Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Preference: Continental GatorSkins or Specialized Armadillos

I do a healthy share of skidding and skipping, and the majority of my riding is in or around NYC so I need great puncture protection.

Which do ya'll prefer?

Has anyone used both? if so, which one did you like better?

Any difference in rolling resistence?

i've used armadillos on a geared bike for the last year with no flats. period. also i had a fender on the bike rubbing the tire, the armadillo ate through the steel & brass hardware & not te other way around (not a single mark on the tire). while i've only handled the gatorskins & not rode them, i just put a pair of specialized s-works mondos (not the regular mondos that come with it) on my langster & i'd say they're a better quality tire than the gatorskins, if you haven't had problems with sidewall tears, don't worry about going for the armadillos & just get a specialized tire with the flak jacket (puncture protection), they should hold up the same & be considerably lighter. i also really like the compound on the specialized, for it's wet weather performance. the gatorskins compound seemed to 'plastic' to me

i havent used either, but i am a HUGE fan of vredestein Volante's.... i've been riding these bad boys in the city for about 6 or 7 months with only one puncture flat....

i booted the tire and put it on the front.

I've been looking at those Volante's as well, but somehow I got it in my head that the puncture protection wouldn't be as good, but now that I hear that, I think I'll give those a try.

Thanks.

By the way, where'd you pick those up? Locally or delivery?

I have used both, both have strengths and weaknessess, there was a thread earlier about this very topic.

Funny thing is-right now i am running gatorskin in the back and armadillo in the front. The armadillos got their ass kicked in the rain, i had 3 flats in one week, each time i found a piece of glass embeded in another spot, the gatorskins didnt have that problem (sticky when wet). Also, the gatorskins seem to have less rolling resistence, but the armadillos are great when pumped up to 130.

Gatorskins have weaker side walls, they are easier to put on. blah blah.... blah....

luck of the draw...depends on the weather....see for your self

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=94963&highlight=armadillo

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=82709&highlight=armadillo

Yup. What tire are you looking for?

The Armadillos are totally puncture resistant in my experience (I've worn out tires that have never flatted even once) but they're also heavier, roll slower, and corner worse.

The Conti's feel almost like a regular training tire but they for def have a weaker sidewall than the Speciialized.

I roll the Armadillos on my rain bike and the Gatorskins on my sunny day ride.

I have dillos on my rain bike as well... no f***s at all- so far... but "garden hose" doesn't even begin to describe the ride. They are so hard I'm quite sure they'd ride flat if they stay on the rim.

f***s? has this become a four-letter word?

f***s? has this become a four-letter word?

it has always been a four-letter word
:eek:

i've never used the gator skins, but man (as many have said here), the armadillos are one tough tire.

i've been riding them on my fixed and SS in NYC for 4 or so years now and i think i've only gotten four or five flats in that time, all the result of nails or other large pointed metal objects which would flat any bike tire ever made.

i also flatted once from miscalculating a bunny hop and slamming my rear rim onto the edge of a curb. bent the rim's sidewall, too.

i've also run these tires until the tread rubber was totally gone. you can ride 20 miles on the kevlar belt, alone.

the major downside as i see it, is the slickness. skid a bit on the rear and you'll develop some wicked flat and smooth spots. you'll really feel them cornering on wet streets (manhole covers, the raised white paint used in intersections, those big metal plates covering construction, etc... all no fun!).

they are a hard ride, too. probably a bit harsh on an aluminum frame if you're riding them at 110psi or whatever.

also, their hardness makes them no fun to pry off the rim if you flat on a cold night on the streets.

don't forget bontrager race lite hard case tires. they are pretty flat proof too but not as harsh of a ride.

don't forget bontrager race lite hard case tires. they are pretty flat proof too but not as harsh of a ride.

totally..i have 700x25 on my conversion and after 6 months or so of skidding and skipping a pretty good amount they hardly even show any wear.

i'm surprised some of you ride armadillos as 'rain day' tires. i love them for flat protection, but they suck unbelievably hard in the wet... terrible traction - i've scared myself a number of times now. riding vittoria zaffiro's now, no flats yet *fingers crossed*

Oh they're godawful in the wet but I figure I'm more conservative in those conditions as well. So I'll take my corners like a lady and stop worrying about what I'm not seeing .

The Conti's are for when it's a nice day and I'm clicking at 25 mph.

i've been on gatorskins for almost a year now...no puncture flats. the rear is looking like it'll need replacing soon, the skids are taking their toll.

riding vittoria zaffiro's now, no flats yet *fingers crossed*

I've got about 10 months on a set of Zaffiro's that were already pretty worn when I inherited them from the bike's previous owner. I've never had a flat. The only thing that seemed to wear on them was all the roller riding I did during the winter which squared them off pretty good. They're going to be retired soon for a set of Vredestein Fortezzas, but they were definitely awesome while they lasted and they'll make a good trainer tire.

I am gonna toss in the suggestion of trying the Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX.

I've been commuting on Armadillos for over a year in NYC. No skidding, No Flats, but I weight 210+. When they wear out I'm trying the gatorskins out. I suspect that they are a faster tire since they have more thread per square inch. If it makes the ride softer than my Armadillos I'm never going back, regardless of how fast they wear out.