Specialized Nimbus Armadillo tyres review

‘Armadillo’ Is a layered nylon casing that runs from bead to bead to protect the tyre sidewalls as well as the tread. It works well, especially against cuts rather than fine sharps, and of the tyres we tested it against, only the Marathon Plus and Conti Top Contact were notably tougher. 

Speed is a bit slower than you’d think, more due to a lack of suppleness than bulk as it’s not heavy. The dynamo track is a useful extra, and the sinuous tread may help on towpaths.

As with many hard wearing steel beaded tyres it’s a tight fit on the rim, which can make en-route repairs tricky but there won’t be many of those, as the casing doesn’t seem to yield to anything you might reasonably ride over.