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.
I've been using Gator skins on my tandem with very good success. I prefer the wire bead for easier tire changing. I bought some foldable tires to go in the bag for spares.
I have had 2 Gatorskin road tires (25 x 700) get sidewall punctures recently. The primary tread has great wear resistance but wow are the sidewalls weak. They need to wrap the primary tread material around the tire a bit (1/4"- 3/8"?). Folks I ride with have had similar issues
I have been using Gatorskin tires for several years now because they seem to hold up well against punctures, tears and flats. I don't particularly care for the Gold and Brown accents on the regular models. The black edition is the best of both worlds for me. The tire I prefer in the color I prefer.
I just installed a new set of Gatorskins today.
The set that wore out was the Gatorskin Black Edition. That was my first time using the Black Edition.
I got 7,784 miles out of the old set. This is significantly higher than the 6,500 to 6,900 miles that I get out of the standard Gatorskins.
Got tired of punctures in my previous road tires, so figured I'd switch to these. Are they as light, zippy, and responsive? Well, no. But they're more than adequate for the sort of riding I do. And they're virtually bombproof. I no longer spend every ride wondering, in the back of my head, whether I'll have to stop and repair a flat.
Always use Gatorskin, I get the most mileage and very few flats
Went with a tire with red sidewalls but the they had bad cracking and needed to be replaced after one season. I went back to old faithful & am very happy with my Gatorskins!
I have used Conn Gatorskins for 25 years, thousands of miles. They are the best for commuting and general road riding.
These are my day to day tires. They take the road debris abuse and have been one of the most dependable tires I have!!
I use it on a Fuji Road. Handles well and resists most road hazards.Like everything else they have gotten expensive, if you don't buy when they are on sale.
I switched from the Michelin Race tire many years ago after a flat landed me on the road after the sidewalls collapsed in a turn - too thin & weak.
This tire has stood the test of time - it rarely flats, gives a smoother ride, grips well in turns and on wet roads.
I have been riding Cont's for years and have been pleased with the durability {no flats}. I was concerned about the gator skins durability because of smooth tread. So far no problem and they are smoother, smoother equals faster?, feels like it anyway.
I have been riding Contis for years and have been pleased with the durability {no flats}. I was concerned about the gator skins durability because of smooth tread. So far no problem and they are smoother, smoother equals faster?, feels like it anyway.
Great tire for everyday riding conditions. Super mileage, not prone to flats, and not too heavy
Road riding in the PNW always comes with wet gritty tires. These hold up to the road conditions and I have only gotten a couple flats in the decade I've ridden with a set of these tires on my bike.
I like this tire on the Rear of both my bikes, and my wife's bike. It almost never gets a flat, and lasts a long time.
I use a 5000 on the front. The Gatorskin Black is not quite as performance oriented as the 5000, but has extra side protection that the 5000 does not have. And from my experience, I get more miles from the Gatorskin than the 5000.
These tires ride very well and last forever. With over 5000 miles I will finally replace the tires even though there is probably a few more mile in them. With over 5000 miles on the set, I have had zero flats!!
I mostly ride on a flat paved trail that has some boardwalk sections, and not to mention some real gators. So the ride is not as smooth as riding on the road, nor is it a fast-paced course. I had the bike shop install the tires to save me that frustration of installing them myself, and then went for a ride. I was very pleased with the smoothness of the ride. I could feel it. These are some great tires and worth the price.
Used to buy the Conti 4000's which were really suitable for the paved trails I ride. But, I could count on a few flats EVERY month. Florida sand thorns. Switched to the Gatorskins and no more flats! Been through about 5 pairs of these and they really wear well. I do rotate them to get most miles. Very happy.
