tire brandbook

YOUR RIDE DEPENDS ON THIS.

The tire contact patch on a road bike is roughly one

square inch per tire. That means two square inches

of area where the rubber meets the road. Through

those two square inches, all of your power, reflexes

and control must be fed through the bike and into the

ground. Flipping that coin, those same two inches of

contact patch are all you have for traction, and are the

sole transmitters of everything you feel being relayed

from the bike to your body.

Wind tunnel sculpted aerodynamics, gossamer-light,

highly responsive, state of the art carbon fiber frame

design, finely evolved suspension kinematics – all this

thought and attention can be let down by sub-par tires.

However, by that same measure, the right set of tires

can transform an otherwise unremarkable bike into

something magic.

5Y O U R R I D E D E P E N D S O N T H I S

T W O -T I M E W O R L D C H A M P I O N T R OY B R O S N A N P U S H ES H I S B U TC H E R S TO T H E L I M I T / VA L D I S O L E , I TA LY

TIRES MATTER. A LOT.

Tires matter. A lot. This golden rule applies equally

to road and mountain bikes. The first product to

bear our name was a tire, and the often taken for

granted bicycle tire has been a cornerstone of our

brand from the beginning. The reputation of a bicycle

can be made or broken by the tires, and as such, we

take the performance of those tires very seriously.

The information contained here will explain in great

detail how our tires are made, why we design and

manufacture our tires the way we do, and define what

environments they are tailored to perform their best.

Why? Because tires matter. A lot.


A TRUE LEGACY

Confronted by the limitations of tires available to

cyclists at the time, Mike Sinyard saw an opportunity

in 1978. Clinchers then were heavy and slow rolling,

and in no way appealing for enthusiasts, whereas the

alternative - tubular tires - required a level of application

and dedication (and glue) that was daunting for most

riders. Thus began the quest to create a lightweight,

high performance clincher tire, one that offered the

performance benefits of a tubular combined with the

understandable simplicity of a clincher. The tire that

came to market as a result of this quest was the first

ever Specialized product, called simply The Touring

Tire — it was a game changer. Following this, clincher

tires and high performance were no longer exclusive

terms, and the market began to embrace the potential

of these new tires.

9A T R U E L E G A C Y

Jim Merz was a rather unconventional pioneer for

testing Specialized Tires, and the importance of his

role in the tire story—and the DNA of the Specialized

brand for that matter—cannot be understated. Known

in the early 70’s as one of the premiere fabricators

and framebuilders in the world, Jim was also a rider

renowned for taking on ‘crazy-long’ endurance rides.

And by ‘crazy-long’, we’re talking about 3,500 mile

rides from Portland, Oregon down to Panama, and

then in 1978, taking off for 5 weeks to ride almost

every single road in Greece. Could there be a more

perfect candidate to test the early iterations of the

Specialized Touring Tire?

“When I was developing the original touring tires,”

said Mike Sinyard. “I’d send them in advance of Jim’s

stops so he could have new tires to try. He’d call me

from time-to-time to give feedback—things like how the

tires performed and when they didn’t hold up. That kind

of real-world feedback from real riders was invaluable

and actually became the way we develop products

at Specialized.”

Real world testing with athletes is a tradition that lives

on, today. But Jim Merz was more than just the original

tire tester—he was part of the original core DNA of the

Specialized brand. During his time with Specialized,

Merz is noted for creating not only the first team

Stumpjumper—the famous pink bike—but also the Epic,

the Epic Ultimate, and the Dupont TriSpoke wheel.


W E L E A R N E D E A R LY O N T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N W I N N I N G A N D LO S I N G C A N C O M E D OW N TO 2 S Q U A R E I N C H E S .


“ W E H AV E B E E N M A K I N G T I R ES F O R A LO N G T I M E A N D W E H AV E L E A R N E D F R O M B OT H O U R S U C C ES S ES A N D O U R FA I LU R ES . ” – N E D OV E R E N D


N E W Y O R K C I T Y H A L L , J U LY 14 , 1 9 8 1 , 5 : 3 4 A M . LO N H A L D E M A N S E TS T H E N E W D O U B L E T R A N S C O N T I N E N TA L R EC O R D O N S PEC I A L I Z E D T U R B O T I R ES

I N 24 D AY S A N D 2 H O U R S AV E R AG I N G R O U G H LY 24 0 M I L ES PE R D AY.

