My armadillo 23mm are not that bad a ride. Considering they are on a road bike, and ridden on some really bad roads they are no more harsh than one would expect. They also look pretty good with the dull red bit! I have ridden over stones and glass with them on, with no problems. You often hear stones shooting out from under your tyres!

FWIW I use a road morph pump and don't bother letting the pressure down, I just press the presta valve to break the seal and then pump away - saves me pumping loads!