Panaracer Pasela Tourguards Vs Conti Gatorskins

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Hi folks,

I've always used the Panaracers at 700x25 and liked them a lot perfomance wise. BUT. I think the all-black Gatorskins would look better on my bike (pure tartery I know :oops:).

SO. Any views on the Gatorskins from anyone who uses them? How do they compare to the Panaracers in terms of toughness, grip and rolling resistance?

NB. 90% of my riding consists of my daily commute - approx 16 miles a day in all weathers, including some fairly rough road surfaces so puncture resistance and reliability are a must.

In general my Panaracers seem to last about six months (3 on the back, 3 on the front) before the tread wears down enough for me to want to change them. Could I expect the same from the contis?

Monty Dog

Don't bother, the last thing Gatorskins are are tough. If you want something tough look at a Schwalbe Marathon or a Specialized Armadillo or perhaps a Bonty Hardcase. Please search for previous posts on Gatorskins - it's been covered countless times

Ramanujan

Gator Skins are the worst tyres I've ever used.
I used GP4000 in the race season and thought 'they're contis...they can't be too bad'

How wrong I was.
An utter utter waste of money.
Puncture protection is near non existent.

careful

Nothing like tyres for provoking opposite views! Personally I've done about 10,000 miles on Gatorskins without any cuts or punctures. On one occasion my front tyre picked up a twig covered in long thorns after hedge trimming on a country lane. It must have gone round a dozen revs before I managed to pull it out. Amazingly - no puncture. Very low rolling resistance too (in my opinion). Conversely I found Specialised Armadillo were rubbish. I had to bin two of them after a couple of hundred miles when the treads separated from the kevlar. I guess it is subjective based on experience. I saw a Forum poll recently though and I think Gatorskins came out tops.

mrushton

i have to say that the gatorskins I've used have outlasted my much-vaunted Krylions. Botrager racelite hardcase are I think a better tyre. The Paselas are a tough, comfortable tyre, but when they reach the end of their life you'll know about it as the puncture like mad. Good longevity tho'

cyclingfury

Yes, it's strange how different people have totally different experiences with the same tyres. I've used gators during the winter for the last 4 years and never punctured. Maybe it's down to different riding styles. I'm not a racer so I probably don't make the same demands on my tyres whilst out training as others do..eg very fast cornering etc.

topdude

Hi, no experience of Gatorskins but I was using Panaracer Paselas until recently, they were certainly light and tough and great at resisting punctures.
However i fancied a change so went for Conti GP4000s, nice looking tyres, all black with big silver logos. I find them more comfortable than the old Paselas as they have a much thicker rubber layer and feel very different to ride.
Definitely recommend them