Bicycle Mechanics - I love my Armadillos

A while back I got tired of constantly fixing flats, so I thought I’d try Armadillos. It’s been 2,200 miles on rough tar & chip country roads and not one flat!

Yesterday I replaced the rear tire because the tread was pulling away from the sidewall. I moved the front tire to the rear. It looks like I’ll get another 500 + miles out of it. Needless to say, I put a new Armadillo on the front.

Armadillos are indeed very flat resistant but in my humble opinion take a pretty good performance hit for that heavy sidewall. I switched to Nashbar/Cheng Shin Prima 2 Plus which have a kevlar belt, thinner sidewall and cost $10 each. While not as flat resistant as the Armadillos they provide an acceptable level of flat protection and performance for me. I ride a combination of city, highway and rural roads.

Armadillos are indeed very flat resistant but in my humble opinion take a pretty good performance hit for that heavy sidewall. I switched to Nashbar/Cheng Shin Prima 2 Plus which have a kevlar belt, thinner sidewall and cost $10 each. While not as flat resistant as the Armadillos they provide an acceptable level of flat protection and performance for me. I ride a combination of city, highway and rural roads.You may be right about the heavy sidewall. I'm not at the level where I am trying to shave ounces. For me the best way I could save weight is my own spare tire. After I lose all my excess pounds I'll start on the bikes ounces. :)

Those Cheng tires are made in China and are very poor quality tire, plus I try not to buy stuff made in China; what ever floats your boat.

MikeR; I've been using the Armadillos for about 3 years and 14,000 miles and never had a tire pull away from the sidewall even when wearing them down to the cord! Make sure your using the correct tire pressure for your weight. By the way I use to live in Goathead city and Thistle town and averaging 2 to 3 flats a week and a max of 700 miles on about a dozen tires before something killed them. Finally I got a set of the Armadillos and in that 14,000 mile period I mentioned above I got 2 flats, one due to a faulty tube and the other due to riding on a tire with cord showing in spots. If you want the best flat protection and don't want to stop to fix flats then you got the best tire for that and they last a long time...well at least for me, around 3,400 miles.

In the past I've used only Armadillos as well. But I eventually got tired of the performance hit. Also, I didn't like the fact that the rear tire was only lasting me about 1400 miles before the threads would start to show. I've switched to the Specialized All Condition Pro Tires. The performance is better. They obviously aren't as bulletproof as the Armadillos, but I've only gotten two flats with them. And the flats came in the rear tire after about 1300 miles. So I think the tires were just worn and flats were bound to happen. The All Condition tires do have the flak jacket technology but not the Armadillow technology. The Flak jacket technology is supposed to improve flat protection by 40%.

The armadillos are 436 grams (700x25c), whereas the All conditions are 235 grams (700x25c).

I've also taken to buying 3 tires at a time. I leave the front tire on for 3000+ miles and then try to get 1500 out of the other two tires on the rear wheel.

Those Cheng tires are made in China and are very poor quality tire, plus I try not to buy stuff made in China; what ever floats your boat.



Actually the Nashbar/Cheng Shins are made in Taiwan where many bikes like Specialized, Bianchi and several others are made. Maybe Cheng Shins from China are poor quality but the Prima 2's are very well made. Iknow, I know....ROC and all.

MikeR; I've been using the Armadillos for about 3 years and 14,000 miles and never had a tire pull away from the sidewall even when wearing them down to the cord! Make sure your using the correct tire pressure for your weight. I thought it was odd, but figured at that mileage I couldn’t complain. The tread was pretty worn, which caused me to closely inspect the tire. I was just about to decide that it had some life left when I noticed cracking on the side, where the tread meets the sidewall. It looked something like dry rot I've seek on an old tire. When I pulled at the cracks I could see the red under layer. I didn't want to take a chance so I replaced it.

MikeR; I've been using the Armadillos for about 3 years and 14,000 miles and never had a tire pull away from the sidewall even when wearing them down to the cord! Make sure your using the correct tire pressure for your weight. Also - I always have my tires at 100 psi - the recommended pressure. I don't know what the correct pressure for my weight is.

I just put on a set of the "new technology" Armadillos 700x25's (436grams). They are a different design than the ones I replaced, and are supposed to have 20% less rolling resistance.

Only have one ride on them. So far, they seem better.

anyone tried the serfas tires?