Gator skins

Gatorskins are supposed to be good tyres, I've not tried them. Folding is ~50g lighter than wired but will cost more though still roll the same.

Alternatives include Schwalbe Durano, Bontrager Race X Lite Hardcase, Vittoria Rubino Pro III.

Lighter, faster rolling tyres (Ultremo, GP4000S etc) are definitely more prone to punctures and will wear out a lot sooner. The speed benefits are small, rider weight and your aero drag will be far more significant factors than your choice of tyres.

Lots of people run their tyres too hard. A simple guide for pressure is 1 bar (14.5 psi) for every 10 kg of rider weight with 23mm tyres, a little less for 25mm and less again for 28mm.

Hi Adey,
I agree with the above post.

I've had my days of competetive racing - but have used the Gatorskins now for a hell of a long time on both my hybrid (700x28) and most of my road bikes (700x23&25's) and never had issues with p*******s. Wood, wood, where's the wood?
If the rolling resistance be ignored for a moment - the gatorskins ride well, grip is good (not as good as GP4000's though) and they last for ages. On the rolling resistance - I would have given anything to have rolling resistance as low as these 20 odd years ago when racing - however, today there are 'faster' tyres. As mere mortal non-racing cyclists who do good miles per year they are fantastic in truth.

My first choice today.

Regards

Trikeman.

Scwalbe Durano's are a good alternative but Gators are fine.
ps Theres another recent post on here where everyone quotes their favourite tyre.

Hi,

1. Yes Gators fit on hooked rims.

2. If you're not competitive you probably won't notice the difference in performance (depending on what you're using at the moment). I used Gators a few years ago for a 300k sportive in Sweden as I rated avoiding punctures more important than speed. Not wanting to tempt fate but I have had one puncture in the last four years on Conti GP4000s tyres (2 sets). I do about 2000 miles per year and weigh around 11st.

Even the most robust tyres puncture. They can often be avoided by checking your tyres regularly to make sure no glass, flint etc is working it's way into the tyre.