Our highly durable, wide profile recreational tire with improved for 2003 Armadillo puncture protection for even more trouble free commuting and touring in ATB situations.
Submitted by
George
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose ,Ca
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2009
Strengths: Tuff ,almost bullet prof ,almost ten years on these and a set of team sport knobies .Very good on the street and hard pack trails . I've never had to pump them up to get home.
Weaknesses: Doesn't work well in deep sand ,loose pebbley stuff , but thats what the knobies are for. Little heavy ,use thin inners
Bottom Line:
The only flats I've had on any Armadilo came the first week I had them after I ran through a feild of goats heads. The Team Sport were coverd with hundeds of the things , Only ten got through on the two tires . The thorns were a half inch long and I still rode home .
Great every day riders.Dare you to leave your pump at home!
Similar Products Used: Bones ,Nimbus , Hutchesons , IRC .
Bike Setup: Mongoose Pro
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
C R
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco, CA USA
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2007
Strengths: I selected this tire after much research to be a combo trail and road tire. So far it has been great for both. On the road, it rolls nicely, and the biggest plus is that it will go up to 80 psi, which is unusual for a tire this large. It really makes a nice roll. On the trail, I can still climb virtually all of the hills I used to with my knobbies, at least so far. Surprisingly, the improved roll is noticable on hard packed dirt as well as on the road. I have not had any flats, and feel very confident riding in "road cheese", i.e. rocks, thorns, glass, etc.
Weaknesses: It is big, 1.95, and pretty heavy compared to some others, due in part to the wire bead and kevlar band. But that is what I wanted, a tank that would give me the best chance possible of avoiding flats but still roll.
Bottom Line:
If you want something strong and as worry free as possible with a good roll, this is for you. Not for racing, but great for peace of mind!!!
Commuted 4000 on these tyres alone. Had to swap them around to even the wear, but still have tread on both. Sidewalls are showing the normal "Specialised" cracking, but nothing to worry about. I have run other armadillo tyres down to the "red" kevlar beneath the black rubber and the only thing that makes you change them is they get dangerous at that point because the kevlar comes away from the casing!
Only had one puncture in 4000 miles, a very sharp screw went into the sidewall. If you want reliability pay the extra for armadillo. I commute 20 miles a day and use these tyres for the winter and use the Nimbus armadillos on another bike in the summer. Nimbus are quieter, thinner and less forgiving over bumps - not much difference in rolling resistance, but the hemi's produce a buzz over road above 20mph.
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Oswego
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2004
Strengths: great on street hard-pak and lava fileds, very little restance
Weaknesses: none (but if wanted to go light I would of goten a road bike)
Bottom Line:
over 1800 miles on them, no flats yet. they work so well I even got my Wife a set, at 25.00 ea and reliability, it's well worth it. if you crave mud and sand these are not for you.
Submitted by
jason meyer
a Weekend Warrior
from austin,texas
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2004
Strengths: i love these tires,im a clyd at 320+,they work great nuff said!
Weaknesses: havent found any yet..
Bottom Line:
tires are great ,being a big guy at 320+ and city street riding they work great.no flats at all.just a great overall tire,i am very pleased with their performance.when i turn a corner going fast,i have nothing but confidence in the tires.would definately buy the product again.i ride a lot and the tread seems to last forever.worth my money.
Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from North Carolina
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2004
Strengths: Solid cross/city style tire with nice low profile treads
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
I use these tires with mavic x221 wheelset specifically for city riding and they work perfect for me. No flats, and a nice low profile tread for less rolling resistence.
If you want to use your mountain machine as a city cruiser, these tires seem to be very effective and a great buy.
Similar Products Used: Michelin/Ritchey/Specialized tires
Bike Setup: Stumpjumper M2/XTR drivetrain
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Stuart Pineo
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbia, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2004
Strengths: None that I know of.
Weaknesses: Very hard to put on and remove from rim. Extremely hard when weather is very cold.
Bottom Line:
Got a flat on my VERY FIRST ride! The culprit was a small, easy to bend staple! Clearly these tires appear to work very selectively. Perhaps thorns, maybe glass? I could accept that if Specialized included an easy to see disclaimer. The company very cleverly markets these as THE solution to flats!
Similar Products Used: Kevlar tires (Bonrager) with Liners (Mr.Tuffy/Slime liner) and/or Slime (liquid)
Bike Setup: Mountain set up for off-road/road commuting
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David C. Menges
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, US
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2003
Strengths: They stop thorns.
Weaknesses: Bikes stores don't stock them.
Bottom Line:
The only thing that stops goathead thorns here. A friend that rides a lot has gone 1.5 years without a flat. Without protection I was patching tubes every weekend.
I've used Mr. Tuffys; they help, but I still got some flats. I have never used Slime or thick tubes - they sound too heavy.
Btw, do you know what they used for Slime in the old days? Condensed milk.
Bike Setup: Armadillo Hemisphere 26 x 1.9" (no knobs)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Delta
a Cross Country Rider
from Plano, TX
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2003
Strengths: Longevity, low rolling resistance, virtually flat proof
Weaknesses: Weight (for those of you who need to count grams)
Bottom Line:
I am only an amateur MTB rider. That being said, I like to keep only one bike around that affords me both a serious trail ride along with 40-60 mile aerobic rides on pavement. I wanted a tire that would allow me to do both. The Town and Country and Hutchinson Python tires each gave me two flats inside of 10 days that I rode each set off road.
I have used the Hemisphere Armadillos for two months now for 700 miles both on and off road with no flats. I am a lean 205 pounds (weights) so I really do not notice the extra weight of the tire even running the Specialized Airlock tubes. These tires roll very well and quietly on concrete when inflated to 80 psi and give a respectably soft ride off road when I back some pressure off (to 45-50 psi). These tires seem to have a lot of air volume and that helps some with off road cushion. I really do not notice the extra weight when churning up hills either. In other hardpack situations (camber, roots, wheel wash), I do not notice a big dropoff from the Hutchinsons and can live with the performance.
I must confess, though, that my trail riding is confined to single trail tacky to hardpack year round. I ride strictly xc trails...no dh stuff, sand, or mud.
Submitted by
G Naz
a Cross Country Rider
from Milwaukee
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2003
Strengths: Handles great, low rolling resistance, never had a flat (fingers crossed)
Weaknesses: Uhm, a bit on the heavy side.
Bottom Line:
I really like these tires for burly commuting duties. They're a bit on the heavy side, so the don't go real fast, but they corner great, and are durable as hell. They're really big and fat too, like 2.1 or 2.something... I can't remember exactly. But their size helps with the afore mentioned traction, and the large air volume gives me great cushioning for curbs and stairs. There are faster and lighter commuting tires out there, but I haven't found any that take this much punishment. Well done Specialized.
