noglider 

Every large, good tire company makes a good, fast tire. I've given up on no-name brands and I'm even suspicious of Bontrager which get good reviews. Some of the names I trust:
Michelin
Vittoria
Panaracer
Continental
Schwalbe

chas58

True that.

Bike Gremlin

4 seasons (should) have better grip when it's cold than GP 4000s.

In 32 width, the lower pressure that's used (needed) in that case gives some extra comfort and even puncture protection ("harder"/higher pressure narrower tyres get punctured more easily).

I love 4 seasons. Comfortable, good all year grip, decent durability (mileage), rolling pretty fast. An excellent training/commuting tyre.
GP 4000s are a better choice for road bikes ridden in fair weather and on paved roads.

If riding in thorn ridden areas, or on rough (rocky) roads where sidewall damage can be expected, then Gatorskins would be a better choice.

lostarchitect 

IMO people who love Gatorskins haven't ridden enough other tires, or ONLY care about flat resistance. In every other category, I find them to be some of the worst tires out there. The ride quality is terrible, traction in the wet is not confidence-inspiring at all.

illdrag0n

the chunky monkeys are on. They feel very tacky and supple which is good. This is my first folding set instead of wired.

Kind of wish i wen't for 28s instead, but these will do and aesthetics aside will probably be better for commuting.

carlos danger

I did a lot of reading reviews before buying tires for my road bike. And pretty much all gator skins/4 seasons/hardshells had problems with punctures or at least quite a lot of people had punctures with them. I think the least problematic one was the gp4000. I have these on 2 bikes and never had a problem.

For bigger tires, like 32-40mm I have had good luck with schwalbe marathon supreme. If these were available as 28/25s i would probably run them on all my bikes.

They both work well in the rain and cold.

Minnesnowtan

Go 4 Seasons. Vectran, duraskin. Very flat resistant. Better tread compound.

Buy from Europe for better pricing.

But beware: "tyres" pull bike to left side of road, make sure you get "tires". Well, maybe not.

fietsbob

Maybe get on your City Officials to sweep the streets, curb to curb more frequently,
if a perfectly adequate tire on your bike gets too many punctures.

Minnesnowtan

Sure, if you want to pay higher taxes and if you think that the answer to your problems is GOVERNMENT! And what makes a tire full of punctures "perfectly adequate"?

If you want clean water, get yourself the best filter. If you want puncture free rides, then go for puncture resistant tires. Vectran beats kevlar, nylon and every other anti puncture material today. That is for under the tread. For sidewalls, Continental has Duraskin. 4 Season has both vectran and duraskin, and I have run them puncture free in the filthy streets of Baltimore and in the Minneapolis area. I have used their 28mm because 32mm was not available and would not have fit on my Specialized road bike. Yes, Gatorskins are known for poorer wet traction. They are cheaper for a reason.

Puncture resistant tubes are a joke, If a steel wire fragment or a buckthorn gets through the tread and belts, why would you expect a soft tube to do anything? Especially with tire widths where the pressure will be 70psi minimum.

Another tire that worked ok for me was the Specialized Armadillo Elite. The bad part is they only sell at full retail, and Contis can be had from UK stores for a discount, offsetting shipping. Or get them locally. But at least you have a choice, and almost no one else uses Vectran.

fietsbob

I have thorn resistant (thicker, heavier) tubes in several bikes* & my bike trailer wheels ..

used a P/V 622-40 in my touring bikes wheels I went from SW Ireland , to NE Scotland with out a puncture..

over a 9 month period But I was in the smaller towns on the coast after Dublin..

* my 26" studded tire wheels, for example, I pump them up once for the season..







.....

illdrag0n

Well this has been a nice experiment. Whilst they are a nice, grippy low resistance rolling tyre - i can't get over how chunky they look lol.

Thinking i might shift them to my wifes cruiser and grab a pair of GP4000s 28c's

Minnesnowtan

Did you get the 4 Seasons in 32mm?

chas58

You'll get use to it.

You can always get GP5000s 32mm tires for some real grippy speed.

It literally took me years to find the 32mm 4season tire. Everything seemed to be indefinitely back-ordered. Finally I found it on Amazon labeled as a 32 inch tire. I took a chance and ordered that one and received 32mm tires.

I figured if nothing else, 32 inch 4seasons would be quite a conversation piece. Either that, or they would send me a set of Continental all season truck tires...

jack k

I've commuted on both, in all seasons, on pavement and off. The 4 GPs are pricey but I'll never go back to Gatorskins. The grip is fantastic, particularly on hardpack trails and grassy slopes, for a road tire. So far I've not flatted once, but there is component of chance to that...eventually I'll find something that can punch a hole in the tires but have been fortunate so far. If you're a fast commuter I would definitely suggest the GPs, but essentially the difference in reputation between the two is a question of whether you find puncture protection or grip more important.

Cyclist0383

Four Seasons all the way. Gatorskins are terrifying when it's wet out. Switched years ago and have been happy ever since.

Andy_K 

FWIW, I find the 700x28 GP4000s are nearly as wide as 700x32 GP 4 Seasons on the same rims. I measure the 700x28 GP4000s at 30mm while the 700x32 GP 4 Seasons come in at a true 32, both on a rim with 18mm internal width.

Also FWIW, I'm not convinced that Gatorskins have better puncture protection than GP 4 Seasons. I guess it depends on what is doing the puncturing, but I've had better luck with GP 4 Seasons. Admittedly, my experience with Gatorskins is limited. I had one pair used for ~2000 miles.

Lemond1985

Ditto on the 700x28 GP4000s, those things are freakishly large for a 28 mm tire. Don't know what Conti was thinking when they made those.

chas58

Got a slice in my 4season friday. Finally. Those tires have been pretty tough. I was running them tubeless, so they sealed right up thank goodness.

I do wonder about some fat 32mm GP5000s tires though. I can't imagine them having the same level of protection as the 4season