Originally Posted by
EsoxLucius
The widest tyre a Sirrus will probably take is a 32, so use that and turn the pressure down.
How much difference can there be between 28s and 32s inflated to 75 psi?
What part of "turn the pressure down" is rocket science?
I occasionally ride mostly hard packed crushed limestone trails and 28s at 75 psi work fine.
Meaning that they're good enough by your standards and that you don't know any better. And that's fine, but as long as a fellow is spending the cash he might as well buy the best ones for the money rather than copying you.
Obviously, Armadillos are a trade off between frequently fixing flats and a marginal reduction in speed.
They are one trade off, yes. Arguably not a particularly good one. Specialized tyres are usually mediocre and the Armadillo trades off speed and handling big time. A $600 bike with Duremes will be faster, handle better, more comfortable and more fun than a $2000 bikes with Dillos. And will be almost as puncture resistant. Tyres are a bike's entire suspension system (umm - unless it has a suspension system) meaning that they have a critical effect on performance.