Miles/flat
 

Okay, I've now had a pretty fair amount of experience with my Armadillos and am wondering how I am doing compared to others. I'm not looking for exceptional records, but some of all people's experience, good, bad or average.

My first Armadillo lasted 560 miles before flatting - unfortunately being sliced so bad it was worthless. But I consider that a fluke as I've never had a serious slice like that before (over 8000 miles). I don't think any tire would have survived.

Then I ran two new Armadillos front and back and presently have 1841 miles on them. I have had two flats (one rear early on at 147 miles and I just got the other in the front today).

The rear flat was from a staple. Pretty rare - I've only had one other. The front flat was from a nasty thorn we have here. Apparently they cause a lot of trouble for cyclists, but it is my first flat from a thorn.

On the other hand, I used to get LOTS of flats from glass but never had it happen with the Armadillo. I do ride over glass often enough and regularly remove little pieces that got in the tread, but don't seem able to get through the protective layers.

Anyway, if you add it all up, I've averaged a flat with these tires every 800 miles and the flats were, based on my experience, either a fluke or caused by something I don't normally experience.

It is sure better than the number of flats I used to get! So how do the rest of you do?

Bob

I seem to get flats in triplets; like 3 flats within 50 miles, then I won't get another flat for several hundred miles. I don't know whats up with that.

With my Vredestein Spiders I had one flat in 4000 miles. I'm now running Scwalbe Marathon Plus and I'd be surprised if I don't get even longer out of them (If I can put up with the weight).

I do pretty well with my Continental Ultra 2000's. They don't usually get flats until I wear a lot of the "rubber" off of them. I get about 2500 miles per tire and get about a couple of flats before it is time to get a new one.

My last pair of Conti TopTouring 2000's went 5000 miles without a flat. The front tire of that pair is now on the rear and has gone another 1000 flat-free miles since.

A pair of Avocet Cross K's went 6000 miles with one flat (when they were only 200 miles old).

A pair of Specialized Nimbus EX (not Armadillo) has gone at least 4000 flat-free miles, and another has gone 1000.

A Panaracer Pasela TG on the rear had three flats in less than 500 miles. It's now off the bike. The front tire has never flatted and is still on the bike.

These are all 700x32 or 700x35 tires

RichC

I've only had one flat in the last 3 years, and it was a valve stem snapping off. I was using Contis, but switched to the Panaracer Stradius Pro last spring. I try to watch where I ride, and I brush my tires with the palm of my glove fairly often while riding. It seems to dislodge stuff before it can work into the casing.

I'm just glad that I don't get flats on my vehicle! That's a major hassle especially in the summer heat. I don't care about the flats I get on my bike.......tubes & patch kits are cheap.......and you're back on the road in 5 minutes. I flat 3 or 4 times annually....

George!

I used to get a flat a week on average but since I put an armadillo on the back that has stopped. I have not had a flat on the back tire since I put the Aramdillo on over 1000 miles ago. This makes it the longest lasting rear tire I have ever had. Most of my rear tires (Continental 2000, hutchison, Etc) suffered failures (due to road debris) in the sidewall (the contis) or a gash in the tread. The Armadillo seems to be doing the trick for me. Looking forward to many more miles on it!

Well, I lose a lot more than 5 minutes when my bike tires flat! I'm not sure what my fastest change time is, but I'd say at least 15 minutes. Heck, it takes a fair amount of my time te search for the cause so I don't get another one from the same thing because most of my flats have been from tiny pieces of glass that you can't always even see without flexing the tire tread.

From the distances I see posted so far, I'd say a lot of you must ride on roads that have less glass I than I have. It is pretty hard for me to avoid in many places because it is so spread out. That's why I'm happy if the tires just don't get flats from that cause.

Bob

That's why it is a good practice to always mount your tire with its lable placed at the valve stem. You can easily reference the tear on the tube to the area of the tire. Also wire beaded tires are a heck of a lot harder to pull off and remount. Go with folders if you can.... Depending on my tire/rim combo, most of my tires are removed without the use of tire irons, simply with my macho fingers in most cases.

George!

Oh, I do mount the label that way. I even put the tube in so that I can tell which way it went. Still, most of my flats have been tiny holes from glass so I have to pump the tube up to find the hole - even then it is sometimes hard. I also usually run my hand around the inside of the tire in case I picked up more than one object.

These tires are stiff, but my Conti Grand Prix Four-Seasons gave me just as much trouble, though in different ways.

I can normally change the tire using just a Quik-Stik now. Used to be I needed at least that an another iron. I have never been able to do any tire with just my hands.

Oh, I'm using 700x23 now. The prior tires were 700x25 (Contis). My first bike was a comfort bike and used 26x1.95 and then 26x1.5.

Bob

I get mine in streaks. I got 2 within 15 minutes once. It sucked. I'm standing on a street corner in a bad part of town with a bike that cost more than most of the residents make in a month. I called for a cab on my cell but they "dont pick people up from street corners" I started walking home then flagged down a cab. Go figure. Threw it in the back and $12 later I was home.

Ya know how Mr. Tuffy has the area where the two ends overlap? One time I had a steel spike go through both layers!!!

So do I. I had around five in two days on tour last year, then none for around 10,000km (despite living in the broken glass capital of Australia). Then I got three in the space of 1km (which were the first of seven in a month), and none in three months (probably around 5,000km) since. I have no idea why it happens this way. I just prepare for it as best I can.

i just did some research on the armadillo tire. said it was only available in 26x1.5 .. all my spare tubes, mr tuffy strips, et cetera are aimed at 26x1.95.

is there a good tire that will reduce flats in this size? preferrably kevlar, but anything will do. i also plan on using slime and mr tuffy strips. i would rather get no flats, even if i have all this other inertia to fight in the wheel.

they were about 30$ a piece, is this typical? another site said on sale for 20$.. but after my last tires, which were on sale tires, i don't know if i trust sale tires. less than a thousand miles and the tread is getting cracks down to the threads all over the tire. (it was a hybrid tire.. paid 17$ each on sale).. "specialized crossroads" is what it was called, and the fellow at the bike shop said it was a decent tire and it shouldn't be doing what it is. perhaps it was old, and that's why it was on sale. it would be worth it, to me, to find a really strong road tire and add tuffy strips.

i may decide to get 1.5 as a front or rear, and a 1.95 for the other end, and work my way to a 1.5, as the other stuff wears out in the future.

thanks,

Have a look at the Schwalbe Marathon series - I'm running the 1.75 Marathon Plus which seem impenetrable, and roll far better than Armadillo's. They are heavy though - I'm planning on replacing the front with the ordinary kevlar banded version and running the plus on the rear.