Conti's- Gatorskins vs GP 5000

[Bitsy]

Hey guys,

 

Whats your feel on the new GP 5000's specifically around puncture protection.

I had the Gatorskins for about 2 years now and must say they are bulletproof. Was inspecting them today and was shocked with the amount glass cuts it took and yet not a single flat. Milage is also really great, although this is not my biggest concern. My priorities would be:

1. Puncture protection

2. Handling

3. Comfort

4. Milage

 

Would the GP5000's stand up to the challenge or should I stick with the old faithful. I see there is a tubeless version of them...but Im not sure whether my shimano RS11 rims are compatible.

 

I typically cycle in the cradle with the odd race every year.

 

regards

Edited February 16, 2019 by Bitsy

[devocean]

I swear by Gatorskins. I commute in all weather and hardly ever puncture (I sometimes don't even bother going around glass). I once bought a set of GP4000's and punctured on almost every ride so I went back to trusty Gatorskins even for racing (still have the GP4000's lying around pretty much new still). Not sure how much better the GP5000's will be compared to the GP4000's

[Andrew_Smith]

+1

 

Not to mention the long mileage you get out of them. My last set got close to 10 000km before a ugly glass cut unfortunately.

 

I swear by Gatorskins. I commute in all weather and hardly ever puncture (I sometimes don't even bother going around glass). I once bought a set of GP4000's and punctured on almost every ride so I went back to trusty Gatorskins even for racing (still have the GP4000's lying around pretty much new still). Not sure how much better the GP5000's will be compared to the GP4000's

[DJR]

I have Gatorskins on everything except GP 4000s on my lightest raciest bike. Don't know about GP 5000, but the GP 4000 gives a nicer ride and better roadholding than Gatorskins, especially tight cornering and it sticks better in the wet. I think the rubber compound is softer and wears faster than Gatorskins.  They are a bit lighter than Gatorskins, but I have not found them particularly puncture prone. GP 4000s are more expensive than Gatorskins by quite a bit.

 

From what you say about your priorities, I would say stick with Gartorskins, especially if you get the foldable type. They are lighter and easier to put on and remove when fixing a flat than the wire bead type (which you hopefully won't have to do). Also, get the larger volume 25mm (or even 28mm if it will fit in your frame). It will give a much nicer ride or rough surfaces and you will be able to run them at somewhat lower pressures, adding further to roadholding and comfort while not losing low rolling resistance.

[buchanan]

According to the very thorough and informative tire testing website - bicyclerollingresistance.com - GP5000's are slightly less puncture resistant than the GP4000's, despite what Continental claim. So for your needs Gatorskins definitely sound like they will suit you better.

[DJR]

https://granfondo-cycling.com/continental-gp-5000-test/

 

See this write-up on the GP5000 - They recon it is fantastic

[MDJ]

Loved my Gatorskins for ages after trying a number of different tires, I had very few punctures with them and they would last for months even being used on road and wheel on trainer. 

 

I moved to GP5000 Tubeless at the start of December and its been 2.5 months and over 2000 kms so far. The GP5000 TL is a noticeable improvement on Gatorskins, they have much better grip i.e noticeably shorter braking distance, better cornering in the dry and more so in the wet. Since  they are tubeless I run lower pressures and you notice that its a much smoother ride on bumpy roads.

 

The GP5000 does wear faster and I've got around 7 noticeable cuts in the tread after around 12 weeks, but I haven't had a flat thus far. I've pulled out a few bits of glass embedded, but unable to get through the vectran layer, a staple from last weekends' 99er and two pieces of fine wire today. Its the first tubeless setup I've tried that I'm getting to the point where I would recommend them to friends over Gatorskins. I'd like to give them at least 6 months though to confirm even though I know punctures are highly luck too . The one other negative is you need to top up the air pressure around every 4 days and the revo sealant seems to be clogging up my front value a bit.

 

My rims (Giant SLR carbon) are designed for tubeless though and have the hooks. I know you aren't asking about tubeless, but purely from the rubber side I'd say GP5000 is a noticeably faster rolling, better gripping - all round better tire, but higher wearing slightly more puncture prone. I would expect the normal version will probably get more surface cuts than a Gatorskin and probably only do around 5000kms. I didn't ever try GP4000's to compare.

 

The tubeless version though if it continues to hold up is going to be my go to tire. I use them for commuting, training, racing and wheel on trainer (they don't do well on the trainer, might need to a get a proper trainer tire).  Overall just on ride feel and puncture protection thus far I'm loving the GP5000 TL, excellent tire!

[bikebloke]

the GP500 are more expensive

 

they not rated as high for puncture protection as gators

 

you will get better mileage from gators

 

you didnt ask about speed so rolling resistance abviously isnt an issue

 

i think you better off with gators

 

that said..

 

..punctures are a lot more about luck on the road than puncture protection

[thisismyotherbike]

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/compare/continental-gatorskin-2015-vs-continental-grand-prix-5000-2018

 

Two very different applications.

 

For your riding I'd stick to Gatorskin.  There's a reason a large proportion of people riding the Cradle use Gatorskins.  If you ever get a set of racing wheels you can throw some fast tyres on those.

 

Edit:  Your rims are not tubeless ready.

Edited February 16, 2019 by thisismyotherbike

[Mamil]

I'm not sure about the 5000 but I took on a pair of 4000's a while back - great feeling ride and no punctures for 1800k but back one rolled itself square in that distance --- great racing tyre but for training and commuting - gators for sure.

 

Are the 5000s more durable than 4000

[Zub]

You cannot do a comparison between Gators and GP's. Gators are for riding, GP's are for racing.

 

It's like comparing a passenger tire for normal cars to a racing slick for track cars.

 

GP4000/5000 are the best tires to race with. Best feeling tires IMO, and also fast and confidence inspiring. They are the absolute worst to commute with, and for long training rides,in terms of durability and puncture resistance.

 

Like everyone else said, stick to gators. 25c foldable aren't so bad.

 

You will get 5 times the amount of mileage out of a gatorskin.

[Bitsy]

Thanks for all the comments guys!

 

I have decided that I will stick with the Gatorskin's  based on your advice. Also, I did Dischem R4S today and spotted numerous cyclists on the side of the road fixing punctures....glad I wasn't one of them- Gator's did their job:)

 

Btw does anyone clean the embedded glass from their tyres regularly. I found a couple of cuts in my tyres where the glass was embedded deep inside and some glass even rounded a little (guess it was there for some time).

[Zub]

Yes! I do this before every race and pull out at least 5 to 10 pieces of glass that got embedded from training rides.

 

It's usually these pieces of glass that works its way through and cause you to puncture in a race.

 

So yes, definitely worthwhile checking your tires regularly.