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Submitted by
joeinchiDate Reviewed: March 17, 2013
Strengths: Nice looking tire, puncture resistanceWeaknesses: Poorly designed, harsh ride, slow rollingBottom Line: These were newly-mounted to a used Gary Fisher HT I bought through CL. Once home, I removed them and mounted them on my pavement bike, a '94 Marin rigid mtb. Until then, the Marin rode on Continental SportContacts, a very fast, supple, 26x1.6 slick.
The difference between the Armadillos and the SportContacts was night and day. The Armadillo's are stiff and feel heavy, even though they're only an a few ounces (50g) heavier than the Conti's. The heavy-duty puncture resistance also make for a relatively harsh ride. With a supple compound, you simply glide over road imperfections; the Armadillo's let you feel every little pebble.
This harshness also makes the Armadillo a poor off-road tire. While I would not expect such a tire to do well on technical trails, I did expect a fast, smooth ride on hard-packed bike paths--not the case. The overly stiff Armadillos are SLOW on bike trails and make you work much harder than you would with virtually any tire out there.
These are great tires for slow, urban commuting where puncture resistance is the ONLY concern. If you want speed and comfort, as well, I would definitely look for a different tire.
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Submitted by
KateDate Reviewed: January 21, 2013
Strengths: They protect you from flats caused by road debris pretty well.Weaknesses: They are very difficult to out on when new. The side wall is not nearly as strong as the rest of the tire and that is where most of my problems have been. After about 3 months of riding for fun and commuting the side wall separated from the wire. It was under warranty so my bike shop replaced it. One month later the same thing happened. I'm not over inflating them and there is nothing wrong with my wheel that would cause this.Bottom Line: They do a good job of protecting from flats caused by road debris but the side walls seem weak which is where all my problems have been. It's very upsetting when you commute to work and find a flat waiting for you or take your bike out of the car for a weekend of riding with friends to find a flat caused by a blown sidewall. Overall I don't trust them anymore.
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Submitted by
edgarDate Reviewed: July 19, 2012
Strengths: Awesome, until they fall apart.Weaknesses: The tread comes off the tire.Bottom Line: About to go to the bike shop after having the rear tire replaced once already. Simply stated, the tread comes off the tire. I had the first tire for less than a month before this became a problem, and the replacement lasted just as long... going in to see if the warranty covers it, never buying these again.
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Submitted by
Alaskalarr
a Cross Country Rider
from Sioux Falls,S.D.Date Reviewed: September 21, 2011
Strengths: Rolls good. Never had flat. Rode my first set 6,000 miles and only changed because wore the tred through. Only tie I trust to not flat.Weaknesses: Next set the tred seperated on both tires. Called Specailized and they never said they have had that problem. Waiting to see it they will replace.Bottom Line: Love the tire but wont buy again if Specailized doesn't replace them. I ride them on packed gravel and pavement and they are great. Have to be careful in the rain on fast corners.
Favorite Trail: Mickelson Trail
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At: On line
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher Sugar 292+ 2001
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Submitted by
BikerJ
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids, MIDate Reviewed: May 27, 2011
Strengths: Rools Smooth and adds extra bump absortion.Weaknesses: Heavy, Tire ply came apartBottom Line: I loved these tires! Rolled over some rather large debris. Handled well in loose gravel and rain (for not haveing much tread). Problem with thes tires though, they fell apart. The two plys seperated. Maybe I got some from a bad batch, I don't know. Specialized is sending two brand new tires of my choice. I'm going to try the Infinity next. I am giving a low rating because they fell apart. I would rate them high on how they function though.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Purchased At: Local Bike Shop
Bike Setup: Guru with Sram Rival and Ksyrium wheels
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Submitted by
wozza62
a Weekend Warrior
from Wellington, New ZealandDate Reviewed: January 10, 2011
Strengths: Great puncture resistance and durability. Top commuter tyre.Weaknesses: None that I have come acrossBottom Line: Put on bike in March 2009 and covered over 6,500 kms since (now Jan 2010) with only three punctures, all from sizeable glass and wire. With previous tyres I was getting an average of a puncture per week. I ride in all weathers on road and on concrete paths and these have never let me down. Had to throw out the rear today after nearly two years of daily commuting as it started to delaminate, however the tread was wafer thin by this stage.
Fantastic tyres and will definitely be getting more as soon as the importer can get them in stock.
