Dawn patrol

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

700/25c

Height

5` 9"

Weight

160 lbs

Conti Gators, my all time favorite ! (50+yrs cycling) Tried every one. The 25s are perfect, almost light and tough as the proverbial nails ; ) 🚲

Robert W.

WOW...all the problems are surprising!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

700x23

Height

6` 0"

Weight

167 lbs

I've been riding Gatorskins and GS Hardshells here in Colorado for moons. Thousands and thousands and thousands of miles. I think I can remember two, maybe three flats. I watch where I'm riding, bull in a china shop ride strategy just because my tires are "puncture resistant" never works out. I can't recommend these tires highly enough.

Rick Z.

High hopes, but disappointed

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

700x23

Height

5` 10"

Weight

190 lbs

The big brag for these tires was the "gatorskin" puncture resistance. Unfortunately, I've had glass cut right thru the tire for the first flat. I fixed it w/ a patch on the inside, but the cut shows on the outside w/ a mild "bump" in the ride at high pressure. Then, I had a second flat from a tiny glass shard poking into the tire again, leaving a pinhole in the tube. We're not talking long nails, or hitting piles of glass, we're talking riding over a bridge at 20mph, and picking up pieces of glass. I am not convinced of the puncture resistance of these tires. I've had other/older tires that were just as good at a fraction of the cost.

DANIEL N.

Wouldn't recommend

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

After less than 800 miles, the rear tire developed three bulges in the tread area, with one being the perfect shape of a rectangle. I have not abused these tires and ran them at 5% less than the max pressure indicated on the sidewalls. There are zero indications of damage from impacts, cuts or other skids. The tread area looks perfect other than the three distinct bulges. I contacted CC and the rep said Conti only warrantied their tires for 60 days, and it happens that I've owned them 85 days. I've emailed Conti but yet to receive a response. If this isn't resolved with a new tire, I'll never purchase another Continental tire, bike, vehicle or otherwise.

Randy H.

Flat on my first ride

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Fit:

True to size

Don’t buy into the hype. I got a flat from a small smooth stone on my first ride. Wasn’t glass, wasn’t even sharp, just a small stone. These tires are no better than any others out there. Total waste of money.

Tom H.

Excelente calidad

El desempeño es excelente (700 x 28). He recorrido más de 2600 km / 1635 millas no he tenido un solo pinchazo. Inclusive las he usado en gravel, por supuesto, su tracción no fue la mejor, pero la resistencia impecable. En tarmac el agarre, resistencia y desempeño inmejorables. He corrido con corazas Specialized y Mavic, estas son muy superiores.

David

not sure what to say

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

700X23

Height

5` 6"

Weight

170 lbs

I've put a few hundred miles on these (700x23), and my thoughts are pretty mixed. I live in NH where the roads suck. I had a flat or two a week running my Hutchinsons early in the season so went with the Gatorskins. First off, they are a bitch to put on. Had one initial pinch flat from a improperly seated tube, and a second from a nail, but overall they've handled all sorts of road debris. My problem is they seem to have high rolling resistance, which sucks. I'm going with vittriola Corosa's now the weather is a bit better. will update.

James Napier

Gatorskin clincher 25mm

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I' ve used GatorSkins in the past. These were the flexible/foldup clinchers. They wear well and the price was right for these as replacement tires for a vintage bike with Ambrosio Durex 36h. rims. The biggest downside in my opinion is that they were a b*tch to get on. Basically made my hand cramp the bead was so tight on these, and ended up pulling one on using a couple tire irons; I don't like doing it that way because you can end up pinching/puncturing the inner tube. Rubinos and other brands not as much of an issue. If you are putting these on especially older 700c vintage rims keep calm and carry on, that's all I can say.

Ted Morris

Sam was a pleasure, & it is.....

Sam was amazing for this reason....He took his time & together we shared the options & pro's & cons of ALL my choices....He @ no time made me feel like an idiot. He was informed---kind---& patient. It is service like that will keep me coming back. Honesty is alive & well. Thanks Sam (wise beyond his years). No high pressure sales for Sam. A rare commodity in today's world. He ended our call with, "Enjoy your ride with your new tires...I think WE made the right decision....

William A. Roesler

Great flat resistant tire!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Although these tires are a tad heavy, I ride with them on my time trial bike to help prevent those pesky flats you get intra-race! I think they roll well, fend off debris and last a long time. Seeing these at such a great deal at Competitive Cyclist, I had to get an extra set!

