Gatorskins vs 4 Seasons

stfc1

I'm a Continental convert, looking for some new tyres for the winter bike. They'll be used for training and commuting only, and grip in the wet is my primary concern. Puncture protection and a decent wear rate would also be nice. Anyone know what the difference is between these two or have a preference?

Thanks for any help.

iamconfusedagain

Well I run both and like them both. I use folding ultra gatorskins 23's on my commuter and they never puncture, I did a few thousand on one set and sold the bike and have done plenty on the current bike. They last well. Wet grip is not the best but I am a coward in the wet so I dont have any problems.

The four seasons wear faster but grip better. My rear tyre never seems to last that long before getting a square profile, maybe 3 months? not sure how many miles 2000 maybe. I find them to be very puncture resistant but will get bits stuck in them easier than the gator skins, maybe because it softer rubber.

moolarb

My rear GP 4 seasons exploded after 3000 miles, sidewall completely split along the bead. Not impressed. I'm a Schwalbe convert. They claim 10,000 miles+ from their Duranos.

If you look at the Conti website the GP4 is more of an all weather race tyre whereas the Gatorskin is more of a tough training tyre (heavier).

giant_man

Had Gatorskins but not 4 seasons. There is a third way and my preference is not for either one but definitely for Michelin Krylion carbons, better tyres imo than the gators and I liked those gotta say.

daviesee

Gatorskins hard wearing, 4 Seasons nicer to ride but wear out/p* easier.

Depends on how quickly you want to re-fork out I suppose.....

simonaspinall

moolarb wrote:

My rear GP 4 seasons exploded after 3000 miles, sidewall completely split along the bead. Not impressed. I'm a Schwalbe convert. They claim 10,000 miles+ from their Duranos.

If you look at the Conti website the GP4 is more of an all weather race tyre whereas the Gatorskin is more of a tough training tyre (heavier).

EEEK! :shock: Just stuck some conti 4 seasons on mine....!

May have to keep to an eye on them!

ballspondroad

My rear conti 4 seasons tyre is wearing rapidly - already very flattened in the centre, a few small patches where the rubber has gone completely there and lots of cuts and nicks - but no punctures since they've been on (about 2000 km). The front tyre is holding up well and you can still see the moulding line.

stfc1

giant mancp wrote:

Had Gatorskins but not 4 seasons. There is a third way and my preference is not for either one but definitely for Michelin Krylion carbons, better tyres imo than the gators and I liked those gotta say.

How do the Michelins compare to the Gatorskins when it comes to grip in the wet? I've been so impressed by my 4000s tyres on the good bike that I assumed I'd stick with Conti for all my needs, but I am open to persuasion if there is a better option out there. Cheers.

fast as fupp

gatorskins v 4 seasons- sorry theyre both rubbish

krylions or vittoria open pave is where its at

giant_man

stfc1 wrote:

giant mancp wrote:

Had Gatorskins but not 4 seasons. There is a third way and my preference is not for either one but definitely for Michelin Krylion carbons, better tyres imo than the gators and I liked those gotta say.

How do the Michelins compare to the Gatorskins when it comes to grip in the wet? I've been so impressed by my 4000s tyres on the good bike that I assumed I'd stick with Conti for all my needs, but I am open to persuasion if there is a better option out there. Cheers.

Well have to say, I have always liked the Gatorskins which seem to wear pretty well and feel nice, but I do prefer the Michelins, possibly due to the fact I ride on ProRace 2s and 3s, and the Krylions are not a million miles away from them in terms of feel in terms of grip and handling. And of course a bit more pun*ture resistant.

Interestedcp

stfc1 wrote:

I'm a Continental convert, looking for some new tyres for the winter bike. They'll be used for training and commuting only, and grip in the wet is my primary concern. Puncture protection and a decent wear rate would also be nice. Anyone know what the difference is between these two or have a preference?

Thanks for any help.

German "Tour" magazine tested wet weather grip on various tires some years ago. GP4 Seasons had the best grip in wet weather by a tiny margin.

You can see a translated version of the test here:
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/w ... 00s_en.pdf

I use both GP4S (race bike) and Gatorskins (commuterbike). The Gatorskins are the more economical choice; long lasting, decent puncture protection while stilll having excellent rolling resistance and low weight. They are cheaper to too. The GP4S have a slightly nicer "road" feel to them though.

For 2010 Gatorskins have been renamed (no "Ultra" in the name anymore) and their puncture protection layer has been upgraded. There is also a new "Hardshell" version of the Gatorskins.

--
Regards

twotyred

I've got folding Ultragatorskins on both my bikes and they stay on all year round. Nice light tyre, rolls well and I haven't had a puncture yet in over 3000 km. There may be faster tyres out there but any small speed advantage they may have over the Gatorskins is more than compensated for by the Gatorskins not causing delays due to punctures.

Westerberg

I have Gatorskins and I haven't got laid in over 3 years.

stfc1

Thanks all. Seems a compromise is inevitably required between grip and durability. Krylions sound like an interesting option that I wasn't considering. Time to go and see what the shops have in stock...

t44iskn

I run Gatorskin on the back (harder wearing) and 4 Season on the front (better grip for steering around corners in the wet).

planetzed

I have had two sets of Gatorskins over maybe 7000miles and found them to be almost bombproof-10 punctures in all. I ride around the Chilterns where flint is the order of the day.
The only problem I found was when the tyre is nearly dead from use they seem to puncture on every ride.....

