# I'm tired of flats!! Michelin Endurance or Conti Gatorskins?



## BigPoser (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm killin it today on the bike, then I almost kill myself coming down a hill due to a flat on my front tire. So I get it fixed, and notice that my back tire is also flat. Crap. I get the back fixed and as I'm riding, look down and notice the back is going flat again. Unfortunately I didn't have any more CO2. Crap. The wife came and picked me up. 

I'm over this crap. Which tires are the better of the two? The Endurance Pro 4 or the Conti Gatorskins? I've heard that the Conti's roll like poo. 

What about tubeless?

What are your thoughts? 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Tunnelrat81 (Mar 18, 2007)

They are both good tires, but don't expect either one of them to be 'bombproof.' I rarely get flats, but I also wipe my tires down frequently, especially after just riding through road debris, and I run lower pressures (85/95) on my 23mm tires on wide rims.

I rode the Krylion Carbons for years, then switched to Gatorskins for a while, and I'm sort of considering going back due to the side-wall fuzz that kept bothering me with the gatorskins. No problem with ride quality or traction with either one (mostly dry riding though), just never at full 116-120 psi. Before lowering my overall pressure, I used to get flats AND tire damage far more frequently.

-Jeremy


----------



## tlg (May 11, 2011)

BigPoser said:


> What are your thoughts?


I think you should diagnose the cause of your flats first. If they're pinch flats, new tires won't help. If it's a spoke hole/nipple/bad rim tape causing the flat, new tires won't help.


----------



## LC (Jan 28, 2004)

First get a pump and you will have all the free air you need. 

Tubeless tires only help with pinch flats.

I use both the Gatorskins and Endurance and they are quite different. Gatorskin is tougher to cut and wears much better, but has poor grip...especially on wet roads. They ride slightly stiffer then the endurance. 

The endurance are a little tougher then the Pro 4 but still tend to get cut up easy on the surface however they usually survive the cut long enough to get home and pick out the glass without getting though to the tube. I think it would be dependent on your local road conditions to which one you choose. If you got a lot of tight S-turns down hill sections you like to bomb down then the cornering grip of the Endurance is beneficial.


----------



## echo7 (Sep 7, 2010)

just dont get the michelin service course.. weak sidewalls....


----------



## valleycyclist (Nov 1, 2009)

I agree with the poor grip with Gatorskins on wet roads. I would stay away from them if you ride on wet roads. But they are great on dry roads, last a long time, and are hard to puncture.


----------



## BigPoser (Jan 11, 2013)

echo7 said:


> just dont get the michelin service course.. weak sidewalls....


No worries, what I'm looking at is actually the Pro 4 Endurance.


----------



## BigPoser (Jan 11, 2013)

valleycyclist said:


> I agree with the poor grip with Gatorskins on wet roads. I would stay away from them if you ride on wet roads. But they are great on dry roads, last a long time, and are hard to puncture.


It hardly rains here, but if if did, riding in the rain doesn't seem that fun to me at all.


----------



## mattotoole (Jan 3, 2008)

Either tire is a great compromise between toughness and smoothness/speed, which is why they're both so popular.

If you're getting _pinch_ flats, try going bigger -- 28mm or more -- as big as you can fit in your frame.


----------



## bombertodd (Jan 23, 2012)

How much do you weigh? Are your flats from pinch flats, thorns, or debris?


----------



## BigPoser (Jan 11, 2013)

bombertodd said:


> How much do you weigh? Are your flats from pinch flats, thorns, or debris?


I'm 177lbs and all of my flats are from goat heads; multiple goat heads this morning.


----------



## bombertodd (Jan 23, 2012)

I live and ride in the High Desert (Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley) and we have seasonal goat heads. I also have ridden a good amount in Albuquerque which has its fair share of goat heads too. Unfortunately I've found no tire to be safe from big goat heads (even gatorskins). My best advice is stock up on tubes and CO2 and try to notice which areas that goat heads are more common. In my area they are much more common around houses with weeds near the street and no curbs. I've a good amount of streets that never seem to have goat heads and try to ride these most often. 

