Commuting - Armadillo tires

Its going to start warming up here very soon and im going to start commuting to work. I wanted to get your opinions on armadillo tires (from specialized). Anyone use them and how do you find them? How do they deal with glass, rogue nails, general road debris? I did a search and didnt find many armadillo specific discussions, forgive me if this has been discussed and i just missed it. I dont want to use slime, and id rather not use tuffy strips, so i want to try the armadillos.

Cheers for any info you can provide.

Very flat resistant. Quite possibly the most flat resistant tires out there. I used them on various bikes for many thousands of miles and had only one flat.

The downside is they are heavy and stiff. I also had problems with tread separation after a couple thousand miles.

My wife has them on her road bike. They are more flat resistant than most other tires. Personally, I think Schwalbe Marathon Plus rolls better, rides better, and is vastly stronger. The Armadillos are too light for me to be comfortable using them for daily commuting. However, a lot of people like them.

Paul

I have Armadillos (700x23) on my commuter, and I'll agree with what supcom said. They're extremely puncture/flat resistant, but they are also heavy and stiff. They are also a b!tch to mount on your rims (fortunately, since they don't flat much, this is less of an issue, but they're seriously a pain to put on your wheels), and they're not the easiest-rolling tires.

For day-to-day commuting, though, they're relatively worry-free (at least I think so...), which is a big plus.

My wife and I have been using them on our road bikes for nearly four years (23 and 25 widths). She had a mysterious flat once..probably a pinched tube, and I had a major flat once. I hit a sharp metal object sticking out the the road at high speed; it put an inch long tear in the tire..clearly no tire could have withstood this. I once rode over a nail that drove itself right into the tire..I pulled it out and still no flat..amazing! I have also seen signs of tread separation on mine, but if you ride a lot of miles you will wear the tires thin long before you tread separation becomes a significant problem. If you ride only occasionally, and don't wear tires out fast, expect the tires to start falling apart after about 2 years. If you want dependability and ride lots of miles, I'd say armadillos are the way to go. Yes, they are stiff and heavy, but for commuting, who cares..dependability is far more important.

I switched to them after riding knobbies for my daily commute; I can't say much about performance (they're better than knobbies, but that ain't saying much).

In the 3 months since I switched to them I've had 2 flats, but I don't think ANY tire would have prevented them, as both times I went directly over a nail in the road. Generally my experience has been favorable.

Beej

I'm running 700x23 armadillo's on my bike. Had them since last September or so. My streets aren't horrible with debris but I haven't had any problems so far. They are heavy and stiff and a pain to mount, but I have had zero problems so far. I haven't tried any other similar tire so I cannot compare with other brands.

I should specify, they will be going on a mtn bike. 26x1.95

So they're heavy. Once you spin them up they're ok though? Im happy to trade a little weight for no, or very few flats.

Carry a lot of tire irons. Ive bent mine completly in half trying to get an armadillo on/off.

5000 kilometers on mine, 1 flat. That was a nail sticking thru some sheet metal pointing straight up i rode over. No tire would survive.

I go over a LOT of glass. Previous to the armadillos I was getting 1 flat every 2 weeks. I now have 1 flat in 5 months. It is good to occasionaly pick the glass bits out of the tires so they dont work there ways in. For commuting, their as bullet proof as you can get in a tire.

Armadillos are the most flat proof tires in my experience. I use Gatorskins now because I find they roll a little better and still don't flat enough to be inconvenient. If you are in a high flat area you can't lose with the Armadillos though.

I ride them on my long commutes. Very flat resistant. As far as mounting goes, I think those tires with the kevlar beads are harder to mount than Armadillos. If you are running mtn treaded tires, I would be surprised if you notice a performance difference with these tires in terms of speed.

These have got to be the most over-inflated (pardon the pun) tires, in terms of cost and reputation, on the market. In two months, I have had 4 flats--three in the back and one in front. Before I purchased these "special" Specialized tires, I ran Kendra with kevlar for four years without any flats or problems to speak of. I think the Kendra cost me about $16 with tax. The Flatadillos cost me around $68. Don't be fulled by all the hyperbole of these very expensive tires.

Cheers

I should specify, they will be going on a mtn bike. 24x1.95

So they're heavy. Once you spin them up they're ok though? Im happy to trade a little weight for no, or very few flats.

I got rid of my 2.125 knobbies for 1.5 Army-dillos eight months ago. One flat, but it was a respectable piece of glass. I find that they are extremely easy to install and remove from my rims. I wonder if the other folks are riding road types or tourers. I've heard similar accounts of wrestling with them.