Interestedcp

stfc1 wrote:

Thanks all. Seems a compromise is inevitably required between grip and durability. Krylions sound like an interesting option that I wasn't considering. Time to go and see what the shops have in stock...

Not necessarily. Grip is mostly a function of the tyre compound. The Gatorskins have excellent grip, even in wet weather. The GP4S may be slightly better, so if cornering with 33 km/h instead of just 30 km/h on a wet road is important, they may be the "best" choice". But for normal training most modern tyres like Gatorskins will do just fine.
Gatorskins do tend to "talk" to your posterior when they reach their cornering limit, but this is much better than just skidding out without any warning.

But why not use GP4000S ? One of the best racing tyres on the market today. Super low rolling resistance, great road feel, one of the best wet road grips available, decent puncture protection.
Can be bought for 45 Euro/38 GBP for a pair:
https://ssl.bike-components.de/products ... eifen.html

Put some tyre liners in if you want no punctures during the nastiest winter months, and race away the rest of the year.

--
Regards

stfc1

Interestedcp wrote:

stfc1 wrote:

Thanks all. Seems a compromise is inevitably required between grip and durability. Krylions sound like an interesting option that I wasn't considering. Time to go and see what the shops have in stock...

Not necessarily. Grip is mostly a function of the tyre compound. The Gatorskins have excellent grip, even in wet weather. The GP4S may be slightly better, so if cornering with 33 km/h instead of just 30 km/h on a wet road is important, they may be the "best" choice". But for normal training most modern tyres like Gatorskins will do just fine.
Gatorskins do tend to "talk" to your posterior when they reach their cornering limit, but this is much better than just skidding out without any warning.

But why not use GP4000S ? One of the best racing tyres on the market today. Super low rolling resistance, great road feel, one of the best wet road grips available, decent puncture protection.
Can be bought for 45 Euro/38 GBP for a pair:
https://ssl.bike-components.de/products ... eifen.html

Put some tyre liners in if you want no punctures during the nastiest winter months, and race away the rest of the year.

--
Regards

It's a good point, I am in love with the 4000S tyres on my good bike. I guess I just figured I'd be better off with something tougher (but still grippy) for the months ahead - grizzly road conditions, heavier bike, that sort of thing.

giant_man

You should try other makes imo, then you will know where you're better off, yes? Then you may discover another tyre better than your current faves.

andy_wrx

Personally 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, plies sticking out, 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, wooden

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 !


Went through last Winter quite happily on Michelin Pro2/Pro3 on nicer wheels for nicer days and Rubino Pros on the cheap OEM wheels for nastier days.

YMMV of course !

stfc1

One obvious conclusion from this thread: 4 Seasons are not a training tyre!

I think giant mancp has nudged me towards giving the Krylions a go. What have I to lose? Apart from a few teeth if the grip lets me down

Again, thanks to all who have shared their experiences.

Monty Dog

I disagree about GP4S vs Gatorskins - myself and my training buddies gave up on Gatorskins about 3 years ago - we call them 'chicken skins' - after numerous pairs (when tyres were about half the price they are now) failed to live up to the hype - they often didn't last one run without a puncture. I bought some GP4S a while back and they survived the whole winter without puncturing. I also run Krylions on another bike and would say the GP4S are slightly more durable. FWIW I have 6 bikes, have run just about most tyres on the market over the years, so my comments are based on actually racking up miles on grit-strewn country lanes, with flints that will shred any tyre going, including things like Armadillos. Another tyre equally as tough is Schwalbe Durano, but like most training tyres, does feel a little dead. Finally, if you want to reduce your punctures and improve comfort, ditch the 23mm tyres and ride 25s.

stfc1

Monty Dog wrote:

I disagree about GP4S vs Gatorskins - myself and my training buddies gave up on Gatorskins about 3 years ago - we call them 'chicken skins' - after numerous pairs (when tyres were about half the price they are now) failed to live up to the hype - they often didn't last one run without a puncture. I bought some GP4S a while back and they survived the whole winter without puncturing. I also run Krylions on another bike and would say the GP4S are slightly more durable. FWIW I have 6 bikes, have run just about most tyres on the market over the years, so my comments are based on actually racking up miles on grit-strewn country lanes, with flints that will shred any tyre going, including things like Armadillos. Another tyre equally as tough is Schwalbe Durano, but like most training tyres, does feel a little dead. Finally, if you want to reduce your punctures and improve comfort, ditch the 23mm tyres and ride 25s.

Thanks, Monty, for reintroducing the one tyre I thought I'd ruled out

Where do you stand on which tyres grip best in the wet? Seems the GP4S get thumbs up all round on this score, but do you trust the Krylions as well? I don't really want to be changing tyres every three months, but I do want tyres I can trust.

rake

i havent used kryllions much in the the wet on my best bike but theyve done 2k miles in the dry and dont show much sign of wear and no punctures. not one little cut either which is where i think the strength of the carbon rubber kryllion is.