Continental Gator Hardshell Wire Tyre

After one week of getting 5 flats on a brand new set of Bontrager tires; returned them and invested in Continental Hardshell tires. I've ridden on Gatorskins in the past, and they are good. But let me tell you about the Hardshells... I normally put between 2000 and 2500 miles on a set of tires; I will rotate them about halfway through. The Hardshells lasted for over 4500 miles! I think I only got one flat in the entire time I had them. By the end, the back tire was starting to show some bubbling; and that's when I knew they were finally done. But after that many miles, I was super impressed with their durability and speed capability. I'm a heavier rider (i.e. over 260 lbs); and I felt that the Hardshells were more than worth the $60+ bucks per tire for all that I ... MoreAfter one week of getting 5 flats on a brand new set of Bontrager tires; returned them and invested in Continental Hardshell tires. I've ridden on Gatorskins in the past, and they are good. But let me tell you about the Hardshells... I normally put between 2000 and 2500 miles on a set of tires; I will rotate them about halfway through. The Hardshells lasted for over 4500 miles! I think I only got one flat in the entire time I had them. By the end, the back tire was starting to show some bubbling; and that's when I knew they were finally done. But after that many miles, I was super impressed with their durability and speed capability. I'm a heavier rider (i.e. over 260 lbs); and I felt that the Hardshells were more than worth the $60+ bucks per tire for all that I got out of them.

A Riders Tire.

I've only use Continental Gator Skins on the road bike for the past 19 years, averaging 3000 plus miles on the rear and around 6000 on the front, with only two punctures, one was a side wall sharp stone cut happened at night, booted the tire and rode home, and the other a very fine small piece of a steel wire in some gravel, result slow leek. I've picked glass out of the tires that never made it through. I'm excited about the new Continental Gator Hardshell with the extra layer of protection, longer wearing tread that stated to be faster and longer wearing, what's not to like. I've gotten out on a couple of rides and it's smooth and fast using the recommended 95psi. I went up to the 700 x 28's for these, I have used 23 and 25 mostly in the past and years ago even ... MoreI've only use Continental Gator Skins on the road bike for the past 19 years, averaging 3000 plus miles on the rear and around 6000 on the front, with only two punctures, one was a side wall sharp stone cut happened at night, booted the tire and rode home, and the other a very fine small piece of a steel wire in some gravel, result slow leek. I've picked glass out of the tires that never made it through. I'm excited about the new Continental Gator Hardshell with the extra layer of protection, longer wearing tread that stated to be faster and longer wearing, what's not to like. I've gotten out on a couple of rides and it's smooth and fast using the recommended 95psi. I went up to the 700 x 28's for these, I have used 23 and 25 mostly in the past and years ago even smaller. I'll continue with the 28 these tires I like the ride feel. I've trust the brand and got a great price at REI. I want to ride, not change flats.

Been riding Gator Hardshells for years.

Bought these to fit a new bike that will take a 32 wide tire. Been riding Gator Hardshells for years in the 25 and 28 widths and no problems. In fact, cannot think of a puncture flat in the last several years. (Flats have been tube/valve stem failure related). Very durable bike tires and easy rolling.

Great through whatever the city throws at me

I use these mainly for triathlon training. I live in a large city, and became annoyed with replacing the thinner tires with all the bumps and garbage on the road every few 100 miles. You can definitely feel they are heavier to ride on than some of the other thinner tires, but I just consider that resistance training. I've gone several 100 miles now; once I couldn't miss some glass shards from a broken beer bottle and there was no damage to the tires. In order to test these a bit more, I rode on a soft limestone path to cross between two paved surfaces...the distance was about 3-4 mile and there were a few jagged rocks and there is no damage to the tire. I would definitely stick to gravel tires for gravel situations, but these seem to work when there is no other ... MoreI use these mainly for triathlon training. I live in a large city, and became annoyed with replacing the thinner tires with all the bumps and garbage on the road every few 100 miles. You can definitely feel they are heavier to ride on than some of the other thinner tires, but I just consider that resistance training. I've gone several 100 miles now; once I couldn't miss some glass shards from a broken beer bottle and there was no damage to the tires. In order to test these a bit more, I rode on a soft limestone path to cross between two paved surfaces...the distance was about 3-4 mile and there were a few jagged rocks and there is no damage to the tire. I would definitely stick to gravel tires for gravel situations, but these seem to work when there is no other option. In addition, sometimes after storms the small branches get knocked down on trails and they are hard to miss...these tires ride right through the small branches no problem.

