Have been off the Roadrat for a while as it wasn’t practical with kids/preschool/etc for a while, but want to get back to it now – lookign to replace my CX towpath knobbly tyres with something quicker for the road, but something that won’t puncture, or slide out and kill me on a damp corner – are Conti Gatorskins my tyre of choice?

Also – on wettish days, it’d be handy to keep my feet dry on the way in, so thinking of overshoes, but I ride flats – are there any cheapish overshoes I can put on over trainers that won’t get torn up by flat pedals?

Gatorskins will take quite a pounding and will give a fair few miles for your money. Recommended.

I use Gator skins on my winter road bike, they last forever and I have had no punctures, I have read that they aren’t that grippy in the wet but I have had no problems.

I’m running gatorskins on my commuter. Getting on well with them 28 mm, wire bead and tubeless.

I run gatorskins on my commuter and they are a very hard wearing tyre and provide very good puncture resistance. However, I find that they’re lethal in the wet!

Yes, Gatorskins. Just about to replace mine after about 7000 miles. Not totally puncture proof but only about 2-3 in about 18 months. Only replacing them now because they look pretty thin (still work ok).

I used Gatorskins on my commuter but I found out that the rubber compound is too soft and small pieces of glass can still cut it and get trapped inside. It happened twice on the same commute, at first I checked the tyre from the outside and nothing, after the second puncture I checked the tyre inside out and had to use a screwdriver to push the small piece out of the anti puncture strip. Also on one ride I cut the tyre beyond repair but I went back and could not see what would cause it on the road. I do look where I’m going and avoid broken glass, rock etc so Gatorskins were a let down.

After trying out different tyres I have to say there are better and lighter offerings from Conti. I was using their Grand Prix Black Chilli compound with Poly X breaker. Weight only 230g, but I never managed to puncture them and Black Chilli compound is very good in wet. Spesh Armadillo offer even better puncture protection but they weight over 300g for a 23c tyre. I also found Bonty Race Lite Hardcase to be very good. Dual compound, hard in the centre so no cuts from rocks or glass and softer on the sides for grip. Really nice tyres and not that expensive.

I recently tried some lightweight Bonty Race X lites for the extra speed, but got a flat so I’m putting the Conti GP back on.

Gatorskins 25mm on my commuter doing 26 miles a day, from country roads into city centre mayhem. Current set have been going for 18 months, I’ve just swapped the front and rear around and they still have plenty of life, not a puncture since new, run at 110psi and I have no issues with them in the wet. Only £13 each end from my lbs, when I finally kill these, I’ll be just getting some new ones.

£13? They’re over £20 at Wiggle….

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-gatorskin-road-tyre/

for the rear i swopped from gaterskins to GP4 seasons.. they seem but more glass cut resistant..

they cost more though…

£13? They’re over £20 at Wiggle….

It was 18 months ago, but I’d still be happy to pay the wiggle price given the service I’ve had from the tyre.

Gatorskins on my RaodRat at the moment. Seem Great.

Wiggle seem to be the cheapest, I guess.

Anyone got a recommendation for cheap overshoes?

Prefer Schwable Ultremos myself. Had a nasty, heart-in-mouth slip on a damp corner with Gatorskins, Ultremos seem more grippy, last pretty well and are lighter.
I’m probably wrong on all counts though! 😕

What about the overshoes for flats part of the question? I was hoping for some response on that. Any experience there?

Wellies are OK, but if it’s wet at one end and dry at the other, you do look a bit of a tool!

Plastic bags do the job reasonably well to, but are a bit trampy, and quite high maintencance.

Nothing to add on Gatorskins, really. Got 28c wire bead, 500 milesish, no punctures, no scares in the wet. Probably not going fast enough!

Yeah – am looking to avoid bringing two pairs of shoes to work, and/or having a wet pair of shoes at my desk. Coul dkeep dry shoes at work, but then I’m wearing wet shoes for the cycle home. Gore-tex trainers were a waste of time, don’t want to go the SPD/Winter boot route.

Just bought Michelin Krylions in 25mm from CR at £20 an end – I have generally used gatorskins in the past but been getting more and more punctures. These always get the thumbs up for toughness from C+ so thought I’d give them a go.

Impressive CRC reviews for those Michelins – the worst review is 3 stars out of 5 from a bloke who said they were “absolutely brilliant”

Wish they came in plain black…..

What about the overshoes for flats part of the question?

I’ve only ever used overshoes with spds.

Wish they came in plain black.
So you’re prepared to wear wellies on your bike, but are bothered about the colour of your tyres?!?! 😆

Not fussed what I look like, as long as I’m dry.

But I like the bikes to look right – the red-striped Fire XC Pros I had years back still grate in the memory.

another tyre option is
schwalbe durano

very strong but fairly expensive,
happy with both gatorskins and duranos on my bikes,
never had a puncture from either tyre

I went with 700×35 Marathon Plus on my Roadrat. They’re heavy but roll well and are supposed to be about as close to puncture-proof as you can get.

Only used gatorskins once, on the rear, slippy as hell in the wet and trashed em in not very long at all. Now use CST with puncture protection (can’t remember name) mixed results on longevity but cheaper than gators and not lethal in the wet.

CST?

Gator skins are ok, had a half a dozen flats in a year on my short commute

then changed to Marathon+ not had one since in well over a year

so +1 for Marathon+’s from me

Wish they came in plain black…..

Yeah, I figured that’s why they were a little cheaper.. the grey stripe is reasonably unoffensive in real life 🙂

I changed from 28mm Gatorskins to 32mm Paselas. I consider this an upgrade.

The Gatorskins were fine, but not as comfy as the Paselas (although certainly the size has something to do with it). I did get a few punctures in the Gatorskins, usually thin pieces of flint rather than glass. No issues yet with the Paselas, but I haven’t had them as long.

The Paselas have a bit of a tread pattern so they also work better than the Gatorskins on the towpath.

Whichever you choose, I’d always recommend going for a larger tyre if your frame and rim can take it. It’s usually quicker as well as more comfortable.

Can I ask what people are doing to get stop many punctures? Been commuting for the least 5 or 6 years and I may have had 1 slow one that I had to fix at work. This its using michelin, continental, vredestein, bontrager tyres, and mainly the lighter race type tyres.

I’d always recommend going for a larger tyre if your frame and rim can take it. It’s usually quicker as well as more comfortable

How is a larger tyre quicker? (Genuine question.)

DezB – Member
How is a larger tyre quicker? (Genuine question.)

I think some Germans did a big test with all the details, but for the life of me I’ve no idea where the report is.

Roughly speaking, though, smaller tyres and their higher pressures jerk you around much more over bumps, which slows you down and makes you tired. Larger tyres are more compliant and hence faster.

It’s not universally agreed, but if nothing else they’re more comfortable. Pro riders will be going fast enough for the aero benefits of smaller tyres to kick in, plus lighter weight and smoother French roads.

Huge fan of Krylion Carbons – did 3000 commuting miles on a pair of 23mm ones with 1 puncture, now on a pair of 25mm ones with about 1000 miles on them and no punctures so far.

The 25mm ones seem a little more comfy and don’t seem any slower than the 23mm ones. There have been a few studies over the years suggesting that (within reason) wider tyres are no slower or even faster than thinner ones. I never have actually understood any of the explanations though….