Specialized Armadillo Vs. Armadillo Elite

PeterCruzer

I'm currently running a pair of 700x28 Specialized All-Condition
Armadillos on my ride. Given that they come it at a whopping 460g
apiece, I was thinking of switching over to the All-Condition
Armadillo Elites, at 340g apiece.

Can anyone comment on the diffferences between the two? The Conti
Ultra Gatorskin is another contender. Thanks. Peter.

Links: All-Condition Armadillo: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEq....jsp?spid=35658
All-Condition Armadill Elite: http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEq....jsp?spid=35656
[You'll need to select a country, then should be taken to the tire
page]

landotter

On May 13, 4:25 pm, PeterCruzer <pvy...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm currently running a pair of 700x28 Specialized All-Condition
> Armadillos on my ride. Given that they come it at a whopping 460g
> apiece, I was thinking of switching over to the All-Condition
> Armadillo Elites, at 340g apiece.
>
> Can anyone comment on the diffferences between the two? The Conti
> Ultra Gatorskin is another contender. Thanks. Peter.

No experience with either, but a question: for the width, those are
very very heavy tires. I expect they both ride like shit. Does your
route demand such a miserable hose of a tire?

BobT

"landotter" <landotter@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7b11fd3f-47e4-445a-bdaf-58c85784b04b@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> On May 13, 4:25 pm, PeterCruzer <pvy...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I'm currently running a pair of 700x28 Specialized All-Condition
>> Armadillos on my ride. Given that they come it at a whopping 460g
>> apiece, I was thinking of switching over to the All-Condition
>> Armadillo Elites, at 340g apiece.
>>
>> Can anyone comment on the diffferences between the two? The Conti
>> Ultra Gatorskin is another contender. Thanks. Peter.
>
> No experience with either, but a question: for the width, those are
> very very heavy tires. I expect they both ride like shit. Does your
> route demand such a miserable hose of a tire?

A quick search yields these weights for 700x28c tires:
Continental Continental Ultra Sport Tire - 350 gm
Vittoria Randonneur Cross Tire - 500 gm
Continental Ultra Gatorskin Tire - 320 gm
Michelin Dynamic - 320 gm
Michelin City - 560 gm
Nu-Teck Bike Touring Airless Tire - 680 gm
Schwalbe Stelvio HS 376 - 350 gm
Schwalbe Marathon Plus - 740 gm
Michelin Pro2 Light - "Our lighest tire" 700 x 23c - 190 gm

What 700c x 28 tire would you suggest that is dramatically lighter than
these "very very heavy tires"?

BobT

landotter

On May 14, 5:30 pm, "BobT" <RobertLeeTaylor...@THISSuddenLink.net>
wrote:
> "landotter" <landot...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:7b11fd3f-47e4-445a-bdaf-58c85784b04b@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On May 13, 4:25 pm, PeterCruzer <pvy...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> I'm currently running a pair of 700x28 Specialized All-Condition
> >> Armadillos on my ride. Given that they come it at a whopping 460g
> >> apiece, I was thinking of switching over to the All-Condition
> >> Armadillo Elites, at 340g apiece.
>
> >> Can anyone comment on the diffferences between the two? The Conti
> >> Ultra Gatorskin is another contender. Thanks. Peter.
>
> > No experience with either, but a question: for the width, those are
> > very very heavy tires. I expect they both ride like shit. Does your
> > route demand such a miserable hose of a tire?
>
> A quick search yields these weights for 700x28c tires:
> Continental Continental Ultra Sport Tire - 350 gm
> Vittoria Randonneur Cross Tire - 500 gm
> Continental Ultra Gatorskin Tire - 320 gm
> Michelin Dynamic - 320 gm
> Michelin City - 560 gm
> Nu-Teck Bike Touring Airless Tire - 680 gm
> Schwalbe Stelvio HS 376 - 350 gm
> Schwalbe Marathon Plus - 740 gm
> Michelin Pro2 Light - "Our lighest tire" 700 x 23c - 190 gm
>
> What 700c x 28 tire would you suggest that is dramatically lighter than
> these "very very heavy tires"?
>
It's a casing thing, not really a weight thing, FWIW. A 28mm wire
bead tire that weighs more than 300g probably has reinforced sidewalls
and will ride like crap. Great if you need it in really rough
conditions, but at the expense of a nice ride. If I *needed* the heavy
tire for road issues--I"d just get the cheaper one.

PeterCruzer

On May 14, 3:44 pm, landotter <landot...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On May 14, 5:30 pm, "BobT" <RobertLeeTaylor...@THISSuddenLink.net>
> wrote:
>
> > "landotter" <landot...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >news:7b11fd3f-47e4-445a-bdaf-58c85784b04b@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > > On May 13, 4:25 pm, PeterCruzer <pvy...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >> I'm currently running a pair of 700x28 Specialized All-Condition
> > >> Armadillos on my ride. Given that they come it at a whopping 460g
> > >> apiece, I was thinking of switching over to the All-Condition
> > >> Armadillo Elites, at 340g apiece.
>
> > >> Can anyone comment on the diffferences between the two? The Conti
> > >> Ultra Gatorskin is another contender. Thanks. Peter.
>
> > > No experience with either, but a question: for the width, those are
> > > very very heavy tires. I expect they both ride like shit. Does your
> > > route demand such a miserable hose of a tire?
>
> > A quick search yields these weights for 700x28c tires:
> > Continental Continental Ultra Sport Tire - 350 gm
> > Vittoria Randonneur Cross Tire - 500 gm
> > Continental Ultra Gatorskin Tire - 320 gm
> > Michelin Dynamic - 320 gm
> > Michelin City - 560 gm
> > Nu-Teck Bike Touring Airless Tire - 680 gm
> > Schwalbe Stelvio HS 376 - 350 gm
> > Schwalbe Marathon Plus - 740 gm
> > Michelin Pro2 Light - "Our lighest tire" 700 x 23c - 190 gm
>
> > What 700c x 28 tire would you suggest that is dramatically lighter than
> > these "very very heavy tires"?
>
> It's a casing thing, not really a weight thing, FWIW. A 28mm wire
> bead tire that weighs more than 300g probably has reinforced sidewalls
> and will ride like crap. Great if you need it in really rough
> conditions, but at the expense of a nice ride. If I *needed* the heavy
> tire for road issues--I"d just get the cheaper one.

I'm running the Armadillos on a Silvio Cruzbike recumbent; hence the
preference for a bit more width. I am not a racer. Re "ride like
shit", yah you betcha. Why do I need 'em? Good question. My daily
workout route goes through about an aggregate half mile of broken
glass (along a two lane state highway famed for its high accident
rate). I have a pair of Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp 700x25's I could
slap on, but I'm pretty sure those would be meat in no time. In
short, I want *some* degree of flat protection, but am willing to give
up the bomb-proofness of the 460g armadillos for the better ride and
lower weight of the 340g Armadillos. An e-mail to the manufacturer
brought this response about the two:

Peter,

The Armadillo Elite will of course be lighter and will have a much
better ride quality to them but I have noticed that the standard
armadillo actually have better flat protection and that is because in
the Elite model they thinned out the Kevlar lining a small amount and
added aramid bead to make it more of a race ready flat protection
tire. If you are looking for the best all round flat protection I say
stick with the ones you have but if you want a nicer ride and a
lighter tire check out the Elites.

-Zane


Specialized Customer Service/Online Store
1137 South 3800 West
Salt Lake City UT 84104
877-808-8154

So I reckon there you have it. Thanks. Peter