Conti Ultra Gatorskin or Schwalbe Marathon

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Rohloff_Brompton_Rider

Formerly just_fixed
i have gator skins on my cx bike (23mm) and they are a lot faster than the marathons on my brompton. the marathons are definitely slower than the brompton own brand. but, i have never ever had a puncture on the marathons and that's over 10,000 miles of commuting thru manchester and rochdale (not the same tyres, obviously). the marathons only give me 3000 miles before i have to replace them, due to the blue protective belt showing thru where the treads used to be.

that said, i've only done 1000 miles on the conti's.

hope that helps
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
Don't think Marathons come in 23's do they?
Wasn't a fan of the 'gators when I tried them, they seem to get a mixed response on here generally.
 

Manonabike

Über Member
Fancy som new tyres for this spring/summer and i am looking at the above. Any recommendations about these? I think i'll get 700 x 23.

I have been doing the same research this week. I did consider the Marathon plus but the fact that 2 x 28mm gatorskin weight less that 1 Marathon Plus of the same size persuaded me to go for the gatorskin.

If these tyres were for commuting then I would have gone for Marathon Plus because of the higher and better puncture protection.

Wiggle are selling the ultra Gatorskin for £18

Today my new gatorsking arrived and they look ok...... not difficult to fit as I had first feared :biggrin:
 
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The Jayler

The Jayler

New Member
Location
Redhill, Surrey
Don't think Marathons come in 23's do they?
Wasn't a fan of the 'gators when I tried them, they seem to get a mixed response on here generally.


Your right, 25 is the thinnest the marathons go.

Sounds like a silly question, but are inner tubes just inner tubes? I'm guessing the more expensive ones have thicker rubber. Or are they like HDMI cables. £50 is the same as a £5 one?
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
I think some makes are better than others, quality control mainly.
You can get light-weight tubes but I'm not sure how much lighter they are and whether it really makes any difference to speed or durability.
 
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The Jayler

The Jayler

New Member
Location
Redhill, Surrey
If its 23mm tyres with good punture protection then have a look at Schwalbe Durano, and especially the Durano PLUS range.

I liked those but they are a bit pricey for me at the moment. Having just forked out £195 on an Edge 705, i'll have to make a little sacrifice here.

I'm leaning towards the gators. Seem to have generally good reviews and are a bargain at £19 a pop.
 

PaulSecteur

No longer a Specialized fanboy
I liked those but they are a bit pricey for me at the moment. Having just forked out £195 on an Edge 705, i'll have to make a little sacrifice here.

I'm leaning towards the gators. Seem to have generally good reviews and are a bargain at £19 a pop.


Spooky! I have just spent a similar ammount on a 705 too! (in the for sale section of this forum)

And double spooky, I have Gators on my Secteur (Actually, ultra gator duraskins folding). I have knocke up about 200 miles so far and no complaints...and no visits from "the fairy whos name shall not be spoken". They dont seem any harsher than the 25mm specialized tyres that I took off. Im happy with them. I have just over 100 in the front, 95 in the back)
 
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The Jayler

The Jayler

New Member
Location
Redhill, Surrey
Spooky! I have just spent a similar ammount on a 705 too! (in the for sale section of this forum)

And double spooky, I have Gators on my Secteur (Actually, ultra gator duraskins folding). I have knocke up about 200 miles so far and no complaints...and no visits from "the fairy whos name shall not be spoken". They dont seem any harsher than the 25mm specialized tyres that I took off. Im happy with them. I have just over 100 in the front, 95 in the back)


Spooky.
I've bought wired not folding. I think the wired part means the long wire that runs around the rim.
Or i hope it does.
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
Spooky.
I've bought wired not folding. I think the wired part means the long wire that runs around the rim.
Or i hope it does.

It does, it also means they are slightly heavier but normally a bit cheaper
thumbsup.png

Would have mentioned the Durano+ earlier as they are my preferred tyre now, especially for road bike commuting, am thinking of getting some lighter ones for leisure rides, maybe the normal Durano's.
 

Broadside

Guru
Location
Fleet, Hants
Jayler - I've been using Gatorskins for the last 2,500 miles. They are cheap, they are very durable, they don't puncture often and they are grippy in the dry. However I have to be extremely careful in the wet as I find they just slide out from underneath me negotiating roundabouts and sharp corners.

As Potsy says they do get mixed responses. If you won't be hammering around then they will be ideal, however if you ride fast then be careful in the wet, I find them to be a bit of a nightmare I just haven't got around to changing them yet.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
If its 23mm tyres with good punture protection then have a look at Schwalbe Durano, and especially the Durano PLUS range.

+1. I have the Pluses on my Viner. Superb tyres, seemingly as tough as the proverbial ageing footwear, have coped superbly with the worst conditions I've thrown at them over 000s of miles & they roll surprisingly well considering they're basically a sports version of the Marathon Plus.
 
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