Hands down best tires

These tires sport no-nonsense puncture-resistance second to none! Riding the streets of San Francisco, I no longer see the ever-present glass debris on the roads as tire killers. Indeed, the longevity of these Hardshells (5000+ miles and going) is quite impressive relative to all other bike tires I've tried. My lengthy all day rides are not limited to urban asphalt though and I find these Hardshells to be okay on gravel and dry dirtpaths; however, because they are roadie smooth tread, these tires unsurprisingly fail on mud and more technical trails. Nevertheless, I wouldn't ever trade these Hardshells for more knobby tires as my riding is 80/20 asphalt/gravel. Also, some reviewers here mention installation difficulties. Just saying, as long as you use tire levers ... MoreThese tires sport no-nonsense puncture-resistance second to none! Riding the streets of San Francisco, I no longer see the ever-present glass debris on the roads as tire killers. Indeed, the longevity of these Hardshells (5000+ miles and going) is quite impressive relative to all other bike tires I've tried. My lengthy all day rides are not limited to urban asphalt though and I find these Hardshells to be okay on gravel and dry dirtpaths; however, because they are roadie smooth tread, these tires unsurprisingly fail on mud and more technical trails. Nevertheless, I wouldn't ever trade these Hardshells for more knobby tires as my riding is 80/20 asphalt/gravel. Also, some reviewers here mention installation difficulties. Just saying, as long as you use tire levers these are no more difficult or time consuming to put on than any other tire. These are the only tires I find competent enough for braving the detritus-heavy streets of San Francisco. Indeed, these are the only tires that have stayed on my bike longer than a season where all others have been laid low by punctures. Highly recommend!

Hardshells - Smooth Ride!

Fitted these in a 32c to cope with the rough Suffolk roads. Lots of road debris & hedge clippings at the moment plus broken road surfaces and pot holes. So far after about 300 miles I’m very pleased. No punctures and feel really good, great grip on corners and smooth rolling. Not as fast as GP5000 but closer than you might expect. Highly recommend

I will never buy continental again!

I will never buy continental again! Bought these for commuting and punctured in the second week. Had bad luck with continental in the past but thought I would spend a little more and give these a go especially considering the hype. Almost slid off first time out on them aswell as it was slightly damp.I rate Vittoria far higher, not as much hyper marketing and better tyres.

My go to tires

I purchased a pair of these over a year ago and put roughly 6,000 plus miles on them with no flats. I'm in Northwest Arkansas which has a fantastic paved trail system. The trails have areas where fine, very sharp flint rock is deposited, usually following a rain shower. The roads are OK, but the bike lanes typically are not cleared allowing a lot of road debris to accumulate.I was a devout user of Continental GP4000 IIs, but was constantly getting small, pinhole punctures from the tiny shards of flint. This was especially true of the back wheel where most of the weight is. After installing the Gator Hardshell I have found flint stuck in the tread, but have yet to have a flat. My latest find was a 4mm shard stuck straight into the tread.There are those who will ... MoreI purchased a pair of these over a year ago and put roughly 6,000 plus miles on them with no flats. I'm in Northwest Arkansas which has a fantastic paved trail system. The trails have areas where fine, very sharp flint rock is deposited, usually following a rain shower. The roads are OK, but the bike lanes typically are not cleared allowing a lot of road debris to accumulate.I was a devout user of Continental GP4000 IIs, but was constantly getting small, pinhole punctures from the tiny shards of flint. This was especially true of the back wheel where most of the weight is. After installing the Gator Hardshell I have found flint stuck in the tread, but have yet to have a flat. My latest find was a 4mm shard stuck straight into the tread.There are those who will say "well just get tubeless tires and you won't have to worry about it". I've ridden on tubeless tires on a mountain bike and had a puncture that was troublesome to fix. I also tried to help someone that had a flat tubeless tire that ended up calling someone to pick them up because the tire wouldn't hold air. That said, I think I'll stick with what's worked best for me and these tires.

Puncture proof

These are a great tyre if you are after an almost puncture free ride. They roll pretty well and are similar ENOUGH to gatorskins in roll and this is very credible given the extra weight and tyre strength.They wear really well and last for ages. I use them on my single speed for commuting which is a 40K round trip each day. I have to say grip in the wet is not great and this is the trade off to the superior wear performance. For me it just means slowing down a bit and riding to the conditions.

Useful Bike Tires for the Rigors of the Eastbay

These tires are pretty great! They tend to last a long time riding on the "roads" of Oakland and Berkeley, which are like 4 wheel drive roads. I've had pinch flats, tire side wall rips, and regular old punctures. It actually possible to get these tires on and off your bike rim, some of the other tires take force beyond my capabilities. I've used Gator skins of various flavors over the 25 years, and they seem to hold up pretty well. And the roads have gotten nothing but worse.