You can buy bulk boxes of CO2 which come out to about $1 a cartridge and buying tubes in bulk has saved me some money in the long run. I run michelin A1 tubes that I buy for about $3 a tube. 


I would recommend the Michelin tire because my Pro 4 service course was great and the gator skins were probably the worst tire I've ridden (harsh and poor grip). I can't imagine the Pro 4 endurance being worse than the Gatorskin. 

I do have a friend that has a set of 6700 ultegra wheels with Hutchinson Fusion tires and she likes them. She uses stans sealant and said that most thorns and debris sealed quickly but she did lose a good amount of pressure which required CO2 or a pump to bring it back to a good pressure. 

Good luck!


----------



## BigPoser (Jan 11, 2013)

bombertodd said:


> I do have a friend that has a set of 6700 ultegra wheels with Hutchinson Fusion tires and she likes them. She uses stans sealant and said that most thorns and debris sealed quickly but she did lose a good amount of pressure which required CO2 or a pump to bring it back to a good pressure.
> 
> Good luck!


Is your friend running tubeless?


----------



## gray8110 (Dec 11, 2001)

BigPoser said:


> It hardly rains here, but if if did, riding in the rain doesn't seem that fun to me at all.


Riding in the rain is tons of fun ... it's dealing with your filthy bike and getting out of your soaked cycling clothes that isn't much fun 

If your flats are mostly coming from goatheads and you're riding on dry roads I'd go with Gatorskins, you'll get solid mileage out of them and they'll be better at avoiding puntures. Also make absolutely certain that you inspect the tire thoroughly after changing a flat. When flats come in bunches on the same tire, it's almost certain there's something stuck in the tire.


----------



## bombertodd (Jan 23, 2012)

Yes. She still does carry tubes in case she gets a flat that Stan's doesn't seal.


----------



## skinewmexico (Apr 19, 2010)

Get a pump. Then buy tubes with removable valves, and put sealant in them. I haven't had a flat on my 'cross bike since I did that, and I'm hitting mesquite thorns on occasion.


----------



## Stumpjumper FSR (Aug 6, 2006)

echo7 said:


> just dont get the michelin service course.. weak sidewalls....


I've been using Pro 4 Service Course for 2 years now with ZERO problems.
Its a great tire...never heard of any problems with the sidewalls


----------



## dracula (Mar 9, 2010)

BigPoser said:


> I'm killin it today on the bike, then I almost kill myself coming down a hill due to a flat on my front tire. So I get it fixed, and notice that my back tire is also flat. Crap. I get the back fixed and as I'm riding, look down and notice the back is going flat again. Unfortunately I didn't have any more CO2. Crap. The wife came and picked me up.
> 
> I'm over this crap. Which tires are the better of the two? The Endurance Pro 4 or the Conti Gatorskins? I've heard that the Conti's roll like poo.
> 
> ...


The Endurance is a 22mm tyre (prior Krylions were larger).


----------



## bwbishop (Sep 17, 2011)

I used Gatorskins in goat head territory and they worked great. I still run them now that I've moved and have no complaints.


----------



## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

It's amazing how many cyclists I meet on the road who have used their CO2 and are SOL on the side of the road. My Topeak Micro Rocket pump weighs 55 grams and has yet to let me down. I carry a spare tube and a patch kit, except for when I ride tubulars.

The best compromise I've found for road flats is Continental 4 Seasons. Sadly they have become very expensive so I've also switched to Gatorskins, which definitely have a harsher ride.


----------



## samh (May 5, 2004)

Are you talking about their 23mm or 25mm versions? How wide is 25mm version?


----------



## valleycyclist (Nov 1, 2009)

Another tire you may want to consider is the Panaracer Race Type D. I have not used them as much as Michelin Krylions or Continental Gatorskins, but I have been happy with them. In terms of grip, I noticed a big improvement compared to Gatorskins, especially on wet roads. As far as the one set of these tires go which is all I have experience with so far, I have not had any flats in over 3500 miles of riding, and that includes riding in the rain on mountain roads, and also commuting miles with occasionally running over glass.

