# Ack! Flats! Armadillos work?



## TrevorInSoCal (Mar 31, 2003)

I've had a flat every day I've commuted this week. I've checked my tires thoroughly for embedded bits of glass/wire/etc. and checked the rim/rim-strips. All seems to be in order, so I'm thinking maybe my tires just suck (I only paid $10 for 'em. Wire-bead Vittoria Courier TT's.). Are those specialized armadillos as flat-resistant as the advertising claims? How do they ride?

It's not just this week either. Seems like I've been getting min. of at least one flat/week since I started my commute a couple months ago.

--Trevor


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## Steve-O (Jan 28, 2004)

*Armadillos - GOOD!*



TrevorInSoCal said:


> I've had a flat every day I've commuted this week. I've checked my tires thoroughly for embedded bits of glass/wire/etc. and checked the rim/rim-strips. All seems to be in order, so I'm thinking maybe my tires just suck (I only paid $10 for 'em. Wire-bead Vittoria Courier TT's.). Are those specialized armadillos as flat-resistant as the advertising claims? How do they ride?
> 
> It's not just this week either. Seems like I've been getting min. of at least one flat/week since I started my commute a couple months ago.
> 
> --Trevor


I've had good luck with these tires and think that they are probably one of the most flat resistance tires out there. They aren't what I would call a _supple_ feeling tire though...

If you keep getting flats maybe mark your tire with a pen to see if they keep coming up in the same place. I recently got two flats but could not figure out the cause. As it turns out the inner casing on my tire was starting to fray in one spot. It didn't feel like much to the touch but it was just rough enough to wear a hole in my tube. After the second flat I noticed that the casing failure had started to cause a slight bulge in the tire which signaled that its days were numbered. Currently trying out Kenda Kontender tires for the first time and have about 150 miles with no issues...


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## TrevorInSoCal (Mar 31, 2003)

*Sounds like...*



Steve-O said:


> I've had good luck with these tires and think that they are probably one of the most flat resistance tires out there. They aren't what I would call a _supple_ feeling tire though...
> 
> Currently trying out Kenda Kontender tires for the first time and have about 150 miles with no issues...


what I've read. After posting I decided to RTFM and checked out the review section. Seems the consensus is they do the job of resisting flats, but are heavy and have a teeth-rattling ride. There's also some concern about splitting sidewalls. I'll hafta decide whether the trade-offs are worth it...

-Trevor


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## 633 (Feb 10, 2004)

*Michelin Axial Carbons*

Are very flat resistant and ride much better than Armadillos. I've had both and stick with the Michelins Carbons. $31.99 ea. at Performance right now. Not sure how that compares with the Armadillos, but I like 'em a lot.


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## Dave_Stohler (Jan 22, 2004)

Yes, they are as good protection as everybody says, but frankly, they ride pretty bad. I still have Armadillos on my C'Dale touring bike, and even with 32mm width at 65/90 psi, the ride is still rough. I have a sprung saddle on the bike to make the ride more bearable. 

On the plus side, though, I don't have to worry about avoiding road hazards anymore. I've gone over broken bottles, sharp metal scraps, you name it. Never had a puncture. These things must be nearly bulletproof.


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## The Walrus (Apr 2, 2000)

*Armadillos are miraculous...*

...I think I've had one f**t in 5000 miles (yes, they last that long) on the set on my touring bike. I've never noticed the harsh ride some other people refer to, but that could be the effect of the combined weight of rider and gear I'm carrying.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

TrevorInSoCal said:


> I've had a flat every day I've commuted this week. I've checked my tires thoroughly for embedded bits of glass/wire/etc. and checked the rim/rim-strips. All seems to be in order, so I'm thinking maybe my tires just suck (I only paid $10 for 'em. Wire-bead Vittoria Courier TT's.). Are those specialized armadillos as flat-resistant as the advertising claims? How do they ride?
> 
> It's not just this week either. Seems like I've been getting min. of at least one flat/week since I started my commute a couple months ago.
> 
> --Trevor


