Armadillo/Kevlar tires = a hard ride??

[Mary]

Hi All,

I just read several opinions from people who have used Kevlar tires that they are stiff and therefore give a hard ride.

Any comments?

Thanks,

Mary

[DougC]

The kevlar is really a pretty thin layer in what is otherwise a normal-thickness tire. The air pressure you inflate the tires to makes much more difference.

Kevlar might add a bit of rolling resistance, but on a motorized bike I doubt that would hardly matter.

I use the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on my (non-motorized) short-range bike. I haven't had any flats yet but (compared to the Primo Comets the bike came with) the tires do seem to have a lot of rolling resistance. The rubber belt on the S.M.P's is the thickest you can get.
~

[Alaskavan]

I ran Armadillo's for a while on my Trek. The friction drive ended up peeling the rubber off of them. Never did get a flat. I didn't notice any increased rough ride.

[az cra-z]

I've used a bunch of different kevlar belted tires. Never having a flat makes up for a whole lot of other stuff, time-, aggravation-, speed-wise, etc.

[Abeagle]

After having two flats this last week I bought some Slime filled tubes and Mr. Tuffy's tire liner as added protection. My last bike had Kenda kevlar tires and never had a flat and I never noticed a harder ride. I will replace my current tires in a few months with kevlar belted tires, flats are a real pain especially in the rain.

[mickey]

All biking fun stops when you have a flat, especially 25 miles from home.

[Hive]

A flat tire kills it, no matter where you are.

And why I went with Specialized Armadillos. I am not a judge of ride comfort, but the front suspension bike I now ride with same back 'dillo rubber is better ride than the cruiser with a cushioned seat post. Regardless, stiff ride or not, better a bump in the butt and walking home, etc. The Armadillo seems cushy enough.

Somewhere on the board is a comment and link about solid tires.