As already mentioned, you should inspect your tires to make sure there is nothing embedded in the rubber which may give you a flat in the future. It also doesn't hurt to touch them with a gloved hand after rolling over anything that can possibly cause a flat (be careful with your fingers when doing this).


----------



## Tunnelrat81 (Mar 18, 2007)

valleycyclist said:


> Another tire you may want to consider is the Panaracer Race Type D. I have not used them as much as Michelin Krylions or Continental Gatorskins, but I have been happy with them. In terms of grip, I noticed a big improvement compared to Gatorskins, especially on wet roads. As far as the one set of these tires go which is all I have experience with so far, I have not had any flats in over 3500 miles of riding, and that includes riding in the rain on mountain roads, and also commuting miles with occasionally running over glass.
> 
> As already mentioned, you should inspect your tires to make sure there is nothing embedded in the rubber which may give you a flat in the future. It also doesn't hurt to touch them with a gloved hand after rolling over anything that can possibly cause a flat (be careful with your fingers when doing this).


My last pair was a set of these, front and rear. I was really happy with their grip, handling and overall performance, but they didn't last very long at all. I ride on mostly dry roads, a bit of occasional fire-road type riding, but the rear tire wore straight through to the cords in fewer miles than I was expecting. When I noticed the wear on the rear tire, I inspected the front more closely and found a flap of rubber that had come off of the sidewall. Neither tire was suitable for riding, so I tossed them both and replaced with another brand. 

Great performance, grip, feel, handling etc....just not as much longevity as I'd hoped.

-Jeremy


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

I always have to suggest the Maxxis Refuse for bullet proof tires. Handle ok. But they are extremely durable.


----------



## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

Conti Grand Prix 4-seasons. A great tire at sits in between the Grand Prix 4000s & the Gatorskins.


----------



## Social Climber (Jan 16, 2013)

I have a set of Specialized Armadillo All Condition Elite tires on my beater bike. They are about as bulletproof as a tire can get. Of course they ride they are made out of lead, but if you want clinchers and your only concern is avoiding flats then these are the tires to get.


----------



## Bail_Monkey (May 19, 2008)

I rode the Gatorskins on my first RB last year and they were great, probably one of the best tires for puncture resistance. Currently running Conti GP4000s, but have received a few flats with those..


----------



## BigPoser (Jan 11, 2013)

I'm certainly not expecting to get some flats, but I need better protection than I was getting. I'll be ordering my new wheels soon and would like to have a great tire, that has puncture protection, while maintaining a nice plush ride in dry conditions.


----------



## MiltonC (Aug 15, 2013)

If you don't mind the additional weight tire liners work great. I have ridden thousands of miles without a flat. Goatheads, glass, and debris on the shoulder. I use Tuffy which add a fair amount of weight, but my LBS has some extremely light ones of Kevlar. I haven't tried them.


----------



## The Moontrane (Nov 28, 2005)

Schwalbe Duranos.

Get a pump (I have a frame pump). I reserve the CO2 for organized rides.


----------



## The Moontrane (Nov 28, 2005)

The Duranos are now available in 28mm for $36 from PBK.


----------



## bcwall (Nov 20, 2011)

I bought 2 sets of the Pro 4 Endurance this spring. Cut the sidewall on one after a couple hundred miles. Around a 1500 miles started getting multiple flats on rides. After a blow out 50 miles from home I didn't even bother mounting up the last one. I don't know if I had bad luck with these tires or what but will not buy them again.

I replaced them with Gatorskins. Got a 1000 miles on them and one flat so far. They do ride harsher than the Pro 4's but I feel they have broken in and rider better now than when they were new. I will take the harsher ride any day over changing a flat on the side of the hi-way.


----------



## purdyd (Jun 18, 2010)

Tubeless with sealant worked really well with thorns


----------

