specialized armadillo delamination

Quoted message said:

I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they were
not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away
in one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds
on the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi
in the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle
pro and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos
cost about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
resitance.

How did you measure the weight on the front & back of the bike?

Quoted message said:

I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they were
not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away in
one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds on
the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi in
the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle pro
and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos cost
about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
resitance.

#1: Touring with a relatively-heavy load (285 pounds definitely qualifies,
for rider+bike+gear) takes its toll on equipment. Your mileage, while not
exceptional, isn't terrible.

#2: 80psi rear & 70psi front might be a tad low for the tires you're using,
but I don't know how wide the tire in question actually is. 1.5" varies from
manufacturer to manufacturer. If you run at too-low a pressure, delamination
is more likely because the tire is flexing more than it's designed for. But
if it's a reasonable 1.5", your pressure is probably OK.

#3: The Armadillo has a very tough and inflexible casing, which, I would
think, would make it fare more prone to delamination (since the casing will
be significantly less-flexible than the rubber). That's a likely trade-off
for any such tire. On the other hand, they're less-likely to puncture.

#4: If you had good luck with the other tires you've used, why switch? Find
something that works, and stick with it (at least until they "improve" the
product). Everytime I try a different tire than my favorite, I'm quickly
reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best. Unfortunately, I'm in
the position of having to try different things because it's good for me to
know something about what my customers are buying, but I'm getting less so
all the time... I know what works for me, so even though tire companies
throw free stuff at me to try all the time, the tires I actually ride are
ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Quoted message said:

I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they were
not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away in
one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds on
the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi in
the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle pro
and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos cost
about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
resitance.

Two thoughts: First, 2226 miles of loaded touring on a rear tire is
doing pretty good, IMHO. Of course, if Trek/CyclePro/IRCs work better
for you, use them.

Second, I remember delamination issues with narrower Specialized tires,
BUT: I was running them well above rated pressure (at 120 psi) on my
tandem (heavy load) and they didn't delaminate until the tread was
pretty much gone - only a very thin layer of rubber left to delaminat
from the casing.

Mark J

<SNIP>Everytime I try a different tire than my favorite, I'm quickly
reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best. Unfortunately, I'm in
the position of having to try different things because it's good for me to
know something about what my customers are buying, but I'm getting less so
all the time... I know what works for me, so even though tire companies
throw free stuff at me to try all the time, the tires I actually ride are
ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com[/QUOTE]
I'll take the bait, hook, line, sinker, pole, and reel:
tell us (or at least me) what tires you actually pay for and ride.

I have had similar experiences with Armadillo tires running them at high pressure made the belt come apart and caused internal punctures. Running them at lower inflation seemed to increase delamination issues. All my expereinces were with 700c versions on our tandem and on my Miayata touring bicycle. Never got more than 2,500 miles out of an Armadillo, while getting over 3,500 from Avocet and Panaracers. Armadillos seemed to get less punctures than anything Iv'e ever used.

Bill Sornson said:

Quoted message said:

I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they
were not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away
in one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds
on the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi
in the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle
pro and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos
cost about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less
rolling resitance.

How did you measure the weight on the front & back of the bike?

You can use a scale under the front and then the rear wheel. The cosine
error is small enough that you won't be off more than a couple percent,
unless the scale is really thick.
--
Phil Lee, Squid

Quoted message said:

I'll take the bait, hook, line, sinker, pole, and reel:
tell us (or at least me) what tires you actually pay for and ride.

I've tried lots of tires, but keep coming back to Bontrager Race X-Lites,
for dry weather only. I haven't found any tire that feels nearly as good in
corners, nor as smooth riding, and feels as fast. But... they get cut up
very easily when wet, so I can't give them an unqualified endorsement. For
winter & wet-weather use, I run Continental GP 4-Seasons. Much tougher tread
in the wet, and still feel pretty lively (which is unusual for more-durable
tires). But not as nice as the Bontrager Race X-Lites for riding when the
weather cooperates (which is most of the time in Northern California,
thankfully).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"daveornee" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<SNIP>Everytime I try a different tire than my favorite, I'm quickly
reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best. Unfortunately, I'm
in
the position of having to try different things because it's good for me
to
know something about what my customers are buying, but I'm getting less
so
all the time... I know what works for me, so even though tire
companies
throw free stuff at me to try all the time, the tires I actually ride
are
ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
I'll take the bait, hook, line, sinker, pole, and reel:
tell us (or at least me) what tires you actually pay for and ride.

I have had similar experiences with Armadillo tires running them at high
pressure made the belt come apart and caused internal punctures. Running
them at lower inflation seemed to increase delamination issues. All my
expereinces were with 700c versions on our tandem and on my Miayata
touring bicycle. Never got more than 2,500 miles out of an Armadillo,
while getting over 3,500 from Avocet and Panaracers. Armadillos seemed
to get less punctures than anything Iv'e ever used.

