Continental Gatorskins

richard36

I have the Gatorskins on my roadbike. I've never had a puncture and they seem to have worn well. They don't need replacing but I was wondering whether there are benefits to be had in replacing them. Would a different tyre be better and if so why and which one would you recommend?

Cheers

garrynolan

I have Gatorskins (25 front, 28 rear) since an adventure race last summer. So good, never changed them back to 23's. If they're OK and you're happy why change them?

daccordimark

I wouldn't bother replacing them seeing as they seem to be working perfectly. When you say "better" what sort of thing do you have in mind?

I have Gatorskins on my bike and when they do eventually wear out I'll get more of the same.

Mark.

dinyull

Depends what you mean by better.

There are grippier and faster rolling tyres out there but at the cost of puncture resistance. I bought some Gatorskins (25's) a couple of months back after suffering 5 punctures in a week and a half, they've been faultless so far.

richard36

Thanks for your replies.

In response to your question "why change them?" I've read so many posts which talk about the benefits of upgrading tyres/wheels etc. I don't have any experience of any other road tyre and whilst I'm happy with the Gatorskins I wasn't sure whether there was a benefit in changing them so thought I would ask.

I suppose there might be other tyres out there which offer less rolling resistance but perhaps are not as 'puncture proof' or as hard wearing as the Gatorskins.

Thanks again.

garrynolan

Massive difference in getting a wheel upgrade over a tyre upgrade - might be worth asking about that, depending on what wheels you have...

richard36

It says Rigida Nova on the rim.

garrynolan

I'm not an expert but I'm sure others on here could advise on a suitable wheel upgrade if you think about going down that road. Just say what make/model bike you have and your budget and watch the advice flow...

Monty Dog

There are countless "what wheels?" thread on this forum so suggest you search for those first. In terms of wheel recommendations, important stuff includes:
How much you want to spend?
What you weigh?
Riding style - i.e. flyweight climber or big-gear masher?
What you're going to use them for?
The more specific you are, then the better the replies.

ThatBikeGuy

Once my Gatorskins have worn out i will no doubt buy some Conti GP4000S - they're a very good tyre so i've heard.

andy40man

I've got two sets of wheels one with (25) Gatorskins for winter and wet rides, the other pair fitted with (23) GP 4000S's, seem good so far and lower rolling resistance than Gators. Just swapped from Michelin pro race 3's which are great while they last but don't last long enough and once worn the puncture frequency increases dramatically.

Two set of wheels is way to go if you can, I run an 11-25 cassette on one rear and an 11-28 on the other just for variety.....and I'm too lazy to swop bits around before rides :oops:

meanredspider

I run Gators for my commute - haven't had a puncture on them this year. Tried Conti 4000S and got one puncture going to work and one coming back. I think that tells me all I need to know. I will, however, stick the 4000S on if I do something competitive because they felt quick.

sparkins1972

I don't use Gatorskins but a similar type of tyre (Schwalbe Durano), I probably sacrifice a few seconds over my regular routes but not half as much as I used to lose when I used tyres with less protection and seemed to have at least 2 rides a month ruined by punctures.

My trusty Durano rear tyre finally died just before the sportive I did last weekend, I fitted a lighter race tyre I had lying around and managed a flat for the first time in probably 9 months. I now have a new Durano fitted.

If you get on well with the Gatorskins, stick with them - they are genuinely very well rated tyres - stick with what you know - Curiosity Killed the Cat IMHO.