ContinentalGatorskin 700c Road Tire (Wire Bead)(Return to Product Page)

I use the folding Gatorskins to do the ultra marathon events (200 km, 300 km, 400 km, 600 km plus). They are reasonably light, roll well and are very puncture resistant.

Bike Tires Direct was kind and replaced the initial set of tyres purchased from them with a pair of Continental Gatorskins. I have not put many miles on them yet, I am currently using the bike for rehab, and being careful. Therefore I do not yet know about the tyre's long term durability, nor rain traction, nor long term flat protection.

Here is what I do know

Bike Tires Direct are a bunch of good eggs.

The Gatorskins arrived quickly and well packaged.

The Gatorskins, upon unfolding, fairly leapt into proper shape and probably did not need the five minutes in the sun that I gave them prior to mounting.

The Gatorskins mounted easily and upon inflation were round. I like round tyres!

The Gatorskins were obviously far lighter than the pair of Brand X they replaced.

The Gatorskins roll with far less effort than the ones they replaced. The have lessened my pedaling effort and have increased speed.

The Gatorskins ride more smoothly. Although at the same pressure as the Brand X, they seem to ride much more smoothly. II attribute this to rocklike sidewalls on the other pair, and fairly compliant sidewalls of the Gators.

What more could a person want?

Went to the gatorskins from the original tires. I seem to be getting a lot more roll with these new tires. Have had the a full season now and am very happy with how they are holding up. Usually ride anywhere from 30 to 100 miles per outing. If you want a good tire without breaking the bank go with these.

My son was getting constant flats. Since we have used these tires he hasn't had any in two months.

ride year round through you name it, glass, gravel, sticks, whatever. i ride year round in Portland OR and i use these tires approx 10 months out of the year. ive even raced on them,which apparently if its wet is not the best idea as i could feel them sliding a bit in the corners and was forced to slow and others came around me which tells me they're tires were not slipping. with that said ive tried many types of tires for commuting/training and these are the best combination of not super heavy, and i can ride through a pile of glass and not get a flat. as opposed to armadillos which i still got flats and they rode like a dead pig wrapped around my wheel (they weigh almost twice as much)in sum if your looking for a tire that your not looking for a ton of performance out of you just want to be able to ride worry free, then these are the ones.

Really works great on the road and rail trail.

Since I've had these, I haven't had to use my spare tire. The roads I ride is rough and very hard on race tires. These, I've used on both race and training and no complain except for one thing...very hard to put on. That's why I gave it a 4 star instead of 5.

I was introduced to Gatorskins by a fellow cyclist. I formerly bought the cheapest tires and ended up paying more ultimately in flats and reduced cycling time. They are now my go to tire.

Some of the people that I ride with go through a litany of tire changes for seasons and road conditions. Tires for racing, short rides, long rides, winter rides, spring rides...etc. I use Gatorskins all the time and usually have to wait for them while they fix flats. This is just out and out a darn good tire. Yeah it's heavy and hard but they have never let me down. I recommend them to all the people I ride and race with.

We use Gatorskins on our touring bikes and tandems, since they are very durable and are puncture-resistant. That doesn't mean flat-free, but we rarely get flats with these tires. Been using various models of Gatorskins since 2003, and Biketiresdirect.com is the best place for us to buy them (although we support our local bike shops for other parts).

I've used these tires for over 20 years, and it was time for another pair. Last year I bought a new bicycle that came with different tires that I tried for a few months, but this spring it was time to go back to the Gatorskins, and I'm glad that I did.

Gatorskins are worth the extra price for the promised reliability and sturdiness.

I'm hard on my tires and hope they will live up to their reputation.

We ride a tandem with 700x32 and have run these until the dots are gone never have had a flat

Frequent long distance recreational riding and everyday city utility use.

Group recreation riding at moderate to fast speeds. General city riding on mostly paved surfaces, hard-pack and occasional gravel.

I keep coming back to Gatorskins having tried other brands. The durability and reliability more than off set any additional weight - I have ridden thousands of miles on these tires without ever having a flat. They can be tough to lever on to the rim and it is easy to pinch a tube whilst changing the tire but that is my only criticism of an exceptional tire,

I rated this tire good on value because they apparently wear a long time with few flats, but low overall because they ride harsh and were extremely hard to mount. Perhaps I got a faulty pair, but these were the hardest tires to mount that I have ever used. I actually broke a brake lever trying to install them. I kept them on my bike for only a month or so because they rode so rough, much harsher than other 25s I have used.

I've used a number of other brand tires over the years, but now only use Continental GatorSkin tires. They last longer. The don't generally go flat from picking up road junk (glass, thorns, rock-bruises, etc.) While the sidewalls will begin to wear as the tires age, the wear is cosmetic ... not structural.

I switched to these tires on my bike and my wife's. I am a larger rider, and ride the 25's. I was very curious to find out how they would wear, and how responsive they would be. As soon as I put them on, i ran over a metal spike that holed my rear tire, tube, AND rim. OK, can't really fault the tire for that one.

In all normal wear the tires have worn very well, and traction and cornering is not an issue. Very predictable. Rolling resistance (as far as I can tell) is great. I put over 2k miles on my bike each year, and only notice the tire profile getting flat after about 1,200 miles. They still ride fine, and I keep them as backup/emergency tires after swapping them out for a new pair. Great deal if you can find them on sale.

Overall, this is a good tire. I bought it for winter use, hoping for no flats on sometimes damp roads (Southern Oregon). However, I did get a flat on about the third trip on these tires. A chunk of glass cut right through the tread and protective belt - this on dry pavement. So definitely not flat proof. However, if you can live with max pressure of 95 lb. and an occasional flat, they are a pretty good winter tire.

i purchased these tires to ride cross country on route 66. the tires proved themselves over and over during the tour. i rode 1100 plus miles and had NO flats and could go some days without airing them up. they do add some weight to the bike, but i hate changing tires so i traded one issues for another. they are a great buy on this website as i have checked any other places. will continue to use bike tires direct.