Bontrager Hardcase vs Specialized Armadillo HELP!
 

3rd Flat in 3 days! I'm going drop some money on tires at lunch!. Which would you choose these are the two toughest tires available in my neck of the woods.

Bontrager Hardcase $29.00 each

Specialized Armadillo $35.00 each

Thanks for your help!

I've used the hardcase, probably 3 pair, but they only last about 2- 3 miles. they get chewed up by the road too much, so I have decided to replace them with one of the marathon plus. Not sure of the armadillos.

I bought the Armadillos. I love them. I've had them on my bike for a few months now, and have put about 1500 miles on them. No flats yet.

They are not that quick, and they give you a bit of a stiff ride, but if you bike through rough streets (lots of cracks, gravel, pot holes, etc.) they are worth it.

Hope this helps.

-Jai

P.S. I also really like the Conti Ultra Gator Skins. They are surprisingly puncture resistant.

No experience with the 'dillo, however, all of my flat tire woes came to an end with the Bonti Race-Lite Hard case. They've never flatted on me in the few months I've had them (800 miles?) and I was getting a flat about every 200 miles (2-3 weeks) on my daily commute.

Armadillos rule. I have had the same pair on my commuter/single speed for about 3 years (short commute and not a lot of other time to ride). They're heavy but I haven't had a single flat in all that time. They're recommended to run at 80psi but I usually run them at 100psi for a little extra speed and a little less risk of pinch flats (6'2" 235lbs). I'm in Boston so the roads are a mess and there's glass everywhere. There are places in the tire where glass has cut up the rubber but the casing is still fine. I highly recommend them. I had the gator skins on my bike for a while and had really bad luck with them. Replaced them with the armadillos after a couple months.

I have three bikes, each with different tires. I ride them all in similar conditions.

I have 2500 miles or so on a set of Armadillos. No flats. But as others have said, it's a hard-riding tire. They don't seem as quite grippy as the other two.

I have 2500 miles or so on a set of Continental Ultra Gatorskins. One flat--a chuck of safety glass stuck to the front tire in the rain. These tires are very comfy riding and quite grippy.

I have 650 miles on a set of Bontrager Race-Lite Hardcase. No flats yet. They seem as comfortable as the Contis and just as grippy. They don't seem to be getting cut up faster.

Around here where glass and metal bits are the primary puncture hazards, (no goatheads) I'd be hard-pressed to decide between the Contis and the Bontis.

London bicycle couriers mostly use armadillos.

The only punctures I ever had with armadillos were both from metal skewers (car tyre carcass wire possibly).

I've never used bontragers version and don't know anyone who does.

Specialized Armadillo's 700x25
 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I looked at both during lunch and ended up buying the Armadillos. They were a little heavier but man, are these things thick. I threw them on at the LBS and they ride really well. I took a route back to the office with both smooth and rough roads to get a feel for them.

I stepped up a size to the 700x25 Armadillos and I'm running them at 110psi. They are a little slower due to the increased rolling resistance on start but ride surprisingly well. I'll get a better feel for them on the commute home tonight. For a quick couple of mile run they seem to ride great. I'll follow up tomorrow after my out and back commute.

Cheers!

Well, I wont't give my 2 cents since you bought the tires already.
However, the Bontragers will roll much better.

I think as a commuter tire you made a good choice, but dont expect to set any land speed records

Thanks for the input and you're right. These are a little slower for sure. I'm running a 40x16 gearing so I'm pretty damn slow anyway. ;)

cheers!

I was hemming the same decision when the bike I picked up had new hardcases on it.

I like them tons, but I will say for all of their toughness they are not goathead proof. I don't think 'dillos are, either, but I was surprised to have 2 flats in 2 days due to goatheads after 2 weeks of none.

I think I'll get some Mr. Tuffy's and call it good.

The Armadillos I've used had the tread seperate from the sidewall. They are stiff, a little hard to mount and not good rolling resistance. I don't know anything about the Bonetragers. I used to like the Avocet Cross K tires with a Tuffy Tireliner.

I think durability wise you'll be very happy with the armadillos. As for tire liners... I've seen them actually cut tubes so I'm kind of anti tire liner. Maybe the technology has improved since then (this was about 8 years ago).

One of my bikes came with Bontrager Race Lite Hardcases on it. Boston streets shredded 'em after about 1000 miles. I now run, and am extremely happy with, Conti Ultra Gatorskins. For me and my commute, they are the best balance between flat protection and speed. I gather from the many threads on this topic that the Armadillos and Marathons offer better flat protection, but roll slower.

^^ Completely agree. I have Armadillos on one bike and they are bulletproof, but I do notice the sluggishness of them. I had another bike with the Hard Case tires and they roll very well. I thought they were as fast as non puncture resistant tires. I did notice, like everyone else, that they didn't seem to be very sturdy. I now have the Gatorskins on my main bike and they are the best of both worlds. Fast and have good puncture resistance. I have had them for over a year and they still look close to new. I found mine on sale for about $25. That's about half what the shop down the road was selling the Armadillos for.

Had the Bontie's........never liked them all that much. Now riding a pair of Conto Gator Skins on one bike and a pair of Armadillos All Purpose on the other. I rellay like the ride of the gatorskins......but on the mean streets of phlia in the winter.... I trust the Armadillos .

I've run the armadillos on two bikes now, both fixed-gear, and surprisingly I'm much happier with the 23's than I was with the 25's.

I will try something different next time, but just for my own knowledge, not because I'm unhappy with them.

I had the bons on my Trek 520. They started to lose pea-size chips from the periphery, exposing the threads. I replaceed them with another set because they seemed to be good rollers and had been relatively flat resistant for about 3000 miles. The second set blew up - well, the rear did anyway.

Disgusted, I went with Armadillo 28's and have never gone back or had to change out a flat. I have 1.5" Army's on a roadified MTB for commuting, and 23mm Army's on an old school road bike.

I agree that you won't set any speed records, but I hate flats. As to difficulty in mounting them: I think it depends on the rim. I found the Bons to be a real wrestling match, but the Army's are very easy on the MTB and reasonably easy on the 520 and the roadie.

Another advantage to Armadillos is that you can run them almost flat (depending on size), if you ride a crushed rock bike trail or something. Pump 'em up again when you reach the other end.

I've never used Dillos,but I've used three different Flak Jacket models(old/new All Condition,Infinity,Nimbus) with zero flats. I've heard some Dillos don't do well in the rain,and I can tell you from experience in helping a friend that they're a pain to mount/remove. Zero probs with Flak Jackets. I've also had nothing but good experiences with Vittoria Randonneurs.

+1 Your mileage may vary....eventually the liner wears out the tube.

Armadillos are slow but are bulletproof. Never tried the Bontragers. I prefer Gator Skins.

This should be worth a thousand words. Never had a flat when using them. I have them on two road bikes.
With these you can ride faster responsive tires and still avoid most flats.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...kerFlicker.jpg

know any place you can still get those?

I don't think they have been made for 15 or 20 years. Not hard to make. A bit of wire and model airplane fuel line. The brake bolt mount can be fashioned from wire or cut out of aluminum.