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Gator skins

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  • June 10, 2012 at 2:39 pm #16046
    Adey

    Hi all
    Sorry if been covered before but two questions please
    1) do gators fit on hooked rims?
    2) although not a competative rider ive read that gators can hinder/slow your performance – is this true?
    Also any alternatives? I have Vittoro saffiras (spelling) fitted to my Bianchi -we all want ‘puncture free’ cycling!!!
    Cheers

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Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • June 10, 2012 at 3:51 pm #686849
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    Adey

    Cheers Simon
    Cheers Simon

    June 10, 2012 at 3:47 pm #686847
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    Simon E

    Gatorskins are supposed to be
    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.

    June 10, 2012 at 3:43 pm #686845
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    Adey

    Thanks for taking the time
    Thanks for taking the time Trikeman 🙂

    June 10, 2012 at 3:15 pm #686843
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    trikeman

    Hi Adey,
    I agree with the
    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 (700×28) and most of my road bikes (700×23&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. 😉

    June 10, 2012 at 3:08 pm #686841
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    Adey

    Thanks for a quick – detailed
    Thanks for a quick – detailed reply
    Got a 100 sportive in july
    Looking like gators

    June 10, 2012 at 3:08 pm #686839
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    TheHatter

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

    June 10, 2012 at 2:56 pm #686837
    0
    RoadBikeRecommendation

    Hi,
    1. Yes Gators fit on
    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.

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