I can't believe how much glass I pulled out of my tyres last night - easily 10 or 12 bits on each one, the largest being about 2x2x4mm. All I can say is that even though Specialised all condition armadillos weigh a ton and aren't exactly a grippy tyre, they can take more glass than your average church window without puncturing.
Tyre maintenance can be shocking.
- Thread starter GrahamG
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CaptainDecisive
New Member
- Location
- Moved to Edinburgh for the climate
Armadillos were invulnerable for me
I bought 26 x 1.5 Specialized Nimbus Armadillos when I was living in Manhattan. They survived a couple of years of the filth on the roads in New York commuting 365 and playing urban assault.
No punctures.
Several years back I moved to Edinburgh and now commute home along the Telford/Roseburn path round the northwest of the city. During the summer each weekend the local yoof lovingly carpet the path in glass and my Armadillos spend the rest of the week sweeping it up. I used to try and avoid the glass but stopped bothering.
No punctures.
Every so often like you I spent a while picking all the little glass shards out of the tires but they never get through to the tubes.
They ride pretty well and had good grip once they wore in a bit. I switched front and back once when I got new wheels but they're not wearing much. Last summer I built up my first roadie and put my Giant NRS back to MTB duties and I spent many happy evenings agonising about which components to buy for the roadie. I ended up getting Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 700 x 28's and while they've also been puncture free they seem much slippier than the Specializeds. It could be the difference between a wider MTB and a narrower road tire but I have much less confidence in the grip. I'll probably go back to Specialized when the Bontragers wear out.
I bought 26 x 1.5 Specialized Nimbus Armadillos when I was living in Manhattan. They survived a couple of years of the filth on the roads in New York commuting 365 and playing urban assault.
No punctures.
Several years back I moved to Edinburgh and now commute home along the Telford/Roseburn path round the northwest of the city. During the summer each weekend the local yoof lovingly carpet the path in glass and my Armadillos spend the rest of the week sweeping it up. I used to try and avoid the glass but stopped bothering.
No punctures.
Every so often like you I spent a while picking all the little glass shards out of the tires but they never get through to the tubes.
They ride pretty well and had good grip once they wore in a bit. I switched front and back once when I got new wheels but they're not wearing much. Last summer I built up my first roadie and put my Giant NRS back to MTB duties and I spent many happy evenings agonising about which components to buy for the roadie. I ended up getting Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 700 x 28's and while they've also been puncture free they seem much slippier than the Specializeds. It could be the difference between a wider MTB and a narrower road tire but I have much less confidence in the grip. I'll probably go back to Specialized when the Bontragers wear out.
Tynan said:
I have the Schwalbe Marathon Pluses and I can assure you on my commute they are very much called for!! Cycling through the Clyde Tunnel (cycle path) consists of cycling over a large amount of broken buckie bottles!
I do despair sometimes at the state of the tunnel cycle. In fact if I get a chance I will post a couple of recent videos where there has been rubbish and glass everywhere and metal bars broken off the railings...
Indeed, they are heavy. But for an urban commute of my distance (5 miles each way) I really don't think the weight of the tyres makes a huge difference. If anything it just provides me with an extra workout.
Unless of course you are the type that likes racing on a commute. Then you would need the lightest skinniest tyres you could find
Unless of course you are the type that likes racing on a commute. Then you would need the lightest skinniest tyres you could find
killiekosmos
Veteran
magnatom said:I have the Schwalbe Marathon Pluses and I can assure you on my commute they are very much called for!! Cycling through the Clyde Tunnel (cycle path) consists of cycling over a large amount of broken buckie bottles!
I do despair sometimes at the state of the tunnel cycle. In fact if I get a chance I will post a couple of recent videos where there has been rubbish and glass everywhere and metal bars broken off the railings...
Isn't Glasgow City Council responsible for the Clyde Tunnel? Why not ask the council to sweep it regularly?
