"Roadie" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I mounted a pair of Armadillo "puncture-proof" skinny tires on my MTB
> and
> sadly I saw cracks on the sidewalls after few months of moderate use. I
> do
> not think they aged as well as regular fat tires. What are your
> experiences
> of these tires?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Alan
>
Did your cracks look similar to this one
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/my other bikes/72cd1e2a.jpg
on my Armadillos? The crack extends like that all the way around on both
sides.
I had it happen on four tires. I went ahead and used them until I felt they
maybe were getting too dangerous.
I had 3000 miles or so on the rear tire before I swapped them out for a new
pair of the same type.
Bit since I wasn't looking for the tires to get large cracks I didn't pay
any attention until I started to check to see if the rear tire was getting
too worn down or not.
Thatwas when i noticed the spectacular cracks in both the front and rear
tires. So apparently even with the cracks the tires went for at least 3000
miles with me.
Within a a few miles the same cracks started appearing on the new tires.
Unfortunately, the new rear tire developed a huge bubble on it at one place
where the casing apparently started going bad. So I had to pedal over to the
LBS and replace it with a Bontrager Race Lite. So I'll probably be going
Bontrager for a while now. When the front tire cracks start getting too big
and wide I'll probably replace it with a Bontrager too.
I think the extra stiff kevlar ply and the thicker rubber on the top of the
tire tends to make it separate from the sides like that, so it is one of
those do I or don't I kind of a thing, I guess.