Fifty Plus (50+) - Time for new tires

I am getting some new tires after work today & my two choices are Continental Gatorskins or GP4000. Has anyone used the to & which do they prefer?

A couple of people in my club have Gatorskins but no one has used the GP4000 or GP4000's.

I just installed Conti 4000's 700x25

Not sure if they are "GP" or not. I will have to look.

I have about 500 miles on them. They seem fine.

I forgot the size will be 700X25 and I do a lot of mountain riding (imagine that) and I like the down hills (take advantage of my extra weight:thumb:) so I get a lot of speed once in a while.

I am getting some new tires after work today & my two choices are Continental Gatorskins or GP4000. Has anyone used the to & which do they prefer?

A couple of people in my club have Gatorskins but no one has used the GP4000 or GP4000's.


I have the GP4000's on my bike. They were recommended by the LBS and I haven't had one problem with them. They have around 700 miles on them. I do a lot of road riding and they know how much I hate fixing a flat:)

Not familiar with the Gatorskins but I have the 700x23 GP4000s on both road bikes and luv 'em.

I've used both & it depends on your type of riding: Gatorskins for durability, I like them for commuting & touring, GP 4000 for everything else because of their better handling & ride.

I have Gatorskins and like them as a good all around tire. As others suggest, they may not be the best for super high-performance, but then nothing about me fits into that category.

Only two performance tyres to go for- Unless you are into Racing but even these two are popular amongst the Fast set.

Continental 4000s

and Michelin Pro Race 2/3's

I went Michelin because I have had a few bad experiences with the Conti Sidewalls.

Gatorskins are more durable but So far 2,000 miles on the PR2's and the front tyre still has the mould marks on it.

I used Gatorskins for about 20,000 miles. Just put a pair of GP4000s's on about 800 miles ago. They seem fine. Are supposed to roll better but still give protection against flats. Bicycling this months says, "Best for training, all-around riding and wet-weather racing." "Best Conti ever", "Firm, stable, predictable over bumps and railroad tracks." "If the long life and bulletproof performance against punctures have already made you a Conti loyalist, you'll be blown away by how much sweeter the ride has become."

garsh, you rich folks have lots of money for tires!

(love my $5.99 Nashbar wire-bead 700x25s)...

:-)

garsh, you rich folks have lots of money for tires!

(love my $5.99 Nashbar wire-bead 700x25s)...

:-)

Have six of them. Two are red. Never had a flat tire. It is always the tube that is flat.

Have six of them. Two are red. Never had a flat tire. It is always the tube that is flat.

ya ya... stocked up a year or so ago... glad i did... i'm good for the next decade (tires are in climate-control)... i also collected a store of new-in-the-box (NIB) 9spd gear (chain, cassettes, derailleurs, BBs, brifters) for my stable... (my last Nashbar label shows US$105 for a pair of black 105 9spd dbl brifters - the prices for brifters are now *obscene*)...

:-(

I always go for the Gatorskins just for the extra durability and bullet proof (pretty much) sidewalls. Yeah, they may be a little slower, but I'm not racing anyway, and the longevity wins out, at least for me.

Not that the 4000's aren't good tires, and they no doubt are faster. It's most a matter of your personal priorities when it comes to tires.

Rick / OCRR

Went with the Gatorskins, couldn't see paying that much more for the GP4000s even though a couple bike shops said they were improved over the GP4000.

I did get a hold of someone from our club & he uses the Gatorskins & really likes them so I'll give them a try. If I don't like them I'll be needing another pair by spring time.

I have a set of Conti 4000 that are nice tires but I did get a flat with them. I'm building a fast Jamis Comet TT bike from a stash of bike parts I bought out and will probably mount the GP4000s on that bike for sale.

Love my Gatorskins - been using them for several years now. I did finally get a flat with on but in examination it had a lot of wear and some glass finally worked through them.

Gatorskins here. I hate flats!

garsh, you rich folks have lots of money for tires!

(love my $5.99 Nashbar wire-bead 700x25s)...

:-)
We ride in the mountains a lot & I spend a lot of time 35mph & higher (on the down hills of coarse;)) so I want a quality tire. Hate to find out what it would feel like hitting the ground at that speed.

I'm using Vredestein Fortezza TriComps right now, and I like the ride and handling, but after 700 miles I can tell they aren't going to last much longer. For what they cost, they should.

So I'm looking at the Conti GP 4000 S or the Michelin Krylion as a replacement.

They've added the "S" to the newest Conti GP 4000, here's Conti's sales lingo about the dif: "Now with Black Chili compound for reduced rolling resistance and increased grip and wear life."

Who know whether there's much dif, but the price is the same for the older GP 4000 (no S).

I'm using Vredestein Fortezza TriComps right now, and I like the ride and handling, but after 700 miles I can tell they aren't going to last much longer. For what they cost, they should.

So I'm looking at the Conti GP 4000 S or the Michelin Krylion as a replacement.

They've added the "S" to the newest Conti GP 4000, here's Conti's sales lingo about the dif: "Now with Black Chili compound for reduced rolling resistance and increased grip and wear life."

Who know whether there's much dif, but the price is the same for the older GP 4000 (no S).

Apparantly---The "S" is important. And on the vredersteins- Only 500 miles to my front tyre and that was when I went Michelin PR2's And while on Michelins- Do not go for the Lithions. They ought to call them Lethal-ons in the wet.