Conti Gators

Dave Stallard said:

On a related note, is 1500 miles considered "a lot" of wear for a tire?
That's what I have on my Vittorias, which I'm replacing with the Gators.

That's not great. I assume you're referring to the rear tire; a front should
have virtually no wear after 1500 miles. You don't have to replace them as a
set.

My IRC Road Winner rear tire (700x25) has about 3000 miles on it and still
probably has another 1000 miles left. I weigh about 195 lb.

Art Harris

Arthur Harris said:

Dave Stallard said:

On a related note, is 1500 miles considered "a lot" of wear for a tire?
That's what I have on my Vittorias, which I'm replacing with the Gators.

That's not great. I assume you're referring to the rear tire; a front should
have virtually no wear after 1500 miles. You don't have to replace them as a
set.

Yes, the rear. 23c's.

Quoted message said:

My IRC Road Winner rear tire (700x25) has about 3000 miles on it and still
probably has another 1000 miles left. I weigh about 195 lb.

Where do you live? I live in the Boston area, where the roads are
famously bad. I'm probably 175 lbs.

Dave

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in news:2o4ibbF70eluU1@uni-
berlin.de:

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

They are much more puncture resistant than basic rubber tires.
On the other hand, there are tougher (and heavier) tires for extreme puncture
areas. I understand that most riders in cactus fields use Specialized
Armadillo tires.

On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 20:13:27 +0000, Ken <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in news:2o4ibbF70eluU1@uni-
berlin.de:

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

They are much more puncture resistant than basic rubber tires.
On the other hand, there are tougher (and heavier) tires for extreme puncture
areas. I understand that most riders in cactus fields use Specialized
Armadillo tires.

Dear Ken,

Flats fascinate me, but I can't recall any posts about
cactus spines puncturing tires.

I ride past several varieties of cactus daily on pavement,
but have never found a cactus spine in my tires. It's always
those wretched goatheads.

Are there roads where cactus is a problem? Or is it a
dirt-riding problem?

Carl Fogel

Dave Stallard said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture
resistance. I got them based on a rave at the Harris Cyclery website;
plus, they were the first thing my LBS offered when I told them I didn't
like the ride of the Specialized Armadillos.

I didn't like the ride (or the blow-off tendencies) of the Armadillos
either...

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

I was buying the Conti Gatorskins retail because I liked them a lot.
They have the traditional "weak" Conti sidewalls (that tend to
decompose before the tire is worn out if you don't ride much).

Since then I've switched to (and regularly recommend) the Panaracer
T-Serv tires. They're as light and "fast" as the Contis, but cost a
lot less. It's kind of hard to compare directly, but it seems that
they're at least as thorn-proof as the Contis.

Quoted message said:

On a related note, is 1500 miles considered "a lot" of wear for a tire?
That's what I have on my Vittorias, which I'm replacing with the Gators.

FWIW, the T-Servs I have on my "commuter MTB" have probably 5,000 or
more miles on them. The next flat I have on the rear I'll replace it
- but the front tire still looks almost new. I'm impressed.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Ken said:

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in news:2o4ibbF70eluU1@uni-
berlin.de:

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

They are much more puncture resistant than basic rubber tires.
On the other hand, there are tougher (and heavier) tires for extreme puncture
areas. I understand that most riders in cactus fields use Specialized
Armadillo tires.

I wonder if some of the people who've had bad experiences with the
Gators are experiencing "risk homeostasis", in which they choose to ride
over worse stuff (like glass patches) because they have a "tougher" tire
now. Like the people who drive more aggressively because they have
anti-lock brakes.

Dave

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

hated the gators & armadillos. I found that a thorn-proof tube with a
cheap vredestein 700x25 tire works best. I use them in early morning
training rides in the dark. It's a [censored] to fix a flat with those stupid
lights, so that's why I use them. 10,000 miles of early morning rides and
have never had a flat. The drawback is if you hit a sizable object, like a
big rock, the thick tube will not blow, and your rim will get bent. This
happened to me twice, but the wheel was a cheap one. If you have expensive
wheels, I wouldn't reccomend a thorn-proof tube. Also they are heavy, but
like I said I use them on training rides.

Callistus Valerius said:

The drawback is if you hit a sizable object, like a
big rock, the thick tube will not blow, and your rim will get bent.

How does the tube not blowing cause a bent rim? A bent rim is caused by the
tire bottoming out.

Art Harris

I get quite a bit more than that from Conti Gators, which are my fave for my
winter/rain bike.
Usually around 3-4k miles, and I weigh about 170. Obviously this varies a
lot based on your weight.
From using them two winters now, I'd basically proclaim them the most sturdy
road tire I've ever used. I've used other Contis, Paselas on our tandem,
Armadillos, and a whole host of others over the years.
I think between two winter bikes in two years, amassing around 6-7K miles
each, we've had three flats each that I can recall.

