Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - anybody used conti ultra gator skins?

if so, do you use the wire bead or the folding bead? other than 50 grams per tire weight savings, does the folding bead offer and advantages over the wire bead? the wire bead can run 5 psi higher pressure, do you think that's worth the 50 gram weight penalty?

any thoughts?

cheers!

:beer:

I have the foldy ones...I still pump them up to a 100psi...so far so good.
I can't imagine 5 psi makes any difference...I loose that just yanking the pump off the valve.

wire bead mos def

I swear by gator skins. but they are a little spendy.

I'm running two sets of them now (700x28), inflated to 100psi. One tire from my first pair developed a nasty bulge and had to be retired after just 300 miles. Have about 600 miles on the other pair. No flats....

Good riding,
desmobob

I had them on ( wire bead ) for about 1200 miles and got only 1 flat. I went back to All-Condition Armadillos, with which I have many thousands of miles with no flats.

howdy.

why do you say wire bead? whats the difference other than the weight?

cheers

howdy.

why do you say wire bead? whats the difference other than the weight?

cheers

price

tradition

I had a pair, I probably averaged three flats a week for the first month a rode them. Bad luck perhaps? Riding style? Too much glass on my commute? Regardless I blew out the sidewall on my rear tire after about six months, and will never go back to them. A lot of people swear by them, and I stuck with them for a long time because I spent the money on them, but overall I was not very happy with the purchase. They rode great, but I feel like I spent extra money for flat protection which they offered but didn't deliver.

P.S. They were wire bead 700cx25s.

I'm using the folding ones now (700x23c) and they are quite bombproof. Had a set of the wire bead ones and went 8 months without a flat. I've got like three extra pairs that I'm holding on to just because.......
I even like 'em better than the Bontrager Hardcase and those tires only gave me superb proformance. THey could have a little more tread on 'em though.........

I use the Continental Ultra GatorSkin Road Tire (Wire Bead) 700x25c. They are a great long-wearing tire.

i like them. i have had 2 with the wire bead. they seem to have about the same level of flat protection as the armadillos but are much nicer riding. better wet traction (the armadillos are downright sketch on wet asphalt) and a rounder cross section that gives more predictable cornering.

I had them on ( wire bead ) for about 1200 miles and got only 1 flat. I went back to All-Condition Armadillos, with which I have many thousands of miles with no flats.

LOVE our All-Condition Armadillos too, tandem and daily commuter with heavy rider. AVOID THE NIMBUS, however, for tandems: we had multi delaminations of new tread on 3 of four tires. All on the rear, 700x28.

http://www.applefritter.com/images/zombie_1-9316.jpg

It craves brains...

I had them on ( wire bead ) for about 1200 miles and got only 1 flat. I went back to All-Condition Armadillos, with which I have many thousands of miles with no flats.

"only"? I've ridden my Schwalbe Big Apples, which don't even have a very good puncture protection (compared to the other Schwalbe puncture-protected tires), and in about 2500 miles I had NO flats. That's a zero. I guess these Gatorskins must be some rather weak tires? ;) :D

23c wire bead...not a single flat when I was using them. Sidewalls held strong. Love them.

25c & 28c wire bead. only flats I've gotten have been from hitting really big potholes and hitting those big metal plates that are laid on the road where they're going street and construction work at speed.

I use the 28's on my conversion, they feel like bricks compared to my 28c bontrager racelites but they're a great all around tire. Fantastic wet traction, they're on my rain bike

I had Ultra Gator Skins for awhile, but like the poster above, the sidewalls eventually gave out. I rode them for six months living in DC and never got a flat. I've since switched to the All-Condition Armadillos and like them quite a bit too, and have yet to experience a flat with them after riding for the past 12 months in Brooklyn/Manhattan/Queens (i.e. the land of really ****ed up roads).

Have used/ still using both types on my bikes; they keep me mostly flatless (aside from those freak flats involving tacks or random city $hit); I find the folding ones easier to install though, just inflate to about 8 psi and adjust the tire fit from there.. and then inflate fully.

Never had a gatorskin sidewall fail on me yet....

I have also never had a gatorskin side wall give out on me. I have on the other hand seen quite a few All Condition's tread separate from the casing though. In fact, I have one in the shop right now if you are interested in seeing it. I can attribute that to having sold alot more All Condition's but still, I saw at least 4 of them do the exact same thing last year and just got my first one this year. Let me know if you want to see it and I can snap a pic.

I've ridden Armadillos and Gatorskins.

The Gatorskins weigh less and handle better than the Armadillos and have similar flat resistance.

Recently the Conti 4 Seasons has caught up to the Gatorskins in flat resistance, but weighs less and handles and grips better.

Iv got a set of 4 seasons in the box somewhere. I might have to try them next when my Paselas wear out...

I use 23 kevlar bead on myGunnar Roadie and 28 wire bead on my Salsa Casseroll commuter. Thye have both performed great. with only a couple flats over 1500 miles. I like them alot and higly recommed. The wire bead is quite a bit cheaper than the folding kevlar, although you can find pretty good deals at Wiggle or PBK

I swear by gator skins. but they are a little spendy.

Amen.

PBK has gatorskins under 30... free shippinh.