What the @#$%& is a Specialized Armadillo? I used to be pretty neutral about armadillos. I remember smushing one once in a while with my truck when I was out west but I really didn’t have any strong feeling about them. They were kind of cute but I like other critters more. That all changed when I found Specialized Armadillos. I do a lot of biking riding, both off and on road and I used to get a lot of flats. Any kind of sharp or nasty crud on the road or trail and I would find it. It was costing me a small fortune buying new tubes. I knew there had to be something to help. Well, apparently I wasn’t the only person that has a predilection for destroying tires. I found out that the Specialized Bike company teamed with the engineers at DuPont and developed a Kevlar tire called The Armadillo. I knew immediately I had to try them. Specialized isn’t the only company that produces kevlar bike tires but the Armadillos were recommended by a friend who rides a lot down in Georgia. She told me that they have lots of thorns and nasty things that fall off of trees down there and that she wouldn’t ride without Armadillos on her bike. That was good enough for me. I’ve now had Specialized Armadillos on all my bikes and have logged hundreds of miles through all types of terrian and incredibly I have not had one single flat. Zero. Absolutely amazing. Of course they aren’t invulnerable and I’m sure I will eventually find something that will get through them but I haven’t yet. An added bonus is that these damn things never seem to wear out. The thread looks almost as good now as when I bought them. The negatives are that they cost more, they are heavier and they don’t seem to hold as well cornering at suicide speeds but since I don’t suspect I’ll be invited to the Tour De France anytime soon, the little more weight and and slightly less grip doesn’t matter. For ordinary riding I can’t tell the difference and I figured the tires more than paid for themselves with all the money I saved on new tubes. Sure the tires aren’t as cute as real armadillos but they probably are a lot tougher. It’s nice to find a product that actually does what they say it will do. I’ve grown into a true lover of armadillos. At least the Specialized one.
