ContinentalUltra Gator Dura Skin Tyre

These replaced a set of Bontrager Race something or the others that came stock on my 2011 Trek 7.3 FX. I couldn't tell you the exact model number because I am trying incredibly hard to forget that they even exist. They were possibly the worst tire known to man. I am convinced that they are forged in hellfire by Satan himself and then given an ancient voodoo mummy curse before they are stretched onto the equally treacherous stock Bontrager Nebula wheels(which I just recently replaced with Mavic Kysrium Equipes). I endured the Bontragers for 500 miles before they got swapped for the Contis, which now have 508 miles on them. I figure I have a pretty good grasp of each to make a fair and grounded comparison.On my 31 mile training ride on the Bontragers (pumped to max @70psi I think) I was averaging about 9mph, 10 if I was lucky, and topping out at about 20 to 21mph on downhills with lots of effort. I felt like I was fighting the road to get any kind of forward motion and with every sharp corner I could feel death's cold stare glaring at my back wheel as it skipped precariously across the pavement at low speed. Acceleration was like stirring cold molasses in Antartica and the ride made you feel the road in a really really bad way. Not to mention they would flat out if you breathed on them wrong.With the same size tire (700 x 32c) in the Gatorskins on the exact same ride (pumped to max @101psi) I average 12-13mph easily, I could probably do 14 if I really wanted to feel the burn. Downhill I have cracked it open to 28mph and felt like I still had room to go faster. Uphill climbing performance is extraordinary; I can't believe the rate, power, and speed, I can now conquer hills with. Not to mention I can do 3 mile blasts on flat land at 22mph without even feeling like I am breaking a sweat. Sticks like glue in the corners at high speed even with my big 260+lbs butt creating inertial havoc. I accelerate like a Ferrari from a dead stop, ride like a Mercedes Benz over anything short of a tree stump, and feel as indestructible as a 97 Toyota Land Cruiser. I have ridden over broken glass, through construction sites, and whatever else the Los Angeles city roads/beach bike paths could throw at me in the last 508 miles and only have 1 gash where a REALLY large piece of glass was able to penetrate the rubber but not the Kevlar shank. This truly is an absolutely amazing tire!So amazing that today I bought a set of 23's to replace the 32's because my LBS had a crazy sale on them. I wanted to go to a smaller size anyway. WOW! I am scary fast now. Yet, I feel just as confident and as stable I did on the 32's. On the short ride I was able to get in before I was obligated to do life things I got her up to 27mph on flat land without feeling like I was putting an ounce of effort into it. The 23's took a lot less air to pump to get rock hard and I can run them up to 120psi. I have them at 117psi right now, and they feel fantastic! I can't wait get some distance with these babies.As far as installation is concerned they aren't any harder to stretch on than any other tire I have installed. I have tire levers and that Kool Stop thingy. I got both tires installed, inflated, and mounted in under 10 minutes. Even if they were as painful to put on as some have stated, I think whatever agony they could possibly cause to mount is well worth what you get in return; a truly remarkable tire.For an overall training, commuting, or just plain cruising tire you really can't get any better. These Gatorskins have transformed a decent bike into a stellar ride. I have no doubt in my mind that they will do the same to yours. Happy shopping and mind the directional arrow when you install!UPDATE-I have logged 200 miles on my 700x23c Gatorskins in the past week and all I have to say is WOW! I managed to lob 26+ minutes off of my 31 mile training ride, now average 16 mph over the course of that 31 miles (where before with the 32s it was 13.5), and am quickly becoming one of the fastest riders on the path according to Strava. I can pass most riders with ease and the REALLY fast guys on fancy road bikes I have no problem keeping up and pacing with. That was just after the first long ride on them. My times are incrementally faster every time I get on the path. Amazing!I strapped my old 32c Gatorskins to my girl's Trek 7.3 FX I got her for Xmas. It too came with the same Bontragers mine came with, and the difference is night in day in her performance. Mind you she is fit, small, and light but nowhere near as a conditioned rider as me. Within an instant she noticed a HUGE difference between the tires. She now ride as fast as me (and sometimes faster) where before she was struggling just to stay within a few lengths behind me. She now loves long rides where before they were a physical chore. Most importantly, she feels confident and safe on her new tires.If you have the upgrade bug, forget the expensive crankset, forget the quick shifters and derailleurs, forget the fancy pants wheels. You want a major upgrade that's worth more than every penny you throw at it, buy these tires!!!!! NOW HIT THAT BUY BUTTON!!!!!

