Gatorskins

[Panter]

They can't, sorry, my bad, was lapsing into motorbike talk there........
They just (for me) slid out a lot on damp roads at modest speeds which I've not experienced with other tyres.

Like sweetpea, I also found lots of small slits in them which didn't impress me at all for the low mileage they'd covered.

As I say though, they have lots of content users.........

 

[gbb]

Panters partly right...
I love Gators, but they do slit easily (without puncturing), they do occasionally puncture, and they can be slippy.
Two of those three you can probably put some logic into...

Slippy in the wet...its always (albeit only 3 times in 5 years) when you're going round a corner. You can feel the wheel going. But thats probably because of unseen oil or diesel. It probably causes other tyres to slip too.

Occasional punctures ?...i've just fitted Vredstiens with puncture resistance...ive punctured twice already. Who's to say the thorn, whatever, that punctured a Gator wouldnt have punctured anything else.


Slitting...they are prone to that without doubt, although they always seem to hold together.

 

[Panter]

I fully appreciate what you're saying, but the Gator's really unnerved me in the wet and I do go very easy when it's wet any anyway.
Ok, it may have been coincidence, but they seemed very loose on wet roads which is something I'd not had on any other tyre.
They all slip out on diesel or oil, but the Gators seemed to just let go for no real reason.

I take your point on the puncturing, but I was immensely dissapointed to have punctured 3 times in just 400 miles on the same roads that the stock Kenda tyres (universally slated) had survived for 1600 miles on before giving in to the fairies charms.
And the Conti's do market them specifically as puncture resistant tyres.

My commute has changed now as we've moved premises but on far worse roads, I've only recently had two punctures on M+'s after, again, 1600 miles of trouble free commuting.
On the plus side I found them to be great tyres in the dry, free rolling and manouverable but in the wet I found them unnerving and I'd never go back to them.

I did, quite literally, give them away after 400 miles to a club member with the very clear warning that I was dumping them because they were so bad.

Maybe I just had some from a bad batch.......

 

[bad boy]

I have armadillos on my hybrid so not to concerned with weight but they are very good tires no P's and good grip in the wet

 

[johnnyh]

have used gatorskins since last Jan and no puncture with them, also found the sports contacts to be reliable for a slick on the hybrid.

have Bontrager racelites on the Trek and they haven't failed me either.... talk about tempting the pun%^ure fairy to come and find me!!!

 

[Scratch]

I used the gatorskins for about a year. They were great for many months but then started puncturing constantly. I go through some subways so go over small bits of broken glass on occasion. Little slivers of glass would get stuck in the tire and eventually wear there way through. The tire seemed to get soft after a while and cut easily allowing these bits of debris to live in the tire and it was a pain in the arse to keep picking them out.

I think if you don't go over much glass you should be fine, I never got any punctures off anything else.

I'm now using specialized armadillos, horrible ride and slippy in the wet, but no punctures or even cuts on the tire. Been on there over a year now.

 

[llllllll]

I never really got on with Gatorskins. Only had one pair, but they were a bit skiddy in the wet, nothing you couldn't ride around, but they took me by surprise a couple of times. The puncture performance wasn't that great, I could have just been unlucky, but the rear punctured with the first week of use and they seemed to puncture just as much the previous tyres (Schwable Blizzard).
I'm using Hutchinson Intensive tyres now, they seem to have much better wet grip, very rarely puncture. The rears last about 2500miles, the front is heading towards 5000 with no real issues.

 

[Tynan]

what panter said, I had them fitted from new with the Fratello and took them off and gave them away after a couple of weeks, flats, cutting up terrible and scary when cornering in the wet' 'skate' is the word I recall thinking

GP4000 was nice enough, and so it should be at that price, but cut up too

Luganos now, cheap as chips and seem to wear incredibly well, best tyres I've had so far by a long way

 

[ChrisKH]

Well I've just put Gators on my roadbike so I'll report back. Hopefully not from the hospital.

 

[Panter]

It always amazes me just how opposing the views are whenever Gatorskins come up as a topic.

Could it be that they just suffer the odd rogue batch that QC don't pick up?

I may try those Luganos next, a cheaper tyre changed a bit more regularly might be the best option for me.

 

[Baggy]

It always amazes me just how opposing the views are whenever Gatorskins come up as a topic.

They seem to be the most contested tyre ever!
They're on both my bikes, year round, last approx 3000 miles on the back, and over 10,000 miles I've had about 6 p**ctures. Maybe once or twice on corners they've felt a bit slidey but otherwise they've felt really sure-footed in all weathers and on all surfaces.

Guarantees next time I go out I'm going to have a flat and slide over...

 

[Panter]

Guarantees next time I go out I'm going to have a flat and slide over...

I hope not though

 

[MrRidley]

It seems i opened a can of worms well after all that i ended up buying....
















Armadillo's

 

[Panter]

Be interested to hear your opinion in a couple of thousand miles time.


I di have one on an old bike but didn''t have it long enough to test pu***ure resistance.
Seemed a decent tyre otherwise

 

[MrRidley]

Be interested to hear your opinion in a couple of thousand miles time.


I di have one on an old bike but didn''t have it long enough to test pu***ure resistance.
Seemed a decent tyre otherwise

A couple of thousand miles, that will be next year then