Best puncture resistant clincher tires

[[email protected]]

the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations? I am not really too
concerned with "speedy" tires, since I dont race but I'm looking for
something that I could forget worrying about flats if I roll over a
nice empty broken bottle of beer, a splattering of nails, Vietnam
War-era punji sticks, ;-), well you know what I mean...thanks for your
recommendations.
-M

[Ken]

wrote in news:1142735908.677776.207100
@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
> the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
> was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
> favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations?

Specialized Armadillo

[Mike Reed]

I third it. They last forever too. I had a pair go for 10,000 miles.
That was with only 2 flats, both after 7500 miles.

[[email protected]]

ok I looked up this Specialized Armadillo road tire on Google and they
have different verions....Turbo, Nimbus, Hemisphere...and I think
Roadbikereview.com lists two other versions....which version is the
best for road riding OR what versions did you all ride. Thanks.

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

wrote:
> ok I looked up this Specialized Armadillo road tire on Google and they
> have different verions....Turbo, Nimbus, Hemisphere...and I think
> Roadbikereview.com lists two other versions....which version is the
> best for road riding OR what versions did you all ride. Thanks.

Generally, there's three since you mentioned "clincher" which tends to imply
either CX or road. I'm going to guess road.

The Armadillo is a wire-bead tire.

The Armadillo Elite has a kevlar bead.

The Armadillo Reflect has a reflective stripe on the sidewall.

The Armadillo Nimbus and Infinity are hybrid-oriented 42mm+ 700c tires.

The Armadillo Hemisphere is an MTB tire.

The Specialized.com website can show you the current models.
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

[[email protected]]

yes I meant road tires...clinchers 700c size thanks.

[G.T.]

wrote:
> ok I looked up this Specialized Armadillo road tire on Google and they
> have different verions....Turbo, Nimbus, Hemisphere...and I think
> Roadbikereview.com lists two other versions....which version is the
> best for road riding OR what versions did you all ride. Thanks.
>

I haven't gotten a flat yet with my Panaracer Pasela TG Kevlar bead tires.

OTOH, I've only ridden them 50 miles or so.

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

[oilfreeandhappy]

I got Armadillos about 6 months ago. So far, after about 1500 miles,
so good.
Jim Gagnepain
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/index.html

[Antti Salonen]

G.T. > wrote:

> I haven't gotten a flat yet with my Panaracer Pasela TG Kevlar bead tires.
>
> OTOH, I've only ridden them 50 miles or so.

So this information is useful to anybody exactly how? I seem to get
about two flats a year, riding about 7000 to 9000 km a year on my road
bike. With this few flats I think it takes YEARS to get a reasonable
estinate on the puncture resistance of any tyre, because otherwise luck
is too big of a factor.

-as

[Derk]

wrote:

> the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
Continental GP or GP 4000. I keep the rear tire for about 6000-8000 km and I
very rarely have a flat tire, but I check them before every ride and remove
out small objects. After that I put some super glue into the holes.

Greets, Derk

[Ron Ruff]

Derk wrote:
> Continental GP or GP 4000. I keep the rear tire for about 6000-8000 km and I
> very rarely have a flat tire

Kills me everytime I hear something like this. I get 1,500 miles out of
a rear tire if I'm lucky, and I always use a more "durable" tire than a
GP4000... and if I can go 1,000 miles without a flat I think I'm *very*
lucky...

[Derk]

Ron Ruff wrote:

> Kills me everytime I hear something like this. I get 1,500 miles out of
> a rear tire if I'm lucky
Maybe you sprint an awful lot? I weigh 71.5KG and I get out of the saddle
the moment I see some glass or small stones on the road.

> and I always use a more "durable" tire than a GP4000...
Are there any?

> and if I can go 1,000 miles without a flat I think I'm *very*
> lucky...
Here the danger is especially caused by young men who think it's funny to
throw beer bottles on cycling tracks. Especially on sunday mornings,
there's a lot of broken glass on the roads.