Today, we have 36 years of designing the best tires

in the world. We have employees with lifetimes of

experience assessing the needs of riders, mixing rubber

compounds, designing casings and tread blocks,

testing for rolling resistance and friction and puncture

protection, and developing tires to excel in their given

environments — whether that is a shale slope in the

French Alps, a decreasing radius downhill right hander

on Mt. Hamilton Road, a run to the grocery store or a run

at the World Championship.


N I K I T E R P ST R A E N R O U T E TO V I CTO R Y O N 3 0 C S PEC I A L I Z E D T U R B O T U B U L A R T I R E S / PA R I S R O U B A I X 2 0 14

The old notion was narrow tires, pumped up rock

hard, yielded the highest speed. After decades of

bone jarring, tooth rattling ride quality on bumpy

roads it turns out, and we’ve spent quite a bit of time

testing this, the old notion is seriously flawed. What

we’ve found is, essentially, the opposite. Here’s why:

Rolling resistance does decrease as tire pressure

is increased, up to a point. Beyond that pressure,

tires are pumped “dead” and further inflation only

decreases ride quality and road feel while offering no

improvement in rolling resistance.

Meanwhile, larger casings with an increased tire

volume (and lower tire pressure) are more supple

than smaller casings, more responsive to surface

irregularity, and as a result roll more smoothly over a

given surface. This in turn means larger volume tires

roll faster over that surface. Yes, that’s right. We’re

talking about tires that are larger, softer, smoother,

more comfortable, and FASTER.

01/ SMOOTHER IS FASTER

19S M O O T H E R I S F A S T E R

S M O OT H E R I S FA ST E R AC R O S S T H E ST R A D E B I A N C H I


T I R E T EST I N G O N T H E T R E AC H E R O U S A R E N B U R G F O R E ST PAV E

THAT MEANS THE TIRE IS ABLE TO ROLL MORE SMOOTHLY OVER THAT SURFACE, WITH GREATER TRACTION AND CONTROL.

TURN UP THE VOLUME – Back when we first

introduced the Roubaix, getting a serious cyclist to

consider riding anything wider than 21mm was a

serious undertaking. Twenty-three-millimeter-wide

tires were a challenge to the faithful, and 25mm was

heresy. We introduced the 23/25 size designation as

a way of capitalizing on the benefits of a larger casing,

while still appealing to the sensibilities of people who

believed that a narrower tire was necessary for higher

speed. Fortunately, that tire paved the way for a more

in-depth exploration of what could be achieved with

larger volume tires without eliciting howls of protest

from the traditionalists.

“

WIDER TIRES ARE FASTER

Load 50kg, Speed 30km/h, Tested @Specialized Tire Labs


PE R F O R M A N C E C O N F I R M AT I O N O U TS I D E LO S A N G E L E S , C A L I F O R N I A


O P Q S PA R I S R O U B A I X R EC O N

SIZE MATTERS – A wide tire can be run at lower

pressure than a narrow tire. This in turn allows that tire

to conform to road surface irregularities. That means

the tire is able to roll more smoothly over that surface,

with greater traction and control. Ultimately, this means

a wider tire will be able to roll FASTER over that surface,

since it is not losing energy reacting to and being

deflected by surface irregularities. This applies for all

surfaces, but the rougher the road the faster the wider

tire will be compared to its narrower predecessor.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE – Greater tire volume changes

the shape of a tire’s contact patch, rendering it shorter

and wider for a given air pressure. This has also been

proven to roll faster. Additionally, for a given pressure, a

larger volume tire will deform (bulge) less at its contact

patch when rolling or cornering. Deformation is energy

lost, pure and simple. So, not only will a larger tire

roll more comfortably over a given surface, it will be

deforming less as it rolls. It will be rolling SMOOTHER

and FASTER than a narrower tire. Period.

WHY ARE WIDER TIRES FASTER?

Shorter, wider contact patch = less sidewall deformation


V

S PE E D PE R S O N I F I E D, O LY M P I C XC G O L D M E D A L I ST J A R O S L AV K U L H AV Y / H A FJ E L L , N O R WAY

Smoother is faster, and faster is always the preferred

outcome. Rubber compound plays a huge part in

a tire’s rolling resistance. We have developed our

proprietary Gripton compound to offer improved rolling

resistance characteristics relative to the competition

(as well as offering superior traction, but we’ll get into

those attributes elsewhere), and it’s application in our

Turbo S clincher results in the fastest tire in the world.

