6.5.2011

I got a Boardman Hybrid earlier this year and the stock tyres while very fast running are very thin and prone to punctures .....a lot of puntures.. it was getting me down.flints and thorns being the main culpritI bought a pair of Schwalbe marathon plus from my local bike shop, I've always used these on my hybrids and always feel confident that they won't let you down ( litterally!!) for all my might I couldn't make them stay on ... any more than 50 psi and the bead would disengage and the tube would pop out...I returned them reluctently..I got a pair of these Contis...from Amazon and so far so good ...easy on, nice flexible sidewalls,mostly slick with a small pattern as a tread..wacked 110 psi in and no dramas .. looked ok as wellI had nice little 60 mile round Suffolk last Saturday and they have been great.. mostly road.. a bit of breckland path and a bit of dusty gravel tracks ( not fun on 28c tyres )and the bike and tyres coped very well..This week cycling to work, daily 18 mile round trip ... plenty of hedge cuttings,pot holes,squashed wildlife & broken glassSo I've done around 140 miles and no puntures ..They feel as free running as the Maxis detonator stock tyre and I would say they are less skiterish over bumps and hitting +25 mph and nice a grippy in the corners.. people say they are good in the wet so don't have to worry about that..nuff said really .. I like them .. time will tell if they last and the puncture protection is reliable***** Update *****June 2011.. Got to 750 miles and my first puncture, so not bad really ... took the opportunity to swap them around to even out the wear, not that they need it as they look hardly worn the front still had the manufacturing seam down the middle. Still not had a decent chance to check out the rain grip, but I'm not moaning..***** Update *****March 2012.. done about 3.5k on these now... one is starting to puncture.. so going to replace it by ordering another... under £22 delivered... £3 cheaper than last year !!! my local bike shop has them up for £35 !!Did find out by the way why the Schwalbes were popping off the rims... apparently some of the Boardmans have undersized wheels, not by much but enough to make correct size tyres pop off ... Contis are apparently very tight to fit on correct size wheels... So bob on for Boardmans...all in all puncture free and longevity ( I am poet and my mother knows it )***** Update ******July 2013Time for a new rear, my fault really, I had put in 120psi as I was competing in a local Tri and I must of gone over something pretty sharp as it has gone through the protection..Price has gone up to just under £26 but not much for all those miles of not having that horrible sinking feeling.I will just add, I run these at about 80psi on my daily commute as I'm a bit (lot) of a lard a** and I think it just makes it little easier on them.... also a bit of a training aid as when you pump them up to go racing... you fly..

22.6.2011

I ordered two of these for my road bike to reduce the risk of getting punctures when riding. I always carry a spare inner tube just in case but the extra peace of mind these tyres give easily justifies the cost. So far I've only ridden about 200km with them which isn't really enough to comment on how effective the puncture resistance is, but the roads and paths which I use always have glass and thorns strewn across them, so I'm pleased that I haven't had any punctures so far. It's not specifically mentioned in the description, although the picture gives you some idea, these are a rigid tyre, meaning that they have a steel bead, not a flexible nylon bead as found in a folding tyre.

13.10.2011

Been riding a Charge Plug 2010 with the stock Kenda Kommuters for just under a year, I read advice about changing these out for either the Armadillo, Marathon Plus or GatorSkin but wanted to give the Kenda's a chance. I found I quite regularly picked up "debris" punctures, both front and back so I decided to change out the back tyre with a GatorSkin to see if it improved things.It has worked a dream, no punctures in over 2 months (that might not sound like much but I ride often and over glass-ridden roads), whereas before I would've likely picked up a punture. Across the same time I have had two debris punctures on the front tyre which I kept as a Kenda.

21.8.2012

This is an honest review from a cyclist in Sheffield:i cycle to work in the summer months, 10miles per day.I used to get around 1 puncture a week, and if i managed to dodge this bullet id be thinking "not long til i get one now then"But since i purchased the Gatorskin tyres i can HONESTLY say i dont even think about punctures anymore. I literally have had 1 in about 5 months, and that was because i over-inflated the rear tyre and the inner tube expanded into the holes in the rim itself and popped shortly after id inflated it.The tyres have shown grip in the wet, and seem to roll nice and quick compared to any other tyre ive had.This is by far the best way to avoid punctures rather than those

18.5.2014

I started getting punctures a little too frequently in my front wheel and realised my front tyre badly needed replacing. Having ordered two of these to replace both my front and rear tyres, it was only after they arrived that I saw I already had one on my rear wheel. This was probably supplied by a bike shop when I had a new rear wheel a few years back - and I suppose that shows the quality - the tyre has clearly been on my bike quite a while and no issues so far with punctures in the rear tyre. So for the moment I've only used one of the pair of new ones I bought, no punctures so far. My experience is that if I use decent quality tyres run at a decent pressure - say 90psi - I pretty much never get punctures.