For city/commuting/day trips - even long ones, I'd say get 'em. I'm pretty brutal around town and I weigh 225. No pinching at all. I run them at 90psi and while they have more resistance than my 28mm Bontragers, it doesn't really affect the 'get there' factor.

EDIT: Sorry - same pic twice

http://i2.tinypic.com/rkzn6o.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/rkzngn.jpg

Yes, they are stiff and heavy, but for commuting, who cares..dependability is far more important.
I want my ride to be fun. My ride is a lot more fun since I switched from Armadillos to the Bontrager Race Xlite with Mr Tuffy strip. True the Armadillos were bomb proof but I havent really had a problem since. If puncture proof is your first priority try to get the Schwalbes.

These have got to be the most over-inflated (pardon the pun) tires, in terms of cost and reputation, on the market. In two months, I have had 4 flats--three in the back and one in front. Before I purchased these "special" Specialized tires, I ran Kendra with kevlar for four years without any flats or problems to speak of. I think the Kendra cost me about $16 with tax. The Flatadillos cost me around $68. Don't be fulled by all the hyperbole of these very expensive tires.

Cheers

Sorry about your difficulties, but after riding Armadillos across Oklahoma three times and countless miles of urban, suburban, and rural riding and having only a single flat (wet glass), I can but conclude that these tires are very flat resistant. I believe I have enough miles on multiple bikes (slicks to knobbies) to conclude it was not luck.

UltraGatorskins are also good, but not as flatproof as Armadillos.

I use a 700x25 Armadillo for the rear tire on my road bike (easily 90% of the flats that I get are in the back). I use whatever I think will ride more comfortably up front. For me the Armadillos have been a lot more flat resistant than Gator Skins (I've got 3000+ miles on two different Armadillos now, and both are still going strong). But for maximum bomb proof commuting I use a pair of 700x32 Bontrager Race Lite Hard Case tires (on my 'cross bike/urban assault vehicle). These things just keep going and going. They're heavy but they roll over pretty much anything. I've got 4000 miles on the current pair and they've still got a lot of life left in them. I think I've had one flat on the Bontragers.

--Marcus

I have 26 X 1.50 Armadillos. I have been riding the commute that travels about 3 miles on gravel/dirt roads. On the pavement we have black cinders for snow and ice. These things are a lot like very hard, extremely sharp glass and so far so good. Only have about 500 miles on them. They did mount easily on my rims. No flats so far. Have had 1 flats on my road bike Nashbar Kevlar belted tire and 2 flats on Performance Kevlar belted tires on this bike all in about the same mileage.

Specialized tires are guaranteed for the life of the tire according to the catalog. Hope I do not have to use this guarantee.

I just got these tires, 700x25c's So far they seem nice. I don't find the ride any rougher. They were a bit of a ***** to get installed. But I have driven through glass shards without a flat.

I got a flat withing .5 miles of my first ride on my new bike previously.

-D

I haven't tried them but understand the worry. I have used Conti Gators for years and have had zero flats. I weigh 200lbs and went over glass that I could not avoid here in the city and got a real deep slice through the rear tire. No flat, I was amazed. These are still on my bike during the warmer months. Even at the slice, I haven't had tread separation problems and they aren't as expensive as the Specialized. THey roll very nicely too.

'Dillos are known for being one of the best for flat protection. However, the one thing I have heard about their smaller tires 23 & 25c's is that they don't get as good traction in the rain as the Gator Skins. For those who live in the Northwest, this is essential.

I now run the foldable Conti Ultra Gatorskins in 700x23 exclusively for my commuter, because I can get 4/$100 shipped, and they are tough as heck.

My wife has them on her road bike. They are more flat resistant than most other tires. Personally, I think Schwalbe Marathon Plus rolls better, rides better, and is vastly stronger. The Armadillos are too light for me to be comfortable using them for daily commuting. However, a lot of people like them.


I rode Armadillos for years. However, I've abandoned them for the Marathon Plus for these same reasons. I believe the Marathon Plus is far superior, though they are heavy.

I run them, and love them!!! They are a little heavier than normal tires, but I had to dodge tacks for a while, and that never works out to well. The armadillo's helped out a lot!!! I have been flat free since I got them, and have ridden over tacks, glass, etc.

Maybe airfreetires.com would be an alternative? I'm planning on getting a set of the 'Ocelot Low Profile' for my primary commuter which is an mtb. If they ride anywhere close to the feel of standard tires I'll get airfree for my other bikes as well(I've got 4). The amount of time lost and aggravation experienced doing flat repairs during any type of ride over the years will be more than offset by peace of mind and a slightly less comfortable ride. Not to mention the money I've spent trying to find a usable frame mount pump(topeak road morph...finally) that doesn't snap the valve on your last good presta tube 30 miles from the nearest pocket of civilization...but I digress. Have been running tuffys in my knobbies(say THAT 3 times quickly) for over two years w/no flats, but it's just a matter of time before the good fortune runs out. The Ocelots are around 30.00us + shipping with road tires being slightly more.