Off-road, tread pattern comes into play in addition to

the importance of compound. Through careful Finite

Element Analysis we can determine optimal tread block

size and shape in order to achieve the elusive goal

of high traction and low rolling resistance. By careful

sculpting of tread we can reduce the amount of rubber

surrounding knobs while supporting them to avoid tread

deformation. Less material in the tread equals less tread

deformation. This in turn means less rolling resistance,

and less rolling resistance means faster.

02/ SPEED + ROLLING RESISTANCE

31S P E E D + R O L L I N G R E S I S T A N C E

R AW G R I PTO N C O M P O U N D, H OT O F F T H E P R ES S ES

THE GRIPTON ADVANTAGE – Our proprietary Gripton

compound achieves some lofty goals – such as being

a key component of the fastest tires in the world.

Utilizing mostly synthetic rubber reinforced with

silicon dioxide, Gripton experiences less hysteresis

loss than natural rubber. The compounds in Gripton

tires are not as dense as carbon black compounds,

and experience less internal friction and resultant

temperature build up when deformed. Silica is also

porous, and as a result absorbs less energy than carbon

black compounds. Therefore, Gripton dissipates

less energy than other compounds, and tires using

Gripton run cooler, more smoothly, more efficiently.

Most importantly though, they roll faster. Faster than

anything else. Fast enough to win World Championships.

Results show in 40K TT, the Turbo with Gripton

compound improved by 70 seconds. 35 seconds

faster than a GP4000S.

ROLLING RESISTANCE TEST

PO

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Turb

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MY

11

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R AW G R I PTO N I N G R E D I E N TS


T I R E C O M P O U N D I N G E X PE RT, W O LF G A N G A R E N Z

We have made repeated references to Gripton and

what we have been able to achieve because of it

already. But it is pretty amazing stuff and deserves

further explanation. In order to do that, however, we

need talk about the team responsible for Gripton.

Tire compound mixing is not an easily taught

formulaic skillset; it takes years upon years of

accrued, hands-on experience, and is a nuanced craft

with so many variables that it is viewed by many

as something between alchemy and dark magic.

With the decades of experience formulating tires

at the highest level, the Specialized tire team are

master craftsmen when it comes to tire compound

mixing. There are only a handful of people in the

world capable of this complicated science.

THE TEAM BEHIND GRIPTON

37T H E T E A M B E H I N D G R I P T O N

A NUANCED CRAFT WITH SO MANY VARIABLES THAT IT IS VIEWED BY MANY AS SOMETHING BETWEEN ALCHEMY AND DARK MAGIC

When the tire team at Specialized set out to create

the next leap in road tire technology they knew

they needed to develop a tire compound that would

surpass the previous compounds we had employed

in several important areas. The new compound had

to roll faster than anything else, it had to also offer

superior traction to anything else, it had to offer

performance that would enable our athletes to

perform at their absolute best, and it would be a nice

bonus if there was no tradeoff in durability for such

stellar performance.

After extensive prototyping in consultation with the

best racers in the world, the result of our endeavors

was Gripton. Rolling resistance at least 10% better

than the closest competition, better traction in the wet,

and no sacrifice in durability – this is our flagship tire

compound, and it is only available on Specialized tires.


These impressive results were achieved by the use

of synthetic rubber with the reinforcing addition of an

activated Silica compound. Silica compounds have a

more open pore structure than the carbon black rubber

found on most bicycle tires. The use of synthetic rubber

reduced hysteresis induced energy loss, which was

further aided by the additional Silica. Being porous,

Silica absorbs less energy than carbon black rubber,

and is more loosely packed at the molecular level than

carbon blacks. This means that Silica compounds

experience less internal friction and heat buildup when

deformed, resulting in less energy loss. This is how

Gripton is able to roll faster than the competition.

ROLLING RESISTANCE AT LEAST 10% BETTER THAN THE CLOSEST COMPETITION, 30% BETTER TRACTION IN THE WET, AND NO SACRIFICE IN DURABILITY

However, aside from the highly proprietary nature of

the ingredients in this mix (We have Gripton mixed at

our own contracted lab, and then sent direct to the

tire factory, where it can only be used in our tires) the

actual mixing itself is a key component to how Gripton

performs. If the compound is not mixed properly, the

ingredients can’t disperse correctly in the mix, rendering

the compound weak and inconsistent. So, we mix in

closed Banbury containers, in a laborious, three-stage

process. The entire batch is allowed to cool between

steps so that material structure can bed in before more

ingredients are added, and this is done in a precisely

controlled environment. It is because of this rigorous

attention to the mixing that we are able to achieve such

consistent wear characteristics on top of the huge gains

made in traction and rolling resistance.

