Specialized Armadillo tires are the only tires I buy anymore. They're the only tires tough enough to stand up to the challenge of a regular Oakland CA commute. I'm pretty sure Oakland is the Broken Glass capitol of the world.

Nimbus rolls fast as does Infinity. I prefer the tread pattern on the Infinity. Neither tire is light or supple, but that's not what I buy them for. I've worked my way through just about every major brand and none of them can match the Armadillos for flat protection and durability. The Armadillos tend to mount easy too.

Run your pressure as low as you feel comfortable for the best ride. When they start to get thin you'll start to get flats. After a flat or two I start prepping for replacements. For ultimate flat protection run Specialized "Airlock" tubes. They are filled with proprietary flat sealant which (supposedly) never dries out. I don't wanna start a Slime debate, but I've never had any problems with the Airlocks.

If I had to complain about anything it's that Specialized isn't always the best when in comes to keeping the less than popular sizes in stock. If you get a notion you want to run 38's or 42's you'd better buy extras. When the rear wears out faster than the front and you wanna replace it... they don't have any of that size available. Anywhere. Not even the warehouse. I do 5500-6500 mi/year so I go through about a set a year (I'm a Clyde and roll pretty heavy). I buy them three or four at a time now.


-Kedosto