Anybody on Ice Tyres Yet?

pangolin

Hmmm. £60 for a pair from Spa. Might go for it.

890grams per tyre though!! 4x the weight of my normal ones

meanredspider

pangolin wrote:

890grams per tyre though!! 4x the weight of my normal ones

...and the studs are glued on with spit from what I can tell. I don't really understand how Ice Spiker Pros can be so much better and so much lighter. I was really really disappointed with Marathon W***ers

spasypaddy

i was impressed with my marathon winters...

meanredspider

spasypaddy wrote:

i was impressed with my marathon winters...

I gave them the benefit of the doubt and even became a dab hand at replacing studs until I fell off on ice and broke the rear hanger on my Boardman CX (finding Lord Lucan would have been easier than finding a Boardman CX rear hanger). I was forced back onto my MTB with the Spiker Pros and was just bowled over by being reminded how much more sure-footed it was on any ice (never yet had a "moment") - then weighed both bikes and found that the MTB was lighter...

spasypaddy

ok, but also how wide are your spiker pros?

and remember we are in London not the middle of nowhere... i can stick completely to the road if i want to but when im on the CX i tend to go via some trails for some fun

spasypaddy

and it turns out im using Snow Studs not marathon winters haha

actually im not sure which im using...

meanredspider

spasypaddy wrote:

ok, but also how wide are your spiker pros?

and remember we are in London not the middle of nowhere... i can stick completely to the road if i want to but when im on the CX i tend to go via some trails for some fun

2.1" I can stick completely to the road (and mostly do) - I'd just rather not fall off when I turn corners. I guess you probably don't see anything like as much ice as I do (up to 20 metres of the stuff completely across the road) and so maybe it's a trade-off. I just can't get over how heavy the Marathon Winters are - completely neutered the bike making it as slow as the MTB much of the time.

pangolin

Okay I've been talked out of buying the Marathon Winters Paying to add 1.5kg to the bike just feels too wrong.

bompington

Got to say that the Schwalbe snow studs have felt unbelievably sure-footed on both snow and sheet ice - all the grip I feel like I need.

But I do fancy getting studs on my road bike for winter, if the tyres will fit - am I right in thinking that 35mm is the smallest you can get them?

spasypaddy

meanredspider wrote:

2.1" I can stick completely to the road (and mostly do) - I'd just rather not fall off when I turn corners. I guess you probably don't see anything like as much ice as I do (up to 20 metres of the stuff completely across the road) and so maybe it's a trade-off. I just can't get over how heavy the Marathon Winters are - completely neutered the bike making it as slow as the MTB much of the time.

what i meant was you probably see more snow/ice than we will ever see in a lifetime down here. and if i lived somewhere like that, id also have a hard tail MTB for the winter commute

phy2sll2

Anyone have a view on these?



Kenda Klondike Skinnys. They're in bike-discount.de for £21 each.

Initialised

Wheel turned up. There's me all ready to fit the Snow Stud, no bloody rim tapes left. Never mind that bloke fr Start who I helped out with a puncture says call in if I need anything, might be paying visit soon.

meanredspider

Holey cats, I was tired last night. A combination of almost two weeks off the bike, jet lag, too much American food and 105 miles in 5 days, 60 of them on the MTB with Ice Spikers, and winter long bibs (which I hate) and I had absolutely nothing to give. Road bike & shorts this morning and it was sooooooo much nicer & easier despite the headwind and rain.

Initialised

Wheel fitted with Gatorskins = 1.43kg
Wheel fitted with Snow Stud = 2.1kg.

Initialised

phy2sll2 wrote:

Anyone have a view on these?



Kenda Klondike Skinnys. They're in bike-discount.de for £21 each.

Look ok, and will probably shed less studs than Marathon Winters due to deeper lugs and should fit on bikes that can't take 700c Snow Studs or Ice Spikes.

itboffin

Forecast for next week is 20c down south - doh!

pangolin

It's a trap. The last warmth before the COLD.

http://www.britishweatherservices.co.uk/winter-201213-still-on-track-to-be-colder-than-average-with-snow-at-times/

meanredspider

Well, there's nothing like winter tyres to make you appreciate road tyres. Still, I managed 150 miles this week with 60 on Ice Spikers (which feels like twice that distance - would love to measure the difference in power required)

In fact, I've jumped around the bikes a bit this week:

First 40 miles on the Cayo which really made me appreciate the Volagi's discs (especially in the wet :shock: :shock: )
60 miles on the MTB/Spikers which made me appreciate road tyres and Di2 (big ring shifting with your thumb is so unnatural)
50 on the V: Bliss 8) 8) 8)

davis

pangolin wrote:

It's a trap. The last warmth before the COLD.

http://www.britishweatherservices.co.uk/winter-201213-still-on-track-to-be-colder-than-average-with-snow-at-times/

With the typos and grammatical errors, that looks like a very trustworthy source...

bobbygloss

Winter has arrived...this was yesterday.

SimonAH

Just wanted to point out that I am still in shorts and short sleeved tops.

Wore one of the Aldi merino sweaters that I picked up the other day. Had to stop and pack it in the courier bag after ten minutes as was starting to overheat badly.

Move south :-D

meanredspider

Bobbygloss wrote:

Winter has arrived...this was yesterday.

Would you mind keeping that your side of the North Sea, please. It was cold this morning but nice and dry

meanredspider

You obviously weren't listening :roll: - it snowed here earlier :shock: . Fortunately, as I'm on the V, it didn't settle.... :shock: 8)

davis

meanredspider wrote:

You obviously weren't listening :roll: - it snowed here earlier :shock: . Fortunately, as I'm on the V, it didn't settle.... :shock: 8)

Your Volagi has snow-averting powers?

Initialised

A very brief snow shower just passed.

meanredspider

davis wrote:

Your Volagi has snow-averting powers?

Yup - it's from sunny California 8)

Bordersroadie

I've just given my ice bike its pre-winter service. The Marathon Winters are in their second year. Last winter was mostly mild. This week's commutes were all just above freezing so the regular winter bike was used, but I'm looking forward to some icy rides soon!

The Marathon Winters are heavy, but having had a visit to A&E after an off just over a year ago, I can just about put up with two kilos of tyres if it saves another x-ray and months of nursing a shoulder injury. Mine are on a fairly light MTB with rigid carbon fork so the all-up weight isn't that great. The rolling resistance is acceptable if you keep the psi on the higher side of the scale.

Bordersroadie

meanredspider wrote:

Right - just for ITB (the rest of you look away... )

That looks familiar - rural Scottish commutes are surely impossible to beat. looks a bit built-up for me though, I think I pass about ten houses in the twelve miles of riding to work, door to door. Sorry, do I sound like I'm gloating?

rolf_f

I'm currently MTB less due to a warranty issue and a problem with a replacement frame so I am praying for the weather to stay mild - otherwise it's ice or snow biking on the Dawes. Suppose I could get some cyclocross tyres for it.......

Agent57

Ice tyres? Where we're going, we don't ned ice tyres.

As long as it's the Netherlands.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... heatin.php

"Tests are about to start with heated cycle lanes in two parts of the Netherlands in an effort to reduce winter accidents, the Telegraaf reports on Tuesday."