Gripton. There really is nothing else like it in bicycle tires.

Meanwhile, the tire team has a whole lot more in store.


2 0 1 3 U C I I N D I V I D U A L T I M E T R I A L W O R L D C H A M P I O N S H I P W I N N I N G S - W O R K S T U R B O T I R E


U C I I T T W O R L D C H A M P I O N TO N Y M A RT I N I S I N ST R U M E N TA L I N S - W O R K S T U R B O T I R E D EV E LO P M E N T

TURBO PERFORMANCE – The pinnacle of our tire

technology is embodied in the S-Works Turbo. A

supple, 220 TPI casing is bolstered by a layer of

BlackBelt barrier protection, providing protection while

maintaining a supple feel. Capped with Gripton rubber

that also extends into the sidewalls for unprecedented

traction even at extreme lean angles, and riding on

a large volume, 24mm casing, this is the tire that

Tony Martin used to win the 2013 World Time Trial

Championship. These attributes – world beating speed

and resilience – are found throughout the Turbo line.


M A R K C AV E N D I S H , S P R I N T I N G TO V I CTO R Y AT T H E G I R O D’ I TA L I A O N S - W O R K S T U R B O T I R ES


PA O LO M O N TOYA O N C O U R S E / P I E T E R M A R I TZ B U RG , S O U T H A F R I C A

REFINED DESIGN EQUATES TO PLACING JUST ENOUGH MATERIAL WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST TRACTION AND THE BEST TIRE SPEED.

THE SCIENCE OF TRACTION – Off-road tires face a

myriad of traction challenges, and function ultimately

determines the basic tread of a tire in a given

environment. The tread of a tire designed to excel on

a World Cup DH course is not going to resemble the

tread that wins a World Cup XC race, and neither of

those may be the right choice for a day spent ripping

singletrack with friends. Beyond the basic outer

appearance of a tire tread, however, there is a profound

amount of sculpting that occurs during tire design.

This is where we employ Finite Element Analysis.

Knob siping enhances traction while keeping speed

paramount. Tread block edges feature radiuses and

shoulders, and through careful analysis of tread load

we determine where best to place rubber and where

best to remove material. Refined design equates to

placing just enough material where it needs to be in

order to provide the most traction and the best tire

speed. Too much rubber makes a tire slow.

“


CASE-BY-CASE CASING – We offer three types of

tire casing in our MTB line, all designed to deliver

superlative performance in different environments.

S-WORKS - Featuring a 120TPI nylon casing, this is

our lightest and fastest rolling construction for XC

racing. Rubber use is kept to a minimum to ensure

weight is kept to a minimum, with high rolling speed

being the ultimate goal.

CONTROL - With a 60TPI casing, sidewall protection

and a little more rubber in the design, Control casing

aims for a balance of speed and durability. Still very

light and exceptionally fast rolling, tires with Control

casing are versatile all-rounders.

GRID - Combining a 60TPI casing with a cut-resistant

fabric layer on the sidewalls, Grid emphasizes

protection and durability while still offering a lively feel

and excellent all-round performance.


W O R L D C U P D OW N H I L L C H A M P I O N A A R O N GW I N D I A LS I N H I S L I N E S A N D T R E A D C H O I C E S / P I E T E R M A R I TZ B U R G , S O U T H A F R I C A


V

M I TC H R O PE L ATO D E M O N ST R AT ES TOTA L C O M M I T M E N T C O R N E R I N G / P O RT A N G E L E S , WA S H I N GTO N

On the road, control is predicated entirely by grip.

You need to trust your tires. Wet or dry road, fresh

tarmac or cracked old pavement, paint stripes and

sand in the corner apexes, your tires need to deliver

you with surefooted confidence through all-conditions.

This is why we invest so much importance in our Gripton

compound. Combining Gripton with new, larger volume

casings and carefully designed tread, our road tires

strive to be the perfect choice for an imperfect world.

This imperfect world gets a whole lot muddier once

we venture into the dirt. Here, traction becomes

dependent not only upon the grip offered by the tire’s

rubber compound, but also tread block shape, size

and placement. Conditions vary massively, and riders

face those varied conditions with an equally diverse

set of expectations. Whatever those conditions

may be, with decades of experience and a massive

database of testing and FEA, we have tires that are

ideally suited to them.

