Commute in the snow?

briggs28

Whats safer do you think. Driving a car in the snow or riding a bike? I have a 6 mile journey in the morning. Think it could be easier to ride, to dodge traffic. I only have a little bit on road too!

Not sure bout riding up hills in snow and ice though!

spongtastic

bike.

I'm up at 5.30 tomorrow morning, and if there's snow I plan to be the first to make tracks in it. But then I am a 35 year old child!

briggs28

yeah, will be a laugh too! only prob if its still snowing, you get wet and fast!

spongtastic

who gives a monkeys about getting wet? The knowledge that you're the first to ride through the white stuff is adequate compensation for getting a bit damp.

If there's snow here expect photos by 7am.

loltoride

i will still be commuting but certainly not to be the first to get wet, just to get into the office safely.

loltoride

Looks like I am driving today weather far to bad to ride unfortunately, Friday is generally my best day to ride as well.

Kiblams

Todays commute was a hoot (not sure I have ever said "hoot" before :shock: ) and also a bloody nightmare, I was working on the bike last night and cut my finger quite badly so only had a front brake too! :?

All of the bike routes that weren't road had compacted snow (ice) and everytime I used the front brake (which I never do while cornering) I was locking the front wheel :shock:

All good fun

dav1

I saw it this morning, filled up my camelback and took a detour theough the woods. Epic fun

Eranu

Just got back from a ride, couldn't resist some snow action. Some of the climbs were a bit of a mare and spd's filling up with snow/ice is a pain but it was worth it for the downs

Here's some pics:

El Capitano

Awesome Pics. Unfortunatley, no snow yet here in south Wales, just beautiful blue skies and sunshine.

ChrisMidsUK

There are options with tyre choice, but it's going to cost you.

I bought some Schwalbe Ice Spikers a while back after reading all the pros and cons on various reviews.

Cheapest I could find were here http://www.rutlandcycling.com/6384/Schw ... gn=pid6384 at £40.99 EACH

And some reviews
http://www.mtbr.com/cat/tires-and-wheel ... 51crx.aspx
http://thereandbackgalleria.wordpress.c ... piker-pro/


Up until now, I've worried that I may have wasted just over 80 quid if these tyres turn out to be ineffective for the money paid. There are those that will also say we don't get enough snow and ice in the UK to justify these prices but as several reviewers pointed out, these same tyres are lasting year after year due to this reason.

I currently don't own a car, I either cycle a few miles to work or I'm walking. Each situation for each person is different and people with cars may decide it isn't worth the bother, but for me, it's totally worth it.

I tested them out last night on light powdery snowy roads and later on when it had frozen hard on the roads and become quite icy.

I've got the standard version of the tyres, there is a more expensive 'pro' which I think are folding and certainly lighter then mine, the rolling resistance was noticeable, bit of a harder push up hills than my panaracer trailrakers on my MTB, and certainly more so than my Schwalbe Big Apple tyres on my commuter.

I started the ride and immediately felt instantly safe, these babies really were gripping like cats claws in carpets, I just rode around grinning my head off while cars and motorbikes coming onto the estate crawled along painfully.

This was bizarre, they actually felt more grippy then my big apple tyres in summer, I could swear it. Stopping distance hardly seemed affected.

I decided to really put them to the test and mash down hard quite delibeately on icy parts of the road, both up & downhill, the half expected wheel spins never came, I just accelerated at high velocity, grinning all the way.

No word of a lie, people walking around were all staring, probably wondering how the hell I could rip about in this snow and ice, like it was summer. 8) One thing to note though, these tyres make a hell of a clatter on tarmac, the steel studs produce a sound that reminds me of rice krispies the very moment you pour milk on. Maybe that's why they were all turning round to look.

It's still early days, but I'm well pleased so far.

Northwind

Do they rip up/wear fast on tarmac?

The Rookie

No snow, no chance for fun...still glad others had some!

Simon

ChrisMidsUK

Northwind wrote:

Do they rip up/wear fast on tarmac?

The type of rubber used seems pretty hard wearing. I've read that you need to do at least 25 miles on tarmac just to wear them in before going on ice.

