace worn out tires
I do a lot of solo riding long distance, and the most debilitating thing about any ride is a mechanical or a puncture. The Gatorskin Blacks are trusted and tested to deliver me to the end goal every time. I've been riding about 1600k a month lately, so I do keep an eye on the road mileage. When the front tire gets a flat, that's when I know it's time to change them out before I do another century. I buy them in advance, so I always have a back up pair or two on hand. Note: Yes - they are heavier than racing tires, but the time I lose in climbing speed, I make up for, by not having to stop for a puncture. So if you change terrain over the course of one ride: glass, gravel, poor road quality, sand, pine needles, city garbage, etc... and you hate to change out a flat (ladies?) This tire is for you. The regular yellow sidewall Gators are also as durable, but the blacks are prettier. ;)
These are my go to winter tires for riding in Colorado. The local county here puts gravelsand down over the winters that will shred most other tires. But the Gatorskins stand up and I can normally get 2 winters out of a set, or about 2,500 miles. This year I've kept them on for the summer and have been taking them on gravel roads and dirt, without any puncture issues. I hope they keep making the black limited edition because they look so much better than the standard gator skins. I'm also 6'4 and 195 lbs so I'm on the heavier end of things.
On my second or third pair. These are tough tires. I ride 40 miles a day on city streets and hardly ever find glass in these tires.