03/ CONFIDENCE + CONTROL

55C O N F I D E N C E + C O N T R O L

GETTING A GRIP – The combined attributes of tire

compound, tire volume, and tread are what determines

a tire’s road performance, and ultimately how much

confidence a rider has in that tire and how much control

that tire allows the rider to feel. More control equals

more confidence. More confidence means a rider is

more relaxed, making better line choices, and more

confidence makes for faster descending.

MORE CONFIDENCE MEANS A RIDER IS MORE RELAXED, MAKING BETTER LINE CHOICES, SMOOTHER.

TRACTION – Gripton is soft. It has a durometer of

56A, meaning it is softer than other tire compounds.

That softness, when looked at close to the

microscopic level, allows the tire to conform to the

surface it is rolling over – the tire sinks into the surface

of the pavement and the rough Silica in the tread

interlocks with the ground. Additionally, because of

this softness, the tire filters vibration and conforms to

surface irregularity, delivering a smoother ride feel.

VOLUME – Aside from the previously mentioned

speed benefits that result from increasing tire volume,

there are also huge payoffs to be had in terms of confi-

dence and control. With more volume, a tire can be run

at lower pressure, allowing more cushion for absorb-

ing road vibration and handling unpredictable road

surfaces. A larger tire also presents a larger contact

patch, putting more tread on the road, thus offering

greater overall traction for a safe and predictable feel.

TREAD – In a perfect world, a textured tire tread

would be unnecessary. Road surfaces would be

uniform and dry, free of sand and other debris, and

the temperature would be a constant 72 degrees. The

world is far from perfect, however, and even the really

good bits are unpredictable. Tread – the texturing of a

tire – helps rubber sink into rough road surfaces and

gives the rubber a chance to penetrate water or dirt. The

peaks, or high points, in a tire tread increase pressure

into surface imperfections and add contact points

between the road and the tire. This in turn increases

friction, which is how we define grip. Only a little bit of

tread makes a big difference in tire performance, and

too much can slow a tire down, so there is a delicate art

involved in tread design to maintain a tire’s reputation

for speed while enhancing grip.

“

WIDER TIRES FEEL SAFER

• There is more tread area you can rely on

• Higher force is needed to roll the tire over into a turn

RUBBER HARDNESS

• All-around blend adapts and holds confirming fast feel

• Hard compounds are tough but don’t adapt well

• Soft compounds adapt best but wear faster


A A R O N GW I N FA ST A N D F O C U S E D / VA L D I S O L E , I TA LY

TREAD REQUIREMENTS – XC-specific tires, like

our World-Championship-winning Fast Trak, rely on

minimal tread that rolls fast while providing optimal

grip for cross-country racing. Gravity specific tires,

like our World-Cup-proven Butcher, require massive

knobs from center to shoulder for edge-to-edge

traction in extreme terrain. Between these two ends of

the mountain bike spectrum can be found a massive

variety of terrain and condition specific needs, all

requiring carefully considered tread to deliver traction

when it counts.

FEA DESIGN – Finite Element Analysis (FEA) allows

us to simulate directional loads - from the whole tire

down to how an individual tread block will react to the

forces being applied. This allows us to configure tread

to offer the best blend of speed and traction for its

intended environment. Leading edges are ramped and

reinforced to decrease rolling resistance, interlocking

sipes allow greater ground penetration for individual

knobs, trailing edges are designed to be softer and

offer more digging traction. All of this is extensively

modeled and tested in FEA before being released into

the wild for real-world testing.


W O R L D C U P XC R AC E R K AT E C O U RT N E Y S M O OT H S O U T A R O C K Y ST R E TC H O F T H E C O U R S E / C A I R N S , A U ST R A L I A

DUROMETER – The durometer rating of rubber is an

index of hardness. Lower numbers indicate softer

rubber, whereas higher numbers represent harder

compounds. A softer durometer rubber will gain

more traction, but may wear quickly or deform more

than desirable when subject to high loads. A harder

durometer rubber will last a long time and be more

stable when loaded, but may do so at the expense of

traction. For a frame of reference, a rubber band has

a durometer rating of around 25. A hard skateboard

wheel has a durometer in the 90s.

Depending on the situation, we offer different durometer

compounds on our off-road tires, and where it makes

sense, our tires feature dual compounds for optimal

performance. We use a 60-durometer rubber on our

XC and trail tires - this offers a great balance between

rolling speed, traction and durability. All-mountain tires

feature 60-durometer rubber on the center treads, but

a softer 50 compound on the edge knobs for improved

traction when cornering. Butcher in Control and Grid

versions, designed primarily as a front tire, employs

50-durometer throughout for grippy traction. Our DH

tires use a super-gummy 42-durometer compound

laid on top of a 70 base, in order to provide ultra-sticky

traction with a solid, squirm resistant tire base. We

tailor the rubber compound of each of our tires based

on the environment where they will be used, in order to

offer the best performance for that environment.


