Winter tyres

I've used Gatorskins without incident for the last five years, though I've never felt that they were unusually grippy.

In May I bought some new wheels which had Mavic Yksion tyres on them.  I crashed in the wet in June when the front wheel just washed out from under me on a fast bend, broke my femur and haven't been able to ride since.  

So I can't recommend them as winter tyres, and given our summers, I wouldn't even recommend the Mavics for that.

And its looking increasingly like "winter riding" is something I won't need to worry about until winter 16/17.

GP4Seasons give better grip than gatorskins in the wet and roll well. However, I have killed three on potholes, so the casing isn't super-strong. They are a goood tyre for year-round use, as the name implies.

specialized armadillo elite on my winter trainer/commutter.  Not had a puncture in 2 years and they last for ever.

GP4Seasons grip better than gatorskins in the wet, and I think they are faster (they are pretty good all year actually) but I think they probably wear faster.

I use Vittoria Open Pave which were designed for riding on wet cobbles. Great grip and only had one puncture from a piece of glass which would probably be the case with any other tyre. I reckon I can get 2500 to 3000 miles on them before I feel they need changing. I had 24mm before but have swapped to 27mm this year and they are pretty comfortable.

http://tinyurl.com/openpave

Schwalbe Marathon Plus, although recently wore a set out and slipped (and fell) on day 2 with the new ones! Might need a bit of wearing in. Currently trying the lower pressure/ride less aggressively approach for winter/wet conditions. Pretty 'bomb proof' but if you do get a flat, they're a real b#tch to get off and on again.

I recently swithed from 25mm Continental Gatorskins to 25mm Vittoria Rubino pro techs, since the rain keeps falling. I have found them to be pretty reliable in storm like conditions, riding through gravel, wet (raised) road markings, mini-roundabouts, mud and fallen leaves. From my experiences so far I feel much more comfortable riding on the Vittoria's over the Gatorskins, when wet.

Well that's it just fitted conti 4 seasons after slipping on my gatorskins. So here's hoping for some weather that's not too extreme to try them out.

Have used shwalbe luganos 23mm solid black with green slime tubes for the last 3 years, never had a single issue other than when a broken beer bottle slashed the tyre last New Year's Day. Only change to MTB when snowing, other than that, every element that comes I use that combo. My expierience has let me to the conclusion that the more grip/pattern a tyre has less surface contact you have. I have used winter/rain specific tyres and fallen off on a few occasions. For me this is MY perfect combo. I run them between 80-90 psi, depending on conditions.

I use 4 seasons 25mm all year round. I did use gatorskins previously and the ride difference between the two is surprising.
The gatorskins were far from puncture proof on winter country lanes and the grip and ride was in my opinion very poor. They did wear well, but that offered little compensation when I ended up on my ass last year.

PSA: 2 x Durano 700x32 (new) on ebay. £9.95 and zero bids, auction ends on the 17th - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161171647787

Parker International, sponsor of the Shropshire inter-club time trial series for a number of years, are closing down so flogging off various items cheaply.

These are excellent winter tyres. I was going to bid but unfortunately 32mm is too big for my SCR's mudguards

I run Michelin Pro 4 service course all year round with no problems what so ever. Never slipped in the wet even on greasy roads and roundabouts.

I only use shwalbe tyres on all my bikes

I've just switched to Open Paves, they definitely feel more planted than my 23mm Conti 4000s. I'm running a 27mm up front and a 25mm on the rear (biggest the frame and forks would allow) at about 15psi lower than normal They don't feel any slower, but they do feel a lot more compliant and like they are gripping better.

They also have green stripes on the sides and make you feel like you're riding a spring classic.

Just bought some Durano Plus 700 x 25's for winter riding on the lanes and trails of south Wales. So far; they're excellent.

open pave's.
The rubinos that came with the ribble 'special' offer bike, lasted an hour due to causing an 'off' around a right hander rounabout at slow speed in wet weather.

pave's feel planted. even on grime laden roads.

Got Pave's on the main summer bike and Rubino Pro Tech on the winter iron.

Pave's are a pain in the chuff to get on but super sticky and great on crap surfaces.

Rubino Pro Techs are considerably cheaper. Found them fine but better if you run them at a slightly lower pressure.

23x700 gator skins, 85psi - brilliant! Sportives, uphill, downhill (not under heavy braking) - some slips uphill out I the saddle but I wouldn't ride another tyre!

I use GP 4 Seasons all year round - 23mm. Amazing tyres.

Vittoria Pave's. Honest they saved my bacon the other night when I hit a patch of mud at speed. I know that any other tyre would have gone but they just caught hold. They are silly expensive but I just wont go with any other tyre anymore

I have Schwalbe Marathon Plus on a hybrid that is used on twice daily 6 mile commute in outer London. They are very stiff and heavy tyres but I have only skidded once with them and that was more to do with some diesel left on the road after a collision. They gave me a enough control to keep the bike upright - just.
I have also punctured them once in a years commuting - A huge piece of very sharp flint got stuck in between the treads and worked its way through the armoured band.

I think:

Gatorskins = great puncture protection but sketchy in the wet

GP4000s = pretty good puncture protection (daily commuting for a year or so now and they seem ok) and feel much grippier and surprisingly more comfortable.

Who knows how much of that is in my imagination although I went with the GP4000s after reading this very thorough test.

"comm88" wrote:

Odd. I've ridden Gatorskins in winter for years, but I do have to question their grip in the wet.

I wouldn't say that was 'odd' at all - I've had a very similar experience! They're not really bad tyres they're just nowhere near as good as they should be! I'm now running Continental GP4000s summer and winter. Not as puncture proof as the gatorskins but sooooo much grippier. The gatorskins stood up to a year+ of commuting and winter riding abuse but they also dumped me on the ground at least twice when they shouldn't have (same as posts above - slide out on corners at low-ish speeds) and just never felt 'right' in the wet.

Another tick for ... Continental 4 Seasons - pricey-ish but worth it - great grip in the wet, puncture-resistant and wear really well even in the extreme cold. Used them for years now

Awww, really sorry to hear that, Cantab. Pretty galling, when cycling is meant to be a fun exercise!! Glad you've nothing broken and, like you, I've no wish to rearrange my mouth in another similar road dumping! (Altho some people probably wish I would!)

Have a look at this thread:

http://road.cc/content/forum/100172-it-me-or-are-roads-super-slippy-mo

Thr's some interesting stuff there that other riders are experiencing which makes me think that the roads are super slippy at the moment.

As I said, I've ridden Gatorskins for quite a few years in the winters and only come a real cropper on the snow and ice - when no road tire will save you from a tumble. But a fall does make you wary - especially if you lose skin as well confidence.

Ride happy, stay safe.