ContinentalGatorskin 700c Road Tire (Wire Bead)(Return to Product Page)

I bought these because that was what the guy who built my bike put on the bike back in 2008. After 6 years they finally wore out. Now, after 1 year, they are cracking. I am so disappointed. For the money I paid I sure did not get the results I wanted.

Continental's Gatorskins offer a great value, fast, nice ride and bulletproof!!!

What more do you want?

Have been able to get around 1000 miles on the rear tires, and twice that on the front. Have yet to get a flat on these tires

I assembled my first road bike a few years back with a cannondale frame, SRAM red crank and ultegra gruppo. I put gator skins on a lightweight Token wheelset.

The conti's are amazing. Phenomenal durability - they've sustained considerable abuse on the gravel and thorn littered back roads of California's central coast.

I've worn them to the point that the belting is exposed - time to replace. Oh by the way, they've lasted two seasons and I've never had a single flat.

Good dry road traction on smooth Tarmac. Ride is a bit firm. The gator skin dos not have a soft tread. Not the best for wet weather traction, the combination of a smooth tread crown and hard tread means they operate best on dry pavement.

Tires are on my Trek 5.9

These are not indestructible. A piece of glass the size of a candy corn embedded itself straight through the center of the tire, puncturing the tube. I also have numerous small cuts all over the tire, but I haven't found a tire that won't get these kinds of cuts either. I'm still searching for a more puncture resistant tire.

I have three road bikes and use Gatorskins on all three.

I ride most of my miles in an urban environment where road debris is a constant problem. These tires are highly puncture resistant. On the last set I had zero flat tires in over 3000 miles. They ride a little harder that some tires, but minimizing flat tires, for me, is well worth it.

I always buy the fold-able type because they are easier to install if you do have a problem on the road. The last set I installed were noticeably harder to install. They must have changed the bead somehow, because it was more difficult to get them on the rims than the previous pair I installed. Otherwise, that's my only gripe.

This is about the same review I gave the Hardshells, its hard to tell the difference between them, but I think I get just a little more wear from the Hardshells. That said I'll pick which ever tire is on sale. The only thing that will defeat these are embedded debris that you might miss on an inspection before a ride, and radial tire wire can be a big problem, but nothing will keep you from flatting if you pick that up. Side walls can get a bit rough looking, but I've never see that cause a problem, I've had a couple of side punctures but have gotten home by an emergency plastic inside patch. Both flats were cause by a sharp rock slamming into the side of the tire. Expect between 3-5k miles out of these tires, wet conditions are not handled very well and these tires do not corner the best, but your training not racing on these, your training buddies will start copying you after they been riding a while with you...

I have used these tires for over 7 years. I had one front tire last for 4000 miles. I usually get around 1000 miles on a rear tire. The kevlar helps protect against sidewall failure, but I did have one fail once due to a road crack that I rode into. It is a heavy tire, but I ride mostly long distance and care more about durability vs. speed impact.

I'm an everyday rider to work and from, weekend extremist. I've been riding these tires for more than 6 months, and by far in all terrain this rubber holds you up and won't fail you in the least bit in satisfaction. Great for the price and durability. If I had three thumbs they'd all be up! -SanAnTexMan

Like the wire bead. Harder to get on than folding tires , but sidewall stands up longer , especially after a few flats. If you ride you are going to get flats. This tire lasted the longest last season of the three different brands I tried. So I got another set (on sale) to start the spring

Been riding these since late 80's early 90's.. best road tire out there, for non touring, just buy 'em... in my humble opinion

I ride on city streets to get to the bike path which is my primary riding since I'm retired. I wanted durability and a smoother ride. These tires did not disappoint me. The ride is a soft feel but seem to roll nicely without much resistance. Perfect tire for my needs.

I've been running Gatorskin tires for several years on multiple bicycles in sizes 700c 25 and 700c 23. I ride 3000 - 4000 miles per year on western Pennsylvania backroads many of which are tar-and-chipped and in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Typical mileage for a rear tire is over 3000 miles with fronts getting almost double that. While no tire is totally puncture-proof, these are close. Ride quality and grip are fine, even with considerable wear on the tires. A little pricey but worth it.

I was constantly getting flats from broken glass. These tires have gone weeks with no issue. The rear was a little low yesterday after work, pumped it up and came home. Next morning, flat. I was disappointed. Then I found a 34 inch brad straight into the tire. Can't fault the tire it got me home.

20 minutes into my first ride on Gatorskins, my Kevlar bead failed, resulting in the tire jumping the rim and a blowout. Second time out, I got a flat in 20 minutes on the other one. I live in Fort Myers FL, and have had more flats here in one year than in 30 years and 30,000 miles in PA. Bought Gatorskins to address this. Little pieces of springy wire catch on the tire, and despite cleaning the tire with my gloved hand as I ride, these pieces infiltrate themselves into the tire tread until they puncture the tube. Gatorskins do not prevent this, so far.

Living in NYC broken glass is a fact of life but with these tires, no flats so far. They also roll nicely, very low friction, making long rides easier. Some people noted that it was tough to get on and it was the first time only(I had to replace a tube for a bad valve and it was easy off and back on).

One might think that the Wyoming highway department specifies dry crushed shards of glass for chip-sealing their roadways. Most bicyclists on this year's CGY tour had multiple flats over the 100 miles of fresh seal coat. Not this tandem team equipped with 32mm Gatorskins. Although I picked out several stones that were imbedded in the rubber after the ride was over, none had penetrated the cords, and none caused a flat.

I live in central Arizona, (Prescott) and the roads are full of rocks, glass etc. I have ridden over all of them and not a scratch on them.

I use them for training and racing because of the above mentioned.