Specialized All Condition Armadillo Tire

Price Paid:  $45.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
smugglers notch loop

Bike Setup:
road bike with a set of rims/tires for commuting.

Summary:
I thought these were indestructible? After about a year of commuting on them, I suddenly felt a bump in my read tire. I found that the outer casing is separating where the tire meets the rim. Good tire over all, no flats, but what is their longevity under load?

Strengths:
punctureproof , durable ??

Weaknesses:
harder ride, but what do you expect.

Similar Products Used:
michelin krylion, hutchinson fusion, contintental GP3

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
Any quiet road

Bike Setup:
Burley Tandem

Summary:
I bought 2 of these for our tandem bicycle and both failed. On both tires the outer rubber sheath delaminated. The second time it happened the outer lining failed spontaneously, wrapping itself around the rear axle and almost caused a wreck.

These won't be on any of my bikes any time soon...

Strengths:
Puncture resistance.

Weaknesses:
These tires are unreliable.
I had two of these tires. On the first one the rubber delaminated within a few months. On the other the rubber delaminated within a year, almost with disastrous consequences.

Similar Products Used:
Continental Gator Skins.

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Price Paid:  $37.00 at LBS

Summary:
If you want a tire that will never puncture look no further, this is it. I have had one flat with these tires and that was because a peice of wire went through the tire and tube to the rim.

Strengths:
Never flats. They last forever, I have about 3000 miles on mine. Good traction in the winter and

Weaknesses:
They are slow but for commuting thats not a problem. I didnt buy them to race with.

Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Race Lite, Michelin Omnium, Continental

Price Paid:  $5060.00 at Pedal the Planet-Lex

Favorite Ride:
Anywhere

Bike Setup:
2007 S-Works Roubaix

Summary:
I recently used these on a 66.6 mile ride, raining for all but the first few miles. Tested pretty much under All Conditions, they lived up to the name. I took a hairpin turn on a wet descent, and for about 20 miles I was on crumbling and unswept suburban roadside margins with stuff that I could not have avoided without getting struck. I even went offroad into some muddy margins, and managed to stay up almost into a trackstand, and got back onto pavement okay. I ran them at 90lbs for this ride, and I weigh 172. I ride the 23mm width version.
These tires typically weigh just over 300g, (I have not weighed my unmounted spare yet.) They are heavier than most training tires, if that is what you are used to, but I don’t mind, by now I would have fixed at least two flats. I recently used these on a 66.6 mile ride, raining for all but the first few miles. Tested pretty much under All Conditions, they lived up to the name. I took a hairpin turn on a wet descent, and for about 20 miles I was on crumbling and unswept suburban roadside margins with stuff that I could not have avoided without getting struck. I even went offroad into some muddy margins, and managed to stay up almost into a trackstand, and got back onto pavement okay.
These tires typically weigh just over 300g, (I have not weighed my unmounted spare yet.)Naturally, they are heavier than most training tires, if that is what you are used to, but I don’t mind, by now I would have fixed at least two flats. Besides, this makes them lighter than all but one Schwalbe Durano. They do not look great after the pounding I gave them, but they hold up, and they certainly look better than ANY Conti tire that I have taken into these conditions.
They are o.k. in wet conditions, not as grabby as my former default tire, Michelin Lithions, but that means that they also do not hold onto glass and debris. I have never had to pick anything out of them yet. I have not ridden Conti 4 Seasons, but that would, I suspect, be the competition for these tires most available in the US. I am sticking with these through this riding season. I would recommend these to anyone who is bedevilled by flat-inducing road conditions, and the fatter versions could well be comparable to much more expensive "touring" tires.

Strengths:
Good handling for the weight. Priced competitively with other tires in this class.

Weaknesses:
Difficult to mount when brand new, would not push wet corners as hard with these tires as I might with typical road/race tires, but not dangerously unstable.

Similar Products Used:
None of this class of tire, except maybe Tom Ritchey Slick 28s, otherwise Michelin Lithions, Conti 2000s, yadda yadda

Price Paid:  $32.00 at bicycle bob's, Santa

Favorite Ride:
carbon, speedplay.

Bike Setup:
carbon with alum. frame. speedplay stainless.

Summary:
I ride with the roadies and go from place to place in town.
I weigh 175 lbs.
I ride pretty fast. You won't catch me under 20 mph.
I jump curbs with my carbon bike. No shame. Wheels still true.

I've bought 4 tires thus far. I've never had a flat with the armadillos. I used to get flats every 150 miles or so. Not once thus far. It must be 4k miles.
Granted, I've always used a kevlar/mylar reinforced strip in all of my tires.

But still, I've ridden these with no rubber left on the main outer band, and 1 ft holes in the top layer of fiber. Go to bicycle bob's on Hope avenue and they should hopefully still have the picture.

My trust and joy of these tires has gotten to the point at which I recreationally run over glass. I really do enjoy hopping onto glass and shattering it.

GO ARMADILLO!

Strengths:
flat resistance. FLAT THIS, DRUNKEN MOTHAFKA! Wait 'till I pick up your broken bottle and jam it through your useless trashy neck.

Weaknesses:
heavy.

Similar Products Used:
none

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