Tyres for winter? Gatorskins? Marathons?

Batchy wrote:

You can't go wrong with Gatorskins.

It may be me, my wife says it usually is, but my 12-month adventure into the land of Gatorskin was a disaster. On our gritty, gravel-strewn roads I suffered flat after flat and I can't say I found the grip inspiring either.
When my patience eventually snapped and I bought some Schwalbe Durano Plus they were a revelation. I've had only one puncture in the last year and the bike definitely feels more planted as well as more cushioned.
No contest.

mike the bike wrote:

Batchy wrote:

You can't go wrong with Gatorskins.

It may be me, my wife says it usually is, but my 12-month adventure into the land of Gatorskin was a disaster. On our gritty, gravel-strewn roads I suffered flat after flat and I can't say I found the grip inspiring either.
When my patience eventually snapped and I bought some Schwalbe Durano Plus they were a revelation. I've had only one puncture in the last year and the bike definitely feels more planted as well as more cushioned.
No contest.

Well I reckon that you're damned unlucky as Gatorskins have given me relatively trouble free winter cycling year on year !

I have commented about my other favourite tyres on Road cc. These being Michelin Lithion 2s that IMO are terrific value for money and are in my experience extremely puncture resistant and are good performers wet or dry .

You are not alone Batchy, in your amazement at my intense disappointment with Gatorskins. I have a good pal who has just bought a £2800 titanium bike and he specified that tyre as he loves 'em so much. And I could name at least a dozen others who swear by the things; they do indeed have many fans.

I have a couple of theories that might account for some of this loyalty. First, many of my friends are teetering on the edge of old age, I myself am retired, and we grew up in an age when tyres were, well, complete crap. Some, I swear, were made of black cardboard or possibly old lace curtains. And along comes Conti with a half-good product and the older generation laps them up. If they only kept up with more recent developments they would soon appreciate that things have moved on a lot in a short time.

Secondly, I commuted for many years on my bike and a flat was more than just an inconvenience, it could make me late. So my dislike of punctures was perhaps more deep-seated than that of a leisure rider who had all the time in the world.
Such experiences have made me much more critical of tyres than many riders, I really want the best I can afford.

But, all that aside, the facts speak for themselves. I was averaging a flat a month on the Contis and have reduced that to one a year riding Schwalbe. (You know what will happen tomorrow don't you?)

All the best.

mike the bike wrote:

I was averaging a flat a month on the Contis and have reduced that to one a year riding Schwalbe.

I've been using Conti GP 4 seasons for a while now and the only real niggle is they are a nightmare to get on and off the wheel. I recently tried Schwalbe One as they got great reviews and they felt great, grippy and a good ride, however, after less than 200 miles I'd had two punctures, one where a small stone ripped the sidewall so badly the tyre was ruined. Back to the Conti's for me.

Or you could find some Ultremos, which were reputedly much more puncture resistant than the new One. A truly superb tyre. And they are now commonly heavily discounted to shift the old stock.