Need information on Continental Gatorskin.

[Pat Lamb]

Here's the other bit of news, according to the Bicycle Rolling Resistance site; the Conti Gatorskin weight is only 255 grams for the 32 size, but it's rolling resistance is at 26.2 watts at 60 psi (the watts usage goes up as the PSI goes up, and it's puncture resistance rating is a 18 on the tread and a 7 on the sidewall, with a tread thickness of 3.2 mm.  Compare that to a Schwalbe Marathon Supreme that weighs 380 grams for a 32, rolling resistance is 19.1 watts, puncture rating is 75 and 3, tread is 5.0 mm.  So all around except for weight which it makes up for with lowering rolling resistance the Marathon Supreme is better to use just from stats alone.

I'm not sure about your assertions that the power required goes up as the pressure increases.  I normally run 32s (including Gatorskins) around 85 psi, and I can feel the extra work it takes to push the bike down the road at 70 psi.    At 60 psi, it feels like I've got a flat.

I last tried a Marathon (something or other) a while back.  When I replaced that (finally!) worn out tire, it felt like I was riding a different bike.  That was one of the only two times I can remember changing a tire made such a difference in rolling resistance.

So while I'm not NIST calibrated, your assertions and test results certainly don't jive with my experience.

[froze]

It's not my assertions, it's these peoples assertions: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews

[froze]

Just how much pressure do you think a 23c tire should should be using carrying 250 pound load?  If you think the 160 psi is too high then lower it to what for chip and seal?  down to the tires max psi of say 110?  Do you realize that's a 50 psi drop in pressure?  Even if the calculator is off, which it isn't because it's based on the true and tried 15% deflection, but let's assume it's off, how far off do you think it is?  Let's say it's off by 15 psi, that means the tire should be at 145, reduce that by 20 for chip and seal, and your still 15 psi over what most tires max levels are.

This is why I was suggesting that he use a 25c tire.

Your confusing lower pressure with chip and seal vs max psi according to load.  Yes you should be running a bit less on chip and seal, but carrying 250 pounds on a 23c tire you cannot reduce the psi down to the tires max psi level of say 110 which is what most tires max levels are, that's a 40 psi drop, you'll run into a lot snake bites and excessive wear, even IF you rule out snake bites you will incur more flats at lower psi, not only that stuff but lower psi damages the sidewalls.

[staehpj1]

Just how much pressure do you think a 23c tire should should be using carrying 250 pound load?  If you think the 160 psi is too high then lower it to what for chip and seal?  down to the tires max psi of say 110?  Do you realize that's a 50 psi drop in pressure?  Even if the calculator is off, which it isn't because it's based on the true and tried 15% deflection, but let's assume it's off, how far off do you think it is?  Let's say it's off by 15 psi, that means the tire should be at 145, reduce that by 20 for chip and seal, and your still 15 psi over what most tires max levels are.

This is why I was suggesting that he use a 25c tire.

Your confusing lower pressure with chip and seal vs max psi according to load.  Yes you should be running a bit less on chip and seal, but carrying 250 pounds on a 23c tire you cannot reduce the psi down to the tires max psi level of say 110 which is what most tires max levels are, that's a 40 psi drop, you'll run into a lot snake bites and excessive wear, even IF you rule out snake bites you will incur more flats at lower psi, not only that stuff but lower psi damages the sidewalls.

Sorry, but I can't address too many specifics of what I ran on the trip.  It was 9 years ago and I do not recall exactly what I weighed or what pressure I ran so I can only speak in general.  I can say I ran 23mm for a large portion of the Southern tier (2000 miles?) including all of the worst road conditions.  I can say that I probably weighed somewhere around 200# (+/- 10#?) and probably lost 10# during the trip, carried a base gear weight of 14#, rode a bike that weighed about 24#, and at times carried a lot of water for a short time.  I do not recall what pressures I ran, but while I don't worry much about listed max pressures I probably didn't grossly exceed them.  Even if I remembered them they would be from the gauge on a mini pump so probably not accurate.  I don't recall what pump I had along on that trip in some cases I use a pump where the drill is just to pump to the max that I can achieve with the pump.  I had zero pinch flats despite riding on some pretty broken up surfaces at times.  I recall one long stretch that was absolutely brutal that on hind sight we wished we had taken the alternate option that was recommended.  I didn't have an especially high number of flats, but did have a few goat head thorns and a few tire wires.

FWIW, decades ago I rode the same bike quite a few tens of thousands of miles when I weighed enough that the total weight was probably at about the same weight with no gear and don't think there was ever a pinch flat or a problem with excessive flats. 

[Ty0604]

I love my GatorSkins!

On my 2016 tour I made it from Portland (Oregon) to Minneapolis before I had to change my front tire; 2,480 miles according to my journal. My rear tire needed to be changed in western Connecticut (~4,900 miles) but no shop around had my size so I booted it and made it to Boston (5,013 miles) before I changed it.

In 2018 on Route 66 I never changed my front tire (my trip ended in San Diego so did about 2,300 miles) but I changed my rear tire in Ludlow, California; ~2,000 miles into the trip.

The biggest difference was having zero flats in 5,400 miles in 2016 and 8 flats in 2,300 miles in 2018. The only interstate riding I did in 2016 was I-90 across much of South Dakota. It's much cleaner than the ~400 miles of I-40 I rode in 2018.

I'll probably never use any other tires though.