Product Review: Ultra GatorSkin

As of today, I have over 600 miles on a pair of Continental Ultra GatorSkin tires in 5 weeks. I have been using 700x23 size tires from different manufacturers, and this is the 1st time trying out a 700x25 tire size. I have used Continental tires in the past, Grand Prix, SuperSport clinchers & Sprinter tubulars. So this brand of tire is no stranger to me.

After making my commitment to commute, I knew I would be needing a good set of tires for the task. Continental came to mind after having used this brand in the past.

First impressions of this tire? Wow! What a smooth ride! I can't seem to get over on how smooth and comfortable these tires ride! On my commute, there are sections of road that just beat me up. The Contis just seem to soak up those bumps eagerly. It's hard to believe that the size change from 700x23s to 700x25s could make such a difference. Running over debris on the road is still nerve racking, but the Contis just take the abuse with no complaints.

The tire size does have some drawbacks, mainly in the handling department. The front tire tracks well on hard turns, but the back seems to be a bit loose when pushed hard. I have not yet experienced these tires on wet conditions but I will update this review when or if I do.

The first day of use, I got two flats on the rear tire, once going to work and then again heading home. I blame myself for those flats for not using a brand new tubes with the tires. The original tubes had two or more patches on them already and they leaked where the patch was. Since I replaced them with new tubes, its been no longer an issue.

The tires are constructed with a wire bead on all available tire size offered. If a foldable tire is desired, only the 700x23 size is available.

Specs:
Tire: Ultra GatorSkin
Size: 700x25C
Color: Black/Black
Weight: 300g
Recommended Inflation: 95 psi
Max Inflation: 120 psi

2005 Fuji Royale

Performance Bike had year end clearance sale back in November 2005. I was originally looking to get this for my wife for Christmas. I liked it so much, I ended up with a his and her pair!

The bike is basically a flat bar road bike. The carbon seat stays and fork with 700x28C Kendas helps smooth out the ride on bumpy roads.

Bike Info

Upgrades done:

Cateye Micro Wireless

Ergon GC2 Grips

Campus Pedals

StumpJumper FS Is Now A Longtail

Back in 1993 I bought a Specialized StumpJumper FS. As long as I had the bike it rarely saw duty on the single track as much as I would have liked. Rather, it spent a majority of its life on short trips on the street. I even used this bike twice on the Death Ride. The first time on off road tires and the second time on slicks.

Fast forward 2007. While on vacation in Hawaii, I noticed that people liked getting around on bikes on the island. There was this one bike I saw at a rental shop hauling of all things, a surf board! I thought that was one of the coolest things to see. I found out it was an Xtracycle conversion. Turns out, you can get these conversion kits called FreeRadical Hitchless Trailer online or from a LBS that carries them.

The kit has everything you need to convert your bike to a longtail. I found a new one on eBay for less $$ that some guy decided not use and ended snatching it up.

If you do your own wrenching, you can convert a bike in about 1 1/2 hours. Since the conversion, my mountain bike is getting alot more miles now. Its just plain fun to ride! This conversion is completely reversible.

After a while, I wanted to put full fenders on the bike, but there are no eyelets on my front fork or on the FreeRadical. I hear that the new FreeRadicals have eyelets on them now. A visit to my local hardware store electrical department I found GB Electrical Cushion Clamps, 1" diameter (P/N PPR-1600) and 5/8" diameter (P/N 1558) that would do the job. So now the longtail is rain ready.

Here are pics of the clamps installed on the bike.

Commuting by Bicycle

My commute by bike one way is about 29 miles one way. Time wise the bike portion of the commute is about 1 hour 30 minutes give or take 15 minutes. The round trip commute makes for a good workout.

The commute is basically a flat ride with the exception of the short climb on the Dumbarton Bridge. Most of the commute is on the San Francisco Bay Trail with some portions of the ride that require me to use the public roadways.

With the use of my Garmin 305 HR GPS unit, I finally made time to plot my route with pictures on EveryTrail.

You can see my route with pictures here at Bike Commute at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Travel Community

Introduction

I'm Bob. I guess you could call me a recreational cyclist. I mostly do rides after work with friends and coworkers around the San Francisco Bay Area.

After being diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic, I figured its time to up the miles on the bike to keep the sugar levels in check. Also, with the surge in gas prices & traffic I figure its time to try commuting by bike. Commuting by bike everyday would great, but not possible since my commute by car is 70 miles round trip and 90 miles by bike.

So to mix it up, I drive part way to work and park my car at the foot of the Dumbarton Bridge on CA-84 saving a $4 toll, then ride in the rest of the way in. I started my commuting by bike in October and we shall see how it goes from there.