flech

I am currently running 700x35c touring tires from Panaracer. And I am worried about the road condition. With cloths, you can spend x amount of money and you will be ok but road condition what can i do about that?. I am looking at Continental Contact 2 Winter Tire without studs and Schwalbe Winter Studded tire 700x35 or 700x40. With those two tires and new fender for 700x45. That might cost me another $160. But if I had to take taxi couple times on those days it will pay itself off. My commute is 7 miles one way. And its mostly on asphalted sidewalk. Its not sidewalk but very wide and decent. It has about half a mile or 30 degree descent in the end.

Whats your experience was like on winter condition? Anyone from PNW or Seattle or general winter know-hows?

Thank you.

physdl

As I mentioned in the other thread, I would not bike in Seattle in the snow. It happens a few times a year and it basically shuts the city down. That's the time to work from home if you can or take a bus if not. The biggest worry is black ice and again, it's rare enough that I wouldn't worry about it unless you bike across bridges a lot. Typically when it's cold it's also dry so that helps.

flech

I am currently running 700x35c touring tires from Panaracer. And I am worried about the road condition. With cloths, you can spend x amount of money and you will be ok but road condition what can i do about that?. I am looking at Continental Contact 2 Winter Tire without studs and Schwalbe Winter Studded tire 700x35 or 700x40. With those two tires and new fender for 700x45. That might cost me another $160. But if I had to take taxi couple times on those days it will pay itself off. My commute is 7 miles one way. And its mostly on asphalted sidewalk. Its not sidewalk but very wide and decent. It has about half a mile or 30 degree descent in the end.

Whats your experience was like on winter condition? Anyone from PNW or Seattle or general winter know-hows?

Thank you.

flech

thanks

fietsbob

On the Columbia river @ the coast.. Ice is an occasion not a season..
I have an old MTB left with studded tires on it , it did not see use last year
got down to 27 , but clear..
Portland gets snow , being further inland , the cold air mass is behind the Cascades
except when the winds from the east blow through the gorge..

fietsbob

spare bike MTB sits for a year , or more, it has studs..
when it's icy your risk is the sliding cars..

Im not in the big cities..

CliffordK

I've commuted in Portland on the snow and ice when I was younger. It isn't something I'd repeat. Actually, I had about a 4 mile commute or so, and walked/jogged a couple of times, especially when we had a thick freezing rain.

Anyway, I agree with @physdl. If it is a relatively rare occurrence, then I'd encourage you to look for alternatives such as staying home, or other transportation modes.

JonathanGennick 

I have that tire. If black ice is the risk, then you want studs. Especially if hills are involved.

PaulH

In the four years I was in graduate school in Seattle, abd cycling to school every day. I can remember only one significant snowstorm and no ice storms. Neither posed any traction problems. for either bike or car. That was in the 1970s. I can't imagine several snows per year that shut the city down. If that's the way it is these days, maybe get studs for those days when it is too slick to drive a car, but only if you absolutely have to go to work each day (doctor, cop, firefighter). Otherwise, no need.

79pmooney

The real question is - do you have to ride when the (weather) sh** hits the fan? Do you have to be out there when the NW drivers are driving with all the skill of a sloth on a frozen pond. Especially on the days where there is snow or built up frozen snow on the roads, limiting the shoulder/side available to you. A job you have no choice but to ride to? Or do you have alternative options on those days? The roads/routes you have to ride are also a big factor. Where you live in Seattle also matters.

I lived in Seattle 12 years (Ballard) and commuted variously to just across the canal, the ferry to Bainbridge, Todd Shipyard in South Seattle and a few miles south down the Duawamish river. Road 2-3 times a week for all of these , year 'round. Never used studs. Rode a fix gear with cyclocross tires in the winter. Now, fix gears are a real help in iffy traction situations and I had a half dozen Boston and Ann Arbor winters from my car-less days to bank on. I now live in Portland. Here we get more icy days, probably 10/year where just walking to the end of the drive is a challenge. I won't rode those days unless it is Sunday or a holiday and then just to get to the MUP trails. (Drivers.)

I like those Continental ice tires a lot. I only ride them when it is certified icy and for my riding will pass on studs altogether. Yes, black ice/pond ice is still slippery, but those are probably the best steel free ice tires ever made (for just about anything). With a modicum of caution and some road room from drivers they do just fine. It's that last piece that you have to look at. Part of the big picture is that studs are inferior to any decent road tire whenever there isn't ice which in Seattle is the vast majority of the time.

Ben

cb400bill

Duplicate threads merged.

medic75

The need for studs is dependent on the surfaces you ride on. If you are likely to encounter ice or hard packed snow, studs will help. Studs do nothing for other winter conditions. For me, the chance of encountering packed snow, ice, or packed slush that has been turned to ice by cars is high and almost unpredictable. I really like the Nokian W106 for its snow traction along with the studs. Just yesterday I placed a Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus on the rear, so I cannot speak for its snow capabilities. It definitely has an appearance of a tire that will concur ice.

Aubergine 

HardyWeinberg

I use 35mm marathon winters (studded) in Olympia for black ice season. Some years that starts in November, this year I have made it this far so don't expect to put them on until January. They always come off by March.

Should we get any snow days, my kids are now old enough to stay home alone so I won't have to stay with them so will ride in. I can choose an almost all trail route to work, if I had to share the road for most of the commute w/ local drivers in snow I would choose not to do that.

suncruiser

I rode from Lynnwood to the U-district daily for a year, and honestly had no issues with winter riding there. Was on a set of conti contact II tires and they held well enough I was confident through the winter. I 'don't think studs would really be needed in Seattle unless you're heading up by Everett

jeffpoulin

I bike commuted in Portland for 15 years and never felt the need for studded tires. Portland gets a "week of winter" with actual snow and ice on the ground. During those brief periods, I'd drive, take the bus, work from home, or even walk. Outside of that, I felt winters were mild enough to ride with normal tires. I imagine Seattle is similar.