Gretings, Derk

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On 18 Mar 2006 18:38:28 -0800, wrote:

>the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
>was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
>favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations? I am not really too
>concerned with "speedy" tires,

Whatever tire you currently use, with Mr. Tuffy tire liners.

JT

****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

[Greg]

I had been riding Conti Ultra 2000 for the last couple of years because
they are cheap and a descent performer. The only problem was that I
would go through at least two sets a seasons from sidewall cuts,
punctures and deterioration. A friend suggested the Conti Ultra
Gatorskins and said that he hadn't had any problems with the sidewalls
nor had he had a puncture since putting the current set on, which was
about 2000 miles. So I bought a set last June and 4000 miles later,
they are still fully intact and I haven't had a flat since putting them
on.

They come in widths of 23,25,28 in the wire bead but only 23 in the
kevlar bead. I am using both types on different wheels.

Biketiresdirect.com sells the wire beaded ones for for $27.99 most of
the time and the SRP is $34.99. Performance.com has the kevlar beaded
ones on sale right now for $29.99 and SRP is $42.99.

I like them and will continue to buy them as I need them, but don't
know when that will be!

Greg

[Tim McNamara]

In article . com>,
"Ron Ruff" > wrote:

> Derk wrote:
> > Continental GP or GP 4000. I keep the rear tire for about 6000-8000
> > km and I very rarely have a flat tire
>
> Kills me everytime I hear something like this. I get 1,500 miles out
> of a rear tire if I'm lucky, and I always use a more "durable" tire
> than a GP4000... and if I can go 1,000 miles without a flat I think
> I'm *very* lucky...

A lot of it depends on where you live. Around here, with poor road
maintenance (to keep taxes down, since that's more important than a
functioning public infrastructure) and lots of people who can't seem to
keep their liquor bottles inside their cars, 1000 miles without a
puncture would be amazing. If you ride in very hilly places, like the
Sierras or something, you'll wear out rear tires faster.

FWIW I can get 3000 miles from a rear tire, but they rarely last that
long before the casing has been cut too badly.

[[email protected]]

in the earlier threads that I was looking up on here, someone mentioned
Danny at ) for best prices on tires....so I
emailed him and told him what's the best tire hae has that is the most
puncture resistant and he replied back Michelin Krylon Carbon tires,
700x23 @ 240 grams. Anyone know of these or used them?....thanks for
the other recommendations. Here is an interesting link, a college study
done on tire flats with some well know brand name tires. found this on
google.

http://biomech.me.unr.edu/wang/abstracts/puncture.htm

[Eddie Nosdtromo]

"Ron Ruff" > wrote in
oups.com:

>
> Derk wrote:
>> Continental GP or GP 4000. I keep the rear tire for about 6000-8000
>> km and I very rarely have a flat tire
>
> Kills me everytime I hear something like this. I get 1,500 miles out
> of a rear tire if I'm lucky, and I always use a more "durable" tire
> than a GP4000... and if I can go 1,000 miles without a flat I think
> I'm *very* lucky...
>

I put Armadillos on my daughter's Cannondale. I've always had great luck
with them. On my bike I ride with Bontrager Hard Case (700x25). I get a
flat maybe every 1500 miles or so. Oh, my record for longevity on the Hard
Case is 4300 miles before they tread literally delaminated from the casing.
I think I get that kind of mileage cause I'm not a strong pedaller and I
always keep a sharp eye in what I'm about to ride over.

[Jeff Starr]

On 19 Mar 2006 02:18:11 -0800, "Ron Ruff" >
wrote:

>
>Derk wrote:
>> Continental GP or GP 4000. I keep the rear tire for about 6000-8000 km and I
>> very rarely have a flat tire
>
>Kills me everytime I hear something like this. I get 1,500 miles out of
>a rear tire if I'm lucky, and I always use a more "durable" tire than a
>GP4000... and if I can go 1,000 miles without a flat I think I'm *very*
>lucky...

I've got over 5300 miles on a set of 700x25 Continental Ultra
Gatorskins. The front is still close to like new and the rear still
has some decorative tread left on it.

