[opinions requested] Conti Gatorskin or Schwalbe Durano

[PaulSecteur]

Hi,

For next years riding Im looking for a decent trye with punture protection.

The 2 that seem the obvious choice is the conti gatorskin or shwalbe Durano.
Anyone care to share their experiences of either of those tyres, or suggest something I might have missed?



Ta.

 

[aberal]

I use the Gatorskins and in my own experience, they have been as good a tyre for general run around as I've had. And bombproof. Some people seem to think that the sidewalls are a bit hard, making them a bit uncomfortable, but I can't say I've noticed that. I would buy them again when they wear out and would recommend them.

 

[Garz]

I too have used the gatorskins and found them to be great. I have used schwalbe before that I liked but not the type you have listed so cannot comment im afraid.

 

[Broadside]

I've been using Gatorskins for the last 1,200 miles, i've had three punctures in that time which I think is pretty acceptable. The thing I really don't like about them is that they are not that grippy in the wet compared to Specialized All Condition tyres that originally came on my Secteur Sport - i found the front tyre can easily lose grip on twisty fast descents or roundabouts in the wet.

For this reason I will not buy Gatorskins again, I'll wear this set out and then go for something else. I think it was Tynan that said people either love or hate Gatorskins, I am in the latter camp.

 

[potsy]

Durano+ all the way Paul. Have tried gators and didn't rate them at all, Conti 4 seasons are better.
Durano+ has been my tyre of choice since May and they are excellent if a little heavy(not M+ heavy) but compared to the 4 seasons anyway.
Might put a normal Durano on the front tyre once one of these wears out,but there's no sign of that yet after nearly 2500 miles.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I used gatorskins for many years but about twelve months ago I swapped to bontrager race lite hardcases and found them better.

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/119612.html

 

[Soltydog]

I put some Durano S on my road bike this year & they are quite grippy, but IMO the rubber is too soft & after a few rides, got a bad cut on the rear tyre & only managed about 600 miles on it before it needed replacing, the front one is still fine though & not had any punctures despite the bad cut

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Gatorskin Hardshells for me. What's a p******e?

 

[John the Monkey]

I've been using Gatorskins for the last 1,200 miles, i've had three punctures in that time which I think is pretty acceptable. The thing I really don't like about them is that they are not that grippy in the wet

THAT.

Gators roll very nicely, but to this day, they are still the only tyre I've managed to wheelspin in wet weather. I had no confidence in them in the wet at all.

 

[john12]

After a 4x puncture week commuting on gatorskins (both wheels and different areas of tyre) I decided a change was needed.
I now run Specialized all season on the front and Schwable marathon Plus on the rear and have not had a puncture since (no doubt I'll get one tonight now!)

I ride around 120miles a week on average and have not had a puncture since the change (4 or 5 weeks now)...where I was getting around one a week on average.

The Schwable is noticably heavier and tricky to get on from new - but for winter commuting I'd rather take the hit on speed than change a tube in the wet, cold and dark.

Personally I'd never look at Gatorskins again - I didn't find them very durable either...maybe less than 1000miles had to be replaced - is that normal?

I may give the Bontrager racelites in the spring a go though once the amount of crud in the road has reduced.

 

[Fiona N]

I put the Duranos all round on the Windcheetah last year and they've worn out already (<3000km as I haven't toured in the last 18 months on it), especially the front tyres unusually, as it's usually the single rear drive tyre that wears out first, which are totally threadbare and showing the 'innards'. This is a bit disappointing compared to the longevity of the narrower and higher pressure Contis (but not Gatorskins) that I've used previously.

On the plus side, the Duranos roll really nicely - having two small front wheels does mean that the performance of tyres in this respect is a bit more obvious than on a normal bike, so you notice the difference straight away.

As an experiment, I'm putting a Gatorskin Ultra on the rear wheel and Sport Contacts on the front but I doubt we'll be getting out much before Spring to test them.

P.S> forgot to add that p***s are not really an issue on the Windcheetah. I've only had 3 in 10 years and > 50,000km and they were all rear wheel.

 

[e-rider]

I use Michelin Pro3 Race and have never had a puncture (and I'm heavy) - my point is that if you ride over a very sharp object you will get a puncture no matter what tyres you are using. Avoid sharp objects and you'll not get a puncture!

Schwalbe Lugano are cheap and cheerful.

 

[marcw]

2000+ miles on Gatorskins with my road bike, one puncture. They are a bit 'stiff' so feel harder than the tyres I had on before (Halo Couriers). Didn't find them bad in the wet but nowhere near as grippy as the Conti top contact touring tyres on my new commuter.

 

[gbb]

I use Michelin Pro3 Race and have never had a puncture (and I'm heavy) - my point is that if you ride over a very sharp object you will get a puncture no matter what tyres you are using. Avoid sharp objects and you'll not get a puncture!

Schwalbe Lugano are cheap and cheerful.

There's probably a lot of truth in that. I have had very few visits in the last 2 years..and it may well be because i have taken to riding in a strong secondary position...away from the crud at the side of the road.
Ive had gatorskins on all my bikes for 5 years or so. Yes; you go through phases of punctures, but i dont consider it too much. Ride a bike...get punctures, it goes with the territory.
Gators are prone to getting slits if you ride over glass. The outer rubber case is soft, but i rode one for many many miles with a 6mm slit covered on the inside with some re-enforcing tape.
As stated above, the wet can be a problem. Ive had a couple of slippery moments on corners in the wet...but that could have been exagerated by a film of oil. Who knows ? But generally, i dont slip and slide all over the place.

One area where they're definately dodgy is when they're new and in the wet. Bl00dy awful, but once they've been used a week or so...that goes. Youve got to get that shiny surface scrubbed off.

I'm trying to work out how many visits a year i get...maybe 6. More than acceptable to me. No doubt there are better tyres out there...but i dont want heavy tyres on my bike. JMO.

 

[John the Monkey]

FWIW, I've ridden 2,000 miles on a pair of Conti City Contacts I got for £15 the pair from eBay. No unplanned deflations in all those (commuting) miles.