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: Johnsonville Cycles,
Bike Setup: Avanti MTB with Armadillo 26 x 1.50 tyres
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kerry Hales
a Cross Country Rider
from Sierra Vista, AZ USADate Reviewed: December 27, 2010
Strengths: Durable as a rock. Great wear and tread life.Weaknesses: Hard as a rock. Can be tough to mount.Bottom Line: I am more than pleased with this product. The delamination issue that someone mentioned is a flaw that should be under warranty. I have well over 2000 miles on the rear of my recumbent and ZERO flats. Several goat heads pulled out, several shards of glass. One small nail. They certainly will not resist a 1/4 or better nail, but nothing would except a solid body tire.
Biggest con is how heavy these beasts are! They are also a beech to put on when new. Honestly, I do think the Marathon Plus is a better tire, but this one is nearly as good.
I can highly recommend this tire if you have bad luck with glass, nails and goat heads.
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$35.00
Similar Products Used: Schwalbe Marathon Plus, Continental Gator Skin
Bike Setup: Rans Stratus XP with Velocity disc wheels. Avid Discs mechanical action. Armadillo on the rear and a Kenda Kaliente on the front (Original)
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Submitted by
Pistolero45
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbia, MO, USADate Reviewed: June 16, 2010
Strengths: I used these tires for just over a year for commuting back and forth to work on city streets. I rode over broken glass and every kind of debris you can imagine. Only had one flat in 2000 miles, and that was after the tires started coming apart.Weaknesses: After 2000 miles, the tires delaminated and had to be replaced.Bottom Line: I loved these tires right up until they fell apart. It looked like a poor bonding process during manufacturing. I think $100 was just too much money to pay for such short tire life.
Favorite Trail: Katy Trail
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: Local store
Bike Setup: Schwinn Suburban
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
bentrider1957
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson AZDate Reviewed: April 14, 2010
Strengths: A very tough tire with almost bullet-proof characteristics. Good rolling resistance and a great tire for the road and maybe some packed gravel. Holds up to 80 Psi.Weaknesses: Heavy tire and VERY hard. Can be a bit rough handling on wet corners. I would not use these on a extreme dirt trail where max traction is desired. Specialized makes a Armadillo version with aggressive treads.Bottom Line: If you do a lot of commuting and want to arrive EVERY day without a tire issue, this is the tire to get. It does very well in many conditions and seems better suited for roads and packed gravel. Very durable and long-lasting but some issues with the sidewall delamination... something Specialized supposedly fixed. I have these on the recumbent over a year and ZERO flats!
Favorite Trail: Miller Canyon
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At: Local Shop
Similar Products Used: Shwalbe Marathon Racer
Bike Setup: 2009 Rans XP Stratus.
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Submitted by
andrews1536
a Weekend Warrior
from cambridge UKDate Reviewed: March 7, 2010
Strengths: good looking tire, high grip i dont need to lean much to go around a corner, i havnt used them in the rain yet as it has not rained since i got them.Weaknesses: absoluty no grip at all off road (not really an offroad tire but i do sometimes cycle through muddy places with friends [ they got jump bikes])Bottom Line: i have only had them for 3 days now (i done about 5 miles on road and 500 feet off road)and they are great on road if you put high pressure on them (i got 75psi in the back and 70 on the front) there is almost no tire noise.
all the people that complain about these tires getting punctures are just unlucky because these arent guaranteed puncture resistant although i have rid over some glass with these tires and they are fine.
in a few months or so if i remeber i will update this review
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: none
Bike Setup: 2001 specialized hardrock comp hayes nine hydro (front) some v-brake on the back (cant have disc on the back) 04 marazotchi bomber mx comp shimano xt gears (front and back)
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Submitted by
rick
a Weekend Warrior
from livonia michiganDate Reviewed: June 17, 2009
Strengths: name brand everyone knowsWeaknesses: you decideBottom Line: June 09---I bought the nimbus armadillo in the 1.5 inch model to replace the cheap Kenda tires that came on my Raleigh Venture hybrid bike. The bike had 1.75 inch tires and they were nice and comfy but rather sluggish so I opted to trade up to a more premium tire to get things moving along faster knowing that I would be sacrificing a little comfort.
