Continental Sprinter Gator Skins Tubulars?

[quattro]

I'm purchasing a set of tubular wheels and someone recommended Continental Sprinter Gator Skins, are they any good for daily training rides? I'm in MA. and the roads are not great. Looking for something reliable for training, I'm not racing. Other recommendations for a reasonably priced 25mm tubular for daily training rides?

Thanks,
quattro

[oldpotatoe]

I'm purchasing a set of tubular wheels and someone recommended Continental Sprinter Gator Skins, are they any good for daily training rides? I'm in MA. and the roads are not great. Looking for something reliable for training, I'm not racing. Other recommendations for a reasonably priced 25mm tubular for daily training rides?

Thanks,
quattro

Under the 'no such thing as a free lunch', yes, with a man made casing with more 'stuff' in the sidewalls, they are very durable BUT..they aren't as supple as a cotton based tubie plus ya gotta vigorously stretch them for a while or they will be a PITA to mount. Another nice tubie are Vittoria Corsa Elite..also 25, but cotton, durable, and easier to mount. Not expensive either.

[AngryScientist]

at this point that i have a few miles on them, i can recommend schwalbe one tubulars. they ride really really nicely and, at least anecdotally appear to be a little tougher than vittorias, which seem like a bit more fragile of a casing.

[FlashUNC]

Just go guy a length of garden hose and mount that. It'd be cheaper.

You'd be better off with Conti Sprinters.

[ultraman6970]

Good tubular, I retired one just because I was seeing the underthreads popping out.

IMO, For training you have to go cheap, puncture and toss, and some tubulars do just that when you get them like at 15 bucks a pop. With the money of a set of 2 expensive ones you are set maybe for over a year.

[quattro]

So if I go ahead with the Continental Gator Skins, do you recommend pre treating with Orange Seal, or only using when I flat?
Thanks,
quattro

[hollowgram5]

So if I go ahead with the Continental Gator Skins, do you recommend pre treating with Orange Seal, or only using when I flat?
Thanks,
quattro
I've ridden the heck out of a few sets. Yes, they don't ride quite as well but I found them to be super reliable. I sealed (with Stan's, before orange seal was out) mine, and haven't yet had an issue. Don't even know how many miles are on them. Good training tires if you are looking for decent rode quality but don't expect top tier ride quality..

[Neil]

^I second all of this, great high mileage training tub.

[thwart]

Another Forumite (shout out to zmud!) turned me on to running a Sprinter up front and a Gatorskin at the rear. Works very well.

However, I'm not up on the latest Conti stuff... I don't know if they make a 25 mm Sprinter in addition to the traditional 22 mm.

As the old spud said above (and with our friend weisan's recent experience notwithstanding), in a 25 mm tubular you can't go wrong with Vittoria Corsa Elites.

[Tickdoc]

at this point that i have a few miles on them, i can recommend schwalbe one tubulars. they ride really really nicely and, at least anecdotally appear to be a little tougher than vittorias, which seem like a bit more fragile of a casing.

Not to hijack, but those schwalbe ones look to compact real flat and look they'd make a great spare.

How do they compare in ride quality to say corsa cx?

[quattro]

Under the 'no such thing as a free lunch', yes, with a man made casing with more 'stuff' in the sidewalls, they are very durable BUT..they aren't as supple as a cotton based tubie plus ya gotta vigorously stretch them for a while or they will be a PITA to mount. Another nice tubie are Vittoria Corsa Elite..also 25, but cotton, durable, and easier to mount. Not expensive either.

Oldpotatoe, looking at the Vittoria web site I don't see the Corsa Elite in the 2016 line up. has it been replaced by a newer tire? I know this tire is still available on line, but wondering if there is a newer Vittoria option that is a better selection.
Thanks,
quattro

[false_Aest]

I will never ride Gator Skin Tubulars again. To me they just undo the benefits of riding a tubular -- mainly ride quality.

I'm running Schwalbe Uno 700x26 @ 85psi and 700x28 @ 75psi (165lbs).

Commuting ~ 80 miles a week in Los Angeles.
Riding ~ 80 more in the Santa Monica mountains on the weekend.

Throw some orange juice tire sealant in there and you're golden.

1350 miles on my 700x26 hoops and no issues yet.

[Ti Designs]

I tested a pair when they first came out, they ride like conti tires, they're as durable as conti tires. As I was testing them and my shop would bring them in or not based on my recommendations, I found myself trying to flat them. I rode down the stairs at Government Center a few times, I don't think a pothole is going to bother them much...

[El Chaba]

They are a product of Continental's truck tire division. When they encounter rubber and casing materials that are deemed unfit for truck tire production-usually because they would create too harsh a ride for a tractor trailer, they repurpose those materials and make Gatorskins....Other than that, they are great....

[hollowgram5]

I've had a few sets. They were dang reliable, can't think of a flat I've gotten with them, but I sealant every tubie from the get go. Most of the gators are now used as spares to get me home in case of a flat on a different tire. I know they are a stiffer ride, but I just drop the pressure a touch and they seem fine.

