Can everyone please stop recommending these tyres..! What have had it? 4 months? and just had my 3rd puncture. Puncture on the front, as I'm going round the fastest bend on my commute.
I yelped so loudly the woman walking her dog stopped to ask if I was ok.
Somehow I didn't fall off, but the tyre is going in the bin for another Bonty X Race lite.
Thank you.

Check for flint/glass embedded in the kevlar strip – you may not be able to see it on the outer surface (worn away) and barely feel it on the inner surface, but it WILL puncture the tube over time. Been caught out by this a couple of times – check to see if the puncture is in the same place each time on the tube.

Schwalbe Marathon+ then for you, m'boy! 😉

Most people will be reporting personal experience. Me, 1500 miles since March this year without a puncture.

me too, 1500 miles this year with no puntures, really pleased with them.

personal experience with them is good as well! Rode over quite a bit of glass at points as well.

Guess you are just an unlucky guy?

never had a puncture all winter and summer, just leave them on all year now…

mine – been fine since feb – though my colleague got a slash in one of his after a week – but then he does ride down bottle strewn canal paths..

I knew this would be the response 🙂

I actually feel pretty lucky that I'm not sitting here covered in road rash!
Nope, definitely the Bontys for me, been through loads of different brands over the years and they have been the most resistant and longest lasting. Shame their MTB tyres aren't the same (for me!)

Mine punctured a few times then delaminated. My subsequent ultrasport fared much better.

I had a front last for 60 miles last month, and it ended up with a 50mm gash along the bead wall. No idea what happened to it, looks like the brake blocks were rubbing, but I checked them and they were fine and have been with the new tyre, also the gash was right beside the bead so was tucked in at the edge of the rim, there is no damage or sharp bits on the rim. I have replaced it with another one, so hopefully it will last a bit longer.

Some conti's had a habit of self destructing that way about 10 years ago…and Madison would not warranty them!

Mind you they had the worst warranty dept going in those days, worse than Zyro.

Strange, I had nothing but trouble with Ultrasports and switched back to Gators.

They are truly shit in the wet.

Just checked the tyre and the supposed "gator" sidewall is completely fecked from cornering on the rim. So in the bin is the only place for the junk.
Grumble grumble neverlistentoSTWagain grumble

Just a thought, what pressure do you run them at and do you actively avoid road debris?

About 100psi according to my Pedros track pump. Actually pumped them up last night.
Avoid road debris as much as possible – that particular corner has to be taken in a certain way to avoid a gravel patch on it (the woman with the dog thought I'd skidded on it when I yelped). BTW, most of the cycle paths round here are full a grit/debris/whatever so tough tyre are needed.

what width rims and tyre do you use?

completely fecked from cornering on the rim

Doesn't sound right to me.

what width rims and tyre do you use?

Rim: I don't know, tyre: 23c.
Never had problems with the Bontys so not sure what you're trying to diagnose here chaps.

completely fecked=frayed 360° in a thin line, in places it looks like the tube is trying to bulge through.

completely fecked=frayed 360° in a thin line, in places it looks like the tube is trying to bulge through.

rubbing brake pad?

Nope

had mine nearly a year now (for CX bike road duties) and had no punctures.

haven't actually ridden them yet though…. CX is much more fun 😉

that just sounds wrong – pehaps your rims are too wide for the 23c tyres putting them out of shape?

sure you don't get rubbing on pads when leaning over…. and the wheels distort…

sounds very odd… as a note my gatorskins are 28c – bit cushioning is nice

no punctures… haven't actually ridden them yet though..

So that's the secret!

yeah, you know i said i haven't had a puncture? had first one yesterday morning ha ha

Two rear punctures on mine in about 800 miles. I do run panniers, though, so there's more weight on the rear than other people have.

My real problem with them, though, is that they're a right bugger to get on my rims. Even with a VAR tyre lever they require much swearing and sweating – not ideal when I do get a puncture. Because of that I'd probably get a different tyre next time, but I've got a few miles to go on these yet.

for fitting, also depends on rim, they fit fine on my halo aerorage rims

I wish I hadn't started this thread! I'm now paranoid that the tyre's going to roll off the rim (never, in 15 years of commuting has this happened (before?!)) and ride along thinking "Am I actively avoiding debris?" Arrgh!

Mine have been great. Got them on a cheap Spesh Allez, and have done lots of miles with no punctures. Luck of the draw? Fauly batch?

I used them for a couple of years when they first came out and was never terribly imprssed by them, either for grip, feel or longevity. I would never use them again.
I've been considerably more impressed by the GP4 seasons I have on my nice commuter, although the other commuter has those awful Bontrager hardshell things which are increadibly leaden but puncture resistant.

I would recommend Continental Sport Contacts. 2500 miles of glass ridden bike path this year, no punctures as yet. Not too bad in terms of rolling resistance.

If you get a particularly thin tyre like one of these "gatorskin" things, ok you save a few seconds from your commute each day, but if you get a puncture you lose 10-20 minutes (depending on amount of faff required to change tyre). I'd rather have *decent* puncture resistance cheers.

Appx 2400 miles on my gator skins since last december over a variety of routes and no punctures, until 2 in the last two weeks.

At the same time, I have done at least 2000 miles in the same time on my michelin pro race 3's and have had zero punctures on them. And they are much lighter, faster, grippier and prettier with their red walls.

The puncture fairy will get you eventually, unless you use solid rubber tires.

I will probably now endure a terrible ride home with some wicked PF carnage

<<I wish I hadn't started this thread! I'm now paranoid that the tyre's going to roll off the rim (never, in 15 years of commuting has this happened (before?!)) and ride along thinking "Am I actively avoiding debris?" Arrgh!>>

did you find out how wide your rims were?

The thing with the Gatorskins is, for me, a) they seem to remain puncture free until the surface rubber starts to cut and allows flints to act directly on the kevlar breaker layer. This usually gives about 9 months/~3000miles of life and once they start to do this and puncture it's time to bin them. b) the Gatorskin side walls seem pretty good against abrasion, but any kind of sharp object will cut or puncture the side wall relatively easily.

Having said that I have had a couple of tyres that ripped/cut and had to be binned after only a few weeks of use and that's just bad luck. But with a bit of shopping they can be had for ~£17 so it seems like a reasonable compromise when admittedly better tyres, like the GP4Seasons, are going to start at £25/£30 a tyre.

Had 3 punctures in almost new Gatorskins. Bought a set after people raving about them on the internet. Twice it was a small piece of glass that got through the rubber and kevlar strip, third time it was a bigger piece of glass that I didn't see and it cut the tyre so bad it was beyond repair so the tyre went straight in the bin after a 30min walk home. Don't think I will buy Gatorskins again as they proved to be 5hit. Conti Ultra Race had better puncture resistance.

I have been using Bonty Race Lites Hardcase in 25c and they were great, not a puncture in a year, dual compound, harder in the centre so glass bits couldn`t get through and softer on sides for good cornering. Also rear Conti GP with PolyX breaker and black chilli compound remain puncture free, black chilli proves very good in the wet. Now the Bonty got replaced with a narrower Specialized something with armadillo. Again no punctures in the last 4-5 months. Kind of forgot how crap it is to fix a puncture as my road bike is currently puncture free for almost 1.5 years.

I think the one thing we can conclude is that they certainly divide opinion 😉

Indeed… I know which side mine's staying on 🙂

Try Dutch Perfect from cyclelife.com as they do a bombproof road tyre