This is the second set of Gatorskins I own. The first are the Hardshells I put on another bike. I liked them so much I thought I'd try these when looking at new tires for a 27 fixed gear. After speaking to one of the customer service reps I decided to try the regular Gatorskins.
While I know Conti's have a reputation of running small, these measure 32mm (1.25) on my rims. The rims are regular square cross section, not aero's. They leave a mm or two under the rear brake and plenty of room under the front on the Schwinn Traveler frame. Mounting was fine though I did need tire levers for the last bit of both the front and rear. My front rim is an 80's era Weinman without a lip and there have been no problems with this tire pulling off. I run them around 90-100 psi and find them compliant, comfortable with low rolling resistance and good road grip in both wet and dry weather.
I've put a couple hundred miles on them and the front still has the mold line and the rear is showing no wear. I don't skid stop so have no data on their slide characteristics or wear rate in that capacity. Over all I am very pleased with the tires and would recommend them to others.
I haven't had these tires on my bike for long, but I did have Continental's cheaper model Ultra Sport on my bike for eight years of daily commutes and touring through gravel, glass, and mud. Once I put some tire liners between the tires and the tubes, I literally never got flats through years of riding. And the Gatorskins are a step up! They were easy to get on and look great. These models look a little bald and slick brand new, but the grip seems find and I expect them to last longer than my 1982 frame at this point.
I picked up these tires thinking that I would be all set on my vintage Della Santa racer. It turns out that these tires sit kind of wide on my rims. At least a lot wider than my previous tires (27x14). I had to remove the brake shoes to install the wheel back on both front and the rear. My racing frame has narrow stays at the bottom bracket. The rear wheel has so ever slight out-of-true and the tire rubs on the frame. These tires are great but I'm going to swap them out for some narrower ones because they are not practical on this bike.
The most durable, easy to mount, longest lasting, and bullet proof (no flats), 27 inch tire available! Higher cost than some other options but lasts longer so evens out. )
Mounted this to replace a finally shot Schwalbe Marathon. In spite of my contempt for its poor fit, they are in fact hard wearing and resilient tires. I had to unmount it to true the rim and, just as they had in the past would not mount again and blew off for the final time. Into the dumpster it went. Looking at the options for a 27 I picked up a Conti Gatorskin at my LBS. I needed a tire that afternoon, so online wasn't going to work, although I will definitely keep ordering from BikeTiresDirect. They are a wonderful company to shop with.
The Gatorskins are a breath of fresh air. Smooth, round, and lots of grip. Cornering feels more secure and the ride is plush compared to my last tire. I am impressed at what a difference it makes. I've been skeptical of the claims people make about tires but my experience matches the claims. These mount round, roll smooth and grip well. I'm very happy with them.
I have used the 27 x1 14 size for about 5 years on my Franklin tandem, riding about 7-8,000 miles per year. The front tires lasts about 4500mi, & the rear about 2500mi. You can dependably wear these down to the chord before changing them. This tire gives a reassuring grip on the road, wet or dry (not loose gravel). The Gatorskins are not puncture proof, but are way above average in resisting flats. I have never had a blowout or chord separation with these tires. They mount easily, but not loose. A GREAT tire!
I ride almost every weekend around 50 miles or so and these tires are fantastic. Never punctured a tube while using these for several years. Decent grip on wet and excellent traction on dry surface. They also last for a very long time. Definitely recommend.
So far I have only used this tire for about 2 1/2 months and 1000 miles but these tires have been great! I use my bike to commute to work which is about a 23 mile round trip between Queens and Manhattan. Certain roads are in terrible shape and are littered with glass and other debris. It has handled extremely well under these conditions and has an excellent grip on the road. I did have one puncture a couple weeks ago from a small piece of copper, but I doubt any tire could have stopped it. It still runs great and seems like it will last quite a bit longer. Once these come back in stock I will be buying another set of these!
I bought this to help prevent punctures from what northern Nevadan's call goatheads, little thorny bastards that kill your tires and tubes. since putting these on i haven't had a single puncture. i mostly ride my Schwinn Traveler as a towny, to the bars and parks and just pleasure rides but have had no issues with these tires. they are a bit hard though and definitely feel the road surface more with them. i would buy again and recommend for puncture resistant tires.
I didn't want to spend a lot on tires, but I took a chance on these and am glad I did. I have about 3,000 miles on them so far and not one flat! Needless to say the flat protection is awesome, and the ride is as good as it can get. Great grip, I run 95 lbs. in them, they are fast and I love them. I will buy them again when I wear these out. Very Satisfied!!
This is a good tire, I ride 52 miles a day, everyday, and since I started using these I haven't had a flat, they ride good, firm but not to hard, great grip, they even look good. When I wear these out I will get another set, no doubt at all, I love them!!
First experience with Gatorskins. Great ride. Could tell the difference immediately, even though I run 15 lbs. more air in these than I did in my others. Only have about 200 miles on them so haven't run them long enough to evaluate wear or rain traction but am quite pleased so far. No flats yet either.
Best tire I've had on my bike in the 24 years I've owned it. Good cornering, smooth ride. Great tire upgrade for me.