I was looking for more tread as I explained to your rep. It will take awhile to find out how long they last.
Great training tire, flatted once when a nail got driven through tire. I ride near college housing and broken glass does not effect tires.
I have ridden thousands of miles on these tires on a Tandem...on tough chip seal roads in New Zealand, coarse pavement in Slovokia, and along the coast of Oregon with the omnipresent brambles on the shoulders. No flats, period. Riding in the rain in the mountains of North Carolina, I noticed a side wall cut from sharp stones. A dollar bill inside the tire reinforced sufficiently to climb and descend 40 miles back to home. I would never consider any other tire for a tandem!!!
Pros: good road feel wet or dry
Good adhesion when wet
Excellent durability
Cons: A little heavy compared to some
Not cheap, but then my stoker is worth it!
I found out I was in need of new tires for my bike, 4 days before my first 200 mile STP (Seattle to Portland) ride. Decided on these Gatorskins. Ordered them and got them in 2 days. Ran one short ride and left to Seattle. They rolled really nice. No flats! I must have seen at least 20 people with flats along the ride. Finished in one day with no tire problems. I'm glad I made the decision to purchase these tires.
Before I say anything about the Gatorskin, I should confess that I suck at fixing tires. I can do it, but it is neither fast nor efficient. On more than 1 occasion, I've pinched the tube during the change. Having said that, I really like gatorskin tires. The roads around central MA varies quite a bit. Some roads are awful and desperately need to be repaved. Early in the season before street sweeping, I've ridden over glass pieces fearing I'd get a flat. Luckily, most of the time it doesn't with the gatorskin. Before I switched to gatorskin, I used to get about 5-6 flats a year. I log about 5K miles a year, so basically every 2 months I'd get a flat.
Since I switched, flats rarely happens. Even when there's a nasty piece of glass, Gatorskin will handle it without flatting. Gatorskin will flat if the glass is razor sharp, someone throws thumb tacks on the street or the tread is warn out. I've had glass gouge out chunks of rubber, but gatorskin is perfectly fine.
The ride is a bit harsh but it's a good trade off
for commuting, touring, and everyday riding. They
are also some of the best at avoiding those mini
punctures...as well as having a descent wear factor
Overall they are a good value!
I use 28c gatorskins on dirt road centurys...they hold up great!
I was looking for a durable tire and these fit the bill and wallet. Of course, they are not light, but i don't them excessively HEAVY. Easy to install and abppear to be durab,e
I am very impressed with the Continental Gatorskin. Bought a pair as replacements for worn out Bontrager tires. Thread count is much highter with the Gatorskins which thwarts flat tires. Ride is nice especially when cornering on wet roads.
I put these tires on all of my commuter bikes as well as some of my weekend bikes. The feel of the road and handling rivals many tires that cost much more but these also have the added benefit of being pretty darn resistant to flat tires.
Been using the Gatorskins for several seasons now and I still love them. Great flat protection and I get at least 3000 miles out of them, depending on how many dirt miles I put on them. I've only ever gotten a couple flats while using these and they were all after the tire had been nearing the end of it's lifespan.
Great tires! I wouldn't go with anything else!
Great balance with light weight and puncture proof
At 6' 4 and 200 lbs, I want a tough tire on my bikes. The Conti Gatorskins have been my preference for years. Rarely do I have a flat and generally get 3000 miles per tire. I use the 700 X 28. For trouble free riding, give them a try.
I really like these tires for everyday use. I train on them and have them on two different sets of wheels. A great tire...My original set are 25X700, on the same set of wheels for three seasons now... Use them in the early spring and have not had one flat with them...
I've had really good success using these tires. I have them on both of my bikes and wouldn't use any thing else.
They handle great, even on wet pavement and are very flat resistant.
These tires are simply indestructible - perhaps a little heavy for racing but great for high mileage training and general road riding miles
Love these tires. My wife & I are training for a long charity ride. Part of the training is group rides frequently requiring riding on some pretty rough shoulders. No problems at all. Feel very confidant on these tires.
Bought these tires for an 800 mile ride through TX & LA. They performed well and no flats over some pretty poor road conditions. The wear on the rear tire seemed more than previous tire experience.
I run a a high-end road bike rental business and these are the go to tire for me. I've tried a lot of tires but these have always held up the best for puncture protection and they provide good year round traction with a supple road feel on any road surface and they provide confident cornering. Our late summer and fall months give us the nasty yellow star thistle and using the Gatorskins I have never have to patch a flat caused by this thorny pest.
