hello all....

so i have been riding 25 generic tyres for the past year or so, using a 48/16 gear or a 48/19 gear, depending on the trip, anyway, i had no problem stopping the bike either way.


About a month ago i changed to 23 gatorskin tyres, its been wet here for like the last 2 months so i havent noticed any problems stopping the bike BUT today it was dry and i just COULD NOT stop. the bike just seems to jump out of control whenever i try, whether im running the 16 or 19t cog.
Im Baffled. I didnt think they would be so grippy....i ended up having to zip home and put on a brake for the first time in a year....
Has anyone found these tyres to be particularly hard to skid on?

I've never used them, but check your pressures, they might be too low. Too low=more surface area=more friction.

I've heard that about Soma Everwears "so sticky" but never about Gatorskin. I havent had anything in the rear except a Randonneur for over three years.

So now traction is a bad thing? Who knew.

check out bike snob from friday. get yourself one of those chalk things and replace the chalk with a stick of butter. no more traction problem.

I really like the skidding and skipping feel of gatorskins, but I run 25s.

Maybe just switch over to resisting until you get used to the new feel?

I've gone from cheap 23mm, to 35mm cross tires without noticing much change, maybe check and make sure nothing is loose or otherwise off kilter on the bike?

I just put a 23c Gatorskin on my back wheel, and yeah, I definitely notice the differece. They are skiddable, you just have to break them in a little. I was riding the stock Kilo TT tires (nylon kendas) before, so I'm not really sure that the stickiness is the Gatorskin specifically.
After about a week of riding them, I feel more confident skidding them (I have to do more short skids because I can't hold them as long as I could on the old tires, but it still slows me down when I'm going down San Francisco hills).

Gatorskins have to be slightly squared off in order to get buttery. They are sticky tires when new.

I think your brake pads are worn out. Try replacing them.

in "grippiness" for me it goes....

randos > gators > armadillos

I've noticed this whenever i've bought brand new tires. It just takes some riding around for that stickyness to wear off. But I run a brake so I liked the grip while it lasted.

When I got my G-Skins I did notice a little skipping. But now that I have put about 100 miles on them. I can do one foot skids like no ones business. Take that break off. Just give it time. You got it.

i love gatorskins, honestly theyre my favorite tires and ive never had any problem with skidding...i think maybe you just need to break them in a bit

What does this mean? Is this a new insult? "Hey take that you break off!"

Also I cannot believe I just read a thread devoted to tires that don't stick... what has the world come to

Never ran gatorskins but I've ran the Conti Ultra sport kevlars and they're a lot grippier than I've experienced with other tyres on the back but it wasn't exactly an issue... Not to mention that skidding != stopping, try resisting more and skipping instead if you want to stop quicker.

why aren't you skip stopping?

I dont understand the problem. The tires are too sticky for you to stop? You cant resist the pedals or you cant skid? If you are trying to stop I dont see why you would want ice tires. I just got gatorskins to replace my kenda kontenders and the kendas felt like sandpaper dragging on the pavement with a rough dragging feel. The gatorskins feel like a more solid slide than a drag. I normally skip stop or resist to slow down and not just lock up the back tire. I can add more in a week or two after the gatorskins get some mileage.

Just in case everyone is forgetting, bike tires are designed to GRIP the road/surface that you are riding on! (LOL)

Gatorskins are made with a rubber compound that gets grippier when they warm up due to friction. This makes them less than ideal for a brake-less bike. Well, at least one that one does a lot of skidding on.

I didnt like them on my track bike. From my experience they are a little slippery until you break them in anyways. I always preferred a cheaper, smoother skidding tire in the rear. Less muscle to skid, more control IMHO.

Randos and Rubinos (the cheap ones) work for me, but I run Gatorskins or Rubino Pros on my geared bikes.

learn how to not skid or skid sitting down...

emulate the balanced powerful leg stroke (that incorporates your whole body, however subtle) that you use to accelerate, and do the same thing as you decelerate..

that will teach you how to stop...standing/leaning skids are dumb

I almost never skid, and if I do, 's usually a hockey stop last resort skid (and it is SEATED). what type of tire I'm using would make very little difference here

take what I said as gospel...from the baddest fixed wheel rider to ever come from 139th st..word

i lol'd for a while

This.

When I upgraded to GP4000s, I was AMAZED at how much grippier they were than my old cheapo tires. I was also PLEASED by the change, because it was an IMPROVEMENT.

= Armadillos are grippier?
My only fixed riding has been done on armadillos and they seem really sticky...
-Jake

what i meant by this thread is tha i am having difficulty come to a sunned stop, i can slow gradually no problem, but if i were to need to stop in an emergency there would be trouble. its just noticeably different from my last tires.
and i do not mean balls to stem skidding.i mean seated stopping

Then I would say your technique/muscles need to develop more and you have no place riding brakeless (I'm assuming). If your technique and muscle strength was great enough improoving grippiness of a tire would help you stop quicker. If you are confident in your ability to make sudden adjustments safely and have faith in your ability to stop when you least expect it then sure ride brakeless, until then throw one on and save your body and others around you, becasue you clearly are not at that point.

Def. harder to skid on the 25c armadillos from the other tires ive ridin on.