Hoonmikesbytes wrote: I spun the rear again in the wet
Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby master6 » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:07 am
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby gretaboy » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:45 am
I am riding the new england highway and the roads plus crap from trucks are causing me issues with my gatorskins
I am thinking of going to Schwalbe Durano Plus...has anyone got good reviews of this tyre?
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby JBark » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:30 pm
Everything I've heard has been very positive. Almost as bulletproof as the Marathon Plus, but not nearly as heavy and rolls better. I'm running Marathon Pluses now (love them), and am thinking of giving the Durano a try when I pick up a cyclo to replace my mtb commuter. It's just that the Marathon Pluses have been so damn good, I'm not sure I want to even try anything else.gretaboy wrote:I am thinking of going to Schwalbe Durano Plus...has anyone got good reviews of this tyre?
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby drubie » Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:29 pm
The other tyre I had that wore well was the Maxxis ReFuse, but they don't grip like the more expensive Vittoria offerings and don't roll as well.
The Schwalbe Ultremo had a very poor reputation locally when it was first released (sidewall explosions) but I think that's been rectified - never seen the Duranos mounted on a bike so I have no opinion of them.
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby markusm » Thu Dec 22, 2011 10:19 pm
I cant speak highly enough of themgretaboy wrote:Drubie....what are you using now?
I am riding the new england highway and the roads plus crap from trucks are causing me issues with my gatorskins
I am thinking of going to Schwalbe Durano Plus...has anyone got good reviews of this tyre?
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 41&t=46084
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby master6 » Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:36 am
I am very happy with gatorskins, however they seem to be letting me down when I compare with your experience.markusm wrote:[ issues
Wish mine would reproduce like yours do.......................very economical
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby colaiacw » Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:53 am
I also use Vittoria's as above, never had any issues apart from glass cuts and bad luck. The Diamante Pro's are awesome, roll well and cut up less than most tyres i have tried and the new Diamante Pro Radial's are out in January so I will give them a go. Never tired the Continentals but I also like the Schwalbe Durano S for a training tyre, done over 1000 ks with little wear.drubie wrote:I'm riding Vittoria tyres ( Rubino Pro and the Diamante Pro) - they have some wear issues on chip sealed roads but puncture wise they've been excellent. I prefer the Diamante slightly but I can see already that they won't last as long as the Rubino Pro.
When you feel yourself struggling up a hill, just get over it!
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby master6 » Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:45 pm
colaiacw wrote: never had any issues apart from glass cuts and bad luck.
err, yes, the story of my life, with almost any/every tyre I have ever owned. "Bad Luck" is every tyre makers friend.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby trailgumby » Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:46 pm
I'm siding with nobody here.Nobody wrote:It's just experience. To put it simply it is a matter of listening and feel. As stange as it may sound/read, you can hear a tyre under stress. It "hisses" more (on a dry road). You also get a feel for the little movements that happen near the limit. If you learn to recognize these, you are far less likely to have a big lose. This applies to both MTB and road. Best learnt on a MTB though.master6 wrote:Those who claim to be able to judge the sideway grip difference between two tyres, while astride a bike, amaze me.mikesbytes wrote:I disagree that they grip fine. They grip OK in the dry, but in the wet the give way suddenly and don't stop sliding
When I first started riding just over 5 years ago, the slightest little wiggle of the bike and momentary loss of grip resulted in brown bike shorts.
Now, well it's still "oh, ----" for the big ones but I manage to recover almost every time. Yes, you do get those little hints from the tyre when you're close to the limit. The trick is not to over-inflate, and when the grip does go you focus on keeping the bike under you and upright. Riding regularly on loose, rough, rolly, rocky surfaces is a good teacher if you start slow and build up, so nobody is right on the money when he says "best learn on a mtb."
However, it's just about impossible to do on wet tree roots or wet wooden boardwalks on the trail, and wet linemarking paint on the road is no better. You just gotta go straight and stay upright, any attempt to brake or turn will bring you undone. 700x23c road tyres have a much, much narrower margin between good and gone, and knobbly tyres in the road in the wet have almost none at all.
Interesting to hear Mike's endorsement of the 4000s Black Chilli, mirrors my experience with the hardtail in commuter mode. Excellent in the wet... once you've worn the factory mold release off the surface Rear tyre doesn't last all that well, though, and riding footpaths (when the traffic is in a grumpy mood) I get more pinchflats that I'd like.
Good tyres give you a greater recovery margin.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby mikesbytes » Fri Dec 23, 2011 3:08 pm
If your not a sports all weather rider, then the gatorskin's should be fine. But when you get a flat, put a patch on the tyre over the insertion hole to prevent the problems that Drubie originally reported.
I've got a set of Vittoria Zaffiro Pro slicks that came with some wheels I got. Anyone used them? How were they?
