Gatorskins vs ?

Rhod81

Hey everyone,

Looking to buy a new set of tyres. I normally just ride Gatorskins all year round. My current set has been on since August last year and have covered 2,500 miles.

I guess through complacency I just always get the Contis as I like the puncture resistance (of which they're very good) - but I've heard a few people have some negative things to say about them too.

Am thinking Shwalbe One's. Any other thoughts? I want 25's. Riding a 106-mile sportive in the next few weeks so something that rolls well, but being 95kg something fairly durable would be a bonus too.

Thanks.

super_davo

I'm a big fan of Rubino Pro 3 as a great cheap puncture resistant tyre. Not great in the wet but better than Gatorskins. Much better ride and lower rolling resistance too, as well as being significantly cheaper.
Pro Race 4 endurance are more expensive but resolve the wet weather grip issue.
Gatorskins are very expensive for what they are, being basically a budget tyre with a puncture belt (same rubber as Ultrasports).

iron-clover

Another Durano fan here too. I've ridden Gatorskins for 4 years and have also had michelin Pro 4 endurance, but I'd say the Duranos (race guard version) are probably the best overall.

The Gatorskins were tough as old boots and could rack up ridiculous milage, but they suffered with grip (although wider ones run at lower pressures are better).

The Pro 4 Endurance tyres came up wide and seemed to be a fairly fast and grippy tyre, but they wore out relatively quickly for an 'endurance' tyre and after less than one full season they could not withstand the flints of Kent.

The Duranos don't seem to *quite* have the same levels of grip as the Pro 4's in the dry, but they are still confidence inspiring (unlike Gatorskins), especially on mucky surfaces and in the wet. My first impressions are that they are as tough as the gatorskins were (no punctures yet and they have survived glass admirably well) they look like they're going to last a good couple of seasons from the current wear and are cheaper and lighter than Gatorskins.

the_hundredth_idiot

I've had Gatorskins since about 2008 and last year thought I'd try something different. The Schwalbe Ones looked great - I bought a pair, fitted them, went for a ride and about 70 miles in the rear suffered a complete blow out. No option but to call wife taxi.

Putting it down to bad luck, I bought a replacement. After about no more than 100 miles of riding, I got a puncture in the replacement tyre and spotted that there was a 5p sized patch of rubber missing from the central part of the tyre. Nothing I can recall having done could have done that. I nursed it home, getting another puncture along the way.

I complained to Schwalbe UK who responded that "The Schwalbe One is an out and out racing tyre and should only be used as such." which I thought was a slightly bizarre answer. They did suggest the Durano but I decided to stick with what I knew and bought another pair of Gatorskins which have been as utterly dependable as previously.

simon_masterson

Gatorskins are a pretty good compromise between puncture resistance, longevity and weight. They are indeed better wider, but they're still rock hard and don't grip well.

How much puncture protection do you want? Obvious Conti options would be GP4000s or 4 seasons. I've found the Michelin Lithion 2 to be a good cheap commuting tyre, but Vittoria Corsas can make a nice all-rounder if conditions and surfaces are fairly good.

imposter2.0

super_davo wrote:

I'm a big fan of Rubino Pro 3 as a great cheap puncture resistant tyre. Not great in the wet but better than Gatorskins. Much better ride and lower rolling resistance too, as well as being significantly cheaper.

+1 agreed. I've run Rubino Pros through many winters with zero flats. Great tyres.

Rhod81

Thanks everyone for your input...

Simon Masterson wrote:

How much puncture protection do you want? Obvious Conti options would be GP4000s or 4 seasons. I've found the Michelin Lithion 2 to be a good cheap commuting tyre, but Vittoria Corsas can make a nice all-rounder if conditions and surfaces are fairly good.

Well, ideally 100% would be nice! Lol. And to be honest, the Gatorskins have pretty much achieved this (with the exception of, once, a tiny galv staple finding its way to my tube, and once wearing through the casing suffering a blow-out!).

Thanks Rubino and Durano-fans, think these have found their way onto my shortlist. The One I feel is out. I do have reservations over Shwalbe however, but this may be a little unfair as when I first got into road cycling I considered a tyre to be a tyre, went cheap buying sets of Shwalbe Luganos (about £10 each) and then went to suffer puncture after puncture, blow outs, short wear life, etc...

I did read some stuff about Vittoria using Graphene in their tyres which sounds interesting/gimmicky, but I have very little knowledge of the brand.