stevel610 

Was changing some tires today and saw this in the Gatorskin. Was still holding air and nothing showed on the inside.

Changed a GP5000, went around the block and the front flatted. When fixing I found a splinter that got through. Didn't take a picture, but it was @ 1/16".

Gatorskin with wire hook.

The hook.

Iride01 

One incident isn't enough to change my mind about GP 5000's or any tire that rolls better. I go 18 months to over 2 years lately without flatting. So why would I use a Gatorskin during all those many miles to prevent punctures that I don't even encounter.

If I encountered stuff like that more often, I might change my mind. But I don't. Even when I was flatting 3 times a year, I still was and am happy with lighter and better rolling tires.

Eyes Roll

Would you mind disclosing the make and model of tires you are riding on?

Atlas Shrugged

Go tubeless, Gaterskin puncture resistance and still get a supple wonderful ride. I can’t imagine a better way to ruin the ride of your bike than run gaterskins. Plus mounting those things is hell.

indyfabz

Puncture-resistant is different than flat-resistant when you are talking tubeless.

daviddavieboy

They do have great tread protection but I went through 3 in one summer by tearing the sidewalls.

Just a shot in the dark but I would say GP5000's

MinnMan

Fewer flats in return for many hours riding on a tire that feels slow and boring.

Your choice.

Not mine.

Iride01 

GP 5000 's. Not certain which exact version of them, but it's the black wall version that uses tubes.

I'm not claiming they are puncture resistant. Just that where I ride, there are few things to puncture a tire. Better tires generally give a better ride and have less rolling resistance. However if you don't ride often, you might not notice the difference.

PDKL45

Does anyone else find that the brown sidewalls of Gatorskins delaminate really easily? Plus, I seem to wear down to the bottom of the tread wear indicator in record time, especially on the rear. I actually quite like their ride quality, but they just seem to come apart on me prematurely and wear too easily. That said, other brands seem to be doing their level best to annoy me just as much. Anyone ridden Vittoria Zaffiro Pros? I bought a couple recently, and I suspect they were stored in a warehouse for way too long, as they have slight dry rotting, but the big thing was the folding bead on the rear tire giving out, causing a bulge and a subsequent blowout.

stevel610 

Understand, I wasn't denigrating the GP5000S. Truth told I've been riding them 2 years on both tarmac and gravel, and this was the first flat. It could've been an anomaly. I think they're great, and am about to order one to replace the rear.

But I've ridden Gatorskins, both hardshell and regular, for a decade and not had a tire related flat. Gravel, dry dirt, city streets, etc. I was just impressed that this piece of wire didn't break through. Which rocks!

Broctoon

I have some Gatorskins and find them somewhat more resistant to puncture flats than lesser tires, when it comes to goat heads (the most common cause of punctures for me). Big, tough goat heads at the end of summer when they're dried out... they laugh at Gatorskins and pretty much any pneumatic tire. ​​​​​​

What has worked extremely well for me is extra thick, heavy duty tubes. I have one bike with 32mm Gatorskins and these tubes, and another with 32mm Bontrager "everyday" tires. (I think their model is AW1). On both bikes, puncture flats are not even a concern. ...But there's a price to be paid, in weight and in tire feel/comfort. The bikes set up with these are not intended for fast, performance-oriented riding. I use them to putter around, and I don't mind the compromise.

On my road bike, which I use for fast rides, long rides, or steep, hilly rides, I've gone to tubeless.

I have a bike that I only ride in places where thorns are not common, and I want that bike to be quick and offer great handling. I've set it up with light, high performance tires and light duty tubes. The tires are Vittoria Rubino Pro (the G+ version, I believe... the one with a graphene layer, so not completely unprotected, but not exactly the best puncture resistance). I think I've only gotten one flat on it, in hundreds of miles.

So for me, the tire and tube choice is dependent on the bike's intended use. For me, Gatorskins have their place, but they're only a partial solution.

Broctoon

Off topic comment, but OP, I see your dog enjoys the same type of ball as mine. She especially prefers the Chuckit brand, in Medium size. I throw them with a Chuckit stick, and they are her favorite thing in the world. That dog gets more satisfaction out of a rubber ball than I receive from a garage full of bikes, cars, electronics and cameras, five different streaming services on my smart TV, woodworking hobby, knife collecting, and a few other interests I'm probably forgetting. All she needs is that ball.

kwb377 

I'm mainly a recreational rider and run 32mm GK slicks...which tires would you recommend if I were looking for 30 - 40% more "speed and excitement!"?

MinnMan

1. I don't know what kind of surfaces you are riding.
2. No tire is going to give you 30-40% more speed.
3. 30-40% more excitement cannot be measured objectively.

jaxgtr

Why Gatorskins ride like a Rock....

fixed it for you..

skidder

I've got Vittoria Randonneur tires on the two bikes I use for road riding, 700 x 32. Great tires, puncture resistant, the wear rate is about average, very few flats, nice ride quality. The only downside to Vittorias is anything from 28 on down seems to be a nightmare to put on/take off a wheel rim (two different wheel rims in my case). I sure don't want to get stuck by the side of a road in the warm summer sun with cars whipping by me while I struggle to get a tire on/off.

noimagination

You must have picked up the "hook" shortly before the end of your last ride. Otherwise, surely you would have notice the "tik-tik-tik" sound on the pavement as the "hook" went 'round with the tire.

I've had several occasions where a foreign object made its way into a tire without causing a puncture, but it announced itself with the "tik" sound. One was a nail bent into a U shape that went in one side of my tire and out the other, through the tread, missing the tube completely (35 mm tires with pretty thick tread). Another was a rusty staple that similarly got stuck in sideways in the tread, missing the tube.

These weren't Gatorskins, which I do use on our tandem bike, which seem to ride OK. With the roads around here, and the traffic (sometimes making it dangerous to dodge road hazards), the slower response of the tandem (making it better sometimes to hit something I notice at the last minute than to swerve and discommode my stoker) and the extra weight of the tandem bike + 2 bodies, for me the trade-off of fewer flats vs harsher ride is worth it.

I do try to avoid the shoulder now when I notice I'm passing a construction/home renovation site. For several hundred yards I ride in the lane in the car tire track. I don't know if this actually has ever actually helped, but it makes me feel that I'm being a little proactive, anyway.