Topic: Winter Cycling

[PJungnitsch]

So, who does it?

Back in university I started this with regular tires:



Works but kind of iffy. Soon upgraded them to 'shop made' studded types that used machine screws through the tire with sort of a steel locknut on the end and a liner inside to protect the tube from the screw heads:





These worked well and I used the bike in the winter for years. The only problem I can recall was mushy brown 'mashed potato' snow, which wasn't tough to avoid usually. Never fell down once IIRC.

The bigger problem was being seen by car drivers. Went to the yellow overjacket pictured which made a huge difference.

[PJungnitsch]

Since this new job in Edmonton is easy cycling distance, I dusted off the bike for the summer and really enjoyed biking back and forth. With winter coming I remembered that old student experience and (as noted in the winter tire thread) thought I'd try winter biking again.

Went for purpose-made tires this time, carbide teeth set in aluminum inserts:





So far so good, ice and hard packed snow are a piece of cake, had a minivan take a blind alley corner at speed and I could brake hard enough on ice the rear wheel lifted off the ground. Heavy fresh snow is a pain on the other hand, lots of fishtailing. The studs grip fine but the tire doesn't cut through the snow any better. But it packed down pretty good after a day so not a big problem.

At the moment am looking forward to a winter of cycling!

[airbalancer]

any winter riding I do will be down south

[johngenx]

In the summer I often ride my bike to school, but in the winter, I haven't.  I should try some of those spikey tires and give it a go.  I do keep trail running all winter thanks to grippy trail runners and occasional use of YaxTrax.

It does seem silly to install $200 worth of studded tires on my $139 Costco mountain bike, but hey, by not spending $$$$ on a bike, I can afford trick tires!  Riding that bike is a helluva workout too, as it weighs nearly the same as the Forester...   

[Angry Chicken]

Since this new job in Edmonton is easy cycling distance, I dusted off the bike for the summer and really enjoyed biking back and forth. With winter coming I remembered that old student experience and (as noted in the winter tire thread) thought I'd try winter biking again.

Went for purpose-made tires this time, carbide teeth set in aluminum inserts:


So far so good, ice and hard packed snow are a piece of cake, had a minivan take a blind alley corner at speed and I could brake hard enough on ice the rear wheel lifted off the ground. Heavy fresh snow is a pain on the other hand, lots of fishtailing. The studs grip fine but the tire doesn't cut through the snow any better. But it packed down pretty good after a day so not a big problem.

At the moment am looking forward to a winter of cycling!

Did you buy these from your local bike store or did you go online?  Any other choices/brands you were looking at before settling on these?

[PJungnitsch]

Did you buy these from your local bike store or did you go online?  Any other choices/brands you were looking at before settling on these?

Bought them online from MEC. I didn't really shop around, just had a look at what they had. They are Schwalbe Ice Spikers 26 X 2.1, expensive at $99.50 each but had very good ratings. The Schwalbe Snow Studs are 65.00 each but didn't seem as favored either in the MEC reviews or at http://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2340.html.

I'm finding with higher pressures the Ice Spikers roll easily but still have lots of grip, with the side studs coming in handy in ruts. On dry pavement they do sound like a tractor rolling along.

Some good info on tires here:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

[PJungnitsch]

Going by the Peter White info it looks like Nokian (surprise) is the king of winter bicycle tires

Should note that with a little checking I did find a RedFlagdeals lead where the Schwalbe's were considerably cheaper ordered in from England:

[Angry Chicken]

Going by the Peter White info it looks like Nokian (surprise) is the king of winter bicycle tires

Should note that with a little checking I did find a RedFlagdeals lead where the Schwalbe's were considerably cheaper ordered in from England:

Thank you!  I will have to get a set for my hybrid.  Nice and warm here in the Ottawa area today.  +10!  Just went through the warmest November in the last 3 decades with an average daytime high of 9.9.  Maybe I'll just need these for a couple of months only.

[Arthur Dent]

I do but any colder than -10 I wimp out and drive. It is about a 40min ride for me and I just don't have the proper clothing for that length of ride in the cold.

[mrthompson]

Gnarly.  In high school I studded a set of tires using Pop Rivets.  The tires worked well enough for the season I used them.

[Angry Chicken]

Wow!  What a difference a good set of studded winter tires make on the bike.  The studs don't make a difference in slush, snow, etc., but hoo boy....when there's ice around it makes me unstoppable!

Just picked up a set of Continental "Nordic Spike 24" in the 700 x 42C (28" x 1.6") size for my hybrid bike.  For those of you in the Ottawa area, Bushtuka had these as well studded models of Innova and Schwalbe tires all in stock.  The guy explained that if I was going to be driving on tarmac, snow, dirt, slush (and most importantly) ice, that these were the best fit because they're knobby and studded both.  Their inflated pressure of 50 psi recommended, with a max of 65 psi seems kind of low for me, but is apparently par for the course for these types of tires.

I mounted them myself and had a bit of trouble getting them to properly set their beads to the rims (can't remember the exact term for this) but they're on nice and true now. I went for a 20 km cycle near my house before it got dark and I'm hooked.  Pardon the pun.

Link to a review ->  http://road.cc/content/review/28517-continental-nordic-spike-120-tyre 
Manufacturer's Site -> http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti%20NordicSpike.shtml

[PJungnitsch]

Expensive as the tires are, these new carbide versions are well worth it. I've been cycling on studded to work all winter now, and never a problem on ice. Stick to it like Velcro and still roll easily.

[rrocket]

We use these on our bikes.  They were superior to the American screws..and eventually we were banned from using them for races in the USA.

The screws we use are on the right...MF44

[mmorriso]

video:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mf20/6777548663/

[Angry Chicken]

Now I have to decide whether to take my winter tires off and put my hybrid summer tires back on.  But....I know that the second I take 'em off we're likely to get a big dump of snow.   

...the clicky clacky of the studs on dry tarmac is driving me crazy as is the 1 km/h speed penalty.

[dr_spock]

Now I have to decide whether to take my winter tires off and put my hybrid summer tires back on.  But....I know that the second I take 'em off we're likely to get a big dump of snow.   

...the clicky clacky of the studs on dry tarmac is driving me crazy as is the 1 km/h speed penalty.

I washed all the mud and crud off my bike on the weekend, you know it is going to at least rain now. 

[PJungnitsch]

I was considering it because the main roads are dry here and the studs do roar on dry pavement. But the alleys are still icy in the morning and when my back tire slipped on a big icy rut and then immediately grabbed again I was pretty thankful to have them still on. And tomorrow 10 cm of snow forecast!