Conti gatorskin v grandprix 4 seasons v specialized roubaix

newbie_cyclist
newbie_cyclist Posts: 202
edited August 2008 in Workshop
hi
has anyone any experience of how 1)Conti gatorskins 2)Conti grandprix 4 seasons and 3)specialized roubaix armadillo elite compare in terms of puncture resistance & speed?

thanks!

(I want them for audax so need reliability but not too slow either)

Comments

  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    I wouldn't touch Conti GP4Seasons.

    Those I had had the most appalling wet weather grip (which is ironic for a tyre called 4Seasons...)

    They also very quickly had sidewall damage and whether it was structural or not it didn't inspire me to ride them hard

    They punctured very easily - picked-up thorns and so on in the tread pattern which then worked through the so-called puncture-resistant layer - I even had a flat on the rollers :!: , where I must have had a thorn in the tyre from the previous time out

    They felt slow and heavy

    And they were damn-near impossible to get off either Shimano or Fulcrum rims

    So they had crosses in practically every box and I binned them !
  • oh blimey!
    thanks andy - I was about to shell out £30 each on 4seasons...

    any one out there tried the specialised roubaix elite armadillo?
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    Sorry, it's one of my pet soapboxes :?

    On the other hand, there have been people on here saying how wonderful they are, so like all these things it's all subjective...

    C+ did have a tyre grouptest perhaps a year ago and they found that the rolling resistance of GP4S were pretty high and the wet-weather grip not that clever - best of the lot were GP4000 BlackChilli and Michelin ProRace2 (3 wasn't out then) which despite being 'race' tyres were both better for wet-weather grip
    ...but this was a review of race/training tyres, not p*ncture-resistant stuff like it sounds you're interested in.
  • cydonian74
    cydonian74 Posts: 397
    andy_wrx wrote:
    I wouldn't touch Conti GP4Seasons.

    Those I had had the most appalling wet weather grip (which is ironic for a tyre called 4Seasons...)

    They also very quickly had sidewall damage and whether it was structural or not it didn't inspire me to ride them hard

    They punctured very easily - picked-up thorns and so on in the tread pattern which then worked through the so-called puncture-resistant layer !

    I have to say that i have ridden the 4 seasons tyres for a couple of seasons now for around 200-300 miles per week in training and as shocking as this will seem juding by the comments of Andy_WRX.....i have found them very good and had ZERO punctures. They are a bit iffy if its really greasy, but in damp and heavy rain conditions i think they are excellent.
    THEY ARE A ***** TO GET ON AND OFF MY WHEELS THOUGH, so that is a concern if and when i do puncture, but on the whole i am pleased with them. Just my opinion.
  • I have used Gatorskins backed up with a slime belt for about 2000 miles - no punctures, but I don't know how much that is down to the tyre or the slime belt. The front tyre still just about shows the moulding line down the middle, so wear isn't an issue, and I haven't had any scary moments on any damp or wet road surfaces.

    Been offered 4 seasons on a new set of wheels I will be getting with a new bike - now I'm not sure!
  • satanas
    satanas Posts: 1,303
    I have 28mm Gators on my commuter and have had zero problems in what must be 2000+ km by now. I haven't yet tried the GP4S, but have had a total of one (1) puncture in 10+ years on assorted Contis; that one was a brand new GP which collected a packing staple on the freeway shoulder on its first outing.

    Haven't used the Armadillo, but I used to use Turbo K4s back in the day and never punctured one in many, many thousands of km. As I understand it, the Armadillos have a heavily reinforced casing all the way around and so are heavy and slow, but *very* hard to puncture. I reckon you'd lose too much time and wouldn't use them for Audaxes myself.

    BTW, one advantage of the GP4S is that it is available in 28mm, and it's just about the only kevlar-beaded tyre >25mm that is, so you can have a reasonable volume => lower pressure => more comfort, without having much weight increase. I have a set waiting to be fitted.

    I'd take anything people say about tyres with a grain of salt. For instance, people used to complain a lot about the early Michelin Hi-lite tyres collecting cuts, however,while these cosmetic "surface" cuts were more visible against the slick tread they had no affect on performance. I managed to wear out quite a few of these tyres without puncturing them, despite the nicks in the tread. (And in fact I used to acquire some of my tyres gratis after people binned them where I worked...)
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    I prefer the GP4 to the gatorskin in terms of grip. The GP4 I'd say was pretty good (although I run them in 28mm). The gators are pretty dire, but then they are cheap.

    The prorace2 are good tyres though, for a proper race tyre they're grippy.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • bahzob
    bahzob Posts: 2,195
    Tried gatorskins and stopped after getting punctures.

    Use 4000s for sportives and TTs. Found to be excellent. Fast and zero punctures. Wet weather grip seems fine.
    Martin S. Newbury RC
  • scapaslow
    scapaslow Posts: 305
    I have conti 4 seasons on two of my bikes - one a 28C which i use over rougher terrain like gravel cycle paths etc and 23C on my fixie. I've never yet had a puncture with either over 2 years and many miles.I've not noticed any problems in the wet either. So they get my vote.
  • zenzinnia
    zenzinnia Posts: 698
    I've been using 28mm Conti Gatorskins for years on my tourer. I like them - they seem fast and do about 2000miles before they start to pick up p*nct*res. I've used them for day to day riding, day tours and fully loaded holiday tours.
    To err is human,
    but to really screw things up you need a shimano - campag mixed drivechain.
  • Ive fitted Conti 4000 4seasons to my new bike build, one of my regular runs is on a pretty poor, flinty surface, and no punctures at all.
    Having said that, theses tyres nearly broke my heart to put on and are without doubt ugly and slow.
    Spesh Works Roubaix '10
    28 Charolais and counting.
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    Conti have just brought out a revised Grand Prix in 700x24 This might be worth looking at. I noticed PBK are doing a deal on it
    M.Rushton
  • scak456
    scak456 Posts: 55
    Know not on your list but have you considered Vittorias?

    I've switched to them from Michelin (Pro Race 2 & Krilyon (sic)) because they grip and wear better plus are FAR FAR easier to get off and on (so much so that I only carry one tyre lever with me these days). Have tried 3 types: EVO CX (roll the best but last the shortest time and are expensive), Zaffiros (very cheap about a fiver each, great grip but don't roll fast) and Rubino Pros (reasonably priced at 13 quid-ish each, roll better than Zaffiros but not as good as EVOs, can't comment on legevity or grip yet). They also do a Pave version which I would go for on the winter bike if they weren't too expensive for training at 27 quid of so each).

    Will never go back to Michelins and have heard far too many bad things about Contis to even consider them.

    HTH
    SK