Continental GatorHardshell Folding Tyre

Continental GatorHardshell Folding Tyre - For riders who simply demand the most protective, fast rolling tyre around - Building on the supremely successful Ultra GatorSkin, the GatorHardshell gets added extras in every department - Bead to bead DuraSkin protection - Hardshell casing wrapping further into the sidewall - Extra wide Poly-X breaker belt covers the entire tread strip from shoulder to shoulder - Added material in the tread improves mileage and further increases puncture resistance - Slick tread for exceptional grip in wet and dry conditions - Supple handling and low rolling resistance - Weight: 273g (700x23mm) Cycling Plus rated 9/10: CONTINENTAL'S GATORSKIN IS one of our favourite training tyres. It's very quick and it's tough enough for winter riding, audax and fast commuting - so long as you keep it topped up to its recommended pressure and don't leave flints and the like embedded in the tread. But for those wanting more puncture protection and wear life, Continental has introduced a new Hardshell version. There's a bit more tread rubber, a wider polyester breaker strip under the tread, and a three-ply rather then two-ply polyamide casing to help prevent slashed sidewalls. This adds 48g for our folding 700x23 Hardshell (273g) compared to the equivalent Gatorskin, but in spite of that weight gain we were unable to detect any noticeable difference in rolling resistance between the two tyres even using back-to-back roll-down tests. Among the training tyres we've tested, only the Gatorskin itself and Michelin's excellent Krylion Carbon have been quicker, and while it's early days yet, the Hardshell seems more puncture resistant than either.