Originally Posted by
aley
My experience, in comparing Gatorskins and Armadillos back-to-back, was that the Gatorskins felt faster, and this impression was borne out by my computer. Not a controlled experiment, to be sure, but an impression that's been borne out by lots of others here. Factor in that the Gatorskin weighs 250g and offers nearly as much flat protection as the Armadillo (and more once you add in the Mr. Tuffy), and the fact that I've yet to flat due to abrasion due to a Mr. Tuffy (knock on wood - just because it hasn't happened in the 15k or so since I started using Mr. Tuffys doesn't mean that it can't), and I end up with a combination that's significantly lighter than an Armadillo, more flat resistant, and rolls faster to boot. YMMV, of course - what works for me might not work for others, as it's going to depend on everything from rider weight to inflation pressure to specifics of the route - but I like the combo I run.
I actually frequently run without Mr. Tuffys - I put sealant in my tubes (I do this with any tire/tube combination, so the weight difference is a wash for me), and run lightweight tubes (Conti Race with 2-piece Prestas so I can get the sealant in), so there's a bit more weight savings, and again, it seems (very subjectively) to roll a bit faster.
Honestly, any high-quality, thorn-resistant tire, and a tube with good-quality sealant, is probably pretty good - the differences come down to individual preference. When I wear out my current set of Gatorskins, I'm thinking I'll spoon on a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, just to see why so many people here seem to love them so much.
Why would you try the Schwalbes if your like the Conti faster tire offering with the Gatorback but don't like the Armadillos? The Schwalbes are about 100 grms heavier then the Armadillos! Talk about a sluggish feel. The Schwalbes may be better in flat protection then the Armadillos but I've never tried them to compare since I no need with the Armadillos having no flats.
Armadillos must not be too bad because the 4 person team that won the 01 RAAM race ran on Armadillos and did so without one flat. All other riders got flats including those on Gatorskins.
By the time you use a 250 grm Gatorskin, 110 grm Mr Tuffy, 90 grm tube, and 50 or so grms of sealant, your up to 500grms...THATS MORE THEN THE ARMADILLO! Your rotating mass is greater thus your rolling resistance is higher, I don't care what kind of fancy equippiment your using, weigh is weight and rotating weight will slow you down. And in fact liquid sealant actually slows a tire down as the rim spins up with most of the sealant pooling to one end of the tire just a water stays in a bucket when you swing it around and around over your head; it harmonically throws the tire balance off and creating a more sluggish tire. And on top of that Sealants in road tires have had poor reviews with Slime the worst.