The sidewall suggested a pressure rating of 35 to 80 pounds so I set them up with 75 pounds. My initial impression after an hour of riding is that they roll along only slightly easier than the cheapo stock Kendas on pavement so to sum it up quickly, I was less than impressed.
The trade off between a little less rolling resistance and comfort was not worth it. Maybe they will be better at resisting flats than the cheap stock tires but If I had to do it over again I would not have spent the 66 bucks to get these tires.
I will leave them on mainly because I have 66 bucks invested in them and I am too lazy to go through the changeover again.
Favorite Trail: the long way home
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$33.00
Purchased At: local bike shop
Bike Setup: Raleigh mens hybrid ( venture)
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle/Everett, WA. USADate Reviewed: November 26, 2008
Strengths: Exactly as advertised. Possibly the most durable tire ever built. Definitely Mil-Spec.Weaknesses: Weight - but only for the weight-weenies.Bottom Line: I weigh 250lbs., so I don't much care about tire weight. I also use Brooks saddles and I ride relatively heavy bikes, aggressively and for rides up to 70 miles a pop. Here in the Seattle area, the ground is often wet, even if it's not raining at the moment. So, you can't see the glass. Army's just don't care. After 9,000 miles on four different bikes, I have had only six flats. The culprits were: one sheetrock screw, one joist hanger nail, two hair-thin bits of radial car tire wire, and the last two were from worn-out rim tape which allowed a punctured tube (twice, before I discovered the problem). I run 1.5's on the MTB's with about a 10% over-inflation. Superb commuter qualities and very good touring attributes as well. I can dump pressure for fire roads and trails down to 35 in front and 50 in back for a nicer ride and decent grip on hardpack. I've tried the lighter "faster" tires with immediate poor results and flats. One brand I won't name flatted just by threatening to go for a ride. I'm too heavy and too aggressive. I will never stray from these tires again.
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At: Bicycle Centres/Ever
Similar Products Used: Schwalbe Marathons
Bike Setup: Two roadies and two old school MTB's.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mark Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from Roseville, CADate Reviewed: March 2, 2008
Strengths: Durable, smooth, dependableWeaknesses: Only goes to 60psi, which is sufficient, but more pressure might allow for less friction on harder surfaces. They are pretty heavy, but thats the trade off for the armor.Bottom Line: After riding on these a year on a 7 mile commute riddled with road debris and bullhead thorns I have yet to suffer one flat. I have even pulled bullheads out of the tread that I expected to require a patch and was pleasantly surprised. I count 12 I have removed so far.
Though I do wish they held more pressure so I could go faster easier, the peace of mind I have from the Armadillo lining combined with the ride quality, practically negates that issue.
By the way, the individual reviewing earlier (Lee from Berkeley) about them degrading on 80psi is filling them 20 too high. Read the sidewall, and its no wonder.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: This is the first 1.25w 26" slick I have owned.
Bike Setup: Aluminum hardtail commuter with Deore XT group
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Lee
from Berkeley, CADate Reviewed: October 22, 2007
Strengths: not sureWeaknesses: not nearly as tough as advertisedBottom Line: Based off the reviews below, I might have just gotten unlucky with a lemon. A normal small rectangular piece of glass went right through the tread and casing in under 200 miles.
Also, the tread started pulling away from the casing at 500 miles. It got too bad for my confidence around 600 miles, with flaps of the tread literally disconnected. Maybe the tire can't take 80psi with heavy riders on narrowish rims (Sun Mach IV & Sun CR-18)? I'm pretty sure the pressure gauge on my Pedro's pump is correct, but tread separation would seem to indicate over pressurization.
Regardless, a waste of $40.
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At: LBS
Bike Setup: hardtail commuter
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rob Morgan
a Weekend Warrior
from Norwich, Norfolk, EnglandDate Reviewed: September 18, 2007
Strengths: Incredibly tough and long lastingWeaknesses: quite expensive - Have to be run at high pressuresBottom Line: I've had Armadillo's on my bike from new and despite 7 years continued use on inner city roads and even trails in the pyrenees mountains its only now that my rear side wall has let go through perishing. Only had 2 flats in 7 years both valve failures as a result of letting the pressures get low. front tire still going strong. I think I am particulalrly gentle with tires the way I ride but they are increadibly hard wearing - I struggle to fault them really as a commuter tire
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At: Borwells of Norwich
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: 2000 model year Specialized Hard Rock - Base spec
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