ContinentalGatorskin Black Edition 700c Road Tire(Return to Product Page)

The Gatorskin, black edition tires have been a great choice for my road riding. I typically get around 6000 miles out of a set with very few flats.

When I initially mounted the Black Edition Gators on some DT SWISS R460 rims, it was a little tough and required pretty good torque on my levers. After about a month of riding on them, I noticed the directional arrow on the side of the tire was wrong. So here was a good opportunity to correct it and see if the tires had stretched out a bit. Too my surprise, they had definitely loosened up. Now they are not only very easy to get off the rim with my wimpy levers, but I can get them back on with bare hands ! ( Just start putting the 2nd bead of the tire on the rim at 180' opposite of the valve stem and finish at the valve stem).

I have them on my rain bike and they handle very well on Portland's leaf-slop streets.

As a guy who is a daily commuter in a busy growing city I love Gatorskins. I have gone years with the tires and had only 1 or 2 punctures ever. They are completely worth it. The one thing I would warn people about it be ready to fight these to be successfully installed. So install these on a hot day or using a hair dryer so loosen these up and make them more workable.

I have run Continental tires on my bikes for over 30 years of racing & training.

Gatorskins are outstanding for training. The hard shells were good but didn't allow for the road feel the Gatorskins still allow with excellent puncture protection

I've used these at the advice of a fellow bicyclist. They last far longer than less expensive tires and save money ultimately in more rides enjoyed and less replacement tires needing to be purchased.

I live in an area with a lot of road debris. I found using a Gatorskin on my rear wheel significantly cuts down on flats. It is pair with a thick brutal tube and I really can't tell any difference in rolling resistance for those fast group rides or riding solo. I don't race with it but I prefer the 5000 for that.

I've run original gatorskins for years as I do a combination of 40m commutes and long weekend rides. Biggest complaint with originals was sidewalls unraveling before tread wore out. Black edition seems to address that issue, at least has no visible mesh on sidewalls like original.

Beyond that, with about 1K miles, wear is great and ride is about the same (overall good). Seems the tread is less sticky, but just my visual impression - no issues with loss of traction.

I do a lot of solo riding long distance, and the most debilitating thing about any ride is a mechanical or a puncture. The Gatorskin Blacks are trusted and tested to deliver me to the end goal every time. I've been riding about 1600k a month lately, so I do keep an eye on the road mileage. When the front tire gets a flat, that's when I know it's time to change them out before I do another century. I buy them in advance, so I always have a back up pair or two on hand. Note: Yes - they are heavier than racing tires, but the time I lose in climbing speed, I make up for, by not having to stop for a puncture. So if you change terrain over the course of one ride: glass, gravel, poor road quality, sand, pine needles, city garbage, etc... and you hate to change out a flat (ladies?) This tire is for you. The regular yellow sidewall Gators are also as durable, but the blacks are prettier. ;)

Solid, dependable and great pricing. Have been using this type tires in all my bikes. Long lasting in Arizona heat.

Solid, dependable and great pricing. Have been using this type tires in all my bikes. Long lasting in Arizona heat.

These are my go to winter tires for riding in Colorado. The local county here puts gravelsand down over the winters that will shred most other tires. But the Gatorskins stand up and I can normally get 2 winters out of a set, or about 2,500 miles. This year I've kept them on for the summer and have been taking them on gravel roads and dirt, without any puncture issues. I hope they keep making the black limited edition because they look so much better than the standard gator skins. I'm also 6'4 and 195 lbs so I'm on the heavier end of things.

There is a reason they are called gatorskin. They just don't go flat. Always dependable and wear very well. I have been using these for years.

Easy to put on using EZ clincher tool

2 wear dots make it very easy to know when to replace worn out tires

I have had 2 Gatorskin road tires (25 x 700) get sidewall punctures recently. The primary tread has great wear resistance but wow are the sidewalls weak. They need to wrap the primary tread material around the tire a bit (1/4"- 3/8"?). Folks I ride with have had similar issues

On my second or third pair. These are tough tires. I ride 40 miles a day on city streets and hardly ever find glass in these tires.

I've been using Gator skins on my tandem with very good success. I prefer the wire bead for easier tire changing. I bought some foldable tires to go in the bag for spares.

I have been using Gatorskin tires for several years now because they seem to hold up well against punctures, tears and flats. I don't particularly care for the Gold and Brown accents on the regular models. The black edition is the best of both worlds for me. The tire I prefer in the color I prefer.

I just installed a new set of Gatorskins today.

The set that wore out was the Gatorskin Black Edition. That was my first time using the Black Edition.

I got 7,784 miles out of the old set. This is significantly higher than the 6,500 to 6,900 miles that I get out of the standard Gatorskins.

Got tired of punctures in my previous road tires, so figured I'd switch to these. Are they as light, zippy, and responsive? Well, no. But they're more than adequate for the sort of riding I do. And they're virtually bombproof. I no longer spend every ride wondering, in the back of my head, whether I'll have to stop and repair a flat.

Always use Gatorskin, I get the most mileage and very few flats