Originally Posted by
coloncancertour
Has anyone out there used these? I am sick of flats and not worried about the cost ($30 - 60/tire).
Yes, on both road and mountain. For the road/touring side of things, I really do like the All-Conditions Armadillo 700x28 and they are wide enough for touring IF you don't have a ton of stuff directly on the bike. Harsh ride, long wearing, and an unmistakable shade of red on the sidewalls unless you pay quite a bit more for the Elites which come in all black.
Also... check out the Conti GatorSkin which also comes in a 700x28 size, and has a very nice compliant ride compared to the armadillos. These are actually my favorite road tires, will probably replace my armadillos with a set when they wear out. They also have a new version called a "hard case" or something that I haven't tried.
For a basically un-flat-able, wide, off-road capable but still very streetable tire... go for the Crossroads Armadillo in a 700x38 if you can fit them. I ran a 26" version of this tire on three bikes over the course of 3 years, and now they are on my son's bike with plenty of tread left. The non-armadillo version of this tire has a great ride, is much lighter, and has a bit less flat protection, but is a very good tire.
My wife rides the armadillo nimbus in a 26" and it seems to be a pretty good tire as well.