Mr Tuffy tire liners. Orange is for 700c road wheels. I use them on all my bikes. Yes they're a little heavy but they really work. I use Michelin Axial Pro or Carbon tires and have no probelms with Fl***(I can't say it  )


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## Dave_Stohler (Jan 22, 2004)

Mr Tuffys really don't work worth a [email protected] I used them once. They were a pain to insert, then after a few days, one of them rubbed my innertube and caused it to flat. Kinda ironic, dontcha think? I threw them in the trash and went out and bought the Armadillos. The only concievable reason for using Mr Tuffys as far as I can see is if you have a certain tire tread pattern that you need. Works for MTB'ers, not for road bikes.

Since the tires you have now are [email protected] (as are *all* cheapo Vittorias...), you're gonna need tires anyway. Instead of futzing around with something that doesn't work that well in the first place, just go buy a set of Armadillos. They'll truly last you several thousand miles.


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## TrevorInSoCal (Mar 31, 2003)

*Probably not a bad idea...*



Dave_Stohler said:


> Since the tires you have now are [email protected] (as are *all* cheapo Vittorias...), you're gonna need tires anyway. Instead of futzing around with something that doesn't work that well in the first place, just go buy a set of Armadillos. They'll truly last you several thousand miles.


Only problem with that plan is if I hate 'em I'm then stuck with 'em for several thousand miles 'cause I'm not about to toss $60 worth of tires before wringing every last mile out of them.

Oh, well, it's a fixie, there are always entertaining ways to reduce tire mileage on fixies .

Of course that's probably to the detriment of knee-mileage, and knees are a lot more expensive, and painful, to replace than tires...

-Trevor

.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Dave_Stohler said:


> Mr Tuffys really don't work worth a [email protected] I used them once. They were a pain to insert, then after a few days, one of them rubbed my innertube and caused it to flat. Kinda ironic, dontcha think? I threw them in the trash and went out and bought the Armadillos. The only concievable reason for using Mr Tuffys as far as I can see is if you have a certain tire tread pattern that you need. Works for MTB'ers, not for road bikes.
> 
> Since the tires you have now are [email protected] (as are *all* cheapo Vittorias...), you're gonna need tires anyway. Instead of futzing around with something that doesn't work that well in the first place, just go buy a set of Armadillos. They'll truly last you several thousand miles.



I wish you would have sent them to me instead of throwing them out. I have tens of thousands of miles on Mr. Tuffys. They work great for me...


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

$10 tires? No wonder. How many miles do you have on them?


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## TrevorInSoCal (Mar 31, 2003)

*On this set...*



filtersweep said:


> $10 tires? No wonder. How many miles do you have on them?


Only about 700 mi. I bought two sets 'cause they were so cheap, and I liked the color. It's kinda hard to find orange tires .

I toasted the first set in a few hundred miles 'cause I was skidding and skipping everywhere, but after the novelty of riding fixed wore off I stopped skidding as much and this set has actually been doing ok, except for all the flats.

-Trevor


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## Grandpaboy (Mar 1, 2004)

Trevor -

I used the Armidillo's a few years ago. They lasted a good 1500-2000 miles and I had one flat the entire time. I ride in San Diego and they certainly do the job.

They are a bit heavy and the sidewalls are a problem. The sidewalls start to peel away well before the tread wears out. Plus, the ont flat I did have, I can tell you that tire was a ***** to get off and on. I busted two tire irons once.

Because of the weight, semi-harsh ride and difficulty in removing, I switched to Continental Gator Skins. Have ridden about 2500 miles on a few of them. They wear faster, but can't recall how long. I have replaced the front and rear once. The ride is smoother.

In this time I have had 2 flats. So the trade off for me vs. the Armidillos is the one extra flat and a shorter ride duration on the Gator Skins.


