If you're a road bike rider used to lightweight all-season or racing tires, these will have a numb road feel initially. But the added protection will give you peace of mind in the fall-winter-early spring commutes or training rides, and without adding excessive weight or rolling resistance. Traction on wet pavement is excellent and puncture resistance is impressive if not bulletproof. These tires cost more, but they're worth the extra cost if you do a lot of riding and need a tough, reliable tire that performs extremely well in all conditions.
Hi - been riding on the Continental Gatorskin Black tires for the last three months after a piece of metal destroyed my 6-month old Vittoria Rubino Pro back tire. I liked the Vittoria, but felt they didn't "roll" as well as other brands that I've used.
The Continental Gatorskin Black's are amazing. There seems to be less resistance than the Vittoria, I like the tread, and the traction is very good, since I've been using these tires in the cold mixed with snow rain soaked Pacific Northwest. Like all of the other "million" reviews, buy with confidence. And like always, Bike Tire Direct is my go to vendor...
Thought these tires would be heavy and stiff but haven't found that to be the case. I love them. The ride is more supple than I thought and I find them comfortable to ride on...so much so that I think I'll be using them year round. So far no flats and I've gone through some really bad road debris. Fingers crossed that I don't get a flat because the one thing I don't like about them is that they are extremely difficult to get on and off the rim.
I do a lot of shopping around for everything I buy and these were rated the best tires for my fixed gear application. I found the best price at bike tires direct online. The black edition gatorskins look great on my bike thanks to them not having yellow lettering that I was absolutely not going to allow on my red and chrome bike. The tires are still going strong and would recommend them to anyone looking for a lighter weight ultra durable tire.
Mostly a road bike rider averaging 135 miles per week on the typical trash and glass strewn roads in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. My previous tire of choice was the Continental GP5000. If I lived outside of a big city I likely would have stayed with that tire. While the GP5000 had a slightly smoother ride and may have even been slightly faster (emphasis on slightly), I eventually became tired of getting flats. I would estimate that I easily get 60 to 70% fewer flats on the Gatorskins than on the GP5000. The evidence is anecdotal, but that's all got. I went with the black edition strictly based on appearance.
I got these for their resistance to blowouts. I read many reviews that rated them highly for that. I live and ride in Florida, so "cold" weather use is the low 40s. Thus far I've put 1,375 miles on these tires. The rear one is just showing signs of wear, but it looks only about 1/3 worn. So my estimate right now is 3,500-4,000 miles. Not bad.
These ride well and corner well in wet conditions. I've had no indication of slippage at all when the roads are wet. I do ride on some roads that have been sealed, and I've previously slid out on other tires when they were wet. These hold tight.
I've run over road glass, not on purpose, but the recycling truck near me dumps little piles of glass here and there and I've hit a few. The tires show no signs of being cut or punctured. Previous tires would have been flat on me.
Got tired of punctures in my previous road tires, so figured I'd switch to these. Are they as light, zippy, and responsive? Well, no. But they're more than adequate for the sort of riding I do. And they're virtually bombproof. I no longer spend every ride wondering, in the back of my head, whether I'll have to stop and repair a flat.
I'm the type of rider that is very used to GP5000 (mounted on my campys wto 45)and after reading reviews about gatorskins tires I decided to click the button, this tires are tough!, I chose this tires for my winter/rough roads to prevent flats and they haven't disappointed me , I mounted them on a spare wheel set (bontrager aeolus 35)which was not difficult, they rolls good , they are not as fast as GP5000 but the intention is prevent flats and keep me training on winter.
I switched from the Michelin Race tire many years ago after a flat landed me on the road after the sidewalls collapsed in a turn - too thin & weak.
This tire has stood the test of time - it rarely flats, gives a smoother ride, grips well in turns and on wet roads.
I have been riding Cont's for years and have been pleased with the durability {no flats}. I was concerned about the gator skins durability because of smooth tread. So far no problem and they are smoother, smoother equals faster?, feels like it anyway.
I have been riding Contis for years and have been pleased with the durability {no flats}. I was concerned about the gator skins durability because of smooth tread. So far no problem and they are smoother, smoother equals faster?, feels like it anyway.
Road riding in the PNW always comes with wet gritty tires. These hold up to the road conditions and I have only gotten a couple flats in the decade I've ridden with a set of these tires on my bike.
I like this tire on the Rear of both my bikes, and my wife's bike. It almost never gets a flat, and lasts a long time.
I use a 5000 on the front. The Gatorskin Black is not quite as performance oriented as the 5000, but has extra side protection that the 5000 does not have. And from my experience, I get more miles from the Gatorskin than the 5000.
Ride in Hawaii over littered roads, either up or downhill with plenty glass, tire wire, pig guts and the occasional discarded virus mask. Mounting them (32s) on Swiss 470ds was nearly impossible (old man in 70s) but so far (400miles) no problem. They do, however, seem taller than wider so I've taken to riding them at lowest pressure. I more concerned with comfort than speed. Hope I never have to find out if, as one reviewer stated, they loosen up with time. As usual, great deal from BTD, and black is beautiful
I mostly ride on a flat paved trail that has some boardwalk sections, and not to mention some real gators. So the ride is not as smooth as riding on the road, nor is it a fast-paced course. I had the bike shop install the tires to save me that frustration of installing them myself, and then went for a ride. I was very pleased with the smoothness of the ride. I could feel it. These are some great tires and worth the price.
This is my second set of Gatorskins. My first set lasted 10 years and I ride a lot. I have been a Bike Tires Direct customer for over 10 years. Always returned to BTD as they have great pricing, quick delivery and NO issues. I did recently run into a defective item and reached out to BTD. This (In my opinion) is where the rubber meets the road. Their Customer Service was OUTSTANDING!!!. They immediately responded and promptly sent a replacement. I will note that that the defective item was NOT the fault of BTD and could have happened with any company/product. The manner in which BTD handled this tells you that it puts its customers first. BTD is a pleasure to work with and I will continue to buy from them.
Gatorskins provide excellent protection against a large percentage of flat-causing debris on the road. No tire is perfect, but these really offer everything you could hope for. They may be slightly heavier than optimum, but really aren't that many grams heavier than GP4000s, which are a terrible tire, wear-wise.
I usually get about 2500-2800 mi on rear Gatorskin, and over 6000mi on front tire.
I'm 180# and majority of roads I ride are pretty smooth pavement.
