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Old 11-22-21, 12:15 PM
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daverup 
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Location: Michigan USA
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Here is a bit more info on the Pirelli winter tire.
This morning the temperature here was about 25F and we have a little new snow. Before the road melted I took out a couple of bikes to make a comparison.
Here are a couple of pics that give a little idea of the surface condition. The first pic is my concrete driveway with packed and loose snow, the second pic is out on the street. The street was packed down into mostly ice by traffic.




The first bike was my Diamondback Axis converted to city bike on Panaracer Tour tires 26x1.5.



The Panaracers have hardened in the cold, I can feel very little give when I press the tread with a fingernail. The loose snow was no real problem, but when I entered the icy part of the street pavement it was not surefooted. The steering was loose and attempts to slow quickly lost traction and slid.

The second bike was my wife's Liv Roav with the Pirelli winter tires 700cx42.



Loose snow again, no big deal. The icy part of the road was not as scary and braking did work better than before. Still get a locked wheel faster than on pavement, but braking does seem to slow the bike under control. The Pirelli winter tire compound stays softer in the cold when i tested the tread with a fingernail.
Although the Pirelli is better in the cold, it's not going to be good for much serious winter riding for us. My wife will be happy riding them on days where there are only small patches of snow and ice.
After I finished with this test I hopped on my Fatbike with studded tires and went for a longer ride. You really can't beat studs for ice.
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