Spud
Posts:525
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| 11/11/2015 09:39 AM |
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Stopped by Performance yesterday and found Gator Skins on sale $44.99. Just wanted to pass it along. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/11/2015 12:29 PM |
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Gatorskins are an excellent training tire, if you are prone to flats. However, if you use them for any competitive purpose (even group rides), you are wasting a LOT of energy.
Their Crr is about the worst in the industry and will add minutes to a 40K TT time.
That said, I train on them myself, mostly because I train by power. So as long as I hit my wattage goals, I couldn't care less what my time is. Plus, when I throw my race wheels on with their aero advantage AND fast tires, I feel like I am crushing it for the same wattage, as my speed goes up significantly.
But please, for the love of all that is good and true, don't race on GatorSkins.  |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 11/11/2015 03:33 PM |
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| Tell us how you really feel! |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/11/2015 07:20 PM |
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Well, I did forget to mention that not only are they slow, they also ride like crap. Probably the worst tires I have ever ridden. Seriously.
I keep waiting for them to wear out......gonna be awhile, I think. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 11/11/2015 08:15 PM |
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... I had a pair for over 6 years on my winter ride - finally put them on the trainer rear wheel - still going ; )
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 11/12/2015 07:31 AM |
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It's all I ride. The goat heads here are terrible, and they're better than Armadillos. And to think, in the eighties, I exclusively rode tubulars. If you're willing to buy a half dozen at a time, to make up for shipping, try Total Cycling in Ireland. Always cheap.
Nick |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 11/12/2015 11:01 AM |
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I trained some 140,000 m vertical this year strictly on armadillos, including the 150 miler RAMROD event. R U telling me I wasted a few Joules?!? LOL! And those babies went through a few downhill corners in process...trust me they are just fine.
One of the interesting aspects of Haute Route was how at the outset of pretty much every stage there'd be some 10-15ish out of a 600 pack fixing flats in the very first kms. It is mentally and physically much harder to make up those lost minutes then the ones you're shedding as a result of higher CRR. And you don't want to be THAT guy that the group always has to wait for cause you must ride fast tires. Just work a little harder...its good for you. BTW I rode Bontrager Hardcase at HR, can't say that they made me faster or cornered better but they sure were brutal to reinstall on the one flat I had.
Oh and buying tires is like buying fruit at the market...you have to fondle them to make sure there's no defects which goes a long ways to make sure they will work as intended. That rules out online purchase. Support your LBS. |
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 11/12/2015 02:51 PM |
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| I use gatorskins on my rear tires, it's hard to avoid all blackberry vines in the PNW. |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 11/18/2015 05:31 PM |
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Unlucky sidewall cut on a schwalbe marathon last night. less than 100miles on the tire.
Still not sure what I hit. Might try to patch the tire. I'm guessing any gatorskin or armadillo would have suffered the same fate, but who knows?
It was a "support-your-local-lbs" special. Might be the most expensive tire I have ever purchased. They built the wheelset and it didn't feel right getting a pair of handbuilt wheels and not buying new rubber from them. So it goes... |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 11/18/2015 06:36 PM |
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"Most expensive tire I ever purchased"
When I was a junior in the mid 70's I treated myself to a top shelf Clement Paris-Roubaix silk sewup. They were supposed be very, very tough. A lot of bucks for a kid making $3/hr. Sidewall cut on the first ride killed it dead, 20 miles from home. Man, that really hurt. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/19/2015 08:57 AM |
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| "Silk" and "tough" are not words that go together for a tubular tire! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 11/19/2015 10:12 AM |
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| I rode with those silk sewup's back in the day. Packed a spare tubie, remember many a time pulling off the flattened tire and replacing it with a spare, hoping the glue would hold. Also remember many hours spent sitting with a sewing needle and thread patching up those punctured tubies. When Specialized came out the the Tubo folding tire I switched boats and never looked back... |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 11/19/2015 01:54 PM |
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Ah, but Criterium Setas on light rims! Fun, fun, fun. And fast to boot.
Those were race only, but things happened. Rode a 2 day stage race in western Maine. After the final race, me and fellow racer rode 50 miles into New Hampshire. Next day was about 160 glorious miles on race wheels with just a small backpack on our backs.
Ben |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 11/20/2015 01:09 PM |
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| the lbs is going to warranty the tire. score one for the lbs. |
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 11/20/2015 01:56 PM |
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We need a "like" button.
BTW, Thanks for stopping to help last week when my bike broke. |
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