The Alligator grips well, even on wet roots, just be sure that you run plenty of air in them. The casing isn't the stiffest, so it needs a fair amount of air pressure for being such a large volume tire. I didn't have an unusual amount of pinch flats, few actually, but the front tire wanted to roll on me if I didn't keep enough air in it. My narrow rims might have exaggerated the need for high tire pressure. The rubber compound that Hutchinson uses is a little on the grippy, soft side.
Pavement wears the knobs considerably.
The tire that I was running on the rear developed an annoying warp in it. It wanted to duck and weave like a scared boxer. The knobs were very worn at this time, so I needed to replace the tire anyway. This is not a fast rolling tire, and they are a bit on the heavy side, but that is the cost of tenacious grip when you need it most. If you need vicious grip more than speed, you would be hard pressed to find a better tire, particularly for the rear.