I wanted to try tubeless for my Ritchey Zeta wheels, and I used these tires and the Orange sealant. To seat the tire you should use an air compressor or a CO2 cartridge. The tires were very easy to mount without tools, and easy to remove with a single tire lever. When the tire inflated first time, the seating was a bit lopsided, but after deflating and inflating a couple of times, the seating was perfect. You can also wipe the side of the tire near the bead with some soapy water to get it to mount easier. Schwalbe also sells an applicator for a fluid that will do the same thing. The proper seating issue is not the tire's problem. I have had the issue with other tires (tube or tubeless) with these Ritchey Zeta wheels. I would recommend this product to anyone wanting to try tubeless for first time. They are very light, easy rolling, and comfortable. I climbed Haleakala Crater Summit with these. I am running them at 70-80 psi, and it worked well. There is some slow leakage, so you should pump up the tires before each ride.
After trying Michilan's, Vittorio's, Specialized and various Conti road tires, I finally settled on the 4000S (23, 25) years ago as my go-to tire. When Conti came out with the 5000 chili's I tried them (25) and liked them! I typically ride between 3500-8000+ miles per year and that includes commute, pleasure, group, training, touring, and in the past some light racing. I also delivered Jimmy John's in downtown Indianapolis from 2012-2018 part-time on these tires (28 on my SS) as part of my quest to improve my sprinting. I mean, why not get paid to ride your bike, huh?? What I've found across the board is that these tires perform overall superior to any other brand racing/performance/endurance road tire I've ever used in the past. I've found the GP4000 and 5000 to be the perfect combination so far of durable, comfortable and performance qualities. Excellent sticky grip in cornering, reliable handling on dry, wet and even somewhat on snow, equally excellent on dirty city roads as on pristine clean roads, more comfortable on chip&seal and rattlebone roads. I usually get 3000+ miles out of a set, more if I rotate tires every few of months and actively avoid glass if possible, and bad sections of road. Nowadays most of my riding is training for my annual, multiday touring of back to back century days in the saddle, which can always include unplanned surprises in road surfaces, reroutes and detours. (I plan the routes based on where I'd like to ride and Google maps/Map-My-Ride. I do not use a touring service. I like the adventure! And I prefer a carbon road bike (coz, you know, we like to get there without taking the whole day, lol!) a lightweight backpack and a credit card for these tours - 8 under my belt now!) I always put on a new set of tires the day before Bikecation and roll without worry over what unexpected surprises the road throws at us! I find these tires to do very well, rarely flatting until pretty well worn, and getting noticeably table-topped. Only once ever have I had a sidewall blowout, and that was on an aged tire and my own, awkward-moment fault. Again, rotating the tires periodically helps them last longer than if you don't. These tires have proven to be worth the money to me, especially when i can find a great deal on pricing. But I have paid - and will pay - the $70+ normal RV if I need the tires and can't find a deal at the time, with zero regrets. Although now I stock up ahead of time when I find them on sale. And that's my review! Good riding and happy trails to you!
I've been riding Gatorskins for about 5 years now. They are my "go to" tire. Let me say, I don't race. These are the best tires for daily riding, group rides and touring! I generally ride 4 days a week, 25 to 60 miles. I hate flats! While they do weigh a bit more the light weight tires, i'll take that any day or getting a flat! In our area we have a lot of "chip seal" roads and other road debris especially during and just after winter, these take it all in stride! Most riders in our group are using these as well! They are tough to put on.
I'd been using tubeless for some years - great on the long country road rides, but getting to some rides through Portland often takes one through glass. Pinpoint punctures on tubeless are no problem, but a 1cm slash is devastating. And expensive. I decided to go back to using tubes and giving up the smooth ride on tubeless, but with the 30c Vittoria I could run lower pressure, get the ride smoothness, the cornering, and on-the-road reparability. The rubber is super grippy, reliable on rain or rotting leaves. The high thread count casing is quite apparent, providing a supple feel during high speed cornering.
