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

I found that my 23C tires were a bit delicate and unforgiving for daily rides. These Continentals are a bit heavier, but seem durable, and are still very fast. The ride is certainly more comfortable. Very happy with this purchase

I bought my first set and have about 2000 miles on them. Only one flat in a year and half. Before I would be fixing tires after every ride, Here in New Mexico we have goatheads which are nasty little things. I do mainly road riding but there is a lot of broken glass, wire, nails and trash along the highways. I would highly recommend these tires. To make them ALMOST bullet proof to flats I have considered putting liners in them to help. These are well worth them money. I have no problem mounting them on my rims. Have already put a new set of Gatorskins on my new Kona and removed the tires that came with the bike. This is the only tire I will buy for my bikes.

This is my go-to tire. I was getting so many flats and now I do not. The tire rolls just fine and I get a lot of miles out of it. I actually prefer the wire bead because to me it is a little easier to change on a tight rim.

Have been using these for 7 years. Even manage to reach 12000km on a front tyre and 7000km on a back tyre!

These tires are pretty good at flat protection. The problem I have with them is the rubber starts coming off in chunks when there seems to still be quite a few miles left on them. I run them at the max pressure, maybe that is the problem. I don't know. I still like them compared with other tires I have tried.

I switched from balding 25mm that came with my (used) bike to new 28mm Gatorskins, and although I've lost a little bit of speed, I have a much smoother ride and have much more confidence in the integrity of my tubes. No flats yet!

I recently moved to New Mexico where I soon learned about goatheads and how nasty these things are. Shortly after I moved here I knew the tires I used in Iowa were not going to work down here. After numerous flats I order a set of Gatorskins from BTD. I have over 2000 miles on this set and only had 1 flat and that was due to a piece of wire going into the tire and tube. these tires are great I have run over glass and street debris. there are cuts in the tires but they still hold air. I ride all pavement now but on roads with not a lot of traffic so breakdowns are a concern. With the Gatorskins I don't have to worry about flats like I use to. With tireliners I think these tires would be bullet proof to goatheads. I purchased a set of Hardshell Gatorskins this time for the added protection. I would not buy any other brand of tire. They might be a little pricey but if you have ever had to walk 8 miles in the hot sun and dry heat. they are worth it

I'm training again this year for a Team Sprint Triathlon (Tri-Turtle Triathlon, north of Bremerton, WA) with my adult daughters. I do the bicycle leg using a veryy old aluminum Schwinn road bike. I noticed about a week ago that the front tire had bulged and the cords were beginning to split.

Using the guidance on your website I ordered the Gatorskin 700c tires and tubes. The tires and tubes arrived quickly. My daughter helped me put them on over the weekend, and I took the bike for a 20-mile test ride. Everything fit perfectly. I'm very happy to have used BikeTiresDirect.com.

These tires are great. You will compromise performance and aggressiveness with this tire but the ride quality is much better.

Used for daily training rides.

Needed some tires that could within the occasional blackberry bush thorn, road debrief, or even glass when riding rough bike lanes in rural King County. Other tires got punctured and I lost time changing out tires heaving into work. These are holding up fine after several months of commuting!

I have been riding these tires for 5 years and average between 8K and 14K miles a year. I can count the number of flats I've had on the Gatorskins on one hand. I do pay attention not to ride over visible dangers but still the flat performance has been phenomenal. The ride is not bad at all. I'm not a weight wennie and I do not race but ride country roads with plenty of chip seal and occasional gravel. I'm usually out 3 - 5 hrs ride which gets me far from home and a quick rescue so I need reliability more than race performance. I usually get 3K miles out of the rear before swapping out to a new tire. On the front I get 5 -7 K miles easy. Over the long haul the initial investment pays off.

I used to get flats constantly on my MTB and tried numerous solutions, slime, armor tape etc. I switched to a road bike and save snake bites I've never had a puncture with these. I'll buy these again.

I bought these because that was what the guy who built my bike put on the bike back in 2008. After 6 years they finally wore out. Now, after 1 year, they are cracking. I am so disappointed. For the money I paid I sure did not get the results I wanted.

I have only put these 100miles on the tires, but they are doing well in the wet muddy winter conditions in Portland, OR. I also have to navigate around numerous homeless camps strewn with glass, needles and debris, putting these tires to the urban test. I'll check back in another couple hundred miles....

Continental's Gatorskins offer a great value, fast, nice ride and bulletproof!!!

What more do you want?

Have been able to get around 1000 miles on the rear tires, and twice that on the front. Have yet to get a flat on these tires

I assembled my first road bike a few years back with a cannondale frame, SRAM red crank and ultegra gruppo. I put gator skins on a lightweight Token wheelset.

The conti's are amazing. Phenomenal durability - they've sustained considerable abuse on the gravel and thorn littered back roads of California's central coast.

I've worn them to the point that the belting is exposed - time to replace. Oh by the way, they've lasted two seasons and I've never had a single flat.

Good dry road traction on smooth Tarmac. Ride is a bit firm. The gator skin dos not have a soft tread. Not the best for wet weather traction, the combination of a smooth tread crown and hard tread means they operate best on dry pavement.

Tires are on my Trek 5.9

These are not indestructible. A piece of glass the size of a candy corn embedded itself straight through the center of the tire, puncturing the tube. I also have numerous small cuts all over the tire, but I haven't found a tire that won't get these kinds of cuts either. I'm still searching for a more puncture resistant tire.