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## velocity (Apr 18, 2002)

*For the commuter, I say you can't go wrong with 'dillos.*

Before I put these on I was periodically changing flats on my way to/from work. Since I switched to 'dillos flats on my commute have become almost non-existent. In fact I almost stopped carrying spare tubes, etc. with me on my commute because they've begun to seem like unnecessary weight. But better safe than sorry. Only time these things flat pretty much is when it's time to put them in the trash and replace with a fresh tire. Save the smooth-riding tires for the evenings & weekends.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

*yes armadillos worth it*

After getting tire pierced with sharp wedge of beer bottle glass, I had to replace anyway, so I went for the Arma's on my Motobecane Super Mirage budget road bike. I use this bike for daily commuting (after getting hybrid stolen) and also for road rides.

No flats since putting them on a year ago. Incredible. I replace tires when they don't hold pressure well any longer. Yes, these tires are heavier. But I appreciate the peace-of-mind as a trade-off. I ride mostly in urban areas, and was getting a lot of flats. Now I don't worry about changing a flat while in dress clothes.

On this year's Houston-to-Auston MS150, we encountered roofing tacks in the road at Buescher State Park - I passed dozens of flat-changers, but no flat myself - I kept the speed up without fear!

I received advise to occasionally pick debris out of tire in order to extend life of tire.
-PJ


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## diatribe (Jun 7, 2004)

I've had the Armadillo's for two weeks now and can report no problems with them. I commute through some bad parts of Philly and have run over some fairly bad things for tires and been just fine.

I will say however, that I did, drop down off a curb, (about 8 inches) controlled and slow and the back tube did go flat. I dont' know what exaclty caused the flat but it was a solid thump when the back tire dropped to the ground.

Also, I've never had to change a flat before - since I recently starting riding as much as I have and mounting the Armadillo's wasn't a problem at all. Read the instructions on the tube box and voila!


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## tar (Jul 9, 2004)

*armadillos rule*

have toured italy and put on about 4000 miles in over a year. only 1 flat. i highly recommend them


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## Steve B. (Jun 26, 2004)

*Commuting tires*



TrevorInSoCal said:


> I've had a flat every day I've commuted this week. I've checked my tires thoroughly for embedded bits of glass/wire/etc. and checked the rim/rim-strips. All seems to be in order, so I'm thinking maybe my tires just suck (I only paid $10 for 'em. Wire-bead Vittoria Courier TT's.). Are those specialized armadillos as flat-resistant as the advertising claims? How do they ride?
> 
> 5 years of commuting Long Island/Brooklyn, NY allowed me a bit of taste testing of assorted tires. Armadillo's are no better or worse then other similar types. Glass slivers can readily penetrate and not much can stop it. I too have discoverd that a slice can expose the Kevlar fibers, and they can puncture the tube as well. I've recently been using Continental Ultra Gatorskins on my "fast" bike and am very happy with no flats and a nice ride.
> 
> ...


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## mr_e (Oct 21, 2003)

*Fixie*

I skidded the tar out of mine in an effort to wear em down faster because they wer such heavy, poor rolling tires. I did it, but only after months of skidding down hill over glass (for real). Swapped to a set of Conti Gatorskins- more supple, if thats the right word for a work horse tire. I think I'll be looking at the Vredistein Tri comps next- more spendy, but whats the point of riding a bike if its not fun ....


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## IM Walt (Jul 2, 2002)

*My experience with flats*

A while back I posted a message about the problem I was having with flats. I took someone's advice and switched to a smaller (25) tire. Right now I have a Conti Ultra 3000 on the front, and a Vittoria Courier on the back. I got both of them on sale at Performance for $10 each. I have 800 miles on them with one rear flat caused by a price of glass. I commute in Syracuse, NY, and if anyone has ever been here, you know that keeping the city clean is very low on the priority list of those in charge. There is glass all over the place.

One thing I try to do is check the tires for pieces of glass stuck in them before I start every ride. I don't always remember, but it's better to find them earlier than later.


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## PJay (May 28, 2004)

*no prob putting on armadillos*

...some people have mentioned that a down-side of the armadillos is getting them off and on - I haven't had any problems. I can get mine off easily, and back on by hand.


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