A N N E K E B E E RT E N O N H E R WAY TO A N OT H E R P O D I U M F I N I S H AT T H E E N D U R O W O R L D S E R I ES / N EVA D O S D E C H I L L A N , C H I L E


FORT WILLIAM WORLD CUP WINNER TROY BROSNAN CHECKS OUT THE GOODS AT SPECIALIZED HQ / MORGAN HILL, CALIFORNIA

ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT – Real-world testing

remains the ultimate judgment of the tires we design.

We test our tires in all climates and terrains, across all

disciplines and we have the best riders in the world

offering us their critical feedback throughout the

development process. Aaron Gwin, Troy Brosnan,

and Mitch Ropelato help us shape our gravity-

oriented tires. Curtis Keene and Anneke Beerten

provide hands-on insight to our range of trail and

enduro rubber. Christoph Sauser and Todd Wells

lend their decades of experience to making our XC

tires devastatingly fast. All the computer modeling

and compound mixing in the world only gets us so far;

it takes real riders, the world’s best real riders, to

provide the input we need to finally bring these tires to

market with total confidence.


V

CHRISTOPH STRASSER WINS RAAM ’14 AND SETS A NEW COURSE RECORD COVERING 3,020 MILES IN 7 DAYS 15 HOURS AND 56 MINUTES ON ALL-CONDITIONS TIRES

- WITHOUT A SINGLE FLAT

04/ DURABILITY

“Nail in tread.” “Blade in sidewall.” These are the

actual names of industry standard tests for tire

puncture resistance. They are very apt descriptors of

what is being tested, and what we expect our tires to

encounter, and survive, in the real world.

As much as fast rolling, smooth riding, confidence

inspiring tires can elevate a ride to the sublime, nothing

brings the party to an abrupt end like a puncture. Glass

and nails lie in wait on the roads, potholes and cracks

hide in shadows, thorns wait trailside and knife edged

rocks reach for sidewalls in tight singletrack. The world

is a dangerous place for a tire. To that end, we spend as

much time sweating the class leading details on each

of our flat protection technologies as we do ensuring

the superior ride characteristics of our tires. Protection

without compromise, puncture resistance combined

with light weight, superb traction, and supple ride

quality – these were the goals. Our previous puncture

resistant tires were the industry standard. Our new tires

set the standard again.

73D U R A B I L I T Y

I N - H O U S E P U N CT U R E P R OT ECT I O N T E ST FAC I L I T Y


ARMADILLO – The name Armadillo has long been

the standard for durability and puncture resistance.

Now, our All-Conditions Armadillo Elite furthers that

reputation, by improving anti-flat characteristics and at

the same time bringing true high performance to this

durable benchmark. The Aramid belt has been replaced

with a Nylon belt (this improved puncture resistance

and at the same time enhanced ride smoothness),

we changed the casing/shoulder profile of the tire

and applied Gripton rubber to smooth out the ride

even more and decrease rolling resistance, and the

size range now includes widths from 23mm to a silky

smooth, road eating 32mm casing.

NAIL IN TREAD TEST

PU

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A R M A D I L LO I S O U R L EG E N D A R Y P U N CT U R E R ES I STA N T, H I G H - W E A R T I R E T EC H N O LO G Y


THE GOLD STANDARD FOR HIGH-MILEAGE, TROUBLE-FREE, ANTI-FLAT TIRES HAS BEEN RAISED AGAIN

All-Conditions anti-flat technology is second to none.

We use a proprietary polyamid matrix that belts from

sidewall to sidewall and bonds seamlessly with the

rubber compound of the tire. Because of the tight

weave of the matrix, the polyamid offers superior

puncture resistance, yet the material is pliable enough

to enhance ride quality.

In both “nail in tread” and “blade in sidewall” tests,

the new All-Conditions Armadillo Elite outperforms

the previous version, as well as the competition. The

gold standard for high-mileage, trouble-free, anti-flat

tires has been raised again, and we can now add the

terms “high-performance” and “smooth-rolling” to the

previous descriptions for toughness and durability.