21.6.2012

I purchased one of these tyres in April after suffering from seven flat rear tyres in just one week. This was a major pain considering I have a nine-mile round trip for work plus other journeys outside of work. Looking on the funny side, it did turn heads when I trundled past at high speed on a rear flat!I found this tyre could be inflated safely to around 60psi and it rides comfortably even over the horrible rough roads. I would have given this tyre five stars but as I have barely riden 100 miles on it, I cannot comment on long-term wear and durability. I can say that it so far shows no sign of wear and I have not had so much as slow leak, no to mention no punctures. In terms of value for money,

16.6.2011

I have just purchased a set of Gatorskin hardshell 700 x 23. I have purchased puncture resistant tyres before, and found them to be a little sluggish, these Gatorskins however are very good, and quick. I have them pumped up to 8.5 bar and have had no problems. The grip is very good, my average speed has increased by around 3mph, I don't know if that is the tyres or my fitness increasing, but I am very happy with the ride. these tyres seem thinner than my previous tyres, even though they are apparently the same size and width.I ride on some terrible roads, plenty of pot holes, and glass and it seems that these tyres haven't even been scratched!Pros:Fast, durable, puncture resistant, light,

6.9.2012

I originally converted to this brand and series, and indeed size, after finding my local bike shop out of stock of the range I had previously used. Punctures are hugfely reduced, and I would suggest NOT using those slime-filled inner tubes, firstly because they don't actually work as they ought to, secondly because they clogg up the valve, and thirdly because like every tyre on the planet they are still subject to shock-tears and seams splitting under pressure. So, standards inner tubes plus these and away you go.the 25mm is a huge performance advance over narrower guages, a much smoother ride and only a tiny additional roll drag to contend with - which might anyway be seen as a good thing as you work harder,

16.2.2016

Another happy customer.Swapped the Hutchinson Equinox that came with the bike as I was tired of getting punctures. Ride about 15 miles each weekday through inner city Manchester and without fail I would get a puncture once every 2 weeks (managed to get it twice in one week once).Been using the same route with the Gator Skin for a month now and so far- no fricking punctures!Feel as though the old Hutchinson was speedier. These feels to 'drag' a bit, only notice it on occasion. Since I mainly use the bike to commute and not for anything competitive, not complaining.Was easy enough to replace. Seem to retain the recommended 120psi longer than the old tyre.

5.7.2013

I thought i'd try these on both wheels as I wanted the peace of mind that there as less chance of me getting a puncture on the journey to/from work. I haven't got a saddle bag and so don;t carry a spare inner tube with me. I have not had a puncture in my recent two year road cycling use and so i wanted to maintain this record by getting some better puncture resistant tyres.I struggled to fit these myself as they were very tight on the rim so I asked my local bike repair shop to fit both - £8, and done properly, so they now seem spot on.I think the ride is faster and the tyres seem grippy, slightly thicker rubber means the overall feel gives me peace of mind and confidence in going over different

8.1.2013

I was dubious of these at first,mainly because id had nothing but luck with my specialized armadillos.it was really hard to believe these would live up to them in the protection catergory,but the armadillos had worn,id read the reviews of how well these gatorskinz rolled so i took a chance.Theyre awsome!! they do roll much more quickly than the specialized tyre,its a bit unnerving still when im flat out rounding a bend but im yet to come off or even skid out.its been ridiculously wet this december and yet ive had no problems with handling at all,i commute 20miles a day so im out alot and have not punctured,my commute takes me on tarmac,gravel,grit and pot hole ridden stretches so they get a

8.11.2012

I appreciate I'm tempting fate here, but after switching to Gatorskins at the start of the year, and riding 5,000 miles on all sorts of road terrain, not a single puncture. I've managed to get 3,000 miles from a rear tyre before deciding the wear indicates it's time to change. Ease of fitting is pretty good; I've certaintly struggled less with these than some others I've tried. They aren't the lighest tyres out there, but that's the typical compromise you pay for puncture resistance. I think they get the balance just right. Inflated to 110 psi, they give a good, smooth ride and feel sure footed in the wet. I appreciate that eventually I'll run out of luck,

5.3.2011

I changed to these tyres recently as the original tyres on my Genesis Vapour cyclocross bike were extremely prone to punctures. Sometimes two per day. I mainly use my bike to commute to work (approx 14 miles round trip per day). On average I had about 3 punctures per week. Since changing to these tyres I have been puncture free for over three weeks. This may not be a long time, however, with the old tyres that equates to at least 9 punctures in that time. I did read about the tyres being slippy in the wet, but so far I have not experienced any slippy moments even in torrential rain one lovely morning in Glasgow. So all in all, so far so good. I would definitely recommend the tyres.

21.6.2013

I bought a Specialized Roubaix Carbon elite and have been riding it since Christmas 2012. After 1 month the back tyre went (Specialized 'armadillo' apparently), a month or so later the front was toast. I have had these brilliant gatorskins fitted since then. I personally found them easy to fit, I run 110psi and I am a big heavy guy (my bike is a 61cm frame). They have done well over 1000 miles in all weather (well mainly wet given the horrible year we have had) and have repelled some very nasty bits of flint without full penetration of the tyre. I bought a second set for when the first eventually die. Brilliant tyres, most durable I have ever used, wouldn't use anything else now.

5.3.2013

Some time last year I had a really bad week. Punctured my wheel three times in the span of a couple of days. I knew there must be something that I can do to prevent this and actually start showing up in the office on time.These did the job perfectly. Got them last autumn, we're well into March and I haven't had a single puncture more. Streets of London can be dodgy and twice now I got bullied by a truck to ride into some broken glass. To my surprise they held through fabulously.Note: they're a bit of hassle to put on and yes, I struggled. nonetheless worth every penny and every minute spend on these as the money and time savings (plus spared frustration) are well worth it.

Continental Ultra Gator Skin - Reviews

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