--
daveornee

I had access to a truck scale and would balance with one wheel on the
scales. They weigh big trucks one axle or axle pair at a time. I like
to try new stuff and tell people about it I had seen delaminated
specialized tires before but thought it would take 10000 mile which
would be exceptable. This tire is rated at 80 psi the Romp family used
this tire at 125 psi on their quad with better milage than I got
perhaps specialized has changed the constuction of the tire a bit. The
tire failed safe, I have had blowouts on non kevlar tires. I had four
flats two caused by puncture vine and two caused by wires from truck
tires the interstates are full of delaminated truck tires.

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

I'll take the bait, hook, line, sinker, pole, and reel:
tell us (or at least me) what tires you actually pay for and ride.

I've tried lots of tires, but keep coming back to Bontrager Race X-Lites,
for dry weather only. I haven't found any tire that feels nearly as good in
corners, nor as smooth riding, and feels as fast. But... they get cut up
very easily when wet, so I can't give them an unqualified endorsement. For
winter & wet-weather use, I run Continental GP 4-Seasons. Much tougher tread
in the wet, and still feel pretty lively (which is unusual for more-durable
tires). But not as nice as the Bontrager Race X-Lites for riding when the
weather cooperates (which is most of the time in Northern California,
thankfully).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"daveornee" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<SNIP>Everytime I try a different tire than my favorite, I'm quickly
reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best. Unfortunately, I'm
in
the position of having to try different things because it's good for me
to
know something about what my customers are buying, but I'm getting less
so
all the time... I know what works for me, so even though tire
companies
throw free stuff at me to try all the time, the tires I actually ride
are
ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
I'll take the bait, hook, line, sinker, pole, and reel:
tell us (or at least me) what tires you actually pay for and ride.

I have had similar experiences with Armadillo tires running them at high
pressure made the belt come apart and caused internal punctures. Running
them at lower inflation seemed to increase delamination issues. All my
expereinces were with 700c versions on our tandem and on my Miayata
touring bicycle. Never got more than 2,500 miles out of an Armadillo,
while getting over 3,500 from Avocet and Panaracers. Armadillos seemed
to get less punctures than anything Iv'e ever used.

--
daveornee

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they were
not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away in
one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds on
the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi in
the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle pro
and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos cost
about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
resitance.

#1: Touring with a relatively-heavy load (285 pounds definitely qualifies,
for rider+bike+gear) takes its toll on equipment. Your mileage, while not
exceptional, isn't terrible.

#2: 80psi rear & 70psi front might be a tad low for the tires you're
using, but I don't know how wide the tire in question actually is. 1.5"
varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you run at too-low a
pressure, delamination is more likely because the tire is flexing more
than it's designed for. But if it's a reasonable 1.5", your pressure is
probably OK.

#3: The Armadillo has a very tough and inflexible casing, which, I would
think, would make it fare more prone to delamination (since the casing
will be significantly less-flexible than the rubber). That's a likely
trade-off for any such tire. On the other hand, they're less-likely to
puncture.

#4: If you had good luck with the other tires you've used, why switch?
Find something that works, and stick with it (at least until they
"improve" the product). Everytime I try a different tire than my favorite,
I'm quickly reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best.
Unfortunately, I'm in the position of having to try different things
because it's good for me to know something about what my customers are
buying, but I'm getting less so all the time... I know what works for me,
so even though tire companies throw free stuff at me to try all the time,
the tires I actually ride are ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I have seen a similar thing on four Armadillo 700c32 tires that I had like
shown here.
http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/my%20other%20bikes/?action=view&current=72cd1e2a.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch3
In my case I ran the first pair for about a year no problem on my commutes.
I didn't really notice the crack extending all the way around the
circumference of the tires until I wore down the rear tire.
I replaced the rear tire and 16 miles into the ride the casing went bad and
I had a sort of balloon effect on the tire, making a thunp thump thump feel
and sound as you ride along. I let some air out of it and pedaled on over to
the bike shop and bought a Bontrager Race Lite 700c32 tire to replace the
defective one with.
A few weeks later a broken bottle slashed the side of the front tire and I
had to replace it with the other Armadillo, and sure enough a few days later
the full circumference cracks started popping out.
I think like you stated they have a stiff anti-flat layer in the tire that
doesn't allow for any flexing and the rubber cracks along that edge between
the sidewalls and the upper section.
In their defense the cracks don't seem to be dangerous in my case at least,
and they never allowed anything to get through and cause a flat.

Yikes I just bought a pair of these for my C-dale! How many miles or time
past before you noticed this please? Thanks
Dave
http://www.noweldrecumbent.com

"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they were
not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away in
one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds on
the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi in
the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle pro
and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos cost
about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
resitance.

