Armadillo 700*25

Kinetic^

Saw them mentioned on a thread about commuters. Decided to go ahead and pick them up for my Lapierre RCR 08. Got stung with a puncture last friday on my way home.....with no kit to repair it. Have a kit now but want to add more assurance.

Anyone point me in the right direction of obtaining said tyres? Thanks. As cheap as possible.

Ghost Rider

Cycleways on Parnell Street usually have them. Think they're 30 brick each, but that's pretty standard.

Kinetic^ wrote: »

Saw them mentioned on a thread about commuters. Decided to go ahead and pick them up for my Lapierre RCR 08. Got stung with a puncture last friday on my way home.....with no kit to repair it. Have a kit now but want to add more assurance.

Anyone point me in the right direction of obtaining said tyres? Thanks. As cheap as possible.

Kinetic^

Cools. Thanks you kind sir/madam.

blorg

Also consider Continental Gatorskins which can be had in a pair with tubes from Wiggle for £30 (in a basket over £50.) They ride a lot better than Armadillos while having (allegedly) almost as good puncture protection (I only have mine for 500km or so, but no punctures yet.)

On the other hand, Armadillos are bomb-proof, I did 10s of thousands of km on them without punctures. But I reckon an _occasional_ puncture would be justified with the better handling on the Contis.

Kinetic^

I'm rolling on stock tyres that were with my Lapierre RCR when I bought it. How will the handling differ with the armadillos to the originals?

blorg

Armadillos can be slippy, especially in the wet. I find I can corner far more aggressively on the Contis without worrying that the bike is going to go flying out from under me. They definately feel more "grippy", similar to other road bike tyres I have used, but with the puncture protection too. (Some of the other road bike tyres I have used, while having excellent grip, would get punctures once a month or so, versus never in years for the Armadillos.)

Having said that the Armadillos are absolutely fine for commuting, the Contis are just better for taking corners at 70km/h ;-) The Armadillos are meant to have better puncture protection but I am reckoning the Contis will be "good enough" while also having excellent handling.

ba

you should also carry a spare tube, pump + tire levers with you at all times.

mikemac

I was getting a lot of punctures on the stock Bontrager tyres that came with my Trek 1200.

Went to my local LBS and asked for Armadillos but they are a Trek dealer so they didn’t have them in stock. They recommended Bontrager Race Lite which also cost €30 and said they were just as good. They don’t have the reputation of Armadillos but no problems so far (this post will probably jinx me into a puncture on my next spin )

Kinetic^

ba wrote: »

you should also carry a spare tube, pump + tire levers with you at all times.

I do, well everything except a tube which I'll be picking up on friday along with a set of armadillos. I know what you're saying about cornering at speed but any corners I take tend to be quite slow. My route is pretty straight all the way tbh, Rathfarnham to City Centre (via Rathgar Road and Lower Rathmines Road). Sure if they don't work or I'm not happy with them I can always sell them on or just hang onto them.

Seaswimmer

I have been commuting 25 miles a day on dublin roads for last 2 years on 700 X 23 gatorskins and have had 1 puncture (glass). I change them every 6 months and pump them to 100psi every week. Also before pumping check tyre and remove all small or not so small pieces of glass as these will eventually work through the tyre and cause punctures. I would recommend them and for about €25 each they wont break the bank.

milod

I've had a conti gatorskin on the front for a while now and no probs. Still have the armadillo on the rear though.

In terms of handling the Armadillos feel far more 'rigid', but they do soften up after a while...

blorg

micmclo wrote: »

I was getting a lot of punctures on the stock Bontrager tyres that came with my Trek 1200.

Went to my local LBS and asked for Armadillos but they are a Trek dealer so they didn’t have them in stock. They recommended Bontrager Race Lite which also cost €30 and said they were just as good. They don’t have the reputation of Armadillos but no problems so far (this post will probably jinx me into a puncture on my next spin )

I have Race Lites on one of my bikes. They are nice road tyres with great grip but no way are they puncture resistant like Armadillos; I puncture on them regularly enough. If you start getting the punctures again I would go with the Contis (I would not stick Armadillos on a Trek 1200.)

blorg

Kinetic^ wrote: »

I do, well everything except a tube which I'll be picking up on friday along with a set of armadillos. I know what you're saying about cornering at speed but any corners I take tend to be quite slow. My route is pretty straight all the way tbh, Rathfarnham to City Centre (via Rathgar Road and Lower Rathmines Road). Sure if they don't work or I'm not happy with them I can always sell them on or just hang onto them.

If you are not going fast around corners the Armadillos will be fine. They really are the perfect commuting tyre, fit and forget.

Danbo!

ba wrote: »

you should also carry a spare tube, pump + tire levers with you at all times.

Make that 2 tubes! I hit a nasty pothole/cut in the road (road works, it wasnt there the day before) and it ended up "snake-biting" both tyres (gatorskinz, 110psi). Have carried 2 spares ever since. Having said that, that was pretty bad luck tho.

blorg

I carry just the one tube + a puncture repair kit. Lighter/smaller and really should do you unless you have two catastrophic tube failures.

Kinetic^

http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/11823/Beto-Track-Pump-%26-Gauge-Red/

What ye think of this pump?

penexpers

I have that pump - no complaints about it.

blorg

I have a Beto with a crap gauge on the pump head, but it is not the same as that pump. Is your gauge good penexpers?

penexpers

Yeah it's good. It's not on the pump head, it's large and it's easy to read. It's also accurate.

Kinetic^

They didn't have the beto in stock (well on the floor anyway) so went for the Specialized and I also picked up Armadillos.

Now they didn't have the 25's so your man said the 23's would do. Will see how they fair out.

Kinetic^

Took the rothar for a spin on staurday and sunday. The tyres felt fine. With the new pump I was able to get some good pressure into the tyres so getting about was less straining. The commute this morning seemed easier as well. Thanks for the advice.

Kinetic^

Got a poxy puncture on the way home from work on Friday. Went through a puddle and hit a sharp edge pretty hard and it went flat. Upon inspection it was glass that did it. Stupid inpenetrable tyres that are penetrable!!!

blorg

You can puncture with anything, even Armadillos ;-) Less of a chance with Armadillos though.

blobert

Over 2 years on Dublin roads on Armadillos on my single speed (700 x 23c) without a puncture, was getting one every week or two before hand (lot of glass on my route).

They are heavier and have less grip but very much worth if you want puncture free riding.

Would be tempted to try the gatorskins if they were lighter with similar protection.

blorg

Gatorskins are generally considered not to have the same level of protection but to be about the best you can get with a tyre that also rides well. I have punctured on a Gatorskin, about 500km in to it. Only once punctured on an Armadillo and that was after around 3-4 years and the tyre was well overdue for replacement.