tires?

[poison idea]

i became roadie scum this summer and today it the first time that i've encountered substantial ice while riding on skinny little tires. needless to say, it didn't work out for me.
my previous commuter was an old giant rincon with big kenda slicks. it slid on occassion, but was substantial enough for ice to not be a major problem.
i'd rather stay on the road bike as it is much faster and lighter -any suggestions for tires?

[tryandgetme]

you probably won't like my suggestion, but I commute on my 32x16 singlespeed with Tioga Factory DH 2.5"ers on there. You can't walk across some of the stuff I ride on. The downside is a 35 minute commute on the road bike turns into 1 hour to 1.5 hours depending on weather on that bike.

[robcycle]

-any suggestions for tires?
Studs? Maybe studs and a cheap fixie/beater bike?

-Rob.

[Ripp]

Poisen check your favorite bike retailer for cyclocross tires, there are a bunch to choose from. I like the WTB AllTerrainasaurus that are on my commuter, but have no experience with anything else. My tires are 700x32. My only experience with them on ice was crossing the frozen bridges on teh local rail trail last sunday, pretty sketchy, but moderate snow on the ground has been no problem at all.

[manwebi]

Cyclocross tires are great, but I've had trouble getting anything wider than a 700x28 slick tire on a road bike without rubbing on the brakes or frame. Add knobs to that and it gets worse. I haven't come across any cross tires narrower than a 27 but they might be out there.

[dave66]

Studs? Maybe studs and a cheap fixie/beater bike?

-Rob.

i second that! studs on just the front even and somethign with a little tread on the back does wonders.
and best of all, an excuse for yet another bike - win/win!

[FishMan]

Nokian studded tires are the only answer for winter riding. Carbide tipped studs last forever and are way grippy. Front and rear. Try the Hakkapeliitta W106, pretty fast but grip when you need them. If it doesn't fit in your frame, get another bike for winter use.

http://www.suomityres.fi/w106.html

I went through 5 or 6 years of falling on my ass before I ponied up for a pair. 5 or 6 years later on the same tires, best-investment-ever.

[poison idea]

thanks for the input fellas.

unfortunately, cross tires aren't going to fit on my frame. i'm very tempted to get a cross bike, but i gotta exercise fiscal restraint.
guess i'm gonna have to go back to riding my old warhorse commuter.
it's funny, my entire life i've spat(figuaratively) upon roadies, and after <1 year of riding a road bike, i'm really reluctant to give it up, even if it's just on icy days.

[FishMan]

Winter is REALLY hard on bikes. The salt, the sand, the slush, the freeze/thaw cycles. It really tears a bike up, especially the drive train. But also brake pads, cables bearings and just about anything that moves or is made out of steel.

Its so bad for bikes, my road bike only sees dry winter roads. My rules is that I'll ride it on wet roads, I'll ride it on salty roads, but I won't ride it on wet salty roads! 8 years later the same drivetrain is still rolling, so it must be working!

The best thing to do really is to have a dedicated nasty weather riding bike for winter and wet days in the summer. So bring out that old war-horse, get some fenders and Nokian studded tires for it and don't let anything stop you!

And in the mean time, bring that road bike inside, clean it up, lube it up, give it a nice overhaul and get it ready for when conditions improve.

[tryandgetme]

It's my third winter on this here singlespeed's drivetrain...just saying ;)

[xjoex]

I am commuting on Kenda Klondike Ice 700c x 35c studded tires. God damn do they hook up. A good cheap cross bike to look at is any redline. Or the bianchi Volpe/castro valley are also really nice bikes. I like the castro valley because it comes with a dynamo hub and headlight. Plus it can fit these studded tires.

Here is a pic of the tires on my bike:
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h85/boulderjoe/bikes/cv-IMGP1874.jpg


Admittedly I drove in today...

-Joe

[FishMan]

It's my third winter on this here singlespeed's drivetrain...just saying ;)

I'm not a big fan of riding SS in the winter OFF-road, but on road I have to admit it makes sense. Fewer bits to freeze up and jam. Most of the time the roads are clear. If you do run into a big snowfall you can just flop the wheel around and have a bigger cog on the other side to make life easier, or (if your running a dérailleur as a tensioner) have a granny gear on the bike and manually shift down for deep snow and slush-fest kind of days.

That being said, I run 1x9 on my commuter all year long.

A similar discussion recently came up on the illinoismtb.com forums about geared vs SS in the winter, and here was some advice I spoke:

"But shifting can indeed turn foul in the winter, especially at temperatures right around freezing when water can get in your cables and then decide to freeze. It is best to disengage your cable housing from the ferrels, clean those cables up real good and then lube them with an oil like Pedro's Syn Lube or Finish Line Cross Country, and put it all back together. If you want to put the effort into it installing full cable housing should solve the problem entirely.

You can also have problems if its wet and there is a lot of snow flying around and it jams up your cassette. Spray the cassette with silicon spray or PAM, this will reduce snow accumulation."

[Jahnov]

I had the same problem, not being able to fit anything larger than 700x28 on my road bike, and my solution came from an older mountain frame, the parts from my SS road bike, and these sweet little beauties:

http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/p/produit_accessoire_REHAUSSEURS_DE_TASSEA UX.php?gamme=asphalte&annee=2007

See the bike here
http://www.dirtragmag.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12982

These are the tires of choice. Geax Mezcal 700x34. They work great without too much drag on the road but hook up when it gets medium sloppy. Not the best off road in the real slop.

http://www.geax.com/vedit/pagina.asp~pagina~1892

The Geax Crossblades are incredible in the slop.