One of the best things I bought for my commuting bike last year, was a pair of Specialised Armadillo tyres. I have only had one puncture in the past 12 months – and that was a large nail, that could have punctured a car tyre. They are not completely puncture proof. But, my own experience is generally backed up by others who have used them. In my experience, they definitely have reduced the incidence of punctures on my commuting bike (which is good because I don’t carry a spare tube and tools on my commute)
I have toyed with the idea of putting them on my winter training bike. However, I have been put off because they are slightly slower. It’s hard to quantify how much slower, but, it’s not a huge difference. They also have pretty good grip in wet conditions.
They are also seem to be much longer lasting than other tyres. My commute involves a rough canal path and they haven’t needed changing for 12 months of commuting. So even though they cost £25, they are good value.
Update: After nearly three years of riding Armadillo tyres, I am even more impressed. I changed the rear tyre as it had worn down after two years of riding 5 days a week to work. The front tyre is still there! I bought two Armadillo tyres a while back, ready to change but they have been hanging up in garage for ages! Very long lasting.
I have an Armadillo on my winter training bike (rear tyre). I put there because of its strong puncture protection and hard wearing qualities. You do notice higher rolling resistance than say a Continental Dura Skin. But, that is to be expected for the greater puncture protection. Overall, I’d rather have slight decline in rolling resistance and gain improved puncture protection.
Alternatives to Specialized All Condition Armadillo Tyres
After testing other tyres, one tyre which offers better puncture resistance to the Armadillo is the Schwalbe Durano Plus. It has a very deep puncture protection layer, which can absorb even drawing pins. It is a little heavier than the Armadillo. But, if you really want to maximise puncture resistance you will probably get better results with the Schwalbe Durano Plus.
Buy online
- Specialized All Condition Armadillo Tyre – £25.00 – at Evans Cycles
- Armadillo Tyres at Evans Cycles
- Puncture resistant tyres
We used armadillo tyres to cycle from UK to Athens this summer, it took seven weeks and we travelled through France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece. The roads varied from off road to excellent and we carried 20 kgs each as well as ourselves. We did 3,400kms and no puncture. They were excellent.
I bought some of the above mentioned “Continental Sport Contact” tyres and they have made a massive difference! The bike rides much more smoothly and goes faster with less effort, which is pleasing! I am quite pleased that despite having very little prior knowledge about different tyres, I managed to order some from Wiggle that fit, although the various sizing methods do seem pretty confusing. The new tyres are 26 x 1.6 (42-559) and replace 26 x 2.1 (ETRTO/ISO number not written on tyre) mountain bike tyres. Consequently they are slightly smaller in circumference and hence the gear ratios are also different. The only downside is aesthetically they look a bit strange as the mudguards now look a bit big and the wheels too far away from them. This seems a small price to pay for road performance All I need now is a pump with a pressure cage to check that they are optimally inflated, as it has been guess work up till now.
Jonathan. You will definitely notice the difference between commuting on mountain bike tyres and ordinary road tyres. I’ve always found a mountain bike significantly slower on the road
Tejvan, I’m using a moutain bike for a 7 mile daily commute and for some longer rides at weekends on roads. Do you think it worthwhile to replace the ‘off road’ tyres with some slick tyres? Am I likely to notice an appreciable difference in handling and speed etc? Thanks!
For readers who use 26″ semi-slicks I recommend Continental Sport Contact MTB Tyre (http://tinyurl.com/mtbtyre). They come with a 1 year anti-puncture guarantee. I’ve been commuting 12 miles a day on these for nearly a year now with no punctures.
I think I will put them on all my training wheels too.
There’s no better tyre. They are a lot slower (especially the rigid ones that I use), but who cares for training? You just have to try a bit harder than the person your riding with! I’ve got them on all my training wheels.