ContinentalGatorskin 26 Inch Road Tire(Return to Product Page)

I was using my old hard tail with the 26 fat tires as a commuter. Friends had recommended slicks, but I ignored their advice for a long time. I finally saw the light and asked a friend who is an expert for a recommendation and he said Gatorskins. I read reviews and decided to go for it. It has been such an improvement! The bike feels lighter and easier to maneuver. The tires have great grip and do well in rainy Portland. My only regret is not having made the switch sooner.

use it on a single speed bike for commuting.

pros-

fast rolling,

kevlar helps with punctures from goatheads

con-

hit a pothole and blew out. may have been my fault-tire may not have been fully inflated.

I use these tires on my recumbents as rear tires. They are good long-mileage tires with excellent flat protection. I would have given them 5 stars, but I did get irreparable damage to one from hitting a gravel that lacerated the sidewall. I would recommend the tires without hesitation.

I am using these tires on both my Rans recumbents Stratus XP and Xstream. The tires are close to slicks with very little tread. I have dropped the Xstream on wet asphalt during a turn at apparently too high a speed. (I didn't think so at the time). They are light, relatively high pressure (110 psi), nice rolling and I am expecting higher mileage with fewer flats. So far, so good, but I have less than 500 miles on either set.

These tires are surprisingly fast given the extra armor (I sometimes use my MTB for the local hammerfests). They roll about as smooth as the 26x1 Ritchey Tom Slick, but they wear much better IMO. I've also rolled right over broken glass at 110 PSI with absolutely no puncture. I'd say the only thing that beats these are the Conti 26x1.x GP4000 for slightly faster rolling.

best 26in slick tire around, and can be inflated to 120lbs for the road ride

Please note This review is for the 26 x 1 18 size tires. I have owned 2 other brands of slicks and Gatorskins are the best slicks I've ridden on. They are the only slicks I've found that can be inflated to a maximum of 120 psi,I inflate my tires to 105 psi. If you're considering buying a pair of slicks make sure you also buy a pair of rims strips that are designed to withstand the higher inflation pressure of slicks, inexpensivecheap rubber rim strips will deform and will cause tube splits where the rim strip deforms over the spoke nipple head on the rim. Learn from my mistake and buy rims strips that are a nylon cloth material. Also, true your rims after mounting a set of slicks. Because a person can inflate these tires to a higher pressure than regular street or mountain bike tires a bike will ride rougher if it is a fix frame style bike that has no suspension. I ride a bike that has a suspension seatpost and shock absorbing handle bars so the less tire rebound due to higher tire pressure doesn't affect me. My bike still rides great.

So far I've very happy with them and am surprised how well they perform on ice patches on the rail trail I ride on. I am really pleased with the decrease in rolling resistance of the tires and am able to ride faster plus able to ride more miles in the same amount of time. Gatorskins have the least resistance of the 3 different brands of slicks that I've owned over the years. If you have a computer on your bike make sure you reset the tire diameter on your computer due the possible difference in size compared to your other tires.

With all the puncture and wear protection, I expected a rough harsh ride from this tire, but was amazed to find otherwise! The tire rolls with ease and has the suppleness of a silk sew-up. I shaved 5 minutes off my commute the first day with these tires over Continental Cross-Countrys that I had ridden for a year and a half. They were comfy, but slow. These Gatorskins give the winged feet of Mercury and even with the reduced air volume, a very comfortable ride.

Replaced knoby tires for my commute to work. The tire is a very smooth ride that corners well. While not as good off road, it really was not that bad on gravel and dirt. The decrease in rolling resistance is significant.

Been riding these for years - zero complaints. Strong durable great roll. Probably put a thousand miles on a set without any issues. I recommend (force) all my friends into these - no complaints from them either!

Totally into Continental tires... I have yet to be disappointed. I mounted these Gatorskins on my mtn. bike converted commuter and they work terrific. Easy to mount, great traction and no flats (yet!). Luv 'em!

Use these tires on my mountain bike outfitted as a commuter bike. These tires perform great, but they are a dickens to get on.

26s for my recumbent Bacchetta, roads and trails.

I put these Gatorskins on a 20 year old chromoly mountain bike to convert to an urban commutingerrand runner. I could not have made a better choice. I've put over a hundred miles on them, and still have not worn-out the little paper-thin ridge down the center. I believe they will go thousands of miles, from what I have seen. I asked a mechanic at my local LBS what he thought of gatorskins and he said he has put over 2500 miles on his without a flat. I hope I do as well.

I have run through the middle of a pile of crushed glass on the street and not had a mark on the tire. I bought these for their flat-resistance. So far, I am very pleased with these tires, and would highly recommend them to anyone that wants a strong, long-wearing, great-looking tire for the road!

I recently purchased a set of the Gatorskins for my Quest 559 Cruzbike. This is the first time I've ridden on the Gatorskins and so far I am very pleased. The grip well and roll great, it's nice to ride with confidence at higher speeds. These are great and were delivered sooner than expected. Great tires and a great company to buy from.