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby mikesbytes » Mon Jan 16, 2012 12:26 am
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby mikesbytes » Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:14 pm
Now to recap, I put a new tube in without the liner, so it was a straight gatorskin.
Monday evening I'm decending Burns Bay rd (the Sydney'ites will understand) match the car speed on my fixie and the handling gets progressively worse every corner, I know I've got a flat but I so wanna make it to the bottom, there's a cage in front of me, a cage behind me and one beside me, no side area, if I stop I block the traffic, the lanes are narrow. I make it to the bottom and change my tube. Couldn't find the cause of the flat
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby drubie » Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:16 pm
..besides the tyre choice?mikesbytes wrote: Couldn't find the cause of the flat
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby Wal42 » Mon Jan 23, 2012 9:59 pm
What is so terrible about them? I want to know what I'm supposed to be looking for? Do they deteriorate in a big hurry, if so after roughly how many kms?
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby drubie » Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:44 pm
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby Mulger bill » Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:58 pm
I love the Gators on my commuter, stronger than the puncture fairys teeth.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby master6 » Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:25 pm
Keep pedalling Wal.Wal42 wrote:I'm running kevlar bead Gatorskins at present, they're not that old (800kms), I run 105psi F & 120psi R, they feel like they're squirming all over the joint yet rode a reasonable distance this afternoon in the rain & they were fine.
What is so terrible about them? I want to know what I'm supposed to be looking for? Do they deteriorate in a big hurry, if so after roughly how many kms?
I reversed my Gators front to rear recently, when I noticed that the mould line had worn off the rear tyre. They had 3047 km on them at the time, and have plenty left. I weigh 80kg, and ride on sealed roads in southern Tasmania. I reckon I must have gone through at least 10 pair of gators, and am very happy with them as a training tyre. I notice several people racing on them at the local vets club.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby drubie » Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:35 pm
Me too - usually spotted standing on the side of the road with a mobile phone in their handmaster6 wrote: I notice several people racing on them at the local vets club.
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.
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Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby Kenzo » Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:47 pm
good on them for stopping to take or make calls. It is important to set a good example.drubie wrote:Me too - usually spotted standing on the side of the road with a mobile phone in their handmaster6 wrote: I notice several people racing on them at the local vets club.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby Wal42 » Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:44 am
Mike, I know what you're talking about with the tyre breaking away, I lost the front at work yesterday morning, didn't dump it but came quite close.
So, I'll use the 2 sets I've got, then 2 sets of GP4000s' (which I also have sitting here) & I think I'll go back to running Michies, I tried Ultremo R1's used 4 sets in 6 months, no puncture (I think 4 all up) problems, just run out of 'rubber' on them, if you locked a brake you were going home to replace the tyre (nearly).
I burnt through a set of Evo Corse CX's (got 2 sets of new 20mm ones that a guy had ordered by accident & nobody seems to like 20mm tyres), until my mechanic found out I was using them on my commute/training wheels, he flew off the handle, the 2nd set have been banished to the race wheels, not to be ridden to work or training EVER (yeah my bike mechanic is that serious about that type of stuff & he knows me too well), they were nice, didn't last long enough to pick up a puncture but was beautiful riding the bike while they lasted.
I've used Miches for years I only changed because of a sidewall failure on a nearly spent tyre during a ride last year, just thought I'd try something different, but I guess I'm ordering 4 sets of Pro Race 4's.
I've done just under 1000kms on the Gators, except for the sketchy ride (it does feel like it's about to slide out dry or wet, which doesn't inspire confidence), the one front slide, they've done nothing wrong, I'll put the ride down to the high pressure that I run.
I can report back with a more neutral evaluation on them if you all like.
Will I buy them again? No I'll be going back to Michelin. Would I recommend them to someone else? We'll see how they last & whether I get all these reported puncture & casing problems.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby mikesbytes » Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:23 am
The rolling resistance is quite reasonable for a longer lasting tyremaster6 wrote:I notice several people racing on them at the local vets club.
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby ajgool » Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:35 am
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby norbs » Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:53 pm
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby Xplora » Sat Jan 28, 2012 8:28 pm
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Re: Gatorskin: WORST TYRE EVAH!
Postby master6 » Sat Jan 28, 2012 8:42 pm
These tyres are lousy at detecting and avoiding enormous pot holes. Have you considered buying a tractor?Xplora wrote:I've had some troubles with my Ultra Gatorskins (the 2x2 deal from wggle). Had a pinch flat after going through an enormous pothole, had a random flat about a month ago in the front, but this could have been the tubes as well. I haven't been "feeling it" with the Continental tubes at all. Plus it seems that the valve centre is almost guaranteed to bend?!?! I can't help but feel like I've copped new old stock. Good deal, but how good a deal do you want? I want my tyres to stay up, much more than stay cheap. Heck, I'd rather spend 100 bucks on a tube that didn't flat
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