Not cool, man

So I'm riding to work early Friday morning (like I do every morning) and all of a sudden I hear this POW! immediately behind me.  I know exactly what that is - a blown tire.  I'm able to pull over safely and check out the damage.  It's about a 1/4 inch hole in the back tire.  I knew that tire was getting worn out, but not that much.  I was only about 100 yards away from my work (thankfully), so I just walked it. 

Not having any decent boot material to make sure I can get home, I found some gafting tape.  Which I put some on the inside and outside of the tire.  I figured that would at least get me home once work was done.  Well, I was wrong.  When I was going home, I got about 1 mile into it and then POW! again.  So I had to call my wife to pick me up. 

The damage

I'm running Continental Gatorskins, which have been and excellent tire and have lasted me a long time.  The front one is still in decent shape, so for now I replaced the back tire with an old Specialized Armadillo that I had as a previous set.  I reminded myself why I don't ride with the Armadillos anymore.  My Saturday morning ride was a lot worse than normal.  I could feel and tell quite a difference in the way the tire handled.  The Armadillos are a good long lasting tire, but the handling is not favorable in my opinion. 

I had heard that Nashbar makes a really good tire for a very reasonable price.  After looking at all of the favorable reviews, I decided to go with their 'Prima 2 Plus' tires. Link to tires At $13 a tire and free shipping, the cost of two tires was less than one of the Gatorskins.  Other Nashbar branded stuff I've bought before have been a great value.  I don't expect these to be as tough as the Gatorskins, but I might be pleasantly surprised.  Or totally disappointed.  I'll give a review when they come in.  For now I've got to ride on the old Armadillo.