#1: Touring with a relatively-heavy load (285 pounds definitely

qualifies,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for rider+bike+gear) takes its toll on equipment. Your mileage, while

not

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

exceptional, isn't terrible.

#2: 80psi rear & 70psi front might be a tad low for the tires you're
using, but I don't know how wide the tire in question actually is. 1.5"
varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you run at too-low a
pressure, delamination is more likely because the tire is flexing more
than it's designed for. But if it's a reasonable 1.5", your pressure is
probably OK.

#3: The Armadillo has a very tough and inflexible casing, which, I would
think, would make it fare more prone to delamination (since the casing
will be significantly less-flexible than the rubber). That's a likely
trade-off for any such tire. On the other hand, they're less-likely to
puncture.

#4: If you had good luck with the other tires you've used, why switch?
Find something that works, and stick with it (at least until they
"improve" the product). Everytime I try a different tire than my

favorite,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm quickly reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best.
Unfortunately, I'm in the position of having to try different things
because it's good for me to know something about what my customers are
buying, but I'm getting less so all the time... I know what works for

me,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so even though tire companies throw free stuff at me to try all the

time,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the tires I actually ride are ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I have seen a similar thing on four Armadillo 700c32 tires that I had like
shown here.

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/my%20other%20bikes/?action=view&current=72cd1e2a.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch3

Quoted message said:

In my case I ran the first pair for about a year no problem on my

commutes.

Quoted message said:

I didn't really notice the crack extending all the way around the
circumference of the tires until I wore down the rear tire.
I replaced the rear tire and 16 miles into the ride the casing went bad

and

Quoted message said:

I had a sort of balloon effect on the tire, making a thunp thump thump

feel

Quoted message said:

and sound as you ride along. I let some air out of it and pedaled on over

to

Quoted message said:

the bike shop and bought a Bontrager Race Lite 700c32 tire to replace the
defective one with.
A few weeks later a broken bottle slashed the side of the front tire and I
had to replace it with the other Armadillo, and sure enough a few days

later

Quoted message said:

the full circumference cracks started popping out.
I think like you stated they have a stiff anti-flat layer in the tire that
doesn't allow for any flexing and the rubber cracks along that edge

between

Quoted message said:

the sidewalls and the upper section.
In their defense the cracks don't seem to be dangerous in my case at

least,

Quoted message said:

and they never allowed anything to get through and cause a flat.

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yikes I just bought a pair of these for my C-dale! How many miles or time
past before you noticed this please? Thanks
Dave
http://www.noweldrecumbent.com

"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

>I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
> bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
> and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they were
> not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
> The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away
> in
> one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds on
> the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi in
> the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle pro
> and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos cost
> about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
> resitance.

#1: Touring with a relatively-heavy load (285 pounds definitely

qualifies,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for rider+bike+gear) takes its toll on equipment. Your mileage, while

not

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

exceptional, isn't terrible.

#2: 80psi rear & 70psi front might be a tad low for the tires you're
using, but I don't know how wide the tire in question actually is. 1.5"
varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you run at too-low a
pressure, delamination is more likely because the tire is flexing more
than it's designed for. But if it's a reasonable 1.5", your pressure is
probably OK.

#3: The Armadillo has a very tough and inflexible casing, which, I
would
think, would make it fare more prone to delamination (since the casing
will be significantly less-flexible than the rubber). That's a likely
trade-off for any such tire. On the other hand, they're less-likely to
puncture.

#4: If you had good luck with the other tires you've used, why switch?
Find something that works, and stick with it (at least until they
"improve" the product). Everytime I try a different tire than my

favorite,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm quickly reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best.
Unfortunately, I'm in the position of having to try different things
because it's good for me to know something about what my customers are
buying, but I'm getting less so all the time... I know what works for

me,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

so even though tire companies throw free stuff at me to try all the

time,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the tires I actually ride are ones I have to pay for.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I have seen a similar thing on four Armadillo 700c32 tires that I had
like
shown here.

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/my%20other%20bikes/?action=view&current=72cd1e2a.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch3

Quoted message said:

In my case I ran the first pair for about a year no problem on my

commutes.

Quoted message said:

I didn't really notice the crack extending all the way around the
circumference of the tires until I wore down the rear tire.
I replaced the rear tire and 16 miles into the ride the casing went bad

and

Quoted message said:

I had a sort of balloon effect on the tire, making a thunp thump thump

feel

Quoted message said:

and sound as you ride along. I let some air out of it and pedaled on over

to

Quoted message said:

the bike shop and bought a Bontrager Race Lite 700c32 tire to replace the
defective one with.
A few weeks later a broken bottle slashed the side of the front tire and
I
had to replace it with the other Armadillo, and sure enough a few days

later

Quoted message said:

the full circumference cracks started popping out.
I think like you stated they have a stiff anti-flat layer in the tire
that
doesn't allow for any flexing and the rubber cracks along that edge

between

Quoted message said:

the sidewalls and the upper section.
In their defense the cracks don't seem to be dangerous in my case at

least,

Quoted message said:

and they never allowed anything to get through and cause a flat.