-pete

"Dave Stallard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture
resistance. I got them based on a rave at the Harris Cyclery website;
plus, they were the first thing my LBS offered when I told them I didn't
like the ride of the Specialized Armadillos.

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

On a related note, is 1500 miles considered "a lot" of wear for a tire?
That's what I have on my Vittorias, which I'm replacing with the Gators.

Dave

I'm a Gator believer....been riding my first set without puncture for 2800
miles. 23 on front shows no wear. 25 on back ready for replacement in
500-1000 miles. Before Gators -- puncture every 500-1000 miles.

John

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture
resistance. I got them based on a rave at the Harris Cyclery website;
plus, they were the first thing my LBS offered when I told them I didn't
like the ride of the Specialized Armadillos.

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

On a related note, is 1500 miles considered "a lot" of wear for a tire?
That's what I have on my Vittorias, which I'm replacing with the Gators.

Dave

John Crankshaw said:

I'm a Gator believer....been riding my first set without puncture for 2800
miles. 23 on front shows no wear. 25 on back ready for replacement in
500-1000 miles. Before Gators -- puncture every 500-1000 miles.

Well, I just had my first ride on mine. So far so good. The increased
width (25c) definitely makes for a smoother ride.

Dave

The most puncture resistant tyre is that ridden by a rider who scans the
road ahead and avoids debris and pieces of glass...

"Dave Stallard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture
resistance. I got them based on a rave at the Harris Cyclery website;
plus, they were the first thing my LBS offered when I told them I didn't
like the ride of the Specialized Armadillos.

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find opinion
on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them and others
swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim they're not
puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

On a related note, is 1500 miles considered "a lot" of wear for a tire?
That's what I have on my Vittorias, which I'm replacing with the Gators.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

The most puncture resistant tyre is that ridden by a rider who scans the
road ahead and avoids debris and pieces of glass...

if you live near thorns, glass is the least of your problems!

Nick Payne said:

The most puncture resistant tyre is that ridden by a rider who scans the
road ahead and avoids debris and pieces of glass...

That's my philosophy too. I even avoid those little flecks of mica in
the asphalt that look like glass! But I was still getting punctures w/
the Vittorias.

Anyway, you can't always avoid every such item, given traffic, etc.

Dave

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture

....

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

I submitted a negative review on RBR. I bought a pair of these tires
for winter riding in Colorado - lots of sand; flats are usually from
tiny pieces of sharp sand/glass, especially when tire is wet. On my
1st ride with Gators, in the 1st 25 miles, the front flatted. A small
piece of stick maybe 3mm in diameter, not sharp, went completely
through the tread & tube. I patched the tube and rode home, but the
tire was no longer useable. I normally use Michelin ProRace with less
than 1 flat per 1000 miles; have never flatted from wimpy plant
material before. And the Gators are claimed to be flat-resistant? They
might as well be manufactured with holes in them!

I found the weight a big drawback for hilly riding..

Luigi
"Alan Simmons" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture

...

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

I submitted a negative review on RBR. I bought a pair of these tires
for winter riding in Colorado - lots of sand; flats are usually from
tiny pieces of sharp sand/glass, especially when tire is wet. On my
1st ride with Gators, in the 1st 25 miles, the front flatted. A small
piece of stick maybe 3mm in diameter, not sharp, went completely
through the tread & tube. I patched the tube and rode home, but the
tire was no longer useable. I normally use Michelin ProRace with less
than 1 flat per 1000 miles; have never flatted from wimpy plant
material before. And the Gators are claimed to be flat-resistant? They
might as well be manufactured with holes in them!

I found the weight a big drawback for hilly riding..

Luigi
"Alan Simmons" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just bought Conti Gators, 700x25c, in order to get better puncture

...

Quoted message said:

But now, doing a search on Roadbike Reviews and elsewhere, I find
opinion on them is decidedly mixed, with some people swearing by them
and others swearing at them. In particular, a lot of people claim
they're not puncture resistant at all. Any thoughts?

I submitted a negative review on RBR. I bought a pair of these tires
for winter riding in Colorado - lots of sand; flats are usually from
tiny pieces of sharp sand/glass, especially when tire is wet. On my
1st ride with Gators, in the 1st 25 miles, the front flatted. A small
piece of stick maybe 3mm in diameter, not sharp, went completely
through the tread & tube. I patched the tube and rode home, but the
tire was no longer useable. I normally use Michelin ProRace with less
than 1 flat per 1000 miles; have never flatted from wimpy plant
material before. And the Gators are claimed to be flat-resistant? They
might as well be manufactured with holes in them!

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004 17:09:32 GMT, "GoCycle" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I found the weight a big drawback for hilly riding..

Luigi

Hi, compared to what? And could you elaborate?
Thank you

Life is Good!
Jeff

Gocycle-<< I found the weight a big drawback for hilly riding. >><BR><BR>

teehee...that extra 100 or so grams really make a difference(3 ounces)?

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"