Tyre advice - gators or armadillos? 23s or 25s?

Spawn3323

I'm looking at replacing my mondos with either conti gator skins or specialised armadillos.
Which is reccomended? The guy from Evans said the spec's but there more expensive and he work there.

Take into account I'm 6"1 and 98kg so not the slightest or widest of riders.

Also 23s or 25s? I'm not too worried about punctures (after I get the new tyres) I just don't want to affect my speed.


The search bar on this site is rubbish.

STEFANOS4784

If speed is your main consideration then maybe something like these?

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road- ... .1526.html

Spawn3323

How are they for punctures?
What I ment to say was I'm paranoid about punctures but should I get 23s or 25s? (does it effect speed)

STEFANOS4784

Competetive Cyclist wrote:

knocked out a 10k lap at our typical power in a time that came within seconds, certainly within a margin of error given wind, temperature, and humidity, tire pressure and lines through the curves, of what we can do it on narrower race tires on the same wheels

I may have misunderstood though i thought you meant you didn't mind about getting the odd puncture. My experience with PRO RACE 3's is that they are pretty fast and very grippy but cut up quite easily as the compound feels quite soft, i didn't get a particularly high number of punctures but i think they are more race orientated. In conclusion i think you should maybe go for the 25 gatorskins, unless anyone who knows what they're on about has any suggestions :oops:



Edit; I changed from them because i skidded the back wheel going down through cheddar and despite the tyres not having done a huge ammount of miles they were worn through to the canvass stuff in a patch.(I now use continental gp4000 on 1 bike and contigp4000S on the other which seem tougher if a little harsher)

skyd0g

There is always a trade-off between performance and p^nc7ur3 resistance, generally speaking the faster/grippier tyres will be of a softer compound, wear faster and be more prone to P8&65%s. The more resistant tyres will typically be of a harder compound, less grippy, last longer but less prone to p*k$$.

For a good all-round comprimise, there's also the Michelin Krylion Carbon to consider - which will roll better/faster than the candidates you've suggested with little comprimise for p* resistance.

careful

I had to bin 2 nearly new Specialised armadillos because the tread separated from the tyre. I should have put in a warranty claim but I was just about to go overseas for a few months. I would never buy them again though. Gatorskins always seem to give good service.

northpole

Armadillo's are the pits!

They are extremely puncture resistant but they are lifeless things and you may as well go the whole hog and have some solid tyres made up for you!!

I've been running Conti 4 Seasons this winter which have proved very durable and I've only had one puncture so you could consider these as an option however, the Michelin Krylions provide a brilliant compromise between robust construction without depriving you of too much road feel.

Peter

Monty Dog

If you get the Armadillos, you may as well just fit wooden wheels with solid tyres - they feel horrible and grip is poor. There are some good deals on Schwalbe Stelvios about at the mo' - more durable than the Gatorskins IME.

Spawn3323

I'M still undecided! Ok forget about gator skins and armadillos.

Which tyre would you reccomend?
What tyres do you use and why?

muchalls

Recently upgraded Spesh Armadillo to Conti GP4000s- a revelation. No only smoother riding but they feel faster! Subtle graphics.

tempessuk

Vittoria Diamante Pro Folding Tyre
Safe on all kinds of asphalt
- 220 TPI nylon wonder casing and has an Integra bead-to-bead puncture protection
- Kevlar Carbon 3D Compound ensures grip, low rolling resistance and endurance
- Another feature of this tyre is the tread pattern which has been designed following the "DOT C.O.M Vector design": a slick central part with an orientated diamond pattern on the sides, where each diamond is shaped and oriented to perform better with side and breaking forces
- Weight: 210g (700x23), 190g (700x20)

Karl2010

I had to replace a Gatorskin 23 just recently. (after about 800 miles) it blew on me durning a ride. The tyre had a decent sized chunk out of it and well cut up quite a bit. Wheeled my bike down the road to GIANT and picked up a GatorHardShell.

I guessing the HardShell will last longer, (more rubber and toughter).

Keep in mind with the original GatorSkin id been over quite a bit of Gravel & loads of bad roads around Liverpool, since having it and it was the rear tyre.