Spiked tyres for commuting

itboffin

I was just about to order a set of Schwalbe marathon winter stud tyres when I noticed the MASSHOOF sizes 622-42, 42mm for goodness sake who has that much clearance?



As I happens my cross bike has that much clearance at the rear but i'm not sure how to measure the clearance of the fork, anyone know how?

If I have to I'll buy the MTB version but really would rather use the CX, even the conti Nordic Spikes only come in 622-42

vorsprung

Please do order some winter tyres.

Because by the time they arrive the poor weather will magically stop

You will be able to use them next year of course

itboffin

vorsprung wrote:

Please do order some winter tyres.

Because by the time they arrive the poor weather will magically stop

You will be able to use them next year of course

How quickly you seem to have forgotten Jan/Feb this year, I did zero miles in Jan thanks to snow and ice.

tomb353

I have those in 35-622, god them within a few days of ordering : http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=7245;pid=105;group=72;menuid1=2;menuid2=103

They are a bit heavy but am used to them now and loving the grip in the last few days.[/url]

cjcp

itboffin wrote:

As I happens my cross bike has that much clearance at the rear but i'm not sure how to measure the clearance of the fork, anyone know how?

Take the measurement on your existing tyres and see how you get to that figure?

Sheldon?

Wallace1492

Global warming will soon make these redundant. You will need one of these instead:

itboffin

tomb353 wrote:

I have those in 35-622, god them within a few days of ordering : http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=7245;pid=105;group=72;menuid1=2;menuid2=103

They are a bit heavy but am used to them now and loving the grip in the last few days.[/url]

Shame they don't have the 35mm in stock now.

@cjcp I tried that, i'm running 23c at the mo, rear clearance is huge both width and height, but the forks seem not so wide in fact they look to be about 40mm wide.

squired

I bought some Schwalbe Snow Stud tyres, which have fewer studs. My commute takes me along a lot of country lanes that can get ultra icy. I've just been for a test cycle across as much ice as I could find and had a very stable ride. I did lower the pressure to a minimum on the tyres and also switched to normal shoes rather than my usual spds.

I hope I won't need to use the above set-up too often as in normal conditions I use my road bike. However, having decent equipment for the conditions is better than falling off and hurting myself.

fnegroni

I would definitely buy some studded tyres if only they were not that expensive. I fthey were say £40 a pair, then they would work out cheaper than the sum of the train tickets...

always_tyred

itboffin wrote:

How quickly you seem to have forgotten Jan/Feb this year, I did zero miles in Jan thanks to snow and ice.

Bloody global warming again.

Aidy

ITB. I'm blaming you for the current weather.

skins2

I tested out my 700c-35 Marathon Winter tyres properly today. Six miles of ungritted country roads which were completely sheet ice and I felt the rear tyre squirm only once before gripping almost immediately. I was riding at about 90% and it was great fun, especially overtaking the only two cars I saw at about 10mph. I even felt confident with SPD's on. They also work very well on warmer days.

Highly recommended but a shame they're out of stock ( )

Edit: Just to add that I forgot to let any air out of the tyres for better grip so my commute this morning was at full pressure!

squired

My Schwalbe snow stud tyres did the job of keeping me upright today on icy country lanes, but they didn't give as solid a ride as has been described for the Marathon Winter tyres. Quite a few times the wheel slipped a few centimetres, even though I wasn't going particularly hard. These tyres don't have anywhere near as many studs as tyres like the marathons, but that has the benefit of making them better for riding in normal road conditions.

mugs

I've ordered a set of 35c Winter Marathons via my LBS. They had to ring around a little but managed to secure two in the size I wanted, should be getting them tomorrow all being well. Might be worth ringing a few Schwalbe dealers if you can spare a few minutes? the bloke in my LBS hadn't heard of them, but I showed him them on the web and sure enough within half an hour he called me to say they could get them. Not cheap though - £80 the pair! I hope they'll last me a good few winters at that price.

lae

I made my own with a secondhand pair of Schwalbe Twinrails that I had lying around. Made a load of holes with a bradawl, then popped the smallest rivets I could find into the holes, then lined the tyre with electrical tape. They're noticeably better than average MTB tyres but probably not as good as 'proper' studded tyres.

The main problem I had was losing studs.

I think I may make some more. This time I'll find tyres with really large, widely spaced knobs (hoho) with smooth radiuses from the tyre to the knob (sheds snow better, apparently). Then I'll use small woodscrews through the knobs (the knob should support the screw) and line it with an old tube.

ocaaaaa

Hmm any spiked tyres available to fit road bikes?

I have a cannondale synapse bike - wouldn't mind ordering a pair to try out!

dilemna

It's going to be pretty mild from saturday 6C by all accounts so all the snow and ice will have disappeared save for north of the border in the Cairngorms in Scotland or high on the Fells.

itboffin

The only studded tyres I could find in 700c were either 35 or 42 in width which might fit on the rear but doubtful if they'll clear the forks, unless of course you're planning on using a hybrid, tourer, cyclocross or specialist build like a surly.

Most normal road bikes just won't have the clearance, I think there's a gap in the market here.

tomb353

only problem I've had with my schwalbes is that they do shed studs, however the UK distributer sent me a pack of spares when i emailed him and easy enough to fit with a pair of pliers. This morning I discovered that one stud had pieced the inside of the tyre causing a slow puncture to the innertube, will have to glue a patch on at the weekend and ditch that stud. On balance still well worth having and fingers crossed will avoid too many broken bones this winter.