rumrunn6

sitting at home grumbling, is always an epic fail. been there, done that

JonathanGennick 

Today's temps ranged from 33 to 28 Fahrenheit. Conditions were (are!) perfect for wet ice, and I was able take the StarGrips out to see how they perform in those conditions.

As you might expect, the tires are over matched by wet ice. Any deviation from flat ground, and the bike washes out from under you. Don't brake. Don't lean. There is just no grip to be had on pure ice when the temps are at the freezing point.

old ice, the white packed stuff you find on roadways, that the tires can handle. I'm also comfortable on some of the crusted over ice that I found this evening -- the crust on top offered enough friction to the tires. And on packed snow like we have in colder weather, the flat tread profile helps with stability and flotation.

For wet ice though, use studs.

Chr0m0ly 

Found this thread while looking for reviews on the star tread tires. Any updates or other experiences after a year?

I commute in Chicago and I just don't think there are enough days where the conditions warrant studs, but these might be pretty good.

Any comparable alternatives? Something with grit in the tire compound seems awesome...

JMONAY

I ended up buying the Star Grips after my one comment in this thread since they were on sale - didn't use them until a few months ago but I ended getting so many little pebbles stuck in the treads (rode only on dry pavement, no dirt or anything). I was worried that one of the pebbles would work its way into the tire, and it finally happened after a few weeks. Bummer because the tires were so good on snow as OP described a year ago. I hate to say it but that was a dealbreaker for me. Trying to get rid of the tires now. I'd like to try the Top Contact Winter though, or if not, maybe the WTB Riddler 37c which I have on a non-winter bike.

rumrunn6

they're no good on ice but I was surprised how well they worked on flat hard crusty snow

these are my 45s













but I do not consider them winter tires for my area so they are off the bike!

Chr0m0ly 

2_i 

Gathering pebbles is how these are supposed to work. The pebbles are a substitute for studs.

JonathanGennick 

Did you actually flat from one of the rocks?

I did buy a set of the Top Contact Winter this season. Nice tires. I like their more rounded profile when mainly on pavement. Both tires are nice though.

JMONAY

Yup, I did. And I figured as much would be true about the Top Contact Winter. They seem like they're longer-wearing as well, based on what my Riddlers look like after one season of not-too-crazy commuting and shredding.

fietsbob

Years ago a (forgotten) company showed off a bike tire that got stiffer studs, of some plastic, only when cold.. when warm they were not stiff ..

coore

Hello to all who own this tire I have question for you. I need all year around tire so I bought Schwalbe marathon 365 and they are great, however on my new bike there is no room for schwalbe 700x35C, they are just too high.
Can you help me and measure real tire height and width of Michelins even if you have 40c version? They seem to be on same category as Schwalbe. I know winter contacts are smaller but they are double the price.

There are not many information about this tires on web, please help me

2_i 

As winter fizzles out, winter tires go on sale. If you wait a month or so, you may be able to afford the higher priced tires. However the risk is that offerings may get more spotty than now.

JonathanGennick 

I have the 700c x 40 mm version. Mine measure out at 715 mm diameter and 40 mm width.

Be aware that the StarGrip tire has a squared profile that doesn't fit well against rounded fenders if you are super tight on clearance.

coore

Thank you Jonathan for going out there and measuring it. i know there may be sale on continentals, but there can also be sale on Michelins...

prairiepedaler

I ride 26"ers for the winter. In the past I would use a Schwalbe Winter tire (not recommended for the rear - I've reviewed this tire on another thread), the Continental Spike Claw in full and half studded configuration front & rear and last year rode with Nokians in full and half studded configuration. I would like to try the Michelin Star Grips in a 26". Rumour has it they made or make them, not an easy find here in Canada though. The Top Contact is an option in 26", but for beaucoup bucks. The Nokian Rollspeed looks like another option too, if findable here.

As winter riders know, studs are SLOW. Studs are your own personal speedbumps. They provide much surer grip on ice but even then I've still wiped out a few times, this is while being a careful rider. I'm always looking for a good 26" non-studded winter tire that rolls well and can be used in 80% of the road conditions most encountered up here.

2_i 

I would swallow the price of Top Contact Winter and do it now. If you wait till it gets too close to winter, there will be shortages and prices will go up. in the US, at least, they are reasonably priced now. All winter tires are expensive, even in Europe where the market for those is significantly bigger. You tend to get low prices only in spring, but you must be in luck to get the model and size combination you want. Yes, I got Schwalbe Marathon Winter for Brompton at 21 euro apiece .

prairiepedaler

Hi 2i, if I really really needed those Contis I may consider going to the bank for a loan to get them. As it stands, I have the studded contis and the nokians. I can always run the half studded tires front and back in mix n' match mode (nokian rear / conti front). That provides less rolling resistance. It is a lonnnnng fracking winter up here. It is such a nice change to switch from studs to a normal tire in the springtime. If it above freezing and the weather is sloppy joe slush mode, I have some old knobbys with an alpha bite pattern to them that do ok.

Have a looksee at this review for the Schwalbe K-Guard (not the Marathon).

Another option for in-between winter conditions riding is the Marathon 365 model. I hear it isn't too bad for winter duty (thus 365). If it can do it on the roads here it can anywhere.

2_i 

Once I started riding on Conti Winter, I strongly reduced the use of studded tires. In fact I managed to ride through some winters without putting studs at all. However, it all depends on local conditions and maybe skills. There had been some periods around our area, when I felt that I needed all the help I could get and rode studs exclusively. On the other hand, I visited northern Finland one midwinter and went around bike racks to see what people were riding. Only about 10% of bikes had studs and the rest just had tires with pronounced tread and, yes, it was snow and ice everywhere and everybody and their sibling were riding.

If you rode them, you could report and they come in 20" size that would fit some of our folders .

prairiepedaler

Hello 2i, if I obtain a set of Contis economically I will certainly put them them to the test. There is some feedback on the Schwalbe 365 here;

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...ew-update.html

He says they are very good... except ... on ice.

I think a thread which explores off-use tires (non-winter specific or rated) which others have had great success with in the ice and snow.

2_i 

Thanks for the link. However, the reviewer does not provide any details on the poor ice performance. Incidentally, Conti Winter do not perform well on ice either. However, when they progress towards slipping that progress is slower than with typical fair weather tires and that usually gives you enough time to recover. I.e., 365 might be bad, but still good enough. Without an opinion of someone who went many times across the boundary between icy and fair conditions on different tires, and accepts that there must some compromise, it is hard to tell.what to expect.

prairiepedaler

If I could bag a set of 365 economically I'd go for it and see how they work out, Not an inexpensive tire either, but a little less as compared to the Conti Contact. I'd pay the extra if it came down to it. No sense in employing a make-do tool for a job. I just started another thread on Pirellis studless winter offering here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cy...-pirellis.html

They don't offer them in 26" so I won't be trying those out.

prairiepedaler

Nabbed a set of GT 365. Will offer a performance report given a few months of multi-condition riding.