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I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd
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Tell me if I'm a good candidate for them...
1. I ride along part of route 301 in southern Maryland. It's inevitable. Lots of glass, wire, nails, and tractor trailer tire debris

2. I currently use Bontrager hardcase tires that are great, but they are slow rolling and can actually stand up by themselves. I've had amazing success with them. 0 flats in multiple years.

3. I just started riding again after 2 years off. I decided to try and run a Conti 4000 on the front only. On the 2nd ride I ended up with a nasty slice through the tire. Got home and noticed the odd black thing on my tire, and found that somehow, the tube had pushed through the sliced tire, but shockingly didn't flat. So, I'm back to my Bontrager hardcase tires again.

I'm looking for a softer, faster rolling tire that will hold up to the crazy crap on a main highway that I come across.

*I have 3 sets of wheels, and am also open to sizing help. I have mavic cosmic carbones 23 wide, Flo 30s, 25 wide and my wheels that came with my 2015 trek speed concept. They too are 25 wide. I am using my old 2006 specialized Allez and like the look of the mavics. Would I get a smoother ride if I jumped to a 25 tire, or would it be similar to the 23 I am experiencing. I actually am impressed with Bontrager wheels with regard to the smooth soft ride, but again, I'm using the hardcases. I rode the flos 2x and got a flat (Conti 4000)and I struggled to change the tire, and took them off and haven't ridden them since.

If you have any other tire recommendation let me know
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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I train exclusively on 23mm Gatorskins and get 8,000 km on the rear, put a new one on the front, move the front to the rear. Rinse and repeat. I live in Calgary, ride about 8-10k/year combo of inside to outside and haven't had a flat in 3 years. Great reliable tire that can handle debris on the road and not get a flat. Not the fastest tire, but more than adequate for training.
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [irondave] [ In reply to ]
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irondave wrote:
I train exclusively on 23mm Gatorskins and get 8,000 km on the rear, put a new one on the front, move the front to the rear. Rinse and repeat. I live in Calgary, ride about 8-10k/year combo of inside to outside and haven't had a flat in 3 years. Great reliable tire that can handle debris on the road and not get a flat. Not the fastest tire, but more than adequate for training.

X2 on Gatorskins; my only complaint is that they are incredibly tight-fitting on my wheels. Therefore, when you do have to change a flat, it’s an ordeal that almost makes me wish I didn’t have them...

DFL > DNF > DNS
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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Unfortunately while the gatorskins are GREAT for not getting flats, they're pretty much the benchmark for POOR rolling resistance and a real hard ride.

I don't see anything to gain from making the change.

I always had found the gp4000sII ( GP5000 now ) to have pretty good durability but REALLY good rolling resistance and grip.

There will be the odd time a boot is needed, but I think I have replaced a tire 3 times in 4 years from a slice etc. Last one was my fault for hitting a pothole with my wheels at 60 psi cause i was in a rush to get out the door.
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [dfquigley] [ In reply to ]
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I rode Conti 4000s exclusively before moving to NoVA JAN ‘15 where I experienced the worst road side debris year round. I’ve tried a variety of tires and ended up with Conti GP 4-season over the Gatorskins due to nearly same protection but smoother casing. I’ve recently started experimenting with tubeless tires but last SAT morning a broken glass bottle killed my rear Schwalbe but able to “limp” the 4 miles home instead of changing the tire (end of ride as it was).

I may try Panaracer GKs next. Good luck with your hunt.
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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I used Gatorskin hardshells for the first 18 months or so when I started cycling back in 2011. I think I got 2 or 3 punctures in that time. I switched to GP 4 Seasons and got 1 or 2 punctures in the following 18 months. Since then I've been using GP4000, Michelin Pro4 SC, briefly tried Mavic Yksion Pro (because they came on the wheels ;), and now I'm on GP5000. I've had less punctures on all of those than the Gatorskins and 4 Seasons. I think I've had perhaps 4 punctures over the last 6 years.

Punctures are largely a matter of luck. Most things that destroy a GP4000 will destroy a Gatorskin too. You haven't enough data to justify the horribleness of Gatorskins! ;)
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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Good flat resistance for sure, but the rolling resistance is too high for me. I like the Conti 4 Season for a good combination of flat resistance and ride quality.
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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Specialized Armadillo Elite are very durable and I find they roll fine and handle okay.

Definitely go with 25mm. Maybe even 28, if they fit, because then you can start to drop tire pressure. These are training tires, right?

Wow, I remember riding 301 about 30 years ago.
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [mtschnur] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks guys for the heads up on the Continental 4 Season. Hadn't heard of it and will check it out. Any place I should look for great prices and quick delivery?
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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if you are fine with resistance of gators, then go full flat proof buy getting tannus solid tires which to me is similar. tannusamerica.com ... included benefit is you dont have to carry a change kit making you lighter
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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Armadillos and Gatorskins are the standard for bullet proof tires, but both are slow.

The next step up, at least in my opinion, are Specialized Roubaix Pro tires. I run them on some very nasty roads with glass and litter that you would expect to destroy a standard tire and so far so good. The only flats I get on them are at the end of their life with the tread starts to wear thin.

They aren't supper fast, but they are fairly comfortable and corner well. I'm running 26's on my 2017 Roubaix and they inflate to about 27.5 so that could have something to do with their comfort.

"...the street finds its own uses for things"
Last edited by: AutomaticJack: Jun 29, 20 10:56
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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I had some puncture problems (With the Continental GP5000s) so I switched to the Continental 4 seasons as they have good puncture resistance without too much sacrifice on the rolling resistance. So far they have been great and I would recommend them for training.
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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They roll better than the bontrager, but still sluggish feeling. They have more flexible sidewall, but is easy to slice the sidewall which is bad. I would not replace a non worn out bontrager with a gator, not much of a difference there
Last edited by: jroden: Jun 29, 20 18:57
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Re: I'm thinking about getting Gatorskins! Looking for tire advice with puncture resistance 1st priority and rolling comfort & aero etc 2nd [littlefoot] [ In reply to ]
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n=1, but the Goodyear Eagle All Season tires seem completely indestructible to me. And they mount easy.
Last edited by: trail: Jun 29, 20 19:15
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