BLADE IN SIDEWALL TEST

PU

NC

TU

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All-

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Arm

adill

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lite

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ager

Har

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D E T E R M I N I N G T H E B EST C O M B I N AT I O N O F F L E X I B I L I T Y, C U T, A N D P U N CT U R E P R OT ECT I O N


ENDURANT – Endurant is a casing found exclusively

on our Roubaix tires. Utilizing an innovative approach

to casing design during molding, the 120TPI casing

material is doubled back across the tire after wrapping

the bead, resulting in a true 3-ply, bead-to-bead

casing. The result of this is a responsive, lightweight,

high-performance tire that still offers superb resistance

to not just punctures impacting the tire vertically but,

also has a much stronger defense against shoulder and

sidewall cuts.

BLACKBELT – Blackbelt is our race-ready tire

insurance. A strip of tightly cross-woven aramid

material is laid atop the casing directly under the tire

tread. This provides a layer of protection against glass,

nails and other surface debris, yet is light enough that it

doesn’t in any way interfere with the speed or flexibility

of the tire. Blackbelt is found on all our Turbo and

Espoir tires, and is also found backing up the protective

abilities of Endurant construction on almost all of our

Roubaix range.

ROUBAIX TIRE WITH ENDURANT CASING

TURBO TIRE WITH BLACKBELT CASING


M AT T H U N T E R P U S H I N G T H E L I M I TS / S PA I N


C U RT I S K E E N E P U TS H I S G R I D C A S I N G S TO T H E T E ST / S A N TA M O N I C A , C A

GRID – Theoretically, dirt should be softer than

pavement. In reality, the world of dirt can often be a

mountain bike tire’s worst nightmare. Thorns, bigger

thorns, big rocks that flatten casings and cause pinch

flats, sharp rocks that love to eat sidewalls; it’s a rough

life for a mountain bike tire. Grid is our tough solution for

that rough life.

Starting with a tough, 3-ply casing, Grid is bolstered

with extra sidewall reinforcement that resists sidewall

cuts and at the same time adds stability to the tire

when under hard cornering loads. It’s also ideal for

tubeless tire applications. The added protection

greatly enhances the tire’s durability without the bulky

weight penalty usually associated with this level of

assurance, resulting in responsive, light, agile tires

that can take serious abuse.

CONTROL – is found on our versatile, jack-of-all-trades

trail tires. Featuring a robust, butyl wrapped nylon casing,

this is a rugged, lightweight construction that adapts

easily to tubeless use, yet is nimble enough to give a lot

of dedicated “performance” oriented XC tire casings a

run for their money.

GRID IN NUMBERS

PU

NC

TU

RE

FO

RC

E (N

)

/ Purgatory 29x2.3

CO

NT

RO

L C

asin

g

754g 785g

GR

ID C

asin

g


V

05/ TUBES

For almost as long as there have been tires with the

Specialized name on the sidewall, there have been

tubes with our mark on them. All our tubes are molded

to ensure consistent wall thickness and uniformity

of material. Our tubes are made with butyl rubber,

which is less permeable and therefore more airtight

over time than natural rubber. We employ extra long

oval rubber valve stem bases in our ultra-lightweight

Turbo tubes, to ward against valve stem tearing, and

we apply talc to Turbo tubes to ease installation and

reduce friction inside the tire when they are mounted.

Even the valve stems themselves have been smoothed

out to ensure a seamless junction point with bicycle

pump heads. These are little touches, but they speak

to decades of experience with tubes, and are part of

the reason Specialized is the default tube amongst

bike mechanics everywhere.

With thinner walls and lower weight, our Turbo tube has

been shown to reduce rolling resistance by as much

as 13% per wheel. Airlock tubes come with sealant

already inside them, offering self-sealing technology

ready to go. We have thorn resistant tubes with

asymmetrical rubber distribution that are 4mm thick

where the tire hits the dirt. For the truly cursed, we even

have a Desert Protection thorn resistant tube injected

with our tried and true Airlock sealant. Schrader valves

or Presta, short stem or long or really long, from 12” to

29”, patch kits, sealant, tire levers, sew-up glue when

it comes to tubes, we’ve got it dialed.

