One of the most popular articles on our site is our ‘how to fix a flat tire on a Bicycle.’ The theme of the article is not only to show you how to fix a flat but also shows you things you can do prior to leaving your house to reduce your chances of being left on the side of the road.
One of those things you can do is choose the right tire. This article is going to dive into some of the benefits of the Continental Gatorskin tire and see why it’s one of our favorite road/all-round bike tire for general day-to-day use.
Check price on AmazonContinental Gatorskin Tires
The continental Gator skin has been around for quite some time now. While Continental has various other well-respected models in their lineup, the Gatorskin is well known in the biking world for being a rugged, heavier tire made of a durable rubber compound and a puncture resistant insert that significantly reduces the chances of getting a flat while you are out on your ride.
Having been somebody that has used Gator Skin tires on their own bikes over the years and have put thousands of miles of use on them, I can personally claim to never ever remembering having a flat tire during that time.
If you have been reading our recent bike commuting series of articles and are thinking of starting to use your bike for commuting to work, going on group rides or just running general errands, then this tire is probably going to be the tire you want to consider.
Versions
There are actually two different types of Gatorskin tires – folded and rigid. For our discussions here though, we are recommending going with the folded model. The folded version comes in various sizes (Please be aware this could be country-specific);
Available Sizes
32-630 (27×1 1/4)
23-622 (700x23C)
25-622 (700x25C)
28-622 (700x28C)
32-622 (700x32C)
23-571 (650x23C)
28-559 (26×1 1/8)
- CARBON BLACK MIXTURE- The Gatorskin, manufactured with a durable carbon black mixture, is as comfortable on the way to work as it is training for road races.
- POLYXBREAKER- The polyester fibers overlap during manufacturing, yielding a very dense fabric and minimal space in-between threads, making the PolyX highly resistant to any foreign body without reducing the rolling resistance.
- DURASKIN- Sidewall protection coming from the high-quality polyamide fabric encasing the core casing of the tire from scuffs and cuts under the worst conditions.
- WEAR OPTIMIZED TREAD- Get the most out of your tire with the Gatorskin’s wear optimized tread compound, adding a long service life.
- HANDMADE IN GERMANY-Continental has been hand-making their tires since 1871, maintaining the integrity of tradition, while evolving with the most advanced technology.
Material
OK, so let’s take a closer look at the materials and see why this tire is so resilient and durable over time. Continental says the tire is made out of a beaded layer of Duraskin, sidewalls with a ‘built-up mesh’ and a layer of Kevlar for maximum protection.
They talk about things like ‘extremely durable polyamide fabric’ which in layman’s terms means the tire has ‘plenty of rolling resistance!’
The natural rubber compound used on the Gatorskins may not be as ‘grippy’ as the ‘black chili’ compound used on the higher end Conti models, but this is still a good performing tire and more than holds it’s own in both wet and dry conditions.
Here’s a couple of snippets of the material and technology used from the Continental Website;
Puncture-defence
With our PolyX Breaker®, we bring our car expertise to the bicycle tire segment: Polyester has been used successfully for years in car tires and been tried and tested many times. The extremely resistant polyester fiber is woven tightly crosswise. In this way, a very high fabric density is reached which not only makes the Breaker more resistant to foreign objects but is also especially resistant to punctures. The rolling resistance is also not negatively affected by the PolyX Breaker®.
Duraskin
Tires with DuraSkin® sidewall protection have to be able to roll with the punches. They are used under the harshest conditions. On messenger bikes, the tires skid along curbs; on touring bikes, they cross continents without wearing out. In racing cycling, they have to endure tough tests such as the Paris-Roubaix. The high-quality polyamide fabric protects the tire casing against the worst conditions. These tires stand out thanks to their brown sidewalls.
Do you know the Best Road Bike Tires For Puncture Resistance?
Conclusion
If you are looking for a rugged, well-made tire that is built to last and will handle all year round use with great puncture resistance, then this is your tire!
Competitively priced and cheaper than some of the other Continental models like the GP 4 Season tire and the GP4000, this is our pick of ‘best all-around tire’ for bike commuting and general all-around use and is highly recommended!
Read the great reviews over at Amazon.
