Review by Dave Snowberg, November, 2007

Specialized Armadillo Crossroads EX 26 x 1.95 tire Specialized Armadillo Crossroads EX 26 x 1.95 tire

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Pros:

  • Great flat protection
  • Good tread design for off road bike touring
  • Good on front and rear wheel
  • Last a very long time

Cons:

  • None, other than they are no longer available from Specialized

Recommendation:
These are the best off-road bike touring tires I’ve ever used.

Review:
I bought these tires because they have a good tread design for off-road bike touring, and the Armadillo flat protection is desirable on long and remote bike tours. The solid center ridge results in very low rolling resistance while using these tires on pavement. The nicely spaced knobs along the side of the tire gives good cornering traction while turning on off-road trails. The tread design is good for off-road bike touring with minimal rolling resistance when used on pavement.

After using one of these tires to bike tour for three months across Tibet, this same tire was used by Michelle for two months of bike touring on the Great Divide, and the tire still has plenty of traction remaining for another trip. Unlike the Hemisphere tire, this tire does not have any problems with the adhesion of the rubber to the casing (see review of Specialized Armadillo Hemisphere bicycle tire). I cannot recall getting any flat tires while using this tire.

Specialized has replaced the Crossroads EX bicycle tire with a Crossroads tire. The tread design on the Crossroads is different than the Crossroads EX and we are currently testing the Crossroads tire to see if it matches up with the proven Crossroads EX.

We’re also testing the Continental Travel Contact tire, as Continental is known for quality, long-lasting tires and the tread looks to be useful for the variety of touring we’ll be doing. Michelle has used Continental tires with good results for commuting as well, so return to the Reviews section in the future to read our results.

 

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