ContinentalGator Hardshell 700c Road Tire (Wire Bead)(Return to Product Page)

Riding on Gator Hardshell tires...

I like to ride on all kind of surfaces without to much worry of puncture. For three riding seasons I have been running the tires on my bike and my wife's bike. We ride three to four times a week and we do a number of centuries each year.

The tires roll well enough that I can easily keep up with many pace-lines. And I continue to build confidence in the tires each time I am passing another rider with a puncture.

I do my best to wear-out a set of tires in one riding season (rotating fore and aft for even wear), to avoiding watching the tires dry-out during our non-riding winter months in Utah. Drying out, cracking and the fraying side-wall-strings are my only complaints - the tires do seem to age quickly.

However, I have no problem buying another set of Gatorskins in the near future.

Have been riding these a couple of months now on rough country roads (lots of goat heads), through parts of LA (ie. crappy roads), and a century on the central coast without any flats or other problems.

They feel harder than my previous tires, which were Specialized Roubaix Pros, and run them at less pressure than those. The Speci's I ran at 110, and the Conti's at 105. These have less tread than the Roubaix, but I don't feel the difference. However, on downhills along my normal route, my GPS has showed a 2mph gain in speed consistently. Nothing scientific there, but found it interesting as usually ride the downhill with the same perceived effort.

I bought them as they were on sale and read a lot of positive reviews. Been happy with them as well!

Bought pair for my wife's bike and a pair for my bike . First ride 15 miles out and a big fat flat ! Yep a shard of glass got my rear gator . Have put about 250 miles since the first flat and all seems good.

I ride double centuries and can't afford to lose time to flats . I see some people on these rides getting multiple flats 5 to eight a ride sometimes . All I can say is I rarely get a flat but avoiding the trash & glass on the road helps . I have ridden close to 4000 miles on these tires without a flat many times .

This is a tire that I can count on to give me a worry free ride. Riding the central coast of California, Cayucos to San Luis Obispo and nearby road on find a lot of different road conditions, these tires handle them all.

I ride on some pretty bad roads and these tires hold very good compared to other hard case tires I have tried.

I have read a lot of complimentary comments on this site about the Gator Hardshell tires and I am thank full to all. However I noticed to my disappointment that all the comments except one do not mention the performance of the tire as a function of its inflation pressure which is fundamental. A tire which is inflated at its recommended pressure will suffer different behavior against puncture than a tire which is inflated at its maximum, just as a tire at its maximum inflation will ride faster (easier) than one which is inflated at its recommended pressure which is lower. Of course there is a tendency to use the maximum pressure to improve functional performance and thus it would be very useful if posted comments also offer the pressure in their judgement. Thank you.

I should have taken heed of previous reviews emphasizing that these hardshells are impossible to mount. I assumed that the reviewers simply didn't have enough experience in changing hardshell cases...wrong assumption. I have been an avid road cyclist for 20+ years and have changed hundreds of tire tubes, and these Continental Gator Hardshell 700c road tires are the worst I have ever encountered. I broke 4 tire levers and ruined 3 tubes trying to mount these; they clearly were not worth the discounted price that I paid for them. And no, I am not riding on them...they went in the trash.

I have used the Gatorskin tires for the past year and thought I would get even more flat protection from the Hardshells. The Hardshells don't seem much heavier than the Gatorskins, at least that I have noticed while riding. They ride well going straight, but I'm not entirely comfortable with their cornering. Then, after only six rides, I was victimized by a goat head. Surprised that I got a flat.

Long wearing and puncture resistant. Ideal for training.

I have rotated through a lot of Hardshells and UltraGatorSkins, and get just about the same amount of miles out of each. Not killer for wet conditions and does not corner all that well, but will stand up to glass and debris very well. It can be defeated by radial tire wire and goats heads if they are not spotted and removed. I can usually get between 3-5k miles out of a set. The sidewalls are subject to wear and will look ratty after awhile, but I've not know them to cause any problems. Side punctures have ruined a couple of the tires, but I've gotten home by inserting an emergency plastic patch to the inside of the tire. When you start getting flats its an indication that the tire has had it, also if the cord is showing. Pick these up when they go on sale, your riding buddies will start doing the same...

I'm not a racer so the lack of grip that others have mentioned has not been an issue so far

Using the tire for daily commuting tofrom work. I purchased the 28mm so it would be a little softer and hopefully tougher with rough roads and potholes. I think that paid off. These are comfy to ride and feel great. They're not light but I got them hoping that they were tough against puncures and mostly glass. So far they are functioning well after 6-8 con mutes.

Best tire I have ever had. I have 2500 miles on the set I'm running now and I probably will get at least another 1000 miles. Plus I ride on a lot of bad roads and I have only had 2 or 3 flats.

Tires are working good. No flats yet after about 500 miles.

Very good tire for road cycling. I get anywhere from 3500 to 4000 miles on these tires. No flats.

I use hardshell exclusively these days for 1 primary reason, a lot less punctures. Around central MA many of the roads get beaten up with the winter snow and plowing. There's also lots of wood splinters and sharp things on the road. With other tires, I used to get 4-5 punctures each season, which really sucks. It especially sucks on a group ride. Even when I roll over broken glass and the tire gets a nasty cut it's fine. The only time I've had to change hardshell is when the tread wears out. Whereas lighter tires I've had major gashes that destroyed the tire.

I love these tires, they hold up well and resist puncture. I'm glad Continental finally put some thread gauges in a couple locations so you know when it's time to replace, instead of seeing threads!

I think these will be the only tires I will ride on, they're that good.

Gatorskins have become my favorite tire. I have over two thousand miles on them and they really don't show much wear. They're easy to mount, handle all road conditions.

Great grip for a bullet proof tire! Did a ride in the rain the other day with some steep descents and I never locked the back tire once. Even when I tried to!