Getting back on my fixie after haven’t riding it in almost 5 years.
Are Gatorskins still one of the best tires?
If not any recommendations?
by Powerful_Dream_8238
Getting back on my fixie after haven’t riding it in almost 5 years.
Are Gatorskins still one of the best tires?
If not any recommendations?
by Powerful_Dream_8238
28 Comments
I still run them.
If you want a reliable tire then yes, remember that tires usually keep getting small changes over time which most companies probably do not mention
Nowadays the trend for tires is a wider training roadbike tire or allroad tires because they are a lot more comfortable, don’t wear out too quick and they are reasonably priced
I recommend getting some new tires second hand, many people yoink the tires from new bikes to replace or just have some laying around they never used
They’re tough as nails, but wet weather performance is not its strong suit. I consider it a good city tire, but generally not amazing for anything but road use.
Teeeerrrrrible at cornering. You’ll lose a lot of skin going fast in anything other than super dry conditions with them on. Gp5000 all the way.
They’re great for city commuting in my opinion. I wouldn’t run them on a performance focused build but I abuse my commuter and they’re solid for that
I’ve got Panaracers on right now and they’ve been awesome! I really wanted gator skins initially but living in such rainy conditions I was skeptical does sure. They look dope though.
They’re excellent for puncture protection, longevity, and skidding your heart out. They feel like they’re made of banana peels when on wet terrain, to the point that I don’t recommend them for non-FG from a safety standpoint.
Price tag feels like a punch in the gut every. Time. Which is most definitely in the back of your mind when you’re shredding a $70 tire on a commute.
I’ve been running fucking Lugano IIs recently, and apparently they score better than Ultrasports for weight, puncture protection, and grip. $17 and so far it’s been unreasonably good.
If I could afford to burn the $140-$180 on gators right now, I probably just would.
I’ve run them for 20 years. Only thing I’ll ride.
Never were
Regular gator skins I found meh, gatorskin hardshells are sooooo good
Firm believer in GP 4 Seasons as the best of both worlds of gatorskins and gp5000s.
More durable and long lasting than a gp5000 (skids and foot jams from my exp), but faster and better in wet conditions compared to a gatorskins. I’d only use a gatorskin as a rear in dry conditions tbh
i ride in nyc. had gatorskins and they were great, but switched to something a little cheaper/faster. several flats later, i’m back on gatorskins and still making great times. this stuff is really marginal if you’re just someone who likes to ride/commute imo. not great for rain, sure, but i’m not riding in the rain when i don’t absolutely have to.
i have gators on my aluminum rims that don’t get used much except for on the street when i don’t want to risk damaging my carbon wheels, i had to switch to them a few months ago because of a problem that was going on with my carbon set and the gators felt way slower than my gp5ks, like i was setting power prs but barely keeping up with everyone else on the track during an hour of power workout. but they last a long time, it’s better as a rear tire only
Hardshells on the back tire only
From what I recently searched because I needed new tires, they use an oudated technology
Thanks y’all for the great feedback. Seems like I’m sticking with the gatorskin hardshells.
Im gonna order a set of the gp5000s to see what those are about too!
Got pirellis cinturatos and find them pretty quick after years of using gatorskins! But I may be a bit biased as we’re just out of winter here in Montreal and I was running slow AF Schwalbe Winter Marathons
They don’t grip well on wet roads. They tend to delaminate (the rubber layers peel away) if you skid. The rolling resistance is frankly poor. They are relatively expensive.
For a lower price, the Hutchinson Challengers offer better grip (though there’s room for improvement), are almost as puncture-resistant, are very wear-resistant (after 5,000 km there’s still plenty of rubber left), roll more smoothly and are cheaper.
Chicago streets are horrible but my gatorskins have prevented a lot of flats. Heavy as shit but worth the trade off.
I found they got too deep of flat spots. I always ran secas and they worked good for me
No, they suck. I ran them for over a decade and switched to specialized turbo cottons a couple summers ago. I got lots of punctures on my gators and haven’t gotten one on my turbos—which are not known as tough tires. The ride infinitely better, so much faster and better feeling. Also good in the wet. Forget gators.
for my dailies i run a gatorskin (25) on the front and a GP4k or GP5k in the rear (28)
i ran gatorskins exclusively (even in the winter) until i discovered their alter ego, skaterskins, whilst traversing through [king & spadina](https://maps.app.goo.gl/gXYbKYEux4Gt2VuK6) in the rain a few years back.
I gotta up on my daily
Still? Gatorskins were never good. They’re durable though.
They are a great rear tire on you commuter if you do a ton of skids. They are rather harsh and perform terribly in the wet.
If you backpedal more and only skid in emergencies I’d run Conti 4 Seasons front and back. The compound is a bit harder than GP5ks, puncture protection is fine, they will survive a bunch of skids too and they perform really well in wet and cold conditions. They also have a lower rolling resistance than Gatorskins. Only downside is the price. They sit in the middle between Gators and GP5ks.
pirelli cinturato velo are more grippy, more comfortable, faster and even more puncture proof. idk why this takes so long to establish
I haven’t used gatorskins in a few years. I’ve been using challenge strada pros and while they are an absolute chore to mount, they feel amazing and have held up to skids surprisingly well
Regular ones had the durability and puncture resistance of a ribbed condom in my experience, Schwalbe tyres are far better
Just my experience ofc