I ride the rough rides of Southern California for exercise. These tires hold up very well, although not completely bullet proof. I've had one flat over several hundred miles, which is remarkable considered some of the road conditions, which include glass, palm fronds, rocks, tree nuts, potholes, cracks in the pavement, goat heads, and every other piece of detritus one can imagine. While I'm not a super fast rider, they hold the corners well and provide a stable and secure ride. I'm 185 lbs. with a 24 lb. Bike and inflate the tires to 73 psi rear and 71 psi front. (Per the Silca professional tire pressure recommendation). I ride the 700x28 size on my Trek 3009 7.7 FX. These are a great reliable tire that keeps you on the road safely without having to fix many flats. I heartily recommend them for any one commuting or training on your bike.
Gatorskins wear more slowly, get fewer flats and may be slightly easier to get on/off than GP 4 Seasons.
Nice reliable tire for my commuter bike. A good set of tires to have to prevent flats while riding to work.
Basically this tire performs well to prevent road type issues. Wears well, only challange is they are tight and difficult to put on rims on the road. The same thing that makes them wear well.
This Gatorskin tire is a bit cheaper than the standard Gatorskin, but it has the same components. I have over 3400 miles on these and they don't look like they have worn hardly at all
Continental Gatorskin are my go to tires these days. I like the puncture resistant focus and the build quality. I have noticed over the last few years that I have fewer punctures for longer period of times as compared to Michelin Pro Endurance which were at one time my tire of choice until they were no longer available. The Gatorskins are a bit heavier but a good trade off for peace of mind. I especially like the Black Edition as it complements the titanium color of my bike. I ride daily for pleasure and appreciate a dependable tire. I change my tires at about 2500 miles even though the Gatorskins probably have some life left. I prefer to do so in order to minimize potential punctures as the tire tread starts to wear down. I rotate my tires at around 1200 miles to balance the wear between the front and back as the back usually wears faster.
It's a toss-up between Continental Gatorskins and Vittoria Randonneur (old style, original 110 (?) PSI casing) for everything except the number of miles I can will out of the Gatorskins seems to be a bit lower. My first set of Gatorskins came to a premature demise when I ran through a day-old automobile accident site and sliced the casings on some plastic debris. I didn't get full life out of that set, so it remains to be seen if my lower mileage predictions are correct. The positive tradeoff is in wet road grip. The Gatorskins are much safer in the rain. As I'm an all-weather cyclist, that is a trade I'll gladly make if it costs a few extra dollars a month to replace the tires more frequently.
The Gold Standard in fast rolling puncture resistant training tires. Yes, they are a little heavier than GP 5000's but flat protection is second to none. I live in Wisconsin and try to ride year-round if possible- usually 5-6 thousand miles/year. Often have years with NO flats thanks to Gatorskins!!
I was using the Grand Prix 5000 tires and though I loved the smooth and supple quality of the ride they provided, I was getting too many flats. I was concerned that the Gatorskins would be too harsh of a ride. They are heavier and stiffer but, honestly, not that bad. I find the ride to be pretty comfortable and, after many rides, I am still free of flats so definitely worth the switch. I think this is the only tire I'm going to use from now on, year round.
Superior ride, handling and durability.
I've been using this brand for 10+ years.
Got a great price for tires and I always start the season with on my road bikes. I love the all black without the orange trim. I've only had one of the Gatorskins had a chunk taken out of it while riding. I was able to fill it with neoprene rubber and use it on my trainer and that's what I do when the tire starts to flatten out. Tough tires for me. I feel more confident in the Gatorskins as opposed to Gran Prix 5000 tires since I've seen a few blow out during an IM. I use to train and do Tri's and now it's for exercise, fun, and just to get out and away.
Mounted these on a Bushnell tandem last month and rode 500km with 12000ft of climbing in Morocco. Tires handle beautifully especially on descents. Only 20 minutes of showers to test road grip but all went well
Outstanding tires' I have ridden Continental tires for over 25 years.
The Gatorskins are an excellent tire for serious training, high mileage, and puncture resistance.
A little more work to mount but worth the effort
I am a retired 77 year old 'club rider". I ride with the group 25 - 50 miles, 3 days a week. This is over various terrain. I use the Gatorskin Black on the rear of my bike. I have not had a flat in about a year now.
Gator Skins have been my go to tires for a number of years now. These black version of the tires are not only cheaper than the gold label version but I was also able to get the bigger size for my e-bike. Just like the version I have used on my regular carbon fiber road bike, I expect to get many miles on these tires without flats.
After riding Gatorskins on my road bike exclusively for the past seven years, I have had three sidewall blowouts so far this year. The last, which was yesterday, after only 280 miles of use. In each example, I could not find a specific cause. Up until yesterday, I had loved these tires. So I'll be switching to another brand because I'm tired of being stranded miles from home.
I've used Gatorskins for several years. Since our city (Portland, OR) no longer seems to care to maintain its bikepaths and bikelanes, I need a tougher tire than the Rubino Pros I used to rely on. Only drawback with Gatorskins was that when they were brand new, they often didn't seat in the rims at first, causing unexpected blowouts a few minutes after inflation. Sometimes it took several attempts to get them to seat properly. These new black edition tires -- for whatever reason -- did not have that problem. I've installed several, all perfectly on the first go. They are hard to mount/dismount, especially when new and/or cold, so unless you have hands of Hercules, pack a couple tire levers in your repair kit.
Nice fresh rubber gatorskins in 28mm. Smooth!
I've been using Gator Skins for a few years now, and nothing else will go on my bike. I recommend them to all my cycling friends. I will continue to use Gator Skins as long as I'm riding.
Puncture resistant. Long wearing. Competitively priced. Just a great tire.
