Iawestrr

We have been riding on Continental 4000 tires on our tandem. After a sidewall blowout on the front, I decided to try the gatorskin. Shortly after putting it on and doing a test ride, I see a web site about the different rolling resistance of the 2 tires. Also see that 5000s are coming out, and they have a thinner sidewall.

Our typical ride is in the 20-60 mile range. Are we really going to tell a difference in the rolling resistance of 4000 vs a gatorskin? Right now, we have a 4000 on the back and a gatorskin on the front.

Thx!

DrIsotope

A 700x25 GP4k @ 100psi is giving up 11W to rolling resistance. By comparison, a Gatorskin at the same width and pressure is giving up just over 20W. Ignoring all other variables, I would guesstimate that to be something like 0.4mph slower on the Gatorskins for the same effort-- for a solo rider, anyway. I don't know what that translates to on a tandem.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yeah, IME you will. Our used tandem came with Gatorskins. I was amazed at how hard it was to move it down the road on the flat. I switched to better tires and that fixed it. The tires we went to were not as good as the 4KIIs. A riding buddy once put Gatorskins on her bike for a 65 mile Populaire. Back the at the cars, she took them off and gave them away.

With the Contis, just be careful of rocks in the 1" - 1-1/2" size. I've had sidewall cuts with rocks like that using several tire brands, on my single as well as the tandem.

Artmo 

I don’t know about differences in rolling resistance, but 4000 II seem to last forever. I have them on tandems and solos. My limited experience of Gatorskins is the difficulty of getting them on and off the rim.

Alan_F

I split the difference and am running Conti Grand Prix 4 Season tires on our tandem. I used Gatorskins for many years with good results, but if you look at the rolling resistance tests the 4 Seasons roll much better than the Gatorskins and are much lighter while still having better sidewall protection than the 4000s. There are so many factors that go into how the bike rolls... wind, terrain, fitness, what we had for breakfast, but I really think I can feel a difference when running more aero wheels and lower rolling resistance tires.

So far with the 4 Seasons I've had one rear tire cut by debris. The tire had about 800 miles on it so it was fairly new. The cut was more center than sidewall. I didn't find the object that cut the tire, but from what it did to the tire I'm not sure any tire would have survived. It was of course in the rain. A Park adhesive tire boot only got us to the end of the ride before I decided I should replace the tire with a spare Gatorskin we had with us because grit was getting in between the rubber and casing and causing a bulge.

I ran the Gatorskin on the rear until about a week ago when I put a new 4 Season on the front and moved the front 4 Season to the back. That tire had about 2,500 mile on it and still looked fairly new. We just completed a 400 mile week (same tour where we cut the tire last year) including a full day of riding in the rain on front & rear 4 Seasons with no flats.

One other notable difference between the Gatorskin and the 4 Season is the actual width. I've run 28mm tires of both types but the Gatorskins are narrower when mounted. Gatorskins measured about 26mm on Spinergy TX-2 rims (narrow) and the 4 Seasons measured a little over 28mm. I'm now running Spinergy FCC 3.2 (wide rims) and the Gatorskins measure 28mm while the 4 Seasons measure about 32mm.

reburns

I noticed an improvement in ride quality when I switched from gatorskins to GP4K. The gatorskins were trouble free, however, whereas I was getting sidewall cuts on the rear 4000 while still fairly new. I’m now running a 32 mm 4 seasons on the rear and 28 4000 on the front, and have been happy with this combination.

bakerjw

Good insights in this thread. Ever since we got our first tandem, we've been running Gatorskins. They've performed admirably for us with minimal road stoppages. I cannot say the F word. We did hit a pothole at speed once and it caused a pinch flat, but that was it. When these wear out, I might look at something better.

Alcanbrad

I know that this is a thread about rolling resistance but I have lost every GP4000 I’ve had to sidewall cuts and I have only lost a gatorskin to wearing through the tread over several seasons. I run them on my tandems and halfbikes. Outfighting oneself with a bike is a series of trade offs. It’s been an easy decision for me.

oldacura

We've run Gatorskins for a long time. They may be slightly heavier with slightly greater rolling resistance but they seem to be pretty puncture resistant. I've also tried GP4000s. I think I can detect a slightly better ride with them.

We don't do high speed descents as much as we used to but I have a greater peace of mind if I think my tires are more robust. Last weekend we did a descent into Boulder and got up to 50.5 mph. Confidence in tires is very important.

joelcool

Switched from Gatorskin 25c to GP5000 32c. Huge improvement in comfort. Rolling resistance felt better, but I have nothing objective to base that on. The improvement in comfort though - wow.

We don't ride our tandem all that often so I can't comment on flats, but this forum is pretty full of people who think the 5000 flats a lot.

I run the 4000 on my single bike, and the flats I've had I cannot attribute to the tires.

jim_pridx

I've been running Gatorskin 700 x 28s on our tandem for years without issue, only because I've never found or have been recommended a better tire for our needs. If I remember correctly, I think we've only had one flat in the last 10 or 15 years. While the Continental GP 4-Season tire sounds interesting to us, it seems that being in our mid-60s, we may as well stick with what has worked well for us. While the Gatorskins may be a bit heavier than some tires, I guess I just don't worry about making speed records these days......LOL.

Paul J

I think we've been running the Gatorkins for the past 9 years with just the ocational flat and running till worn through to the threads so they've worked well. Before that we rode a Bontrager Hardcase which we experienced more flats. We are a heavier team so the extra protection is appreciated. We've only used wire bead and I'd love to know what others experiences have been with folded vs wire bead?

jim_pridx

Same here! I'm also wondering if there's any advantage to using the folded tire as opposed to the wire bead? Perhaps there's a significant weight difference?

Carbonfiberboy 

The only thing I've heard - but have not experienced - is that wire bead tires tend to blow off rims more easily. The wire absorbs and holds heat, softening the bead. The significant difference I know for sure is that a folding tire is light and easy to carry strapped to a saddle bag as a spare.

New2Two

I have a friend who is an Kona Ironman qualifier who has gone deep into the numbers on the 4000sii and the Gatorskins to see how it would impact the bike splits. After plugging away at the numbers he determined that you can finish the bike leg faster on the 4000's with getting and changing a flat then you can with the Gatorskins and no flats (given the same power, cadence, etc).

jnbrown

I used GP4000 for a long time and then switched to Schwalbe One.
Even better comfort, low rolling resistance and seem just as durable if not more so.