Have I Just Pished £44 Up The Wall?
LeicesterLad
Posts: 3,908
Ok, so after many a recent puncture on my Conti Ultra Sports, i decided to buy some 'winter training' tyres (after years of going without) and as a regular Conti user, i thought i'd stick with them and get some Gatorskins. I was led to believe from 700 reviews on wiggle (yes, its wiggles fault) and 'some' googling, that they are not a bad choice where puncture resistance is an issue. However, i rarely see them mentioned on here in winter tyre debates or puncture debates, everyone is on about armidillos and marathons...Also, ive stuck to 700x23's, as i was worried about the clearence on my SMK's, the general consensus on here seems to be Winter = 25's.
Basically have i just wasted £44?
Basically have i just wasted £44?
0
Comments
-
No.
There isnt a tyre that does it all, everything has a plus and a minus.
Gator plus's...
They have quite good punture protection (but they're not bombproof)
I use mine all winter (granted i do have 25s on the winter commuter), never really had grip problems in general.
They're generally acknowledged as much faster and lighter than Armadillos etc
Gator minus's..
They are prone to slits from glass etc. Ive had plenty of them, but as long as it doesnt get through the casing, its ok. Ive just replaced one that had a slit 6mm long and it had opened up to 1mm wide. I used some re-inforcing material and rode it like that all year.
Theyre slippery as buggery in the wet when new. Once the shiny stuff has scrubbed off, theyre fine.
Armadillo plus's...
Much better punture resistance than gators.
Minus's..
They're heavy, very heavy compared to gators.0 -
No problem
I have been riding on gatorskins through summer
And last winter. They are still going strong with
No punctures. A good all rounder and yes they are 23's0 -
I ride Pro Race 3's all year round, or GP 4000's0
-
Definitely not.
Hard wearing, plenty of grip in the wet and pretty puncture resistant too.....0 -
Over the last 5 years ive used 4 pairs of Conti GP4000S all year round, something like 25,000 miles and not one puncture, 90 psi rear, 80 psi front,they cut up quite a lot in winter though, so either ive been lucky or these tyres are really good at resisting punctures.0
-
Not at all, good choice."That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer0
-
I'm another person who rides GP 4000S in winter (in a 23) and that's in lovely glassy South London...
You'll be fine.0 -
I'm now on my 3rd Winter with the Gatorskins (23mm)... Faultless.Start with a budget, finish with a mortgage!0
-
Gatorskins have been great for me. No punctures yet and i rode through a pile of glass just the other day (saw it late and couldn't avoid it). Admittedly i've only done about 500 miles on them so far...0
-
That thread definately turned out the way i wanted it to
Cheers for the replies guys!0 -
Oh Dear! I am on this thread and think 'I need to replace a Vittoria Randoneur, I shall click on this advert thingy at the bottom. It says "cheapest tyres"' :oops: They appear to be for...ahem....motor vehicles!The older I get the faster I was0
-
I have a pair from new on my machine, have only received one puncture which was when they were quite new. This was a piece of metal which could be best described as a stubbly (metal) hair follicle after a hair cut a few mm long. It took me a pair of long nose pliers to extract it and some effing and jeffing.
I had a false alarm which turned out to be a faulty tube valve, so after 3244 miles this year they receive a deserved thumbs up from me!0 -
Sold a bike and swapped the Marathons on it for my old Gatorskins and regretted it, got some cash dribbling through so will by a pair soon.I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0
-
Gators rock!0
-
0
