Conti Gatorskin or 4000S
10-13-11, 10:50 AM
#26
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I use GS for a winter training tire here in NY mainly because i really don't want to change a flat in 20 degrees. Other than that, they ride like rocks and corner much the same. The rest of the year i train and race on GP4000s' they ride much better and have reasonable durability. properly inflated and checked for glass they do really well resisting flats. it is worth noting that these are not as soft as light race tires which tend to be glass magnets.
10-13-11, 11:35 AM
#27
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+1 for GP4Season. Riding them now.
Will let you know about the cold traction in a month. They've been awesome so far but it was 50 this morning, not nearly 'cold'.
Will let you know about the cold traction in a month. They've been awesome so far but it was 50 this morning, not nearly 'cold'.
10-13-11, 11:38 AM
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I've had gatorskins on my bike for about 1,200 miles and got them to avoid what seemed like daily flats. The rear is just starting to square off; I waited too long before rotating. Don't have much rain where I am, so conditions are mostly dry. Many of those miles are on rough roads with lots of debris. Haven't had a single flat. I've never tried the 4000S, so I don't know what I'm missing.
10-13-11, 02:29 PM
#29
Senior Member
The tires are totally different. The GS is tougher but it is heavy, has lousy traction, and delivers a miserable ride. The 4000s is less durable, but ride, traction, and speed are better.
If there is a lot of sharp debris on your roads, consider the GS. Otherwise 4000s is a better way to go. Avoiding an extra occasional flat is not worth a crappy ride and bad traction.
If there is a lot of sharp debris on your roads, consider the GS. Otherwise 4000s is a better way to go. Avoiding an extra occasional flat is not worth a crappy ride and bad traction.
I installed a pair of Gatorskin 700x25 Hardshells on my bike in anticipation of winter coming up. I run them at around 100 PSI, which is the same as I used for the previous tires, which is a reasonable pressure for me.
The ride is harsh beyond belief on anything other than the smoothest roads. Absolutely painful on our MUP that has mixed gravel/pavement. I haven't found anything particularly bad in regards to traction, I'm a recreational rider and don't push the envelope at all.
I'll keep them as a I'd-rather-not-be-changing-a-flat-when-it's-15-degrees tires, but they'll definitely get swapped out in the springtime.
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10-13-11, 02:37 PM
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I use the Conti GP 4season for that purpose. They have the same duraskin carcass reinforcement and a double vectran breaker (twice the breaker that's in a 4000S) vs the single polyXbreaker in the Gatorskin. It supposedly has a more wet/cold oriented rubber compound than the others.
10-13-11, 02:53 PM
#31
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Rolling resistance, ride roughness, and wet grip are appreciably increased with the 4Season.
Beyond those moronically subjective statements, that is all I can tell you.
10-13-11, 02:58 PM
#32
Portland Fred
If I had to ride only one tire in all conditions, I'd go with the 4 Seasons. I would ride them in the winter, except I'm cheap and the improvement over alternatives for my conditions is not enough to justify the cost IMO.
Note that my primary road is particularly bad and it even destroys tires like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus -- a couple months of winter riding will put cuts that go deep into the blue layer. If my road was just a bit more ordinary in terms of debris, I'd ride 4 Seasons as I think it's an excellent winter choice.
10-13-11, 03:08 PM
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I have 25mm GP4Season and subjectively they ride a ton better than my previous tires, Vittoria Diamante Pro Light 700x23.
Very different tires. Therefore I expect my comparison to also be unhelpful.
But it sounds like the Gatorskin hardshell rides the worst.
Very different tires. Therefore I expect my comparison to also be unhelpful.
But it sounds like the Gatorskin hardshell rides the worst.
10-13-11, 03:10 PM
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I'm scared to find out what the SuperSport Plus rides like, but it ought to be just about bombproof.
10-13-11, 03:35 PM
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I installed a pair of Gatorskin 700x25 Hardshells on my bike in anticipation of winter coming up. I run them at around 100 PSI, which is the same as I used for the previous tires, which is a reasonable pressure for me.
The ride is harsh beyond belief on anything other than the smoothest roads. Absolutely painful on our MUP that has mixed gravel/pavement. I haven't found anything particularly bad in regards to traction, I'm a recreational rider and don't push the envelope at all.
The ride is harsh beyond belief on anything other than the smoothest roads. Absolutely painful on our MUP that has mixed gravel/pavement. I haven't found anything particularly bad in regards to traction, I'm a recreational rider and don't push the envelope at all.
10-17-11, 03:02 PM
#37
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That's not a particularly safe practice. Consider that a flat in the rear is not really a big deal. You can still stop safely and deal with it except in extreme cases. However, a flat on the front is almost guaranteed to cause stability problems since the majority of steering and braking come from your front tire. If you get a flat in the front and it goes totally flat before you can slow down, you may crash. Therefore, always keep the freshest rubber on your front tire. It's better to simply wear out a back tire, then rotate the former front tire to the rear while replacing front with new. This also guarantees you get the most life out of the tires since you'll wear out one tire at a time to its useful end of service.
10-17-11, 03:05 PM
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10-17-11, 07:07 PM
#39
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Is the pbk twin pack for the gp4ks a good deal at 80$ after coupons?
10-17-11, 09:57 PM
#40
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I know you didn't ask, but I use a set of bontrager race lite hard case, and other than being really hard to mount and dismount they ride great. The durability on these backwoods roads and the occasional gravel has been quite impressive. The mileage I cannot speak to quite yet as I haven't gotten to 1500 yet.
10-17-11, 10:12 PM
#41
stole your bike
The tires are totally different. The GS is tougher but it is heavy, has lousy traction, and delivers a miserable ride. The 4000s is less durable, but ride, traction, and speed are better.
If there is a lot of sharp debris on your roads, consider the GS. Otherwise 4000s is a better way to go. Avoiding an extra occasional flat is not worth a crappy ride and bad traction.
If there is a lot of sharp debris on your roads, consider the GS. Otherwise 4000s is a better way to go. Avoiding an extra occasional flat is not worth a crappy ride and bad traction.
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10-18-11, 05:58 AM
#42
Portland Fred
I know you didn't ask, but I use a set of bontrager race lite hard case, and other than being really hard to mount and dismount they ride great. The durability on these backwoods roads and the occasional gravel has been quite impressive. The mileage I cannot speak to quite yet as I haven't gotten to 1500 yet.
Although I do not like hardcases, I use them for winter riding where debris is an issue.