Tonya Annalise B.

Exploding bead???

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I want to start by saying I've ridden thousands of miles on Gatorskins and have never had an issue...until Saturday. I was going out for a longer ride with some friends and in doing my usual pre-ride inspection prior to a big effort with some areas out of cell coverage and I discovered my tires were worn beyond what I would have liked them to be. So I replaced them with two new Gatorskins - all ready to roll. About 40 miles into the ride, with no warning, by front tire blew and I hit the deck at about 25mph. I was totally shocked by this and after recovering I started inspecting the tire to find that the bead had completely blown! A brand new tire! I have never seen anything like this in my entire life - and I've worked in a shop and seen a lot of weird s***. I really can't explain this other than that this tire was defective and unfit for the road. I've conferred with some industry friends who have confirmed these suspicions. I am very very lucky to have had this happen when it did - not on the 50 mph descent leaving my house for the ride, or on any other part of this ride. I'm not sure if I will ride a Gatorskin again.

Christian M.

Great all around tires

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

These tires are great for everything. They have great grip on the corners and the puncture resistance is awesome thanks to the DuraSkin making it my go to for my commuter and road bike. The wear indicators on these tires also make it really simply to remember to when to change your tires as well. Overall this is a great tire to consider if you're looking for a road tire to do it all!

Mark Cuevas

No more flats!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Bought these after my last pair of fancy road tires kept getting flat after flat. I put several hundred miles on them so foar with no flats at all.

Marcus G

Springtime can kill you.

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

It's late winter/approaching early spring, so I'm on Gatorskins again. They're not the softest, don't have the best road feel, etc., etc., but they're a must while grinding early season miles. There may be better training tires out there, but I can't think of any.

Rob Ware

Commuter tires

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I run these on my commuter bike. These, with some tubes with a little stans/slime inside are an almost fool proof method for preventing flats on rough/tough/rugged roads. The sidewalls are stiff and do stiffen up the ride a little, so rider beware.

Perry Hall

Go-To Road Tire

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Once my bike shop recommended these tires, I haven't used anything else. I only use my road bike to cross train for MTB so I'm not looking for the lightest option out there, just durability so I'm not changing flats on my training rides and this tire delivers. I was curious how many miles I could get out of a set, and I'm cheap, so I rotated the set every 1000 miles and ended up getting 4500 miles out of a set. They were still rolling well at 4500 but flat spotted and flat protection was diminished. I'd recommend these tires for anyone commuting, randonneuring, or the every day cyclist not wanting to change flats. Even if you're carrying a few extra grams, chances are you'll get there faster than the guy changing a flat.

Derrick Smith

Great Tires

I’ve been using Gatorskins for a few years now and I love them. I consistently get thousands (~4,000) of miles out of them and the only flats I’ve gotten have been from screws, nails, and an industrial staple. I use the 25mm one on my road bike for training and racing and I just got the 32mm ones for my commuter. The tires are smooth, durable, and very puncture resistant.

Samuel H.

Commute protector

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Never be late to work again due to measly sharp objects. These tires still roll fast, and are incredibly puncture resistant. There is a bit of a harsher ride on the tires but its a worthwhile tradeoff.

Perry Hall

NOT thorn resistant

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

I really wanted these to work (700x25). I've had 5 flat tires in the last 5 weeks on my 1000 mile GP 4000's/Conti Race tubes (not the race light, but thicker race), so I installed these gatorskin bad boys. 6.1 miles into my first ride and already my first flat. I expected to see some kind of gnarly damage for these to go flat, much to my dismay it was a measly little thorn. I like the way they ride, although heavier, but just not anymore thorn resistant than the GP 4000's. I'm at a loss what to do now? Tire/tube liners or gator hardshell tires, or both? Unfortunately my new Enve 4.5's are not tubeless compatible.

Kevin Y.

Tough as nails

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

These are my commuter tires and now I just bought a pair for my road bike. I've ridden over all the hazards of the road including glass and they just laugh at it. When the weather is nice and I want to go fast, I use the GP 4000 IIs. They aren't bomb proof, but they have a lower rolling resistance over the gatorskins. However, if you are going for big miles, the extra 9 watts of power needed for the gators might outweigh the concern over a puncture.

Ryan D