So I'd guess they don't wear fast?

Northwind

Hmm. I might look at getting a set then, cheers!

bike-a-swan

that looks a lot like Queen Elizabeth to me. I miss riding there, but not sure I'd want to be doing some of those rootier downhill sections in the snow though!

ChrisMidsUK

Northwind wrote:

Hmm. I might look at getting a set then, cheers!

One important point I'd like to make before anyone splashes the cash.

I don't want anyone dissapointed after I've bigged these up a little. :oops:

As a road tyre for commuting, I can tell already these will do the job very well on light snow and black ice, but as yet, I've not tested trail conditions on my MTB.

If you look at the tread pattern......




..then you will all probably come to the same conclusion as me, these are not exactly the best looking MTB tread design you've ever seen.

Hypothetically speaking, if you removed all those studs and were left with just the tread, I reckon they would be sh1te to put it bluntly.

The nobbles at the sides don't look that effective at biting into the mud while cornering and I can't see this tread being effective in wet sloppy trail mud, unless those spikes are doing the job for you, so without the spikes doing their thing, these tyres could possibly be next to useless.

But I could be wrong.

It's best to buy these with winter commuting in mind IMHO, trail riding as a secondry thought because normal tyres like MUD X's might fair better. Then again if the trails are covered in mainly ice and snow they may be excellent.

It's so hard to tell without trying it, perhaps best to buy 1 only to try on the front first?

This is an interesting review of winter tyres b.t.w for anyone wanting to look. The Ice spikers came 4th in their opinons, narrowly missing out on 3rd due to price. But 4th ain't bad.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2340.html

Northwind

Yeah, definately just thinking for commuting, I could stick 'em on bike #2 for the duration.

Eranu

that looks a lot like Queen Elizabeth to me. I miss riding there, but not sure I'd want to be doing some of those rootier downhill sections in the snow though!

It was qep, it was a case of let go and hope for the best You will probably notice I didn't take any pics on those sections!

bike-a-swan

i was there for the demo day last winter and i've never seen it so slippy- just disappearing into the bogs at the bottom of the berms by the end of the day. as you say, let go and hope for the best, although that was always more or a problem on the bit with the sharp left halfway down the hill...

Eranu

You mean the bit just before the switch backs? If so I know what you mean, rooty, chalky, with a loose surface I went about 2 mph down it today probably adding to the already excessive errosion :?

QEP has a lot of potential it's just a shame the FC are only interested in Wales

bike-a-swan

yeah, that bit! I can only ride it either: fast enough to skim the tops, in which case I'm not good enough to wrestle round the corner and end up teetering on the edge of the turn, or crawl down slowly. it does have a lot of potential, the biggest thing that gets me is it seems to be working along for a nice bit of singletrack and then decides to go downhill, at which point it hurtles straight down for a second, then weaves back up again. almost be better backwards! I like that new(ish - now) bit at the beginning though

oliverb

I have just fitted spiked tyres this year. I have fitted them to a spare set of wheels and will only use them for snow and ice. So far they have worked very well and grip well even on hard snow.

They are designed to work on ice as well see this YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5VYDZAR6iM

colintrav

Eranu wrote:

Just got back from a ride, couldn't resist some snow action. Some of the climbs were a bit of a mare and spd's filling up with snow/ice is a pain but it was worth it for the downs

Here's some pics:

That first pic reminds me of Bastogne

ChrisMidsUK

oliverb wrote:

I have just fitted spiked tyres this year. I have fitted them to a spare set of wheels and will only use them for snow and ice. So far they have worked very well and grip well even on hard snow.

They are designed to work on ice as well see this YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5VYDZAR6iM

Nice video, like the way you demonstrated how slippy it was underfoot first.


There's quite a few vids regarding spiked tyres it would seem, I like this one the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-75WJ8YAtI

oliverb

Must point out it's not me in the video nor is it my video (wish I was that young).

I like the one on the lake as well. That was one of the vids that made me buy the tyres in the first place. Looks like I will get the chance to try it on ice going to work on Monday.