So I had a pretty goofy crash the other day. It was on a section of trail I ride often which I think was part of the reason I stacked – just not paying enough attention to conditions, bike and trail.

I’d busted my rear tire the other day so had temporarily put my bald old Crossmark on the back to get by — hardly any grip at all compared to The Captain I’ve been running. Had lots of fun on the worn Crossmark sliding it around but given it was the first time down that section in a while I probably should’ve paid more attention to the lack of grip whilst scooting down. Oh well… it made for a good laugh, and I reckon I’ve had a date with that tree for some time now anyway.

Here’s the new Armadillo Elite version of The Captain I put on today. Same tread as the Captain Control I’d been running before busting it, just with the internal bead to bead Armadillo casing. Went out for a ride this afternoon — switching from the bald Crossmark to the new Captain the difference in the level of grip was MASSIVE. Now that’s the level of grip I’m used to – feeling like the rear tire is connected to the trail. Amazing what a difference some blocks of rubber make 🙂

Messing with The Captain Control and Armadillo Elite while they’re off the bike it’s dead set clear that the Armadillo Elite is a much sturdier tire. Push on the outside of the Control tire lightly with your fingers and the tread and sidewalls collapse. It’s a soft and light tire. Push the Armadillo version (a lot harder) and it resists, retaining its shape. The Armadillo feels noticeably thicker and tougher all round and you can also see the casing banding on the inside of the tire. To be fair to the Control version, given how rocky the environment around here is I should’ve just gone for the Armadillo version straight up.

The Captain Armadillo went on tubeless with no dramas at all — tire, Stans goop, inflate, ride. Thanks to the guys at The Bike Vault for helping a hippie out!