Conti Gatorskin sidewall issue

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Brucey
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Re: Conti Gatorskin sidewall issue

Post by Brucey »

interestedcp wrote:
Brucey wrote:However if there are intact fabric layers beneath the mesh, how is it that a damaged Gatorskin tyre usually herniates as in the photo I posted earlier? I note with interest that they generally don't do this right away, it usually takes a while, but in my book any tyre with lumps sticking out the side has failed big time, regardless of the theoretical tyre construction.


I think the Duraskin mesh damage is a secondary effect of what caused the sidewall damage.

.


could be.... but it is a little chicken and egg-ish; it may be that the internal carcass, once damaged, then causes the mesh to be damaged locally because it suddenly sees a lot more strain. I've seen tyres where the mesh was coming away wholesale, but in other cases even one broken thread in the mesh sidewall can be the first sign the the tyre (in the absence of patching internally) is on the way out.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
iainb
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Re: Conti Gatorskin sidewall issue

Post by iainb »

Hi folks

Thanks for the input, guess I'd better bin it to be on the safe side. Bit strange though as the tyre hasn't been cut or caught on anything and the other one of the pair is fine!

Regards

Iain
David2504
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Gatorskin Tyres

Post by David2504 »

Hi, out this morning and I noticed the brownish coloured fabric on one side of my front gatorskin was coming loose. I’m not sure whether the brown fabric effects the integrity of the tyre or whether it’s just decorative. Only occurred on left hand side. In the first instance I’ve tried applying some glue to secure it. Any advice as to whether I should fit a new tyre (it’s been on a good while) gratefully received
David2504
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by David2504 »

A photo of the tyre showing the brownish fabric material
A photo of the tyre showing the brownish fabric material
Photo of the tyre showing brownish fabric material
Jdsk
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by Jdsk »

Previous discussion:
[topics merged by moderator]

Jonathan
David2504
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by David2504 »

Thanks Johnathon, though there doesn’t seem to be a clear cut answer. The safest option is to replace, I suppose.
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CyberKnight
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by CyberKnight »

having run gatorskins for a number of years believing the hype until i found out how overrated they are particularly in the wet , a harsh ride and the puncture protection is overated .
Where i need puncture protection as a priority i run durano plus , a little heavier ( according to a review half a watt worse rolling resistance ) and a lot tougher , heck i have ridden over gravel and glass with no issues and so far i have not had the wheel wheel go under cornering in the wet like gators
John Wayne: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on... I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
Jules59
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Joined: 16 Jan 2019, 2:34pm

Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by Jules59 »

I had the same strip of material come away on both of my Gatorskins (I posted about it earlier this year).
I carefully glued the strips back down with Copydex after thoroughly cleaning the surfaces. Then did an LEJOG on them - no issues . Now using as my winter tyres - strips still firmly attached. The strips are not structural.

Upon reflection it might have been Evostick that I used - cant remember to be honest
Stradageek
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by Stradageek »

Jules59 wrote: 10 Oct 2021, 12:03am I had the same strip of material come away on both of my Gatorskins (I posted about it earlier this year).
I carefully glued the strips back down with Copydex after thoroughly cleaning the surfaces. Then did an LEJOG on them - no issues . Now using as my winter tyres - strips still firmly attached. The strips are not structural.

Upon reflection it might have been Evostick that I used - cant remember to be honest
+1, glued them back in place and ignored it until the tyres eventually wore out
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Chris Jeggo
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by Chris Jeggo »

It is an anti-cut mesh. It does resist cutting. I have had cuts which have gone clean through the tread but have been stopped from damaging the carcass by the mesh.
David2504
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by David2504 »

Stradageek wrote: 10 Oct 2021, 9:02am
Jules59 wrote: 10 Oct 2021, 12:03am I had the same strip of material come away on both of my Gatorskins (I posted about it earlier this year).
I carefully glued the strips back down with Copydex after thoroughly cleaning the surfaces. Then did an LEJOG on them - no issues . Now using as my winter tyres - strips still firmly attached. The strips are not structural.

Upon reflection it might have been Evostick that I used - cant remember to be honest
+1, glued them back in place and ignored it until the tyres eventually wore out
Good to know. The mesh on my tyre was loose not torn so I used glue. Was out yesterday for 44 miles mesh remained in place. Mind you the roads were dry whereas previous two outings it was wet. Will wait and see if my repair holds up when it’s wet.
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andrew_s
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by andrew_s »

Chris Jeggo wrote: 12 Oct 2021, 11:03am It is an anti-cut mesh. It does resist cutting. I have had cuts which have gone clean through the tread but have been stopped from damaging the carcass by the mesh.
This.

If it's damaged but the casing underneath isn't, it's done its job, but that bit of tyre is less well protected against further damage that it might have been. It's not structural, and you could remove it all and still ride OK.
In other info, Conti tyres have a fabric strip stuck on that sits against the rim hook to protect the tyre casing. This is prone to loose threads at the edge. These similarly aren't a reason not to carry on using the tyre, and are best just snipped off.
mattheus
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by mattheus »

andrew_s wrote: 12 Oct 2021, 11:28pm
Chris Jeggo wrote: 12 Oct 2021, 11:03am It is an anti-cut mesh. It does resist cutting. I have had cuts which have gone clean through the tread but have been stopped from damaging the carcass by the mesh.
This.

If it's damaged but the casing underneath isn't, it's done its job, but that bit of tyre is less well protected against further damage that it might have been. It's not structural, and you could remove it all and still ride OK.
In other info, Conti tyres have a fabric strip stuck on that sits against the rim hook to protect the tyre casing. This is prone to loose threads at the edge. These similarly aren't a reason not to carry on using the tyre, and are best just snipped off.
Well, I've really learned something here, thanks chaps!

(just a shame I haven't used the flipping things for many years now. I did always stress over what those two components were ...)
Surprising that Conti haven't made this info better known. [Someone will now quote me a page on their website, but that's missing the bigger picture ... :) ]
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pedalsheep
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Re: Gatorskin Tyres

Post by pedalsheep »

andrew_s wrote: 12 Oct 2021, 11:28pm
In other info, Conti tyres have a fabric strip stuck on that sits against the rim hook to protect the tyre casing. This is prone to loose threads at the edge. These similarly aren't a reason not to carry on using the tyre, and are best just snipped off.
Thanks, that is good to know. I had been starting to worry about the dangling threads that I keep cutting off my GP 4 Seasons!
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
David2504
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Re: Conti Gatorskin sidewall issue

Post by David2504 »

Stradageek wrote: 16 Oct 2013, 7:00pm I've got the same problem except that the mesh is delaminating in 2-3" lengths around the rim, separating at the bead. I'd thought about emailing Continental, has anyone done this?

Interestingly I've chosen to ignore it simply because (as others have said) they seem to be such a rugged tyre.

I too cut a sidewall on a broken bottle (puncturing the inner tube) on a one week old tyre and just patched it from the inside temporarily and ignored the slight bulge at the cut. It never failed but my nerve ran out 4,000 miles and one year later so I replaced it!
That sounds similar to my experience. I’ve used glue and so far the repair has held up. I imagine eventually it will reoccur, but I’ll wait and see.
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