DrIsotope

I don't have a single bad word to say about Gator Hardshells. I've put close to 4k miles on my set of 700x28s, with zero punctures-- and I ride in the unofficial goathead and bottle glass capital of the world.

I don't understand the complaints about ride quality, unless there are a whole lot of riders out there suffering from a Princess Complex-- I put 170-200 miles a week on the bike, and have never felt the Hardshells to be particularly harsh or lack a great deal of grip. They are more than competent performance-wise, and absolutely brilliant durability-wise.

For a counterpoint, my wife's bike has 700x25 Clement Strada LCGs, which seem to be a smooth rolling, decently gripping tire... but I had to put Mr Tuffy in them, because she was getting at least one flat per ride. When they wear out, she's getting a set of Hardshells for sure.

imi

Yes, the Hardshells have extra sidewall protection, and are thus slightly heavier and stiffer (more expensive too). As to ride feel, they really are pretty similar imo.

I A/B'd GS and HS on the same bike by swapping my commuting and touring wheelsets around (Mavic A-319, A719s, so pretty similar), and i thought I felt a slight difference, but this was obviously not a double blind test.

I swap between Gatorskins (april-september) and GP-4 Seasons (october-march) for commuting, and tour on Hardshells. All 28mm.

All that said, I would agree that all these tires could be called "harsh" (GP's the softest of the three), but that's what I like about them - others don't. Just a preference

zonatandem

Don't believe evrything you read . . .

vinnyvincent

The GP four seasons is a bit higher in price compared to the gatorskins. It sounds like you are saying they are somewhat comparable? Why do you prefer them for cooler months and the others for cooler month's? I live in Houston, TX so I must be missing something.

Doctor Morbius

Based on reviews alone, my next set of road tires will probably be Schwalbe Durano. Bonus points as they're named after that '80s band Durano Durano.

CliffordK

I get a flat, maybe every 500 miles. There are some people that claim to go for 10,000 miles without a flat.

I think a lot depends on where one rides, and one's riding style.

If you put most of your miles on isolated bike trails, then it is quite possible you can go for a long time without a flat. Also perhaps residential roads, or even shoulderless country roads.

On the other hand, if you put a lot of miles on road shoulders and streetside bike paths, you will pick up glass and road debris that will eventually cause a flat.

I am a bit mixed on flat protection. Nothing is perfect. I've gotten flats with my Schwalbe Marathon tire. But, there are advantages of reducing the number of flats as they often come at the worst time.

vinnyvincent

That's crazy I was just about to post and ask about these tires!

They are about 50 dollars, but they claim 10,000 miles of life...sounds like I'd probably never have to change tires on that bike again if that is true...

vinnyvincent

Okay ChainReactionCycles has the schwalbe durano's. I can get both tires shipped for 65 dollars VS 63 on amazon for Gatorskins. What do you guys think?

The Schwalbe tire seems to get some pretty awesome reviews...

Paul Barnard

It's hard to go wrong with Duranos or Gator Skins. Trek's Bontrager Hardcase Lights have treated me well in 3 different applications. Given what you have said about your riding style, it's unlikely you will feel any appreciable difference in tires. Puncture protection is well worth it to me. To add one more little bit of confusion to the picture, there can be a substantial difference between different manufacturers tires. I have some 700x28 Panaracer Ribmos that are huge. I have some 700x28 Hardcase tires that are much smaller.

bikecrate

I always find ride quality an odd thing to measure. I think picking the psi sweet spot helps quite a bit. Not too high that it feels really hard or too low that it feels draggy and risk pinch flats.

70sSanO

For some reason I get sidewall cracking on the zaffiros, so I won't recommend them.

John

vinnyvincent

I think I am going to go with the schwalbe. They seem like better tires and are higher priced. Performace has a good deal on them for only 2 dollars more than gatorskins.

McBTC

For anyone who might consider going to a smaller tire it's may be of interest to know that tires oftentimes measure wider on the rim is indicated on the sidewall. The OEM tires on my bike are 700x25s but are actually more like ~27s. I rode 23s for years for day rides never realizing they probably were more like 25s. I remember years ago when I put 28s the rear of an old tour bike instead of a 25 and was amazed at how big they seemed. They were 'expedition' tires and my guess now is that they probably were a lot bigger than marked. All said I think for road bikes -- even touring -- 25s may be about the best all-around choice given that they probably are at least 25 and in some instances nearly 28s.

dim

go for durano plus .... thats what I have and I spent hours researching before deciding

a lot of professional racing guys use these as their training tyres

acorn54

i second this. peace of mind.
i have used panaracer tourguide and the only problem i USE to have was the sidewall integrity, can't remember getting a flat but for one freak incidence, where the sidewall got punctured somehow. i did get a nail stuck in the tire one time, and only realized it, because of the constant "bump", when i rode over the nail. i pulled it out figuring the air would leak but it did not do so. the nail could not get through the kevlar lining, which i believe is the material in the bullet proof vests the nyc police department uses. the company that makes the tires have since rectified the problem of the weak integrity of the sidewalls. i have used them for the past 14 years. i have peace of mind with these tires on my bike.

vinnyvincent

Thanks for the tip! I was actually able to find a UK website with free shipping on orders over 60 dollars. Total came out to 60.02 LOL!
So I actually got the durano plus for less than gatorskins!

BlazingPedals

I have Duranos on several bikes. I loaded up when I could get them for $32 each. One set had almost 6000 miles on them before I swapped them out for something faster. They've got more wear in them, so I may re-mount them this spring. OTOH, they are noticeably slower than Conti 4000S. My average speeds dropped about a mph using them. The Conti 4000S is also a long-lived tire, but more expensive. And some people report fragile sidewalls with them, which seems to be a common complaint about Contis in general.

Maelochs

I was going to suggest these but I wanted to finish reading the post before I did. For me these hit the sweet spot of cost vs. quality. I have zero complaints about the ride or the longevity and the price is sensible for someone like myself who rides only to enjoy riding.

EDIT: whoops I should have kept reading.

I will research the Duranos, thanks for the tip.

vinnyvincent

Okay now that 44 dollar price tag has me tempted...too many choices!

CliffordK

I think the Continental Ultra Sport is an Asian made tire, whereas the Gatorskin, Gator Hardshell, and the GP 4 seasons tires are all German made (I think). I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but at least the sidewalls appear different.

vinnyvincent

I'm still leaning toward the schwalbe durano plus at 30 per tire. It seems like they are really popular in europe but haven't really caught on as much here in the states.

dim

to put a spanner in the spokes .....

There's now a new Schwalbe Durano called Durano DD .... (double defence)

Schwalbe Durano DD Shop test and now in stock



Schwalbe Durano DD RaceGuard Protection Tyre

not as strong as Durano plus, but better than standard Durano .... it slots in the middle of Durano and Durano plus .... I might try these on my Koga Miyata if I decide to switch from tubulars to clinchers

shelbyfv

Here's another vote for the Gravelkings New Panaracer Gravelking 700x28 Folding Tire Black Tread Sidewall | eBay I rode Gatorskins for years, tried GP4 Season then went to GP4000s. The GravelkIngs are so much nicer to ride. Smooth and quiet. No flats yet even though they are on the rain bike.

imi

Not temperature, but rain. The softer rubber of the 4-Seasons gives them better handling on wet asphalt. The tread is identical (almost slicks). On a couple of occasions I've almost wiped out on Gatorskins when cornering too aggressively on wet asphalt in summer - it rains a lot where I live, and to be honest I could ride 4-seasons all year round, but Gatorskins feel a bit niftier - more fun in summer

vinnyvincent

What do you mean by that?