maloosik

I've decided to continue riding during the winter months if I can brave the conditions and mitigate the risks involved with sharing snowy, icy, and wet roads with cagers.

Granted most of my 19 mile commute will be on bike paths, however the condition of the path is highly variable, with many shaded areas that will freeze over. I also need to ride on streets for less than one mile with about 500 yards of that going against traffic, with little to no shoulder (read; plowed piles of snow and rutted ice). I live in the Denver metro area.

I ride a 2016 Trek 520 (non-disc) and am having a hard time determining which type and size of tire to switch to from my stock Bontrager hardcase AW1 which I like, but think inappropriate since they are basically slicks.

So far a studded tire seems to be the way to go, but I am looking for advice from the hive who have experienced winter conditions such as mine. Can I get by without studs or with my current tire?

Also, pretty sure sizing of 700x35 would be be the largest that would fit my frame with fenders, not sure if smaller or larger sizes would be the best choice either.


edit: yes I know it's about time I posted something....

gregf83 

I wouldn't want to rely on one winter tire. I use studs if there's ice but avoid them if at all possible. Best if you can have two bikes or at least a set of extra wheels to swap when you need to. 19 miles is a pretty long commute on studs. They're quite a bit slower than decent tires.

fietsbob

Schwalbe and Suomi Nokian are the big 2 in studded tires, there is no smaller than 35 wide tire in 700c AFAIK.

as long as the rain is not a solid, IE Ice, then the hard case puncture resistant tire would be OK,

It may be a good idea to get a 2nd set of wheels so you leave the studded tires on them, **
rather than subject the bead to repeated removal and replacement.. when the forecast says it will be below 0C that night..

Yea 19 miles , I'd take the Bus . Otherwise, that is adding 4+ hours of riding to an 8 hour work day riding both ways in the dark.

** since it will be dark and the ride is going to be adding another un paid part time job..
that wheel set had better have a hub dynamo in the front wheel, and wired LED lights...








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BobbyG

+1

BobbyG

+1
I also will attest that riding on studded snow tires can lower your average MPH on dry pavement compared street ties.

maloosik

What other winter tire is appropriate for snow slush and wet roads besides a studded variety ? Is a marathon mondial or another example better in light or packed snow and slush than my Bonty hardcase (seems obvious that it would be).

I just don't want to stop riding for the sometimes bad conditions that will soon be here...Also my commute is 19 miles round trip....

Bikewolf

gregf83’s advice (and others) is worth taking: “Best if you can have two bikes or at least a set of extra wheels to swap when you need to.”

When icy, definitely go with spikes!

Maybe adding an extra light to more quickly notice dangerous spots and take evasive manoeuvres, may help.

Finally, know you are not the only one riding courageously in winter :-)

Ever considered buying an e-bike?

fietsbob

FWIW, my winter bike has been using a drum brake hub-set, now offered with a dynamo too,

that will give you a non rim brake that does not need the frame to have fittings like disc brakes do.

so It works for retrofits.. smooth modulation wont break the stud grip on the ice.


for slush ( you going to guarantee no Icy patches) maybe the ones with tread texture?

NB: I have not tested them where you live.. but my WTB 'allterrainasayrus' is pretty cheap to test-try

they're slower, an effect of separate tread blocks moving, and a modestly priced casing.




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gregf83 

I haven't ridden in Denver but my understanding is it's relatively dry with a few dumps of snow during the winter. I would expect there would be periods when the roads wouldn't be icy and you could use regular tires. I think if it's below freezing and there's a risk of ice then studs are the way to go.

I used Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires with 4 rows of studs. 19mi round trip shouldn't be too bad but the studded tires are slow and rough. About the only place they feel good is on packed snow.

Viich

I'd say continental topcontact winter, except the narrowest it comes is a 37. No studs, but a winter rubber compound - just like we use on cars. I actually like to have 2 bikes on the go - even faster than wheelsets, and you can still ride the next day if you don't have time to fix a mechanical.

I ride schwalbe winters (2 rows of studs), but my commute is only about 18km each way. Much further and I'd be considering a no-stud option.

maloosik

I appreciate the suggestions. Can't afford another set of wheels at the moment, maybe next year, an ebike would be cheating (sorry) but fun for sure. The only non-studded snow specific tire I could find was the Continental Top Contact Winter, which unfortunately appears to be too big for my 520. Schwalbe GT 365 looks like it might be a safer alternative to my slicks and unless I find something like the COnti's that will fit, I will probably pick up the GT365's or the cheaper Schwalbe winters and put in the extra work.

52telecaster

schwalb active winter has studs and is 700cx30. i use them. they are heavy but its the only thing i trust in the ice

Viich

I also have a set of Schwalbe CX Pro in 700x30 I used a bit last year during the winter, on a second winter bike. Nowhere near as good as studs on ice, but better in snow. Actually seem to roll better on clear pavement than you'd think.

Schwalbe CX Pro Cyclocross Bike Tyre | Chain Reaction Cycles

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5028-2...x-30-Wire-Tire

Also, look for used tires on whatever the best used bike site is near you (Craig's List, kijiji, Pinkbike, whatever). I picked up my studded tires for $25 very lightly used (most of them never get used heavily), and the CX Pro's came on a Sturmey Archer wheelset I picked up for ~$70.

broken foot

i used the vredestein "all weather" tire in low temperatures and felt safe, not testes on real snow or thick ice. they are hard to find here in europe but the price was reasonable.
lately i switched to cst tires and i like them, i know they have a 4 seasons, looking on the internet looks faster than the winter conti or the vredestein.

