Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!

[Mulger bill]

Sigh, guess who taunted the puncture fairy once too often....

5mm glass sliver in the rear, ah well.

Shaun

[drubie]

Sigh, guess who taunted the puncture fairy once too often....

5mm glass sliver in the rear, ah well.

So... still lovin' those taterskins?

How big is the cut? Did it slice through that 'skin like a hot knife through butter, leaving a puckered hole on the inside filled with tiny glass shards like miniature teeth, ready to chew on your tube?

Let me tell you, there's this AWESOME thread on here somewhere all about those tyres, now I just have to find it...

[Mulger bill]

Quit teasing me Mulger Bill.

Sorry Drub, I'll withdraw from this thread with one final comment:-

"In accordance with tradition"

Shaun

Not playin' nice no more, see what it got me

Sigh, guess who taunted the puncture fairy once too often....

5mm glass sliver in the rear, ah well.

So... still lovin' those taterskins?

How big is the cut? Did it slice through that 'skin like a hot knife through butter, leaving a puckered hole on the inside filled with tiny glass shards like miniature teeth, ready to chew on your tube?

Let me tell you, there's this AWESOME thread on here somewhere all about those tyres, now I just have to find it...

Well, the fix was easy this morn', the hole in the tube wouldn't have bee more'n a pinprick. Looks like the much lauded Gatorskin protection belt did a close to perfect job. The inside of the carcass shows no damage and the surface cut is very small.
I got to work fine today and the latest inspection about 12 minutes back was positive

[nimm]

I've learned this lesson a while back.

If you get a cut or large puncture through the tyre then you need to put a patch (yes a tube patch) on the inside of the tyre to prevent wearing/rubbing on the inner tube. I've had more than a couple re-flats thanks to this problem.

Also remember to check the patch every now and then because it may not last depending how large the tyre cut is (i.e. it will wear too).

[aaron]

Yesterday I was out of the saddle and cranking up this big hill in full traffic with a council bus on my ass (I ride fixed and brakeless) anyway I get this massive rear blow-out but just managed to keep upright...have a look and there is a 3 inch wood screw hangin out the side wall of my gatorskin...arrrghhhhh!!

Repaired the tube, no patch on the inside of the tire = sorted!!!

Gatorskins are the best my friend, the absolute best!!

[drubie]

I rode an acheless brick once, but I digress..

The previously unsullied rear Taterskin is flat as I type this. That piece of junk has only confirmed my belief that these tyres have been an unmitigated disaster. I R NOT JOKING NO MOR.

I'd be better off with five rolls of $2 shop electrical tape and a Bibendum fat suit for the inevitable crash. I'd rather ride a K-mart sub-Huffy tyre rejected by the pimply staff as sub-standard for sale. I'm so pee'd off, this one is definitely getting sent back to Continental, just to stink up their mail system.

[drubie]

I rode an acheless brick once, but I digress..

The previously unsullied rear Taterskin is flat as I type this. That piece of junk has only confirmed my belief that these tyres have been an unmitigated disaster. I R NOT JOKING NO MOR.

I'd be better off with five rolls of $2 shop electrical tape and a Bibendum fat suit for the inevitable crash. I'd rather ride a K-mart sub-Huffy tyre rejected by the pimply staff as sub-standard for sale. I'm so pee'd off, this one is definitely getting sent back to Continental, just to stink up their mail system.

Yah OK, so I was too lazy to remove that thing from the rear rim and I've had about 3 flats since I wrote the above message. Yesterday, I quickly threw one of those instant patches onto the tube so I wouldn't miss the club ride. On the way there, I thought I hadn't seated the damn thing properly as it went BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY while I rode along.

It's got a massive flat spot on it and it's giving me a savage case of bumpity bump. I can't see how exactly whether the tyre isn't round any more, whether the slime patch is disorting the internals or maybe the rim has a massive dent in it (unlikely). WHY??!!!

[Mulger bill]

It's obvious you have upset your Tater so much Drubie that it has chosen retribution.

I picked up a lump of metal in my rear after dark a while back but didn't flat. Being lazy and not far from a servo I decided to risk continuing to somewhere with more light. Imagine my surprise on arrival to find that the metallic lump was nowhere to be seen (it was standing proud) Ahh, methinks it's dug its way right in, so out with the handy tyre pick for a dig around. I never found the damn bit o' metal but I did dig out a chunk of glass It didn't go flat and still hasn't yet. I loves me Taters

Shaun

[Mulger bill]

Sorry, forgot to mention. Gotta rough MoPhone pic of the metallic lump if yer interested

[drubie]

Sorry, forgot to mention. Gotta rough MoPhone pic of the metallic lump if yer interested

Yer kill'n me Mulger bill. That damn volcano interrupting shipments of Rubino Pros is doing my head in. If I can't get some decent tyres before next weekend I KNOW I'll be down at the LBS handing over double the folding for that pair of Michelin pro-race 3 on the wall. I hate that volcano nearly as much as I hate my last taterskin.

