Continental Gator Hardshell Folding Bike Tire - Puncture Protection Replacement Road/Commuter Tire (23c, 25c, 28c, 32c)

Update at bottom of review!Ok here is my preliminary review. I will update this at a later time after I get some real miles on them.These tires have a good word of mouth about being possibly the best commuter tires available. Commuting to work makes it so a flat tire could make you late. My coworker who commutes with me only uses these on his road bike. He does not know how to change a bike tire and he carries no spare tube or pump with him. In the 2 years we have been commuting I have had several flats and he has not had one. His experience with these tires is pretty incredible. I was riding for 2 years on a Specialized Hardrock mountain bike. It had tires with Flak Protection. I still got some flats from nails, staples and even glass.I just bought a Specialized Diverge road bike. This bike came with 700x30 Espoir Sport tires. These tire are terrible. In 1 month I had 3 flats. All from glass! Little tiny pieces of glass. The worst part is after removing the glass, the hole that it made spreads each day I look at it. It's only a matter of time before the hole spreads and either lets in water and debris or even makes the tire fail.So step in Continental Hardshells. And now my review starts.I ordered them with Prime. They came in 2 days. 5 Stars for Ordering and delivery.They came well packed in the correct original box complete with instructions. 5 Stars.They are the foldable version in 700x32. Now these are larger than the OEM 700x30 Espoirs. But since they are the foldable version they weigh less than the Espoirs! When you make a spinning part lighter you are making acceleration quicker! So even though they are wider and increase rolling resistance, they more than make up for it with the weight savings! 5 Stars on weight!I think they look great. They have a slick look to them as there is no tread in the dead center, but there are some spaced treads on the outer area towards the sides. I think the wording on them looks cool and it matches the yellow Specialized decal on the bike. 5 Stars for looks.I had read that some people had a hard time mounting them. I did not have this. I did not even have to use tire levers. I just sort of rolled them on by hand. And the seated just fine as I pumped them up slowly while checking for pinching the tube. 5 Stars for mounting.I have had a chest cold since I bought them so I have not been able to get out and ride. :(But I did take them for a quick 5 minute spin. And they did not feel any slower than my old tires. I didn't expect them too with the lighter weight. I did some acceleration runs and some corners at speed. They felt good. And since these are 32s and my other tires were 30s, they soaked up bumps much better. 5 Stars for initial road test.So in the end I have a tire much better suited for me. It should help keep me from getting flats while riding to work. They seem the same speed as my other tires and should be quicker to accelerate since they are lighter. They are a bit wider so they soak up bumps and a rough ride. And since I use panniers to carry my work stuff the added width also helps with the load.If these things really live up to the no flats, then I will be completely elated.Ok I finally got to ride on these tires. The first ride was a 10 mile ride. The tires seem just as fast as the ones they replaced.The first time I used them to commute to work. Bam within 1 mile of my house I got a flat. Roof nail. I changed it and made it to work. On the ride home it was fine.The next day I was riding to work. Bam. Another flat. This time 2 nails were in it! There is a stretch of road where someone must of lost a lot of nails. Well I pulled out the nails and changed the tube. I get a half mile further and Bam another flat! I called it quits and had my girlfriend pick me up.I'm in shock that I could have more flats with this tire in 2 days than I did with my other tires. 2 days, 4 nails and 3 flats.I am taking two stars away for the rating. Now these nails would flatten any tire including a car. But these tires are expensive and are supposed to prevent this. So I am taking away two stars. I have to buy a new tire because this one in 3 days has 4 holes in it.I am calling the city to complain that this stretch of highway needs to be cleaned with a street sweeper.So do not think these tires are full proof. I know bad luck and a unusually high number of nails in this area are mostly to blame. But 3 flats in 2 days is terrible.I have changed it back to 5 stars. Here's why. I went back to the area where I was getting flats. I was in awe. There were hundreds of not thousands of nails in the margin of the road! They were rusted and had the same color as the road. Plus the fact that I ride in, in the morning while it is still dark outside. I could not see them. But there were a lot of nails over a several hundred yard stretch! The fact that I only had 4 nails in the tire is shocking.I called the city to come clean up this mess. And they have yet to do it, so I swept the area myself with a broom. I have added a picture of the nails I had to ride through. For me to only have had the three flats by 4 nails is testament to how tough these tires are.Upon closer examination I can see on my tires were nails left marks and indentations but did not go through. And the holes in the tires are not getting larger, I check on them before every ride now.

You can never go wrong with the Gater skins. I've used these for years and have never had any problems. Very durable, pricey, but worth it on those long bike rides.

Had suffered numerous flats on Texas roads from May thru August. Went thru 3 sets of tires in less than 750 miles. Bought these in 700C x 32, up from a 28 to lower pressure on the hard shell tire to help with soften the ride of the hard shells. I’ve logged over 1,000 miles on these without issue. Running 85-90psi and tire has range of 85-102psi. Ride is firm but not overly harsh so I think going a little wider was the right call. I’ve inadvertently had them on dirt, grass & gravel and they came out unscathed. People in cars making right turns are quite rude and have run me off the pavement on numerous occasions. I can’t say I notice much, if any, wear. I expect I should get another 1,000 miles out of them. And I’m no lightweight so they are holding up well. Tires almost seem puncture proof; impervious to the unavoidable glass shards on roads. Very pleased with them.

The Greatest Of All Tires just got even better with the Hardshell edition. Never Flat again!

Always liked these tires. Work well and hold up.

I wanted to replace the thin and flat-prone el cheapo tires that my Trek bike came with in order to get better protection from flats. A lot of internet research led me to Gatorskins as some of the best out there for what I wanted, but I read over and over that they were very hard to install. All I can say is that these come in "wire bead" type and "folding" type, and it must be the wire bead type people have trouble with as these folding ones were ridiculously easy to install. I am new to bikes but have changed many a motorcycle tire in my time, and they can be very difficult. This tire was child's play. I used no tools, just slipped them on by hand. Don't be afraid to get these because of people saying they are hard to mount. Maybe the wire bead models are, but these are certainly not. Note that I used zip ties to hold the tire for me as I went around, as I only have 2 hands and din;t want to draft my wife into helping me. As I got a section in place, I zip tied it and then went down another 1/3 of the circumference, putting the tire into the rim, then zip tied again. Continue that another time or two and there is nothing to it. Check Youtube for videos of how to use zip ties to assist when mounting, that's where I got the idea.

Gatorskins never disappoint. Still riding these 02/25/2025 with hundreds of miles on them. Over 2k at this point. I was getting a flat ever week or 2 with the tires that came on my bike. I haven't had a single flat since getting these. I love them.

These tires seem to ride more smoothly than previous tires. Seem very well constructed. Have only gone a couple hundred miles. No problem. The negative is that they were hard to fit on the rim. In the end I had to use a lever to get the last inches on. The lever made it easier.