superslomo

I'm putting 28 gatorskins on my wife's hybrid, given that she wants something with protection and a bit more roll than the 35 bontragers that have been on for a while. So, I'm trying to decide whether to get an extra set of them for her, or give her my lightly used set and get a set of the GP 4 Season tires for the months ahead, and possibly get better performance as well as better comfort out of them. The 4S Continentals are available in 700x28, which fits my road ride without any trouble... any downside to it, or are they likely a better choice as a replacement for the gatorskins for a training tire for the coming fall/winter and into the spring?

For that matter, is there any reason to go with a 700x25 or 23 instead of the 28? I'm getting the impression that 28 is going to give more comfort and fewer flats for a minimal loss in performance (air resistance?), but I thought I'd check my assumptions here with the hive mind. The GP 4000s II are available in the 25s, but I'm not sure if they are sufficiently better to warrant the other trade-offs, especially if there's a loss in durability and puncture resistance.

fstshrk

GP4S 28mm is more like a 26mm anyway. Good tire.

xuwol7

I use 25mm Conti Gatorhardshell tires on my road bike and I really like them, very durable.

On my Hybrid commuter I use Marathon +, they are a little heavy and the rolling resistance is not too bad.
I like them because on my commutes in rain, bad roads etc I like the piece of mind that they are virtually flat proof.
This is the go to tire for people cycling/touring around the world.
When riding in bad weather, commuting, the last thing I want to do is change a flat.
Not 1 flat in 3 yrs and several miles..

superslomo

I used to ride in the city, and more for utility, now it's pretty much exclusively me wanking about in power ranger clothing, so a little more comfort and performance is worth a slight reduction in durability, but I was not figuring the 25s were worth the loss in functionality... I ordered the GP4S 28s, and if I absolutely hate them, I'll figure it out pretty soon I'm pretty much riding for the fun of it, for the exercise, getting out and down pretty roads now that we are country living people, it sounds like the

Worst case, I imagine I can mix and match them with other options if they are just awful.

fstshrk

When I first got them on my commuter, I did not like them at all. Just give them some time to break in. On my commuter bike, I am running 80 psi front and 95 psi rear. This is with a heavy rider and heavy bike. If I inflate higher than that, the ride gets too harsh.

superslomo

See, now, then, there, I had seen everyone talk about how they were a more "supple" ride than the gatorskins. Is that bunk, or is it true? Have you done both and found that the 4-esses are harsher between the two at the same pressure?

thewilson 

I hated my GPs. I also tore through them very quickly, I switched to the Hardshells and I don't know what this harsh ride is everyone talks about. Not to mention I pulled a staple out of the tire just the other day and did not get a flat.

Drew Eckhardt 

I don't think there's a reason for the GP 4 season to exist.

The Gatorskin is flat resistant, long lasting, and has decent rolling resistance plus a pleasantly subjective ride for a tire with those characteristics.

The GP4000 has low rolling resistance, rides nice, is flat resistant, and long lasting for a tire like that. I don't think mine flat any more frequently than Gatorskins, although they lack the sidewall protection and I'd worry about riding them on gravel for that reason.

The GP4Season doesn't ride appreciably better than the Gatorskin but wears out in half the miles.

Tests measure better wet weather traction, but no tire is going to save you on a slick paint stripe or utility cover so that's not relevant.

A 700x25 would be attractive because the GP4000S doesn't come in wider widths, and the GP4000SII 28mm tires aren't shipping yet.

Cyclist0383

Having used both the GatorSkin and the 4s, I greatly prefer the 4s as I think it has a better ride and is much, much, better in the wet. On the down side it won't last as long as the GatorSkin. As for flat protection I've found them both to be excellent.

KonaRider125

Been ridding Grand Prix 4 season 25s for a couple months, no flats yet! Some of my rides include dirt roads, with sharp rocks, thorns, broken glass as well.

redlude97

Seems like that is exactly the market for the 4seasons. Its very popular here in the PNW for the winter months were the gatorskins just don't cut it for everyday wet traction and the gp4s doesn't have quite enough flat protection. I'd say the 4seasons have a noticeably better ride quality compared to the gatorskins though. I'm currently running gatorskins on my cummuter though because they just wear better and I got a good deal on them at the time.

MikeWMass

My understanding is that the major difference between the GP 4 season and the GP 4000 is the "black chili" in the 4000 and the 4 season has the vectran belt running up the sidewalls for more protection. I have both, and could honestly not tell the difference, although I am probably not the best person to find the subtleties in tires. They both last longer and get fewer flats than the Continental Ultra Race I used to use (those also rode nicely for about 1/2 the price, but I flatted a lot).

Monkey D.Luffy

I also second 25mm Gatorskins. I have used them for a while and they hold up well.