[master6]

I use gatorskins on my training bike, and GP4000 and pro3 on my race bike wheels. Its been a while since I had a puncture, and I think back to times when I had bad runs; they seem to have been periods of several days rain, or more commonly, times when I was squeezing more miles out of tyres that really should have been tossed. I dont keep records of flats, but I think any time I fit a new set I have fewer flats for quite a while. I have a suspicion that the pro3's wear down more quickly, and therefore become a bit more puncture prone a tad sooner. In summary, I'm not unhappy with any of my tyres.

[tripstobaltimore]

love the gator skins, never had a problem. Just ordered a new set cause I have wore the current ones down, not a single puncture

[Dunk]

Love the Gator also. I just retired one on the rear after 8000k's and not a single puncture and sidewalls look fine....

[ghettro]

I had a puncture in my gatorskins a few months ago, so far that is a total of two over about 4000k's or so. They are still holding up quite well, a few small cuts but they have plenty of life in them.

[alex]

i am back on gatorskins for my training wheels because they were $23 each

they do feel absolutely terrible at speed and inspire zero confidence in corners... but no punctures on these yet

[wombatK]

I'm going to hang a bit of negative vibe on the entry level Giyo pumps too - after 10 years mine ate it's pump seal. I temporarily fixed it with an, er, rubber ring I found in the garage that is in fact an adult product and used a handful of rubber grease but it's not as good as it was (get some blow by).

OMGosh you've been pumping adult product into your taterskins What did you expect was going to happen ?

If you can't show more respect to your tyres and buy them a decent pump, that's begging for trouble.

Cheers

[just4tehhalibut]

Got my first puncture since August last week, a bit of metal that could only work it's way in slowly through the Gatorskin. Love these tyres, the best general purpose and commuting tyre I've found. Takes pointy scrap metal and fishhooks to do damage. I was telling a true blue bogan, known to drop the occasional bottle, the other day about modern tyres and why we don't get punctures from broken glass like we used to, the sad look on his face!

So has anyone tried the new Gatorskin Hardshell? Hard to find.

[aaron]

I rode an acheless brick once, but I digress...

Wow clever!

[master6]

I rode an acheless brick once, but I digress...

Wow clever!

What do we want? "GATORSKIN!"
When do we want it? "ALL THE TIME!"
Why do we want it? "COZ DRUBIE IS PULLING OUR LEGS!"

[drubie]

Three words:

RUBINO
PRO
SLICK

- better made
- more grip
- roll better
- better wet performance
- lighter
- no wacky strands of human hair coming off the casing
- no evidence of potato skin ingredients or pagan black magic
- did 150k racing and training on indifferent roads on the weekend with nothing but a smile on my face

Sure, I had to bend over down at the LBS while the friendly local proprieter extracted the money from my wallet via my bunghole, since I couldn't get them from Wiggle, but I DON'T CARE. However, I was stupid enough to temporarily mount that last friggin tater on my commuter while I move the Maxxis Fuse onto some blingy wheels. Wheeling the old girl down the driveway it stopped and I hear a faint ripping sound...

Yep, another long strand of human hair caught on a tree. I swear that taterskin is CURSED.

[rustychisel]

rectum?

Damn near killed 'im.

[ba -boom -ching]!!!!

[Fred Nurk]

Most of us don't keep our wallets there, Drubie.

Does it make you any faster? It clearly doesn't help you with tyre punctures.

[thomas_cho]

sure hope drubie's notes dont circulate to the ACT

I am with Drubie on Vittoria Rubino's ... after 2 years of experimenting, I am back to Vittoria Rubinos.

[master6]

Three words:

RUBINO
PRO
SLICK

- better made
- more grip
- roll better
- better wet performance
- lighter
- no wacky strands of human hair coming off the casing
- no evidence of potato skin ingredients or pagan black magic
- did 150k racing and training on indifferent roads on the weekend with nothing but a smile on my face

Sure, I had to bend over down at the LBS while the friendly local proprieter extracted the money from my wallet via my bunghole, since I couldn't get them from Wiggle, but I DON'T CARE. However, I was stupid enough to temporarily mount that last friggin tater on my commuter while I move the Maxxis Fuse onto some blingy wheels. Wheeling the old girl down the driveway it stopped and I hear a faint ripping sound...

Yep, another long strand of human hair caught on a tree. I swear that taterskin is CURSED.

Are these the tyres Wiggle lists for $28.41 ($25 to "platinum" customers)?

[drubie]

That's the one. Out of stock until JUNE.

Must be a lot of disgruntled taterskin victims out there

...and no, my wallet isn't kept there - the arm went up and out and into my pocket, emptied it, then dragged the contents through. I'm still wincing given how much I paid.


edit: Surprise, surprise. The tater is flat already. Musta pinched the tube while I was swearing at it's patented "just a little too small" bead while struggling to mount it.