berner

To help with flat protection as well as longer tire life, I mounted Gator Skins last year. They are OK for my slow speeds and on smooth roads. On chip seal they rattle the fillings out of your head. I'm now trying a Specialized Turbo Pro 28mm but no verdict yet on it.

John_V 

I've been using 25 cm Gatorskins for four years and have never had a problem installing new ones. I use only the wire bead tires. I average 8,500-10,000 miles/year and change them each January. Since using them, I have had a total of one flat caused by road debris. On my road bike, I can't see that they are harsher than other tires I've ridden on before going to Skins. Even if they were a bit harsher, one flat in four years certainly makes up for it.

tg16

I prefer the Schwalbes.

canklecat

Sounds like Contis haven't changed in one respect since I used 'em 30 years ago -- that super tight rim fit. Took three levers, both thumbs and a lotta cussing to fix flats. No complaints otherwise, although this was before Gatorskins. Personally I preferred the tight fit to those loose fitting Specialized Hemispheres that rolled right off my rim when flat. Less risk of rim damage or skidding and falling when the rubber stays on the rim while I'm trying to slow down and pull over.

dim

I've always found schwalbe tyres to be very good (of the ones that I have used) .... Schwalbe Marathon plus .... bomb proof and never a puncture (I have these on my daughter's heavy dutch loop frame with 700C tyres, and on my wifes dutch loop frame bike with 650B tyres) .... I rode hundreds of miles on a hybrid using these... if I ever decide to go touring across the UK, I will use these

My son has a specialised mountain bike and has the Schwalbe greenguard tyres .... he rides lots on bad roads and has never had a puncture

I've got durano plus (25's) on my road bike which I use for commuting (over 2300 km since new years day, and no punctures and grip very well)... I ride on crappy roads

I'm getting a Surly LHT next week and will use this for my daily commute (approx 120-150 miles per week) and am seriously considering the new Schwalbe Marathon supremes (38's) .... good reviews and good puncture resistance and very good rolling (some say that the sidewalls are not as good as the Marathon plus, but you cannot have everything so I will take my chances) ....

I am also keen on some of the Compass tyres for faster summer rides, but they are not as good with puncture resistance as the Schwalbes mentioned ... the Compass rat trap looks interesting (54mm wide and may be a good winter tyre to commute with, but I need to research more) .... they are not cheap

Wingsprint

I have had much of the same with using Gatorskins for the past three years. Easy to mount on several different types of wheels and they last a long time. Overall, I am very satisfied.

FullGas

if Gators actually offered better flat protection, I could forgive their horrible ride.

after 4 sets of Gators, I switched to the Conti GP 4Ks...

no detectable difference in the number of flats or mileage provided and the improvement in ride quality was dramatic.

last set of 'skins are now on the bike used for roller duty...unfortunately, they'll never wear out there so I guess I'm stuck with those.

AlexCyclistRoch

Better Conti's always go on tight. Last time I put a pair of Sprinter tubulars on was a real chore.

Gerryattrick

I think Gatorskins/Durano/Marathons/Specialized are brilliant/crap tyres that give a really smooth/rough ride, are puncture proof/prone and are child's play/absolute hell to put on.

Please delete as applicable to suit your preferences/prejudices and use as a template for replies to this thread. Saves time.

Any tyre thread always goes down this same route even when it's not asking for comparisons.

FrenchFit 

"Gatorskins ride like crap."

I've found if you run them a little under pressure they smooth out. They ain't no race tire anyway, a tad more rolling resistance is no big deal.

Monoborracho

Light, cheap, puncture resistant........................PICK TWO

OldsCOOL

[/endthread]

OldsCOOL

I find that when they go on tighter it is an assurance that max pressures wont readily lift a bead out of the clinch groove. But that doesnt mean I like installing them first thing in the morning. Or late at night. Or during a sunny afternoon. On Sunday.

Don in Austin

Yes! I just put Gatorskin 700x25 folding on one of my bikes and it took a little bit. But it is never that hard afterwards. Since they don't get many flats hopefully you won't have to test that!

Don in Austin

Rick@OCRR

Agreed Don! I've put on a lot of Gatorskins (like the ride quality too) and it does take some doing but once you get the hang of it, not a big deal. Plus, I don't get flats very often at all (though it can happen) and when I do, the tire is much easier to put on than it was originally, so there must be some slight stretching that goes on once the tire is in use.

Rick / OCRR

digibud

Dunno who doesn't like Gatorskins. Oh...except me but that's cause I just dislike harder tires but even I have to admit for a high level of protection they are pretty nice. The steel bead version are indeed a bear to mount. A friend bought a pair and tried to mount them. He probably spent an hour fighting with them till I came over and got them mounted. They weren't easy and if you didn't get the bead into the well of the rim, down low, it was not possible. I run tubeless Bontrager tires simply for the safety but before that I ran Conti 4000s and loved them. I like their ride better than my tubeless tires even though I run the tubeless at lower pressure. I'd bet that 80% of my friends run Gatorskins. Very popular around here.

OldsCOOL

I dont like ANYTHING Continental.

GerryinHouston

I mounted a pair of Gatorskins (28mm) on my hybrid's wheels. I almost gave up trying. What got me over the hill (the rim) was putting liquid soap on the rim and the tire.

Last week I put a Schwalbe Marathon Plus on my wife's bike. Went in much easier (..and faster!...) with liquid soap of course.

NYMXer

I've had tires so tough to put one, like my Continentals, that I had to leave them out in the hot sun for a few hours to soften them up.
That made them much easier to deal with

OldsCOOL

I have put Krylions in the oven.

Biker395 

I got two ... count 'em ... two flats coming home on my last commute (Huchinson Fusions). They were getting a bit worn, so I decided to swap them out for some OLD tires I had laying around ... Conti Grand Prix. The rubber looks like new, so what the heck?

My bad experience with sidewall failures have seen me shy away from Conti for my recreational riding, but for commuting and such (no high speeds), I thought I'd give them another go.

dksix

I'm posting a follow up to my post (#8).

I had a flat out on the ride today. Was riding through some roads on the shoulder where a gravely parking lot meets the road. I heard it and knew what it was, within 20 feet it was completely flat. I pushed it into another parking lot for the repair, wondering what I was in for. I carry 3 ~4" long plastic tire levels that have slots on the ends to hook around spokes. I had no problem at all, the tire came right off and went easily back on. I replaced the tube with the spare I carry, no patching. Even with my cheap mini pump I was back on the road in well under 10 minutes (probably closer to 5 minutes).

I still cut the ride short, I was about an hour and a half away from where I parked and had planned to go on a route that was about 15 miles longer but after the flat and no spare I figured I'd make a bee line back to the truck. I've never had much luck with patching small diameter tubes but since my new tubes won't be in until probably Thursday I guess I'll give it a try since I've planned to ride Tuesday.

HydroG33r 

I just installed a set of Gatorskins (700x23C folding) this past weekend on both my wheels. They weren't as tough as my Schwalbe Marathons, or even the GP 4 Seasons. I love my Crank Brothers Speedier Lever though; I seat about 80% of the bead by hand, then the last bit with the Speedier Lever:

https://vimeo.com/44559641

Doug64

I don'the know what to tell you guys. My wife has demonstrated how to replace a tire without using tools for bike maintenence classes several times. Most of the time she used 28 mm and 32 mm Continental Gatorskins. She also repairs punctures while on the road,just like a pro

mapeiboy

You don't need to pick anything when you use Cont GP 4ks . I have been using them for years and the last flat was 5 years ago . I go through a lot of crappy roads on every ride without any problem . You can get them from UK online retailers for a very good price .