I have had no flats that needed roadside repair. I think I have had 2,
maybe 3 slow leaks.

I'm going to try a set of Conti GP4000 or Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX,
this year. If I wear those out or have flatting problems, I'll go back
to the Gatorskins. They have a new version out for 2006, which I think
is mostly cosmetic.
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/race/ultra_gatorskin/ultra_gatorskin_en.html

The Ultra Gatorskins seem to be a nice compromise between flat
resistant and performance. The Armadillos are said to be heavy, slow,
and bullet proof. I believbe they recently came out with an Armadillo
that is lighter in weight, than the original.

Jeffrey Starr
All rights to the above text is reserved. No use
outside of rec.bicycle.tech, without express written
permission.

[Sorni]

Antti Salonen wrote:
> G.T. > wrote:
>
>> I haven't gotten a flat yet with my Panaracer Pasela TG Kevlar bead
>> tires.
>>
>> OTOH, I've only ridden them 50 miles or so.
>
> So this information is useful to anybody exactly how? I seem to get
> about two flats a year, riding about 7000 to 9000 km a year on my road
> bike. With this few flats I think it takes YEARS to get a reasonable
> estinate on the puncture resistance of any tyre, because otherwise
> luck is too big of a factor.

Methinks thou hast a hook in thou's piehole.

<eg>

[Hank Wirtz]

"G.T." > wrote in
:

>
> I haven't gotten a flat yet with my Panaracer Pasela TG Kevlar bead
> tires.
>
> OTOH, I've only ridden them 50 miles or so.
>

Dude, you went and jinxed me! I got my first flat on my Pasela TGs today! I
didn't recover whatever caused it, but it cut through the casing, so I had
to patch the tube AND boot the casing. It was a really slow leak, so I was
able to stop and pump it back up to ~80 psi every 5 miles or so, before it
went down to about 40.

Hey, it got me back to the car.

Anyway, the tire has maybe 1000 miles on it, and it already has a
noticeably flat contact patch, so I'm not horribly impressed with their
durability.

Anybody use Continental Gatorskins?

[jim beam]

wrote:
> the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
> was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
> favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations? I am not really too
> concerned with "speedy" tires, since I dont race but I'm looking for
> something that I could forget worrying about flats if I roll over a
> nice empty broken bottle of beer, a splattering of nails, Vietnam
> War-era punji sticks, ;-), well you know what I mean...thanks for your
> recommendations.
> -M
>
3 years of winter wet-ride commutes on hutchinson "profil U" and
hutchinson excels. not a single puncture. other tires on the same
commute puncture once or twice a ride on the same route when it's wet.
no exaggeration.

[G.T.]

Antti Salonen wrote:
> G.T. > wrote:
>
>
>>I haven't gotten a flat yet with my Panaracer Pasela TG Kevlar bead tires.
>>
>>OTOH, I've only ridden them 50 miles or so.
>
>
> So this information is useful to anybody exactly how?

Lighten up dude. It was a parody of a typical Usenet post. I should
have left out the 2nd sentence.

Greg

--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

[G.T.]

Hank Wirtz wrote:
> "G.T." > wrote in
> :
>
>
>>I haven't gotten a flat yet with my Panaracer Pasela TG Kevlar bead
>>tires.
>>
>>OTOH, I've only ridden them 50 miles or so.
>>
>
>
> Dude, you went and jinxed me! I got my first flat on my Pasela TGs today!

Damn, sorry boot that.

Greg
--
"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

[bitwisebob]

On 18 Mar 2006 20:23:29 -0800, "
> wrote:

>
>Ken wrote:
>> wrote in news:1142735908.677776.207100
>> @z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
>> > the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
>> > was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
>> > favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations?
>>
>> Specialized Armadillo
>
>I second that.
>
>Tom



Noticed yesterday that our local police use Armadillos on their bikes,
I spotted the red sidewalls.... asking them about them, they liked
them, they had few problems with them, liked the tread pattern.


