Spesh Armadillos in the wet - is this normal?

christeb

OK so while cycling into work this morn the back wheel, tyre model above - hybrid (23?) width - just gave way (slid out on me a fair bit) while travelling over a wet yellow grid. I was going downhill, handy enough pace. For those who know it it was on the Howth Rd towards town just before the DART bridge in Killester/Clontarf.
Can Armadillos just slide out on you unexpectedly like this? I checked for punctures etc but it seems fine. Survived but it shook me up. Any ideas?

TinyExplosions

That's what the armadillos do unfortunately!

Chips Lovell

Armadillos are known for not being very grippy in the wet.

rottenhat

I guess it depends on what you're doing, but Armadillos would not be known for good traction in slippery conditions. There tends to be a trade-off between hard-wearing and grippy and you don't get much more hard-wearing than the Armadillo.

rob1891

Turning hard and fast over wet painted lines? I wouldn't be too quick to blame the Armadillos despite their reputation, most tyres will not behave in this scenario ...

What feels like a major slide is often only quite slight. The tyre probably just slid off the paint and gripped once it reached raw tarmac. Take it easy over painted lines, treat them as you would a manhole cover.

Raam

Rob1891 is dead right. Road paint can be very slippy in the wet. Tread carefully over them

LDB

For those who know it it was on the Howth Rd towards town just before the DART bridge in Killester/Clontarf.

I've slipped many a time in that exact spot on various tyres, Armadillos included. It seems to be a particularly tricky spot.

christeb

rob1891 wrote: »

Turning hard and fast over wet painted lines? I wouldn't be too quick to blame the Armadillos despite their reputation, most tyres will not behave in this scenario ...

I was going pretty straight, that was what surprised me. But the consensus seems to be that they're just crap in the wet, which I knew. I just didn't know to what extent they were such

CheGuedara

Raam wrote: »

Rob1891 is dead right. Road paint can be very slippy in the wet. Tread carefully over them

Yup, can be lethal - had a serious 'wobble' at speed over the weekend on road paint, ups the HR like nothin on earth...

victorcarrera

I havent been over that junction recently but there may have been an oil spill there. Most new road markings are now poured compound rather than painted which gives greater resitance to erosion. This can leave a raised edge a little proud of the road surface and sometimes you may feel a little judder as you ride up on to them. Avoid them if you can or steer into them as you cross over them.

Chips Lovell

Missed the bit about the road markings. Yes, they can be lethal in the wet.

fletch

el tonto wrote: »

Missed the bit about the road markings. Yes, they can be lethal in the wet.

Luas rails too....was cycling at about 0.01mph last Friday and nearly came off. Make sure you take them head on.

beans

There are a few man-hole covers near Christchurch in Dublin (coming from Thomas St direction) that could catch you out if you weren't expecting them. Right on the corner, scattered around the cycle-track, again lethal in the wet

blorg

Armadillos are in my experience a very slippy tyre in the wet. Road marking also. Put them together and...

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Armadillos are in my experience a very slippy tyre in the wet. Road marking also. Put them together and...

Blorg, get off de interwebz and go ride your bike in the sun while you can!

TinyExplosions

beans wrote: »

There are a few man-hole covers near Christchurch in Dublin (coming from Thomas St direction) that could catch you out if you weren't expecting them. Right on the corner, scattered around the cycle-track, again lethal in the wet

Had a *very* wobbly moment on those very ones the other day, but managed to hold it in a mad skidz stylee

cosmic

The only other thing I'd say to do, without getting new tyres, is to always make sure that there's enough air in them, if they're even the tiniest bit flat you'll be wobbling. Good luck!

blorg

Raam wrote: »

Blorg, get off de interwebz and go ride your bike in the sun while you can!

I am back now, just finished lunch, there is only so much I can do over here without my legs falling off. There are no flat bits where we are, none. A straight 1,000m climb today (and descent- that is just short of an Alpe d'Huez), posting pictures in a sec.

No problems with slippery roads over here

Raam

blorg wrote: »

I am back now, just finished lunch, there is only so much I can do over here without my legs falling off. There are no flat bits where we are, none. A straight 1,000m climb today (and descent- that is just short of an Alpe d'Huez), posting pictures in a sec.

No problems with slippery roads over here

Sounds awesome. I am incredibly jealous right now!

beans

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Had a *very* wobbly moment on those very ones the other day, but managed to hold it in a mad skidz stylee

Made a (very cute) Japanese lady laugh out loud trying to catch myself while travelling sideways over one. Must have been stylishly executed :cool:

jebidiah

i once had to jam on beind a lunatic lady driver in a polo on nassau street in the rain. reefed both brakes, front and back wheels just kind of hissed at me for a few seconds before they gripped the wet road. still have those armadillos though!

Captain Ahab

cosmic wrote: »

The only other thing I'd say to do, without getting new tyres, is to always make sure that there's enough air in them, if they're even the tiniest bit flat you'll be wobbling. Good luck!

Is this true? I thought you'd have a bit more grip if you left the tyres a bit soft, more contact with the road.

I have the armadillos on my bike and came off on a wet bend a few weeks a ago, whereas I never would have on my old tyres. Have been very cautious since then.... guess it's just the price you pay for getting to work puncture free!

Civilian_Target

I dunno how the pressure affects grip on puncture-proof tyres, but if they're not fully inflated you're really losing out on the puncture protection... so if you're going to be sliding about on wet roads, you might as well be getting good puncture protection for it

Roundabouts are pretty lethal in the wet on these tyres too, just a little too fast or a splash of oil and kerwham, on your face. That said, I cycled over glass 2 wheels ago, kept going, and pulled 5 or 6 fragments out of my Marathons when I got to work