A few days for the second set of tires and the cracks started to appear. I
wasn't expecting it with the first pair, so I never really looked until I
noticed it when i was replacing the worn down rear tire.
What it is, is the upper layer of rubber is more thick than the sidewall
layer of rubber, so because of the stiffness a crack or separation in the
rubber, not in the casing or plies, starts to form. It may have been just
this batch of tires, as they were obsoleted by a newer version.

Thank you for the heads up on them, I'll pay closer attention to them, and
post the results here.
Dave
http://www.noweldrecumbent.com

"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yikes I just bought a pair of these for my C-dale! How many miles or

time

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

past before you noticed this please? Thanks
Dave
http://www.noweldrecumbent.com

"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> >I just compleated a tour from bend Oregon to indianopolis Indiana. I
>> bought two new specialized armadillo tires 26 by 1.5 before the tour
>> and put 98 miles on them over a two week period to make sure they

were

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> not defective then did the tour 2226 miles in 22 days.
>> The rubber tread has delaminated from both tires and is pealing away
>> in
>> one place on the front one. The weight on the bike was 135 pounds on
>> the front and 150 pounds on the back. The tire pressure was 80 psi

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> the back and 70 in the front. Kevlar belted tires from trek cycle

pro

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> and irc have all given me about twice the life of the armadillos

cost

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> about 9 dollars less per tire and they all had a bit less rolling
>> resitance.
>
> #1: Touring with a relatively-heavy load (285 pounds definitely

qualifies,

Quoted message said:

> for rider+bike+gear) takes its toll on equipment. Your mileage, while

not

Quoted message said:

> exceptional, isn't terrible.
>
> #2: 80psi rear & 70psi front might be a tad low for the tires you're
> using, but I don't know how wide the tire in question actually is.

1.5"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you run at too-low a
> pressure, delamination is more likely because the tire is flexing

more

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> than it's designed for. But if it's a reasonable 1.5", your pressure

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> probably OK.
>
> #3: The Armadillo has a very tough and inflexible casing, which, I
> would
> think, would make it fare more prone to delamination (since the

casing

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> will be significantly less-flexible than the rubber). That's a likely
> trade-off for any such tire. On the other hand, they're less-likely

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> puncture.
>
> #4: If you had good luck with the other tires you've used, why

switch?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> Find something that works, and stick with it (at least until they
> "improve" the product). Everytime I try a different tire than my

favorite,

Quoted message said:

> I'm quickly reminded why the favorites are the ones I like best.
> Unfortunately, I'm in the position of having to try different things
> because it's good for me to know something about what my customers

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> buying, but I'm getting less so all the time... I know what works for

me,

Quoted message said:

> so even though tire companies throw free stuff at me to try all the

time,

Quoted message said:

> the tires I actually ride are ones I have to pay for.
>
> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
> www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>

I have seen a similar thing on four Armadillo 700c32 tires that I had
like
shown here.

http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/my%20other%20bikes/?action=view&current=72cd1e2a.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch3

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In my case I ran the first pair for about a year no problem on my

commutes.

Quoted message said:

I didn't really notice the crack extending all the way around the
circumference of the tires until I wore down the rear tire.
I replaced the rear tire and 16 miles into the ride the casing went bad

and

Quoted message said:

I had a sort of balloon effect on the tire, making a thunp thump thump

feel

Quoted message said:

and sound as you ride along. I let some air out of it and pedaled on

over

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to

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the bike shop and bought a Bontrager Race Lite 700c32 tire to replace

the

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defective one with.
A few weeks later a broken bottle slashed the side of the front tire

and

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I
had to replace it with the other Armadillo, and sure enough a few days

later

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the full circumference cracks started popping out.
I think like you stated they have a stiff anti-flat layer in the tire
that
doesn't allow for any flexing and the rubber cracks along that edge

between

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the sidewalls and the upper section.
In their defense the cracks don't seem to be dangerous in my case at

least,

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and they never allowed anything to get through and cause a flat.

A few days for the second set of tires and the cracks started to appear. I
wasn't expecting it with the first pair, so I never really looked until I
noticed it when i was replacing the worn down rear tire.
What it is, is the upper layer of rubber is more thick than the sidewall
layer of rubber, so because of the stiffness a crack or separation in the
rubber, not in the casing or plies, starts to form. It may have been just
this batch of tires, as they were obsoleted by a newer version.