---
Bob Anderson*Bitwisebob
Eugene Oregon

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

jim beam wrote:
> wrote:
>> the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
>> was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
>> favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations? I am not really
>> too concerned with "speedy" tires, since I dont race but I'm looking
>> for something that I could forget worrying about flats if I roll
>> over a nice empty broken bottle of beer, a splattering of nails,
>> Vietnam War-era punji sticks, ;-), well you know what I
>> mean...thanks for your recommendations.
>> -M
>>
> 3 years of winter wet-ride commutes on hutchinson "profil U" and
> hutchinson excels. not a single puncture. other tires on the same
> commute puncture once or twice a ride on the same route when it's wet.
> no exaggeration.

I second that... as we've discussed before, the Excels excel at keeping
things out of the tube, but the ride quality is almost as bad as an air-free
tire ;)

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

[jim beam]

Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
> jim beam wrote:
>
wrote:
>>
>>>the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
>>>was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
>>>favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations? I am not really
>>>too concerned with "speedy" tires, since I dont race but I'm looking
>>>for something that I could forget worrying about flats if I roll
>>>over a nice empty broken bottle of beer, a splattering of nails,
>>>Vietnam War-era punji sticks, ;-), well you know what I
>>>mean...thanks for your recommendations.
>>>-M
>>>
>>
>>3 years of winter wet-ride commutes on hutchinson "profil U" and
>>hutchinson excels. not a single puncture. other tires on the same
>>commute puncture once or twice a ride on the same route when it's wet.
>>no exaggeration.
>
>
> I second that... as we've discussed before, the Excels excel at keeping
> things out of the tube, but the ride quality is almost as bad as an air-free
> tire ;)
>
agreed! but when i want to get to work in the rain, and i /don't/ want
to dick about with multiple flats when i have one eye on the clock, i am
/very/ happy to endure truck tire ride qualities as the price of
reliability.

[Robin]

"Ken" > wrote in message
...
> wrote in news:1142735908.677776.207100
> @z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:
>> the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
>> was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
>> favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations?
>
> Specialized Armadillo

I tried these. I found that the outer casing on the rear tyre started to
peel off causing a slight bump which I believe may have contributed (after
probably a few hundred miles) to spoke breakage.

Phileas

[Derk]

jim beam wrote:

> agreed! but when i want to get to work in the rain, and i /don't/ want
> to dick about with multiple flats when i have one eye on the clock, i am
> /very/ happy to endure truck tire ride qualities as the price of
> reliability.
You should try what people used in WWII in Europe, when there were no
bicycle tires: wooden tires. No more flats, guranteed!

Gr, Derk

[Matt O'Toole]

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 06:57:29 -0800, mxd1007 wrote:

> in the earlier threads that I was looking up on here, someone mentioned
> Danny at ) for best prices on tires....so I
> emailed him and told him what's the best tire hae has that is the most
> puncture resistant and he replied back Michelin Krylon Carbon tires,
> 700x23 @ 240 grams. Anyone know of these or used them?....thanks for the
> other recommendations. Here is an interesting link, a college study done
> on tire flats with some well know brand name tires. found this on
> google.
>
> http://biomech.me.unr.edu/wang/abstracts/puncture.htm

The Krylion Carbon is the same as the previous Carbon, and the Axial
Carbon before it. They're not "flatproof" like Armadillos but they're
much better than typical race tires, while giving up little (if anything)
in speed. They're probably equivalent to the Continental Gatorskin.
These are all very popular training/race tires, with good reason.

I have some new Carbons with about 500 miles on them now. No flats so
far, but that's not much mileage yet. Otherwise I'm very happy with them.
I'd buy them again.

Regarding Vittorias -- the latest Evo series are known for being somewhat
fragile, typical of "race" tires. But my experience with the previous
Open Pro CX was pretty good. I got no flats for 2k miles, then one after
another as the tread wore thin. I really like these Vittorias, but
they're ludicrously expensive.

Matt O.