[zmudshark]

I will never ride Gator Skin Tubulars again. To me they just undo the benefits of riding a tubular -- mainly ride quality.

I'm running Schwalbe Uno 700x26 @ 85psi and 700x28 @ 75psi (165lbs).

Commuting ~ 80 miles a week in Los Angeles.
Riding ~ 80 more in the Santa Monica mountains on the weekend.

Throw some orange juice tire sealant in there and you're golden.

1350 miles on my 700x26 hoops and no issues yet.I ride them (Gatorskin Sprinters) in MI because I can run them softer without pinch flats. The roads are not any better than the Flint water. I can barely fit a 25 in the rear of my road bikes. When I was in PHX I ran Conti Comps, 4000, or Veloflex Crits, the roads were/are great. The Gatorskin is a reliable tire for poor roads, and not all bikes can accommodate a bigger tire.

[tuscanyswe]

at this point that i have a few miles on them, i can recommend schwalbe one tubulars. they ride really really nicely and, at least anecdotally appear to be a little tougher than vittorias, which seem like a bit more fragile of a casing.

+1 i have ridden these quite a bit lately, went through my latest pair just the other week when i realised the rear had no thread left. Im please enough to buy a 3rd pair.. Price for product its a very nice tire imo.

[classtimesailer]

My go-to tubular. If you want plush, go 25s or 28s And I wait for a flat before putting in sealant unless it is a BIG ride/race. When you flat and it is small, then use the sealant. If it is a cut, ( not likely with Gators) you will be happy there is no goop in your tire.

[rwsaunders]

In terms of ride quality and relaiblty, I had no issues, but is it me or has anybody else had difficulty mounting Continental tubulars? I was barely able to stretch a few spares which led me to look for other choices. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't worry about rolling one.

[false_Aest]

In terms of ride quality and relaiblty, I had no issues, but is it me or has anybody else had difficulty mounting Continental tubulars? I was barely able to stretch a few spares which led me to look for other choices. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't worry about rolling one.

Yes!

I ended up spraying the cotton down with water, mounted them and let them stretch that way. Pumped to 125 psi every day for 2 weeks

[oldpotatoe]

Oldpotatoe, looking at the Vittoria web site I don't see the Corsa Elite in the 2016 line up. has it been replaced by a newer tire? I know this tire is still available on line, but wondering if there is a newer Vittoria option that is a better selection.
Thanks,
quattro

Yeegads, the Vittoria.com website is a piece of work, isn't it? I looked for butyl and tpi and 'assume' the Rubino Pro tubie is the Corsa Elite replacement but don't really know. About same $..$60-ish..MSRP

[lhuerta]

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/vittoria-corsa-elite-tubular/#pid=23143


....friends don't let friends ride Gatorskins (under no conditions).

[quattro]

Yeegads, the Vittoria.com website is a piece of work, isn't it? I looked for butyl and tpi and 'assume' the Rubino Pro tubie is the Corsa Elite replacement but don't really know. About same $..$60-ish..MSRP

Ok, but which Rubinho Pro, their web site shows several. I see the corsa elite is available at Ribble for a good price, just wondering if one of their new tubes would. E a better choice.
Anyone riding any of the new Rubinho Pro rubies, please feel free to chime in.
Thanks

[oldpotatoe]

Ok, but which Rubino Pro, their web site shows several. I see the corsa elite is available at Ribble for a good price, just wondering if one of their new tubulars would be a better choice.
Anyone riding any of the new Rubinho Pro tubies, please feel free to chime in.
Thanks

Only one Rubino Pro Tubular..AFAICS

https://www.vittoria.com/tire/rubino-pro-tubular

[quattro]

Only one Rubino Pro Tubular..AFAICS

https://www.vittoria.com/tire/rubino-pro-tubular

What about this Rubino Pro on the Vittoria site, it's the same name but a different tire.
https://www.vittoria.com/tire/rubino-pro-2/

[oldpotatoe]

What about this Rubino Pro on the Vittoria site, it's the same name but a different tire.
https://www.vittoria.com/tire/rubino-pro-2/

Clincher...

[quattro]

Clincher...

Good point! Sorry I missed that. Thanks for your patience!

[etu]

FWIW, i am trying to enjoy every ride, including my commutes which means i ride my nice bikes with carbon wheels and tubulars through city streets. since i don't race, there are no "training rides". riding nice tires adds a lot to the ride, even if the tradeoff is less puncture resistance. vof course everyone's tolerance for punctures and cost of tires varies. vittoria corsa elites are great tires. also i am still a newb to tubulars, but the relative ease of mounting alone would seal the deal for me.

[classtimesailer]

In terms of ride quality and relaiblty, I had no issues, but is it me or has anybody else had difficulty mounting Continental tubulars? I was barely able to stretch a few spares which led me to look for other choices. On the other hand, I certainly wouldn't worry about rolling one.

Continental Comps are 100 times more difficult to mount. GS are tight but you wont't tear them putting them on. Competitions could tear if you do not stretch evenly from the start.