Steely Dan

as others have mentioned, i really like having two bikes ready to go for winter bike commuting.

on one bike, my main commuter, i have conti GP 4 seasons for when the streets are dry or just wet (above freezing).

and then i have another bike that wears schwalbe marathon winters (studded) for whenever ice threatens.

i don't trust any non studded tire over ice after a couple of bad spills during my first year of winter bike commuting before i got wise to studded tires, but riding on studded tires when the streets are clear and dry is a literal and figurative drag.

last winter was so freaking mild in chicago that i only rode my studded tire winter bike a grand total of 14 times (a record low for me), so it sure was nice to have the other bike with non-studded slicks to ride for the vast majority of last winter's days when conditions didn't call for studs.

chas58

Agreed. Black ice is a nightmare for morning commutes. Damp pavement or runoff that freezes at night is the worst I’ve gone down hard on sunny 33 degree mornings. I don’t mind sliding at 20mph so much as riding slow and going down hard – that is when it is easy to sprain an ankle (killing my commuting for 4-6 weeks).

@maloosik I use tires that have studs on the sides and not the middle (Nokian W160). If it looks dry and fast I can use higher pressure and not ride on the studs. If the weather is bad, I’ll cut the pressure down so that the studs are on the pavement.

(although my favorite is full studs on an electric bike. ;-)

Bikewolf

Studs on an electric bike (max. 25 km/h) is the same as on a regular bike, true?

chas58

would be in the summer, not in the winter.

Full studs (300/tire) are super slow for me on my bike (the W160 isn't too bad). My ebike speed doesn't change much at all with studs. I custom built my ebikes they are light, stealthy and fast (40km/hr). In the winter on the e-mountain bike I typically do 30km/hr (wind chill becomes a factor when it is too cold, LOL).

although I can pedal at ~30kph on a road bike in the summer, my studded winter beater probably does about 20kph for me in the winter.. So yeah, a moderate ebike is about as fast as a road bike in the summer, and much faster than a bike with 600 studs in the winter.

CrankyOne

Schwalbe Marathon Winters are designed so that if you pump them up hard the studs have less contact than with lessor pressure. It's not as smooth as no studs but isn't at all bad. If I think conditions are likely fairly dry but I'm not sure then I'll pump mine up and enjoy a nice ride. If there's lots of ice or slush I can let a bit of air out for better stud contact.

I've been going with just a front stud on my Opafiets (got lazy one year about changing the rear) and this has worked quite well and this is in Minnesnowta. For OP this could be a less expensive option than buying two wheels and a front wheel can be had fairly inexpensively.

For me, when there're any ice patches, I'd not want to go without studs at least on the front.

Daniel4

I can't really understand the logistics of having two bikes or two sets of wheels for different riding conditions. What if the weather during the evening commute is very different from the morning commute? Or what if the conditions change in the middle of your 19 mile ride? Are you going home to change your bike and then continue? Are you going to stop and change your tires everytime something changes?

Winter tires are much slower than summer tires. My objective is to get to my destination safely, not necessarily quickly. That's why after the first major snowfall of the season there are so many auto collisions all over the city. Those motorists are still trying to get to work quickly - until the bad drivers take themselves (and others) out.

I ride with studded tires on the winter- street and trail.

Steely Dan

after doing this bike commuting thing in chicago for nearly a decade now, i follow the weather almost obsessively.

everyone likes to make fun of weather forecasting, and 30 years ago it often was a "best guess", but with 21st century science and computing power being what it is, day-of forecasts have gotten profoundly accurate, at least here in chicago from my experiences.

7 days out? yeah, that's still mostly a crap shoot, but for what will likely happen later this afternoon? they've gotten pretty damn good. and it's always percentages, so i play the odds. if i wake up on january morning and i know the streets are bone dry, but the forecast says there's a 30% chance of snow/sleet/freezing rain etc. for the afternoon, then i'll ride the studded tire winter bike as a precaution. if the forecast is for things to stay dry all day, then i'll ride my regular commuter.

it's a system that has worked profoundly well for me for many year, and it means that i have to ride on studs much less often than if i only had one commuting bike. YMMV.

gregf83 

Our temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing all winter. If it's not freezing in the morning it won't be freezing in the evening. There aren't very many days in winter when studded tires are required. Last winter was an anomaly for us.

Craptacular8

I generally wait as long as I can before putting the studs on, but a few wipe outs cured me of thinking I could negotiate black ice with any consistency. I went with the Nokian Hakkapelitta A10s. They are 700 x 32, only 72 studs, but enough for occasional ice patches negotiated at a moderate pace. They are still beastly heavy, and can certainly suck some of the fun out of riding, but better than the alternative....I just need to drastically lower my mph expectations, otherwise, I find it somewhat frustrating ride. This one set will probably last me until retirement.

fietsbob

In rain there is no hydroplaning , on a bicycle, because the contact patch is small . so a slick tire has been shown to grip

more road surface than a tread pattern tire.. still bear in mind slick surfaces of steel and painted stripes.

a softer compound tire will wear faster, but grip better.. harder compound, wears longer, and will retain the studs much better.

My Mount and Ground W Suomi Nokian Tires are 20 years old, still have all its studs.





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Riveting

If the temps are < freezing then I roll on Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded. I haven't tried it yet, but I could probably ride across an ice rink on those things. I'm also one of those that have a spare unstudded wheelset for above freezing temps, since those studs do reduce a bit of friction on dry pavement, and I like to have a spare wheelset just in case a wheel needs servicing.