SethL

Hi, I have a gator skin on my back 25C and a grand prix 5000 on my front. Both are new. The one thing I found out about the gator skins is they are very hard to get over the rims and install.. Couldn't do it myself so had to get a mechanic to help. Not great if I ever get a flat as I feel like I would not be able to pull over the rims on my own.

I want to order a tire to have as a spare and hopefully at one point have the same tires on both wheels.

Rims are mavic keystron elite.

I am guessing the gator skins are more puncture resistant than grand prix but does anyone know if they are easier to pull over the rims? In addition are there certain types of tubes that are more puncture resistant than others?

pdlamb

I've found folding tires to be more difficult to mount the first time than wire bead tires. After they've been on for a while, the folding bead seems to relax and it gets a bit easier to remove and replace.

You have looked up how to mount and remove tires, right? Pinch the beads together and pull them down into the center channel of the rim and work your way around the tire, so that you've got a bit of "extra" you can roll off (or on) the rim?

Noonievut

I’ve had 3-4 sets of Gatorskins. I did have a couple flats over the years. I tried the 5000 last year and find them much more supple / comfortable. And yes they’re easier to mount but once either tire is on they’re not hard to take off and put back on so I wouldn’t make that the deciding factor

Crankycrank

Yes, Gator Skins are much more puncture resistant and probably last about twice as many miles as the GP5000 but IMO ride like rocks in comparison (everyone will have a different opinion on that of course). The tube plays a very minor role in puncture resistance but can give a perceptibly more sluggish feel due to the weight of thicker tubes if running a lightweight wheelset. 99+% of puncture protection comes from the tire.

Supercardplayer

The 5000 is a more race tire that is considerably lighter than the goatskins, has lower rolling resistance . The gator skins are a more commuter tire or something for bad roads , its still a good tire but for two very different used that's what I think

easyupbug 

For my Arizona bikes I use gatorskins as everything that grows has thorns and as said above until they get some miles are very hard to deal with and I have arthritis in my hands so carry one of these for the first few rides on new tires: Kool Stop Bead Jack.

Drew Eckhardt 

Use two wraps of 1 mil Kapton tape totaling 0.005" versus 0.020" for traditional tape like Velox and 0.010" for thin tapes - 16mm (5/8") for classic width rims, 19mm (3/4") wide. Finish at the valve stem. That allows comfortably hand mounting tires on rims that had you cussing at tire levers.

smashndash

Sounds like you have a GP5000. Try reinstalling it. That's much more reliable than anything we can tell you.

I haven't ever heard of anyone describing the GP5000 as an easy to mount tire. The TL version is definitely infamously hard to mount.

cxwrench

I've actually given up on 5000TL tires a couple times and told the customer to get something else. If I couldn't install them in the shop they'd never be able to handle a puncture on the road if they had to install a tube.

veganbikes

The tubeless 5ks are really really tough to get on. We had the same problem as cxwrench at our shop though we didn't give up (though we lost some good tubes in the process). Gatorskins can be difficult to get on as well but not impossible. I prefer a good open tubular design which can be really tough to get on initially but will be easier as time goes on however they will potentially have less puncture resistance especially on the sidewall which will be a poly/cotton in some configuration. With those as well you do get a better ride quality.

With any difficult to mount tire using thinner tape is handy as Drew Eckhardt pointed out. Haven't used the Kapton tape but NASA uses it so probably would work just fine in this situation. If nothing else Tubeless rim tape will also do the trick.

Avoid gimmicky tubes. A tube does not need to do a ton more than hold air well and be well made. It does not need to be ultra thick as it will not stretch well nor does it need to contain anything on the inside or have anything special about it. Those thorn proof tubes are something I would only get if I was desperate in an emergency situation and I needed a tube that was all I could get and I had to put a tube in that bike or else.

squirtdad

IME it is dependent on the specific tire rim combo (not talking tubeless) I am the kinda guy who wants front and rear matching....and the difference between a gatorskin and a gp5000 is huge terms of what they do well (i have both but on different bikes). i really like the gp5000, so I would say get another one of those

SethL

Thanks everyone. I am a bit neurotic about punctures and don't really care about weight or rolling resistance as much.. Right now all is good with the gatorskin on the back on the 5000GP on the front. I was reading up on it and the 5000GP is also fairly punctured resistant. I have an old 4000 GP I can carry with me in a larger saddle bag and will go that route. Hopefully, I dont' get caught in the cold. At some point will replace the GP 5000 with a gatorskin.

cjenrick

After about 1000 miles, the gatorskins should come off quite easily, possibly why they sell them tight.

to make sure they will come off easily, just ride on the flat for about a mile before stopping.

i knew a rider who refused to use tire irons to put a tire on a rim, veins would pop out of his head but he would wrestle them on,

then there was buck, down at the wrecking yard. Clark's Auto Wreckers in East Palo Alto. Brother of Burl Clark who always had a stoogie hangin out of his mouth. Buck was 300 lbs of pure muscle, kind of like hoss cartright. he would pull car tires off the rim without any tools! wtf? could unload a chevy small block from the pickup and carry it into the yard,

there seems to be a tradeoff between puncture resistance and rolling resistance, i used to run those specialized armadillo tyres for commuting, you could ride them down to the casing and they would not flat. however, they were really slow tires maybe they improved them since the 80's.

buy some gatorskins and age them. i just bought one that was a demo tire in a bike shop for three years. no glass cuts after 500 miles. normally i would have about 10 small cuts on a new tyre by then. rumor had it that racers used to pay double for a sewup that was a year old, but never met anybody who did that.

hopefully this stash will have time to age before they are needed. 25's, hardshell on the back for a little extra rubber, and regulars on the front.

Bamicus

4000 are the best!

Crankycrank

I should warn you that the 5000GP is fairly puncture resistant when compared to other lightweight racing/training tires but not nearly as tough as any Gatorskin will be. If you run the 5000's expect more punctures.

Bamicus

How long would someone condition tires? I have some that are 15 years old, and not rotten.