Road Cycling - Most durable road bike tires/tubes

Hi,

I looking for the most durable tires / tubes for a road bike. I am a fitness rider and ride about 2500 - 3000 miles per year. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

I am having great luck with specialized armadillos so far.. 500 miles and counting - no flats. I think I racked up around 6000 miles last year and went through a lot of different tires. So far the armadillos seem to be holding up the best for me.

Originally posted by Paul L.
I am having great luck with specialized armadillos so far.. 500 miles and counting - no flats. I think I racked up around 6000 miles last year and went through a lot of different tires. So far the armadillos seem to be holding up the best for me.

DITTO!!

Armidillos are the toughest tires I have ever seen. They are heavy and stiff. If you want a lighter everyday tire get a Continental gator skin. If you want a racy tire get a Vredstein Fortezza with the black side walls.

If you have Goatheads (puncture vine) the Armadillos are far worth the time saved in fixing flats. And, they aren't THAT slow. Much faster than the Conti TT 2000 that I tried for awhile, but admittedly slower than the Conti Ultra 2000's. BUT, I had 2 goathead flats in 1 day with those Conti's. (around here, the goatheads drift on to the bike paths) Much rather put up with just a slight decrease in speed from the Armadillos.

I have had no flats in 1.5 years with the Armie's.

On the road bike I have 2000+ miles on Turbo Armadillos with no flats. 400 miles on the MTB with Hemisphere Armadillos and no flats. Prior to getting armadillos, I flatted about every 100 miles.

I agree with Rev. Chuck Vredstein Fortezza are great. No flats in 2 years.

Great all around tire that is fast.

I would have to side with the Armadillo fans; I have been using them now for for just over 3 years and have logged just over 14,500 miles with no flats! The tires will last about 3600 miles on the front and 2400 on the rear. Like DenverFox I too live where goatheads and other thistle plus manmade crap trashed every tire I tried including Vred's Fortezza, Conti's 3000, Mich's Carbon Axal, Vitt's Rubino, and others I cannot recall. The Gatorskin (most Cont's built like this) has one flaw...paper thin sidewalls that will allow any road debris to puncture the tube like nothing was there.

Once you have tried an Armadillo that will be last tire you will try. Note though these are not racing tires. Also you can use an ultralight tube such as the Specialize Ultralight racing tube (65grms) in the Armadillos with no worries.

Originally posted by froze
Once you have tried an Armadillo that will be last tire you will try. Note though these are not racing tires. Also you can use an ultralight tube such as the Specialize Ultralight racing tube (65grms) in the Armadillos with no worries.



Another Armadillo user here... recommended by my LBS. HE recommends em coz he doesn't like fixing punctures when it's so avoidable!

Cheers for the info on the tubes, although I reckon shaving weight from MY spare tyre is my first priority... ;)

Armadillo's seem the best . Gator skins , useless for puncture protection . didnt last 1 month !! threads in casing started coming apart !! e-mailed Continental , they never even bothered to reply :crash:

Armadillo's and then everything else.These are like tanks.Heavy like tanks to.

I've used Armadillos, Hemishperes, and Nibuses (Nimbi???), with zero flats on any over several thousand miles. Yes, they are extremely flat resistant, but really aren't great tires otherwise.

I've also had good luck with the Armadillos.

Armadillos rock.. but for some reason the tires that really love me are Conti- Grand Prix 3000. I road 2 seasons with no flats, moved to Specialized and WAM, flats once a ride almost. They are the race, cipollinni ones' thou. Not the armadillos.

Originally posted by Arsbars
Armadillos rock.. but for some reason the tires that really love me are Conti- Grand Prix 3000. I road 2 seasons with no flats, moved to Specialized and WAM, flats once a ride almost. They are the race, cipollinni ones' thou. Not the armadillos.

My GP3000s have been pretty flat-resistant too. Maybe it's luck. I did flat on them after letting them go to 4000 miles. They were pretty thin and ratty looking by then. I've been on quite a few rides where people with supposedly tougher tyres than mine flatted (we were riding through quite a bit of road debris and glass) and I came through unscathed.

A little out of the ordinary I know but I've had good f@#t free mileage so far from Tufo "tubular clinchers." 300tpi makes a sturdy and suppe tire. However, they're not w/o drawbacks. There is a current thread on these tires.