91T U B E S

ARAMID – A high strength synthetic fiber, aids in puncture resistance

BANBURY CONTAINER MIXER – A closed chamber mixer utilized in precise mixing of rubber compounds

BAR – Not just a place to purchase liquid refreshments in a convivial environment, Bar is a unit of measurement for pressure, 1 Bar equals atmospheric pressure at sea level

BEAD – The edge of the tire that seats into the rim,tire plies are wrapped around a bead of steel, nylon or Aramid

CARBON BLACK – The most common pigment and reinforcing ingredient in most tires

CASING – This is the fabric that wraps around the tire bead and that the tread rubber adheres to, this gives the tire its shape, usually nylon

CLINCHER TIRE – A hollow casing tire with a bead that interlocks into a rim

COMPOUND – The ingredients of rubber (natural or synthetic) and additives that give the tire its characteristics

CONTACT PATCH – The surface section of a rolling tire that is in contact with the ground

AIRLOCK – Our proprietary tire sealant. Available

in liquid form or pre-installed in tubes

ARMADILLO – Our legendary puncture resistant,

high wear tire technology, protects the tire from

bead to bead

BLACKBELT – A high standard of proficiency in

many martial arts, and also a strip of Aramid tough

puncture protection found on our performance tires

GRID – Proprietary Specialized casing technology,

improves puncture resistance and enhances

sidewall stability

GRIPTON – Our proprietary flagship tire compound

ENDURANT – Roubaix 3-ply tire casing,

lightweight AND highly protective

DUAL COMPOUND – a tire tread featuring differing hardness compounds in different areas (eg: hard compound in the center for increased wear and softer compound at the tire edge for enhanced grip) DUROMETER – A measure of rubber hardness first defined by Alfred Shore

GRIP – Adhesive friction against a surface

GRIPTON – Our proprietary flagship tire compound

ETRTO – European Tire and Rim Technical Organization. The organization responsible for standard tire and rim sizing

EXTERNAL RIM WIDTH – The distance measured across the outer surfaces of a rim, from one rim wall to the other

FEA – Finite Element Analysis

HYSTERESIS – “A retardation of an effect when the forces acting upon a body are changed (as if from viscosity or internal friction)”; in this case, one of the forces that determines how a tire deforms under load and how tire rubber reacts to pressure

INNER TUBE – A torus shaped impermeable rubber sleeve that is inserted into a tire and inflated to a desired air pressure

INTERNAL RIM WIDTH – The distance measured between the inside walls of a rim

KNOB – A block of tread on an off-road tire

PLY – A single layer of material, usually woven cords of nylon, that forms a tire casing

PRESTA VALVE – A tire air valve, designed for high-pressure use, specific to bicycles, an easy way to infuriate bike shop employees is to refer to these as “presto” valves when purchasing

PSI – Pounds per Square Inch, this is a unit of measure for tire pressure (for those who do not fear the metric system, 14.5psi equals 1 bar)

RIM – This is a component of a wheel that the tire is mounted upon, clincher rims have hook bead sidewalls to interlock with clincher tire beads, tubular rims have a concave surface for the tire to be glued in place

ROLLING RESISTANCE – The enemy of forward motion, caused by energy loss through hysteresis

SCHRADER VALVE – Automotive style tire valve also in common use on bicycle tubes, not to be confused with Presta valve

SEW UP – A colloquialism for Tubular tire

SPECIALIZED PROPRIETARY TIRE TECHNOLOGIES

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

93G L O S S A R Y

SIDEWALL – The area of a tire casing between the bead and the tread of the tire

SILICA – Silicon Dioxide, when used in tire compounds, can reduce rolling resistance and improve wet grip

SIPING – Thin grooves cut into tread, siping improves grip

TIRE PRESSURE – The inflated air inside the tire that ultimately determines ride characteristics, measured in either BAR or PSI TREAD PATTERN – The texture, size, shape and placement of tread on a tire, determined by the tire’s intended use TPI – Threads Per Inch TRACTION – Grip, but with the added dynamic of acceleration or lateral forces, and inconsistent surfaces like sand or mud TUBELESS – A tire and rim combination that can be inflated without an inner tube, sometimes with a tire sealant, sometimes without TUBE TYPE – A tire that is designed to use an inner tube for inflation TUBULAR TIRE – A tire casing with an inner tube completely encased within, then glued to a specifically designed rim UST – Universal System Tubeless, a specific rim and tire interface designed for tubeless use

VALVE STEM – Either a Schrader or Presta valve, attached to a tube or a sealed rim, for the purpose of inflating a tire

VOLUME – The inflated three-dimensional space contained within a tire, constrained by the tire material and the rim

VULCANIZATION – The method used for bonding, as well as curing the tread of a tire to the casing.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS (cont.)

95G L O S S A R Y

97A N D K E E P O N R O L L I N ’

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