Originally Posted by
veloz
I’ve encountered ice under snow, slush, sugar mush and puddle crossings. I use studs and don’t worry about it. Winter rides aren’t about going fast, they’re just about going out. I ride W240’s and Mount & Grounds, the tread patterns seem to help.
What he said! Winter rides are seldom one type of snow at all times. Even packed powder isn’t the same at all times. There are hard spots, soft spots, clear spots and icy spots all on the same road and often within just a few feet of each other. Studs aren’t fun to ride but they do just fine in almost all conditions than plain dry pavement. And even there, they work well enough to get you down the road.
That said, I’m not one of the “cut through to pavement” crowd. The times when my wide(er) tires cut through to the pavement don’t result in better control or traction or stability. Rolling over the snow or ice or slush is better than digging down into it. Digging into it bogs down momentum and that makes control, traction, and stability worse not better.
Rolling over the snow
and having a suspension system does wonders for that control, traction and stability for the same reasons it makes mountain biking easier for all three of those. A front shock...at a minimum...allows the wheel to roll up and out of ruts rather than be trapped in them. With a rigid fork, the wheel has to counter-steer into the rut but it can’t until the rut changes enough. The suspension fork allows the fork to counter-steer by allowing to climb the sides of the rut. Add in rear suspension and the rear traction is greatly improved because the bike squats down on the wheel and presses it into the snow (or trail).