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bikeman564™

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1 hour ago, bikeman564™ said:

And my rear Gatorskin just got it's first flat. I must of picked some sort of debris up on yesterday's ride. I didn't notice it flat until today. Not sure what caused it yet.

That's a good run!  I find I either get that sort of mileage or some darned piece of near invisible metal finds a way into the tire.

Garorskins were overkill to my riding, and the Conti Grand Prix 4000/4000S/4000 II seemed to give me a 99% solution with a little more "zip".

Either Gatorskins or 4000s (now 5000s) is the an easy recommendation to make.

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53 minutes ago, Zephyr said:

I am looking for new tires for my roadie and I get a lot of flats.  You would recommend, I assume?  Any downsides?

Love my Gatorskins.  Never had a flat.  The only down side is they're a pain to get on the rim.  The last 3 inches will break your thumbs.

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1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

Either Gatorskins or 4000s (now 5000s) is the an easy recommendation to make.

I'd be careful about the 5000s. While they are lighter and have less rolling resistance, they are noticeably narrower. I replaced a 4000 on the front and had to double check that it was actually a 700x25. I did a little research and a 40000 700x25 is more like a 700x26 while the 5000 is more like a 700x24. I know one person who claims that the 5000s are slippery in the wet.

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I find my rear tire eventually loses its "roundness" so that, while it still seems to have lots of life left, eventually, I realize I am down to the fabric casing (Vectran) in a few places.  Even getting to that point, the tire didn't flat.  I remember looking back at my tire at a stop light, wondering what was "stuck" to the tread since I saw some white stuff that looked like it was a sticker or tape I ran over.  Nope, that was the Vectran.  :D  Finished my ride and swapped on a new tire, but gotta love that!

Vectran™ is a synthetically manufactured high-tech fibre from a natural model. Like spider silk, Vectran™ is a liquid-crystalline polymer (LCP). Vectran™ is spun from the melted liquid polymer Vectra and processed further to a multi-strand thread. Spider silk like Vectran™ has an enormous tear resistance at a very low weight: Exactly the right properties to process into a premium Continental bicycle tire as a puncture protection insert. A Vectran™ Breaker is lighter, more flexible and protects more effectively against cuts than the comparable nylon breaker. Vectran™ Breaker does not adversely affect the rolling resistance.

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I put Gatorskins on my backup bike that Daughter#3 is riding they are 650's.  The only thing worse than mounting 700 Gatorskins is mounting 650 Gatorskins.

This spring I couldn't find 650 Gatorskins anywhere.  I went with a 5000.  It wasn't much easier.

I run Conti 4 Seasons - about the same as Gatorskins.

 

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26 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

I put Gatorskins on my backup bike that Daughter#3 is riding they are 650's.  The only thing worse than mounting 700 Gatorskins is mounting 650 Gatorskins.

This spring I couldn't find 650 Gatorskins anywhere.  I went with a 5000.  It wasn't much easier.

I run Conti 4 Seasons - about the same as Gatorskins.

 

Yep - I think the Gatorskins are slightly better than the 4 Seasons which are slightly better than the 4000/5000 series.  All are exceptional, but for crappy conditions and relative worry free riding, Gatorskins would win.  For the "cleaner" riding I get to do, the  4000/5000 tires are ideal. 4 Seasons are a nice compromise (I have a 700x28 pair on standby on a backup wheelset).

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I rode Gatorskins from around 2005 to 2015.  They did cut down on flats (except for metal or glass).  I found sidewall cuts cut down on the life of the tire.  After a couple of flats due to thorns (lots of things to cause flats in the Desert Southwest) I decided to switch to 4000 S II's. I had more flats, but the ride was nicer and the tires easier to change.  As for the sidewall cuts, I think I have to own up to that.  Since I thought Gatorskins were flat resistant, I was not as good at riding around debris on the road.  I dont regret the switch to 4000s or (now) 5000s.  they are less expensive. I have had more flats, but, most of those are metal or glass, which Gatorskins wont stop anyway. 

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