ContinentalGatorskin Black Edition 700c Road Tire(Return to Product Page)

I use these tires all year round because I ride out near the wheat fields where there are the spikey weeds on the roads. I have gotten a few flats even when using these tires so they aren't fool proof, however, i ride in confidence that chances of getting a flat are minimized.

Very happy with the tires, put them on right away made a few trips with them I'm very very happy with him thank you

I had Gatorskin on the rear wheel of my fixed gear road bike and when the front tire finally gave way, it was a no brainer to get another Gatorskin for the front. Solid performance.

Tried regular gatorskin and hardshell, but the black edition has better puncture resistance for whatever reason. Maybe it's because they are handmade in Germany......

32mm Gatorskin tires just barely clear on my Trek 1800c road bike, it was designed for 28mm OEM tires. At 265 pounds I need something stronger than the 25mm tires that were on the bike when I got it and they rode too rough. Every bump was harsh and I was concerned when I learned my 20/24 spoke rims were known to be prone to cracking. I measured my tire clearance and picked up an almost new pair of used 32mm Gatorskins to try out. They ride so much smoother and at a lower pressure than the old tires.

These tires might be 100 grams heavier than regular road tires, but at 50 pounds overweight I do not notice any difference in speed, they might actually be a little faster for me as they ride so much smoother. They also allow me to bike more often which helps my effort to lose weight. Without these tires I probably would have resold the bike and gone to a used touring bike or a new gravel bike for more tire clearance and better comfort. Now I don't have to do that.

So far no flats and no problems. With new tubes from BTD they do not leak much air either, I check the pressure before every ride and go. I top off the pressure about once a month.

Time will tell, but it seems like it will be flat-resistant. I did notice that it's demonstrably less stable when riding on gravel and/or off-road. There are faster tires out there, but if your priority is road-biking and not getting flats, this would be a good tire.

PS. I had a question about the tire, called BikeTiresDirect, and they answered promptly. Will use again.

I like to have a fresh set of tires every year when I do the Seattle to Portland ride. This was my 35th year and I have used Gators for many of them.

They have been flawless and it's one more thing I don't have to worry about when I ride from Seattle.

I leave them on for training the following year, them change out again. However there would be no problem leaving them on for several years I'm sure.

I now have a lot of spares.

Can't say enough good things about the Continental Gatorskin and the customer service at BikeTiresDirect! In regards to the product very durable and very fast tire. I ride about 60 miles per week on smooth and coarse aggregate pavement on a Trek fitness bike. I also encounter some potholes so I wanted a fast, durable tire and this tire fits the bill, very pleased! In regards to the customer service at BikeTiresDirect; outstanding! The day after I had purchased the tires online they went "on sale" and I was given a credit to the sale price, no questions asked. This was my first purchase from this vendor and it certainly won't be my last! "Kudos" to BikeTiresDirect!!

I have tried SO many different tires over the years and keep coming back to Gatorskins because they last. So much longer than other tires and they are very flat resistant. If you are a weight weenie they probably aren't for you because they are a little bit heavier but if if you like to mount'em and forget 'em, these are awesome!

Definitely fewer flats with this tire. Seems to have traction and lasts 2,000 miles or more.

On our Tandem we were riding on 28mm Gatorskins'. Because of their puncture resistance we had not had any punctures. This year, for comfort, I switched to another brands 32mm supple tire. After getting 2 punctures with the supple tires, I switched back to Gatorskins' size 32mm and have not had any issues. As you can expect with 32mm tires, they ride smooth and have the Gatorskin protection. I figure the weight of us on the Tandem is over 330 lbs. Yet I can get a 2000 mile season out of a set of Gatorskins.

I discovered the Continental tire brand while living in Germany. I typically use them on road bikes due to their reliability and durability. In most cases I have ridden Continental tires for hundreds if not thousands of kilometers until the tread is no longer safe to ride on in which case I mount another one.

There is no downside to choosing Continental for cycling and this company has a long history. Check the Wikipedia page about the company history.

I've used this tire on my tandem bike for years and had great service. However I had an incident recently that shook my confidence. I installed this tire on the rear of my tandem and put only a few hundred miles on it before the sidewall blew out at the bead. The casing tore without being damaged by road debris. I am currently working with Continental to resolve the issue and they are being very responsive. It's a relatively expensive tire and touted for having strong sidewalls so I was surprised at this. Nothing is perfect and maybe this was just an outlier. I'm still using them on my tandem and regular road bike.

There were several complaints about Gatorskins not having a full width flatproof tread belt. I considered this and despite the fact that I've had VERY little problems with Gatorskins, I tried the flat proof tires from the major manufacturers. Well, the very first time out on a Vittoria armored tire I got a flat. Then I replacement innertube somehow got a pinch or something and exploded knocking the tire off of the rim. Luckily a group came along and had a spare CO2 cartridge. I made sure that it was a spare because I wouldn't want to have this happen to anyone else.

Now

I've used gatorskins on my tandem bike for years with good results. I rode on a mix of gravel and paved roads without any major damage to either tread or carcass. I decided to use them on my road bike after a series of flats with another tire. So far they have been very reliable, handled well and returned good mileage. My rear tire is about worn out so I am ordering a replacement. They are reasonably priced too. This will probably be my go-to tire from now on. I ride about 600 miles per month.

I've ridden on these for years. They are puncture resistant and durable. When I commuted I typically got over 2,000 miles of city riding.

I have been using these tires for years and hundreds of miles. Tried other brands, however, always came back. Not entirely flat proof, but close.

Perfect for a street fixed gear!

Excellent tires for desert southwest riding. Reasonable price when on sale

The Continental Gatorskins are a good durable tire for the money. I usually get about 6k miles out of them with very few flats.