Author Topic: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!  (Read 4640 times)

Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« on: 13 August, 2011, 07:41:00 am »
We have just gone out of PBP Audax (peloton riding) because we had two faillures of two Continental Gatorskin 28 mm.  The tandem is a Comotion Speedster from the easter with rims at 18-622 mm. We think we could have used  a too thin rim - the standard which we seller as well as te constructor advised us to use. I am at 82 kg, my stoker is at 46 kg 4 kg and the tandem. The tandem had been used for 800 km when the rear tire  blast. We had gone though small towns in the first night where there where some heavy rain making the visibility difficult. The tarmac in these towns were very bad and with lots of holes.  After inspection of rear tire I discovered that the front tire bulged our to the right side of the tire - same side as the blast had been on the rear tire. Is there a production fault?

rogerzilla

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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #1 on: 13 August, 2011, 11:15:09 am »
They're bad tyres IMO; not in the least bit puncture resistant and with a tendency to embed glass shards, although I never had a sidewall failure.

Most Schwalbe tyres are reliable although there are reports of (and I have personally had) bad Marathons, where the bead gets stretched and won't stay on the rim.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Biggsy

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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #2 on: 13 August, 2011, 11:26:57 am »
Gatorskin sidewall failures have been reported many times on cycling forums.  Seems disproportionate to me, compared with other tyres.

Look into the Vittoria Rubino Pro range.
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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #3 on: 13 August, 2011, 11:32:47 am »
Never had any problems with Gatorskins except that they seem quite soft and wear quickly. 

thing1

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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #4 on: 13 August, 2011, 09:24:53 pm »
Same as Polar Bear here.
The folks at JD cycles swear by them for lighter-weight tandeming, and we've never had catastrophic failure, just found once they start to go out it's best to replace them PDQ if you don't want to be fixing flats every few minutes.

border-rider

Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #5 on: 13 August, 2011, 09:31:55 pm »
I always found them absolute rubbish against flints but good against thorns.

I'd not expect them to fail on PBP though.

HTFB

  • The Monkey and the Plywood Violin
Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #6 on: 15 August, 2011, 09:56:17 am »
I think tandemming just places heavier strains on the tyres. You're braking and accelerating with greater force, all of which has to be carried by the sidewall threads.

We (two heavy guys) destroyed a Continental Top Tourer on a hilly ride preparing for an E2E, catching a nastily bulging sidewall just before the tube went bang. Replacing front and back, again with Contis that had come as spares with the second-hand tandem, they lasted fine---not a single puncture in 1100 loaded miles.
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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #7 on: 16 August, 2011, 05:09:34 pm »
Having discussed it with Dave/SJSC we might end up using our Pasella Tourgard 28 mm  from our Thorn Audax mk III. Could this way have a spare set besides the actuallyused on the tandem. COuld also use a set of Ribmo 32 mm. We are in doubt whether it will be wise on Velocity Dyad? Have to take the plane on Friday - tandem is already there from the last trip...

Paulapops

Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #8 on: 19 September, 2011, 09:14:16 pm »
I don't like these on tandems, have had all sorts of problems with them. We usually use marathon racers for lighter weight but good wear and puncture resistance. We find them really good but they're becoming increasingly difficult to source. We're not a particularly heavy team though.

Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #9 on: 19 September, 2011, 09:31:16 pm »
Bontrager hard cases seem to wear well.

I have had sidewall problems with two models of conti tyres (sport contact and gp 4 seasons). I was so disgusted with the 4s that I cut them up to see what was in them.

Very very few threads in the sidewalls. The paselas look as thin but are in fact packed with threads.

Marathons for more durability. Durano plus for durable + a bit of speed and puncture resistance.

Rubino pro, IME, have a lovely ride but the rubber wears thin very quickly.
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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #10 on: 19 September, 2011, 10:15:02 pm »
I used to like Gators. Never had the sidewall issues, it was the crap grip in the wet that got me. Now using Schwalbe Durano plus instead and very happy. Better grip, better wear, fewer puncture, but they don't roll quite as well...much more solid feeling tyre.

Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #11 on: 22 September, 2011, 01:16:24 pm »
........... it was the crap grip in the wet that got me.

I'm beginning to think the same about my Gators.
They're coming up to 1800 miles with "no reason to take them off" despite lots of glass-crunching but I don't trust them when it's wet. I've had a couple of "moments" one of which went on so long it became more of an "episode".
I've read very good things about Vittoria Pave CGs, the only negative seems to be the price.
I'm not entirely gripped by the green tread (see what I did there ?).


vorsprung

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Re: Continental Gatorskin 28 mm faillure on PBP Audax!
« Reply #12 on: 22 September, 2011, 02:24:13 pm »
I used them for my first couple of years of audaxing and first SR.  I switched to Panaracer Pasellas for LEL 2005

My impression of Gatorskins is

1) skittish in the wet.  The 25mm version even more so
2) are in the Pasella/Rubino bracket for speed.  Not super fast but ok
3) puncture resistance is excellent until the outer casing wears off circa 3000 miles
4) not as comfortable as Pasellas

The things used 28mm Gatorskins on their super duper Santana tandem during PBP