[Matt O'Toole]

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 06:57:29 -0800, mxd1007 wrote:

> in the earlier threads that I was looking up on here, someone mentioned
> Danny at ) for best prices on tires....so I
> emailed him and told him what's the best tire hae has that is the most
> puncture resistant and he replied back Michelin Krylon Carbon tires,
> 700x23 @ 240 grams. Anyone know of these or used them?....thanks for
> the other recommendations. Here is an interesting link, a college study
> done on tire flats with some well know brand name tires. found this on
> google.
>
> http://biomech.me.unr.edu/wang/abstracts/puncture.htm

I should point out that half the tires in this test are a couple of
generations old, and probably discontinued. Newer versions or newer
models from these manufacturers may be better, and so might the test
results. Continental has some newer Armadillo-like models. Michelin's race
tires have been improved, and the Carbon has been introduced.

Matt O.

[41]

wrote:

> puncture r esistant and he replied back Michelin Krylon Carbon tires,
> 700x23 @ 240 grams. Anyone know of these or used them?....thanks for

That's Krylion, if you want to search on Google. They seem to be the
same as the old Carbons, in turn the same as the old Axial Carbons,
with one notable improvement: you can now get them with grey stripes
instead of just yellow or red. Technology marches on.

You can pretty well guess much of the relative puncture resistance of
tires by handling them in the store. The thicker and harder the tire,
the more puncture resistant. Extremely puncture resistant tires are
either extremely thick (Schwalbe Marathon Plus, >1cm of rubber been
road and tube) or extremely tough or hard (Specialized Armadillo). Both
have deleterious effects on ride quality and rolling resistance, the
latter probably more than the former.

But apparently you are just looking for puncture resistance in a
lightweight road tire, not something super resistant like a Marathon
Plus, Aramadillo, Continental Top Touring, or Vittoria Randoneur. If
you still want low rolling resistance and a good ride, and the size you
are looking at is 700x23 or 25, probably the Michelin Carbons are your
best bet. The rubber is the thickest and hardest of any that I have
handled in my hands (but without a hard/tough casing like a specialized
Armadillo, so the ride is nothing like those). How much difference
would they actually make over any other tire? Nobody knows in a
quantifiable manner. All we can say is that they are very durable.


> Here is an interesting link, a college study
> done on tire flats with some well know brand name tires. found this on
> google.
>
> http://biomech.me.unr.edu/wang/abstracts/puncture.htm

There are many problems with that study which Jobst and I discussed in
an earlier thread, google for that article. Among them are the
unrepeatability of the glass hazard used.e

[Steve W]

My vote goes for Schwalbe marathon PLUS

SW

[POHB]

> My vote goes for Schwalbe marathon PLUS

I'll second that. I used to get a puncture about every 3 months with
Specialized Armadillos, none so far in 7 months on the Marathons. There was
an unfortunate few weeks in between using Specialized "all conditions" where
I was getting several per week. This is commuting on the glass-strewn
streets of London.

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 09:36:04 +0000, POHB wrote:

>> My vote goes for Schwalbe marathon PLUS
>
> I'll second that.

Thirded. I've had no problems with Stelvios on a notoriously
puncture-prone 17" wheel bike, nor with the Marathon Slicks on another
(20" + 26" wheels). I'm going to get a pair of Marathons for yet another
bike later this week. I'm pretty impressed with Schwalbe.

The Marathon Plus is their heaviest-duty tyre, so should be capable of
handling anything.


Mike

[Ken C. M.]

wrote:
> the latest thread i could find on "best puncture resistant" clinchers
> was from early 2004, Vittoria tires seems to be a group
> favorite...anyone have any updated recommendations? I am not really too
> concerned with "speedy" tires, since I dont race but I'm looking for
> something that I could forget worrying about flats if I roll over a
> nice empty broken bottle of beer, a splattering of nails, Vietnam
> War-era punji sticks, ;-), well you know what I mean...thanks for your
> recommendations.
> -M
>
Well I have a set of Kendra Kwests'(??) on my commuter with about 3,000
miles on them with only one punture flat. They are not thin 700x35 and
they are not light. But they are punture resistant.

Ken
--
You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're
having a good day. ~Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles

Homepage: http://www.bikesandmoreonline.com/