the specilized infinity tyre - my unfortunate experience of

[Dschmittz]

Todd Kuzma <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> The belt in the Specialized Flak Jacket tires is a kevlar or aramid belt made to Specialized's
> specs. Their Armadillo tires use a different system that covers the tire from bead to bead.
>
> Any tire with a kevlar belt will be prone to punctures since tacks and thorns can pierce the weave
> of the kevlar fabric. Kevlar belts are intended to reduce the incidence of cuts, not punctures.
>
> Specialized's Armadillo casing is somewhat unique in that they developed a process with DuPont in
> which they seal the holes in the kevlar weave. So, these tires do provide quite good puncture
> resistance at the expense of some weight.
>
> Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
> http://www.heronbicycles.com http://www.tullios.com

sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with you re the kevlar - clock this link and drill down to
what specialized has to say about the standard 'specilized infinity' and their 'flak jacket' which
it uses http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5543&JServSessionIdroot=yd3ri9yeb2.j27001

for their 'flak jacket' system specialized make no reference to dupont kevlar or any aramid and
given it's alleged 'magical/marketing' properties then if they were using kevlar I reckon they'd
want to say so

additionally clock this link re the 'specilized infinity armadillo'
http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5531&JServSessionIdroot=yd3ri9yeb2.j27001 and drill
down for what specilized have to say about their 'armadillo' system (supposed to be an improvement
on their flak jacket system) and you'll see they mention they use a dupont aramid (same chemical
family as kevlar?) but again make no reference to it being kevlar and once again given its alleged
'magical/marketing' properties then if they were using it I'd reckon they'd say so

I've heard good things about their armadillo range but given my extremely poor experience of their
'flak jacket' system which I previously rated in this thread as zero on a scale of one thru ten I
think it'll be a good while before I trust anything specialized again
- this 'flak jacket' business really is - sadlly - in my experience - rubbish

one final thing - this cut and puncture business - when I get a hole in my inner tube because the
outer tyre got a cut - however small - letting thru a shard of glass I end up with a puncture

if you drill down thru the specialized site you'll see they boast that they test their armadillo
tyres by literally driving through glass and if a system can afford a degree of anti glass
protection - i.e. no cuts - that in my book translates into fewer punctures

?bye

 

[Werehatrack]

On 19 Nov 2003 11:22:49 -0800, [email protected] (dschmittz) may have said:

>Werehatrack <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:<[email protected]>...
>> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:06:13 -0600, A Muzi <[email protected]> may have said:
>>
>> >I'm unfailiar with .fm (where?) but here (USA) the Michelin World Tour is only sold in 27" size
>> >- and with an extremely low return rate.
>>
>> OP's NNTP-posting-host line shows an IP in the UK. The email addy is on a nationless service that
>> picked the .fm TLD for artistic reasons.
>
>a 'nationless service'? and 'for artistic reasons'? - I wonder - cop message 15 in the thread

The fastmail.fm service is not targeted to any specific country; they serve anyone that wants what
they offer. (This is, of course, not uncommon on the Net.) As stated in their own information, they
picked the .fm TLD because it existed and matched their domain name of choice nicely. (.fm is the
Federal Republic of Micronesia, for those who are still interested.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy. Words processed in a facility that
contains nuts.

 

[Buck]

"dschmittz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with you re the kevlar - clock this link and drill down
> to what specialized has to say about the standard 'specilized infinity' and their 'flak jacket'
> which it uses
>
http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5543&JServSessionIdroot=yd3ri9yeb2.j27001
>
> for their 'flak jacket' system specialized make no reference to dupont kevlar or any aramid and
> given it's alleged 'magical/marketing' properties then if they were using kevlar I reckon they'd
> want to say so
>
> additionally clock this link re the 'specilized infinity armadillo'
>
http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5531&JServSessionIdroot=yd3ri9yeb2.j27001
> and drill down for what specilized have to say about their 'armadillo' system (supposed to be
> an improvement on their flak jacket system) and you'll see they mention they use a dupont
> aramid (same chemical family as kevlar?) but again make no reference to it being kevlar and
> once again given its alleged 'magical/marketing' properties then if they were using it I'd
> reckon they'd say so

Dang, people! Go to the source: http://www.dupont.com/kevlar/whatiskevlar.html

Here's where DuPont says that Kevlar is aramid fiber: KEVLAR® para-aramid fiber possesses a
remarkable combination of properties that has led to its adoption in a variety of end-uses since its
commercial introduction in the early 1970's.

KEVLAR is a trademark name for the aramid fiber DuPont developed.

As for their use in Specialized tires, this is a better reference:
http://www.specialized.com/specs/spec.jsp?speccode=tiretech&tablewidth=400&cellwidth=350

You are correct in that they do not mention either Aramid or Kevlar in their Flakjacket tires, but
they do give a detailed description of the use of aramid in Armadillo tires.

I have used the armadillo tires with great success (no flats with those tires). I have not used the
flakjackets at all, so cannot comment on their effectiveness.

-Buck

 

[Buck]

"Buck" <s c h w i n n _ f o r _ s a l e @ h o t m a i l . c o m> wrote in message news:sZ3vb.8403

> You are correct in that they do not mention either Aramid or Kevlar in
their
> Flakjacket tires, but they do give a detailed description of the use of aramid in Armadillo tires.

Wouldn't you know it - right after I post, I find a mention of aramid in the description of a
flak-jacket tire:
http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5607&JServSessionIdroot=xyq1s5t4j1.j27002

-Buck

 

[Todd Kuzma]

dschmittz wrote:

> for their 'flak jacket' system specialized make no reference to dupont kevlar or any aramid and
> given it's alleged 'magical/marketing' properties then if they were using kevlar I reckon they'd
> want to say so

Check out the link that Buck posted about their All-Condition Sport tire: "Exclusive Flak Jacket
aramid/elastomer subtread extrusion reduces flats by 60% with less than 1gm weight penalty"

They also mentioned this in seminars that I have attended.

Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com http://www.tullios.com

 

[Werehatrack]

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 14:16:23 GMT, "Buck" <s c h w i n n _ f o r _ s a l e @ h o t m a i l . c o m>
may have said:

>"Buck" <s c h w i n n _ f o r _ s a l e @ h o t m a i l . c o m> wrote in message news:sZ3vb.8403
>
>> You are correct in that they do not mention either Aramid or Kevlar in
>their
>> Flakjacket tires, but they do give a detailed description of the use of aramid in
>> Armadillo tires.
>
>Wouldn't you know it - right after I post, I find a mention of aramid in the description of a
>flak-jacket tire:
>http://www.specialized.com/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=5607&JServSessionIdroot=xyq1s5t4j1.j27002

It is possible that Specialized may be multisourcing their aramid supply; if they are doing so, they
would not be entitled to use the Kevlar name in their specs or advertising. While DuPont is, in my
experience, a remarkably reliable supplier, *any* manufacturer can run into a situation where a
required material from a known source can't be had on short notice for a sudden unexpected
requirement. I do not know if this is the case with Specialized and DuPont in this instance; I offer
it solely as a way of showing that there could be a perfectly innocuous reason for the non-use of
the Kevlar trademark.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I
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