[tafkam]

Yes I did do some searching before posting this but I wanted to get some more opinions from people who have used one or both of these tires before I make a decision.

I am getting some new tires for my road bike (700x25) and need some advice. I am thinking about either the Gatorskin Hardshell or the Grand Prix 4 Season.

I ride mostly on side streets and bike paths and had issues with flats so I started using heavy duty puncture resistant tubes and that took care of the problem, but I am getting a new bike and want to use regular tubes again so I wanted a tire with good puncture resistance.

I don’t ride in bad weather and I mostly stick ride in the summer months when it is warm outside.

I would like a tire that lasts a long time, and I don’t do any racing or high speed riding, mostly at a moderate pace for longer distances (up to 30 mile or so per ride).

Which of the two (Gatorskin Hardshell and Grand Prix Season 4) would have better puncture resistance and which would have more durability as far as treadwear?

I see that the Grand Prix Season 4 has a bit more tread to it, versus the Gatorskin Hardshell is bald in the middle, but again I try not to ride in the rain or bad whether anyway so I guess that would not be a concern.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[HandsomeRyan]

IMHO gatorskins are way over rated. They are ridiculously tight on most rims so getting them on (and off in the event of a flat) is a huge pain. [Broke 1 plastic tire lever, bent a steel one, and I never could get them on with 'just my hands'] I never had trouble with flats through the tread but the sidewalls, to save weight, are made of a type of rubber that is about as durable as cooked pasta noodles. I got a hole in the sidewall large enough to require a boot and I'm not even sure what I hit to cause the damage because it was a casual ride on a local [well maintained] greenway.

Others seem to like them but for $40-50 there are a lot of other tires out there I'd look at. I ended up removing mine and giving them to a friend and replacing them with less expensive tires that I've been much happier with. YMMV but I'd look elsewhere.