Grip 7/10
The "Armies" are notoriously skittish is the wet, and its true. They do break away from under you when cornering in the wet, or in the cold and wet. On warm dry days, its fine....but this is England. So a lower score for this sector.
Wear 9/10
These wear well. The rubber compound is hard, and therefore it lasts. In fact, and oddly, the tyres seem to improve as they wear a bit.
Puncture Protection 10/10
I do not believe that there is a tyre that has greater puncture resistance than this.
Comfort 6/10
Its not a comfortable tyre, as you can feel every pebble, and often, if pumped to full pressure, I've had to stop to check if I had a burst tyre, as I felt I was riding on the rim. This happened many times. For a tyre to give a ride as if you are riding only metal rims, tells all I think.
Weight (or perceived rolling weight) 6/10
It is a heavy tyre, and feels it. Once you put on a lighter tyre, the difference is very obvious.
Speed (rolling resistance) 7/10
I don't think this is a fast tyre, though the rolling resistance is possibly less than some softer compounds, but the weight negates any benefit from hardness of compound.
Appearance (or Looks, if it comes in colours) 6/10
Its a functional looking tyre; simply black with dark red sidewalls.
Price 6/10
These are about £25 each, so they're on the expensive side.
Skidability 7/10
I have not skidded tyres for a long time, but I think that these would last a few skids.
Overall rating / opinion 7/10
If you are a fair weather cyclist, and your main concern is not to get punctures, then this is possibly the best tyre for you. I would recommend this for touring cyclists and cycle couriers also. But if you want a superior overall tyre, you would need to search some more.
Specialized Armadillo All Condition
Grip 7/10
The "Armies" are notoriously skittish is the wet, and its true. They do break away from under you when cornering in the wet, or in the cold and wet. On warm dry days, its fine....but this is England. So a lower score for this sector.
Wear 9/10
These wear well. The rubber compound is hard, and therefore it lasts. In fact, and oddly, the tyres seem to improve as they wear a bit.
Puncture Protection 10/10
I do not believe that there is a tyre that has greater puncture resistance than this.
Comfort 6/10
Its not a comfortable tyre, as you can feel every pebble, and often, if pumped to full pressure, I've had to stop to check if I had a burst tyre, as I felt I was riding on the rim. This happened many times. For a tyre to give a ride as if you are riding only metal rims, tells all I think.
Weight (or perceived rolling weight) 6/10
It is a heavy tyre, and feels it. Once you put on a lighter tyre, the difference is very obvious.
Speed (rolling resistance) 7/10
I don't think this is a fast tyre, though the rolling resistance is possibly less than some softer compounds, but the weight negates any benefit from hardness of compound.
Appearance (or Looks, if it comes in colours) 6/10
Its a functional looking tyre; simply black with dark red sidewalls.
Price 6/10
These are about £25 each, so they're on the expensive side.
Skidability 7/10
I have not skidded tyres for a long time, but I think that these would last a few skids.
Overall rating / opinion 7/10
If you are a fair weather cyclist, and your main concern is not to get punctures, then this is possibly the best tyre for you. I would recommend this for touring cyclists and cycle couriers also. But if you want a superior overall tyre, you would need to search some more.