4000s all day. Gators are slugs.

Oh look, another thread on gatorskins. No, don't even think about using them. Throw them in the fire or run them over with an asphalt compactor.

Train in Gators and save the 4000s for racing. If anything, that extra speed you get during the race is highly motivating.

Nobody likes flats. The next person who realizes they are going flat during a ride and doesn't curse will be the first.

What you are really saying is you are not comfortable changing a flat. Learn to do it and stop living in fear of flatting and riding bad rubber. In an IM you should be able to flat with the 4000s, change the flat, and then still finish faster than if you had the g'skins and didn't flat.

I know how to change flats just asking a question...be nice😃

That's what I'm gathering...4000's it is. Thank u

Done! Ya I know I looked at other threads. I just had a guy at our only Tri shop who is fast tell me gators were the answer. Thought I would ask myself and see if anything changed.....thank u

Thank u for your answer...I get the response for sure? 4000's here I come.

I know how to change flats just asking a question...be nice


I never accused you of not knowing how to change a flat.

If someone asks "Should I use gatorskins for racing?" the nicest thing you can do is convince them not to.

Thank u...I'm certainly convinced! Lol. Sorry if I sounded rude it's just sometimes it's hard to understand meanings without voice reflections.....anyway...sorry

Using Gatorskins for 6 months I got 4 flats. Two years with 4000s 0 flats. Gatorskins are crap.

Is there a proven time difference between the two offerings over IM distance ? (Gator + standard tubes V 4000 + latex, assuming all other parameters the same)

I have a friend doing a double and I am in the process of trying to convert him - facts and figures will help ... :-)

WD :-)

Flats are largely a matter of luck.
Had you been using the GP4000s for those 6 months and the Gatorskins for the 2 years, it's quite possible you'd have had the same number of punctures in each time period. Best you can deduce is that Gatorskins don't make you immune to punctures and GP4000s do not make regular punctures inevitable. In the last 5 years I've used Conti Gatorskins, Conti 4 Seasons, Michelin Pro4 SC, Mavic Ypsilon Pro and Conti GP4000s. I had 2 or 3 punctures on Gatorskins in 12-18 months. I had 2 or 3 punctures on 4 Seasons in over 2 years, no punctures at all on the Mavics or Michelins and 1 puncture on the GP4000s.

What I have deduced from this is as follows:
I used Gatorskins when I was relatively new to cycling. At least 1 of those 2 or 3 punctures was a pinch puncture I'd be unlikley to get these days. The other(s) were likely just bad luck and still very infrequent. Puncture wise I have no issue with these, but the 4 Seasons I replaced them with felt much better to ride on with no downside that I experienced.
I used the 4 Seasons for quite a long time. Puncture frequency was less than the Gatorskins but the numbers are so few that this isn't statistically relevant. I really liked these tyres too and would happily use them again for training, except having moved to lighter, suppler tyres I see no need.
The Mavic Ypsilons came on a new bike so I gave them a try for a while. They felt pretty good but wore quickly and cut up a little. No puncture issues but then I didn't use them that long.
I used the Michelin Pro 4s and GP4000s for the last couple of years. Michelins with std butyl tubes on the road bike, GP4000s with latex tubes on the tri bike and more recently GP4000s on both. Both feel good to ride but especially the GP4000s with latex tubes. I've had one puncture in over 2 years and that was an unlucky thorn in the GP4000s. Both wear very well. I'll probably continue using GP4000s for the foreseeable future although I'd maybe consider trying the Michelin Power Competition tyres.

That's a long winded way of saying - if you don't get a lot of punctures, use the tyres that feel nice and are fast.
When I first switched to racier tyres, GP4000s, it was late spring and I was planning to switch back to 4 Seasons in autumn for my winter training. But in the end I left the GP4000s on and never found any reason to go back. I ride in wet weather and on bad roads all year round, especially winter. I don't get a lot of punctures.

I know some areas, just due to the local environment and flora, have problems with flints or thorns on roads causeing much higher incidences of punctures, but for most people it's really not a big issue.

If you do get a lot of punctures, why?
If they're pinch punctures - put in more air and try to avoid potholes/drains.
If you get repeat punctures in quick succession - do you check the tyre for thorns, glass, flints, when you replace the tube?
Maybe you're in a bad location for debris on the roads - perhaps consider more resilient tyres but mostly, get good at fixing them quickly.

I used to train on the Conti 4 Seasons even raced Battenkill with them... they're in between the 4000's and Gators. Want to ride something uncomfortable? Try the Gator hardshells.. lol.. even at super low pressure they felt like glue.

+1

I use both Gatorskins and 4000s. If you can only pick one, go with the 4000s. The ride quality and speed difference between the two is quite noticeable.

I find the flat resistance of the 4000s to be very very good. For 'regular" riding on good roads I actually don't think they are more prone to flats than the Gatorskins. Gatorskins are not flat proof (I have flatted them) but they are tougher in resisting sidewall cuts and they are bit beefier in handling potholes, rocks and glass. So, they are great if you are regularly swerving around stuff in the road where you ride, not really necessary if you have good roads and you don't flat often with "regular" tires.

I do run Gatorskins from about November to late March on my winter training wheels. The roads around here suck in the winter with potholes and more rocks and debris on the roads plus when it is 30 degrees, even a very small reduction in the change of a flat is comforting ;-)

All that being said, the main reason I run Gatorskins for off season training is the wear like iron. The one downside to the 4000s is that nice supple tread that makes them so great wears pretty fast. If you run them full time, you will go through at least 2 sets in a year.

Well the key thing I thing that you didn't mention are what are you goals for racing. If it is just to compete Gatorskins will be fine. I wouldn't choose either, but of the two, for going fast, 4000s

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If in the m45-49 gatorksins all the way for every race

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I would add that I never have any issues with Gatorskins when switching the bike between the trainer and the road. The tire seems to really handle the heat well from the fly wheel. If you listen to the cycling time trial podcast, they had Tom Anhalt on recently related to his lastest testing. The conclusion of the podcast was that the 4000 was the best all arounder when considering flat protection and rolling resistance.

I don't think its debatable that the gatorskin will offer the most flat protection, but you are giving up a good bit in ride quality. I would never race on a gator skin regardless of the conditions of the course.

Why are you limiting yourself to just those two options? What about the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance? Gets you most of the low rolling resistance of the 4000SII, and most of the flat protection of the Gatorskin.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

I did not know about these tires. I imwill head over their website and check them out. If that's the case then they could very well be my choice...thank you

Obviously there are too many unknown variables to give an exact answer. But you can plug the measured Crr numbers for 25c Gatorskins and GP4000SII's from Bicycle Rolling Resistance into the gribble interactive power model and get a rough idea of the speed differential. Using the default values except for Crr shows a speed differential of 1.08 kph between a Gatorskin and a GP4000SII, both with butyl tubes. While BRR doesn't have Crr figures for the 4000SII with latex tubes, other testing has shown a reduction, compared to butyl tubes, of .00040 to .00050 Crr. Splitting the middle, and plugging a Crr in that's .00045 lower than the 4000SII with butyl tubes suggests a 4000SII with latex tubes would be 1.36kph faster than a Gatorskin with butyls (34.19 kph vs 32.83). That would be about 13 minutes over 180 kilometers.

There are a lot of assumptions that go in in there, but you can change the variables other than Crr around all you want and the Gatorskins are always going to come out substantially slower.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

He must be in your age group.

Gatorskins are SLOW. Very, very slow. There is no question which of these two tires you should use on the road for a race no matter what your race goals. Unless you aren't training at all and just doing this for shits and giggles. Then don't bother swapping tires.

What would you choose?