I ride fixed in an urban environment and was infuriated with constantly having to deal with small pin-hole flats. I eventually had to start carrying around a flat-repair kit in my bag (patches, tube, levers, mini-pump), which definitely helped in terms of not getting stranded, but it was still a hassle having to take 10-15 minutes out in public fixing a flat or two a week, plus the weight of all the extra kit.After doing some research on puncture-resistant tires and asking around town I finally decided on the Gatorskins and I have to say I love 'em. The day after I put them on I had to do some riding around town and after all the snow we've had recently the roads have been in less than stellar condition. In addition to the ubiquitous threat of broken glass, I also was dealing with tons of gravel, pot-holes, and left over road-salt, conditions where, with my old tires I'd have flatted out no question. The Gatorskins took these conditions like a champ and provided better rolling resistance than my old tires at the same time. I think the real moment that converted me to the Gatorskins was when I came to a stop at an intersection and a second later heard a good sized rock come shooting out from under my tire with a loud "Pyooo!" Just a day before that sound would no doubt have been a quiet, defeated hiss.As I said before, the puncture resistance isn't the only benefit to these tires, they roll great and they stick like glue. If you're trying to pull out long skids these tires are definitely not for you, but if you're trying to get from going to stopped in a hurry then I can't recommend them more.To sum it all up, great tires, they'll handle all the nastiness that torn-up city streets can throw at you, roll with little resistance, and stop on a dime. If you've got the money it'll be hard to find better.EDIT: 1 Year Update. With one year and countless miles of daily riding behind me I never had a single puncture flat with these tires, and that's not for the road's lack of trying. A quick visual inspection shows a slew of pock-marks, gouges, pin-holes and long, deep scratches in the rubber, but not a single thing managed to get through. In fact, the reason I'm updating this is because I'm back to buy another tire, I rode the back one down to the kevlar.

20 out of 10maybe warm up tyres before installeasieri used hair dryermaybe leave beside radiator!Giddy Up!

Not as advertised/described. Not rigid, not correct size

Great tyres, puncture proof with great grip in the wet.

I ordered a 23mm and received a 25mmI used it nonetheless and its working fine. Tyre quality is very good.

I had a very mixed experience with my Gatorskin. I have been cycling very heavily for the past year and a half, around 20 miles a day, and after speaking to several of my more experienced cyclist friends this was THE tyre to go for. All round, very durable tyre.When I first received the tyre, I gave a rudimentary inspection, nothing thorough, before putting it on the front. After cycling approximately one mile on a flat tarmac B-road, I stopped to have a look at my tyre to see how it was getting on, check the pressure etc. It was at this moment when I noticed a bulge in the side, and on closer inspection it appeared to be a tear across from the side of the rim to the middle of the tyre. Now don't get me wrong, I understand tyres can be damaged. But during this cycle, I did not notice one bump, one hiccup. Naturally, with anything new, one is very careful. This led me to believe this was a fault with the product that had started BEFORE I had received the tyre. After getting in touch with "Bike Champions" and sending the photos I have attached here (taken on initial 1 mile inspection) they simply insisted that I must have been cycling across debris and had done the damage myself. The gentleman I dealt with was very insistent that I was not telling the whole truth and I frankly had very bad service from him. I did not necessarily expect a refund, but I received no courtesy at all.Let's say this fault was caused by myself. If that is the case, then this is a real shame, as what appears to be quite a lot of damage was caused very easily by an impact or debris that went unnoticed by myself. If such an unnoticeable bump or piece of debris could have caused such damage, it gives me great doubt as to the quality of the tyre.Perhaps I had a very unlucky experience, but to suffice to say I was left unsatisfied with the gatorskin. It is of my opinion that this was damaged prior to use, but if not then the gatorskin is not very durable at all.I know there are a lot of great reviews of thus tyre, but feel it only fair to share my experience, which is not necessarily solely a reflection of the seller, but of the tyre quality itself.