I've had one flat with my Armadillos, from a nail puncture. 700x28.

Very flat resistant to glass and debris. The only problem I have had with them has been with smal wire strands from steel-belted radials. If not those, then the Continental Gator-skins.

Thanks for all the replys. Ill be getting a set of semi-slick 26x1.95 (typo when i said 24). I can live with the little bit of weight. If weight was a big concern id get a cyclocross or something for my commute :)

I've had them on my commuting mountain bike for about 6 months. So far, so good. No flats, and they seem really heavy duty. The bike shop mounted them, so I can't speak to that. I probably have about 1300 miles on them.

Ive had one as my rear tire for about 8 months with no flats. As others have said they can be a major pain in the ass to put on, ive broken a lever trying to get it on. I too have notices a little tread seperation but it doesnt seem to serious yet. I run over glass all the time and it hasnt flated yet!

I've got 700x23 Armadillo.s on my road, commuter, everything bike & I have very few flats , the older version used to suffer from tread seperation but the newer ' all condition' version seems to be free of this prob.I,m told they make for a "hard" ride but I seem to not notice too much even though I weigh 96kgs & I inflate them to 100psi ! but I ride a steel frame which helps soften the ride a bit.

Very flat resistant. Quite possibly the most flat resistant tires out there. I used them on various bikes for many thousands of miles and had only one flat.

The downside is they are heavy and stiff. I also had problems with tread separation after a couple thousand miles.
+1

I have them on my Trek 7100FX - just got them a month or so ago. I've done around 400kms since then, mainly commuting in London but also some weekend rides up tow paths and the like and so far I've had no punctures. I've had to dig some far sized pieces of glass out of my tyres though!

I actually thought they were nicer to ride with than my previous tyres (whatever came standard on a Trek 7100FX) - but perhaps that was just because they LBS fixed up my bike when they swapped my tyres :-) Perhaps it's just becuase they have red stripes! :-)

Its going to start warming up here very soon and im going to start commuting to work. I wanted to get your opinions on armadillo tires (from specialized). Anyone use them and how do you find them? How do they deal with glass, rogue nails, general road debris? I did a search and didnt find many armadillo specific discussions, forgive me if this has been discussed and i just missed it. I dont want to use slime, and id rather not use tuffy strips, so i want to try the armadillos.

Cheers for any info you can provide.

I have a set of 700x25 with 100 miles on them. If you pay for shipping they are yours for free.

Tires have been spoken for and will be shipped to Marcus Pless.

The 26x1.50 Nimbus Armadillo is a good urban tire

I like them alot, but also use Continental Gatorskins on my recreational bike.

Haven't had an opportunity to try Schwalbe Marathon Plus yet. They sound good, but they are heavier than the Armadillos.



I should specify, they will be going on a mtn bike. 26x1.95

So they're heavy. Once you spin them up they're ok though? Im happy to trade a little weight for no, or very few flats.

Here's a thread I started last year when I was considering 'dillos.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=130361&highlight=issues+armadillos

An important point is to keep them inflated with high pressure (per the recommended psi's on the sidewall) and to make sure to use them on hooked rims that can handle the high pressure. Improper inflation can lead to delamination - see post no. 22 in the above thread.

I adore my Armadillo tires! They're easier to take off and put on my rims than the Continentals (not flat resistant or anything and I had to change them a lot). My bike is more of a freighter, so weight, roll, speed, and all that are not issues. 27" x 1.25" - All Condition on my '80s road bike.

Tire changing my 700 x 28's nimbus armadillos was just a bugger of a job on the side of the road during a downpour at 0 dark 30 in the morning at 2 degrees above freezing....so...

I found every trick to help in tire changing. I now keep my spare tube in a zip lok baggy with a bunch of baby powder in it. The powder acts as a dry lube when your putting the tire back on and really helps. Just gets a bit messy powder wise on the side of the road, but it all blows off :)

My wife and I started with them on our mountain bikes because we were getting a flat almost every other ride. We put them on and no flats since, so now we are running them on our roadies. That's four bikes and no flats. They were a bear to get on the rims.

I use them on a couple of my bikes and never had flat or a problem such as tread separation. The Conti Gatorskins offer no sidewall protection like the Armadillo does and only really marginally better tread protection over normal road tires but no where near the protection level of the Armadillos; plus the Armadillos last far longer mileage wise then the Contis do.