Continental  Gatorskin Tire

I have been running Gatorskins on my road bike for over two DECADES in the 23 or 25 wire bead variety. Never had a problem with wear or flats. I could easily run them down to cord showing with no issues. I would run 4K miles on the front and then rotate to the back and run 4K more before the tire was worn out. BTW, I only weigh 150 lbs. For the first time I tried 28mm with folding bead. I had two tires bought separately fail with tread separation in 1.5-3K miles, long before the tread was worn out. See the attached photos.

I ride in Baltimore City and into the county daily to commute to work. I ride over a lot of different terrain. I try to avoid rubbish in the road as much as possible but sometimes can’t including broken glass, plastic, etc. These tires really are bullet proof. I have a lot of little slashes and holes on the outside of the tire but the punctures never make it through. I have only gotten one flat so far and that was from a 1 inch sheet rock screw that went through the tire and pictures the tube. If you have to ride on some tough roads buy these tires!! I have over 500 miles on them so far and they still have a lot of life on them.

I've been using this on my bike for just over 2 years and nearly 5K miles. I have had just 2 flats so far. Both times was a big staple that made it through. But while cleaning tires I have frequently pulled out glass shards that get through the outer skin but never make it through and never touch the tubes inside. That right there shows the amount of protection. I have no problem with speed either and can nearly reach 40mph with these. My only problem is that they still look great and I have to look for other ways to spend money on my biking hobby instead of upgrading/replacing tires.

Excellent tires for everyday riding. This is not my first set of Gatorskins, and it won't be my last. They have always had excellent puncture resistance along with great road grip in different conditions both wet and dry. I would not consider them a "race tire" due to their weight. But I trust these tires when I'm riding hard on training rides.

The one big gripe I have against Gatorskins is that they are very difficult to mount and remove. The foldable version makes that a little easier without sacrificing durability in my experience. Luckily, fixing flats isn't required that often. I have a couple of thousand miles on mine with only a couple of flats and it looks like it has more miles to go. I bought one foldable version as a spare to carry with me on a long trip and ended up putting it on. I really couldn't tell a difference in handling between the the wire-bead and this one. This one supposedly weighs a few more grams. If you are that picky about weight, consider losing a pound off your body and that is 10x more than the difference in tires.

What a fantastic tire. Made in Germany. I put it on the rear of my Roubaix and use GP4000 on the front. Excellent traction and durability over glass, stones, and all kinds of nasty road debris found on Los Angeles roads. It handles sustained speeds of 20 to 40 mph like a champ. Only been using it 500 miles, but no blow outs to date. I pair it with Specialized Pre-Talc Thin Tubes--best on the market. The Gatorskin is a far superior tire in all ways to the tire it replaced: The Spec All Condition (AC). I increased by speed easily 1 MPH over the AC. The AC is made in Thailand of a harder rubber compound that became slippery the more I road it and gave the Roubaix a harsh ride. Don't kid yourself, German rubber is far superior to Thailand Rubber. When it comes to bike tires, trust Continental--I have been running the GP 4000 for years. Thank you to REI for selling such a high level superior tire.

I purchased these tires to replace my well worn ones before attending 2019 RAGBRAI. They offered a smooth ride with no flats from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River over the course of one week.

I read a previous review from another biker that lives in Seattle before buying these. I can attest that Seattle’s streets and trails are brutal with broken glass. I commute daily to work and everyday I ride through glass in sodo. There’s just no way around it. I’ve been riding on these tires for about 4 months now. They’ve been chipped and sliced by glass but I haven’t got a flat yet. I pick tiny particles of glass out of them when I wash my bike. Anyway after 4 months of use I felt the need to review and praise them. Highly recommend.

I was reluctant to switch from the Bontranger tires to these but I’d heard a lot of good things so I figured I’d give them a TRI! They give a very comfortable & fast ride. Put about 300 miles on them already & they still feel FRESH!

These are my second pair for a second bike. I've been touring through Europe on the first pair with another bike. It's loaded with camping gear. Though I'm mostly on pavement I've done a few rougher sections. I'm on and off curbs in cities and lots of cobblestone. I love them. I've had 3 flats in 3500K. All from severe curb encounters where the tube was pinched. They were easy to change and they're still good and I'm still traveling.