Used my spiked tyres for real this morning

alex_uk
alex_uk Posts: 56
edited January 2014 in Commuting general
I noticed how very slippy the pavement was this morning ... the road was ok, but that gets gritted, and a lot of my commute is on minor roads. I slipped off last Tuesday on the ice with my slick tyres.

So this morning, I spent 30 mins swapping the tyres over and putting my new Schawble spiked tyres on. I used these before only to get them bedded in (or tarmac).

They worked really well ... I past a van that had slid off in to the verge. And also another van which was definitely skidding as it slowed to pass a car.

And I didn't fall off at all! Notably harder work pedalling though!!

Comments

  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    I swapped my wheels over for the ones with studded tyres on this morning too ...
    at first I thought I'd made a mistake because the road was fine, but once I turned off into the lanes I was glad I'd put them on - there was just enough ice to make it a mostly smooth surface - but these tyres didn't slip once...

    Yes though - harder work ... dropped down another mph on the usual average speed ... and at least 3mph down on the road bike average for the same effort ... but at least I got here in one bit :)
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    I fitted my Schwalbe marathon winter tyres to the hybrid before commuting yesterday and used it again today. I found that for most of the commute it was overkill - I work in Oxford and despite the weather report saying it was -2 this morning there is no ice to be seen. I did note, however, that when I left my house to start my journey there were kids practising their sliding techniques on the footpath... What PSI are you running them at? I have them pumped up quite hard at the moment - probably 90 psi - but if it was really icey I might drop that a bit. They do make the ride harder though, don't they? I can really feel it on my legs today but I just keep on imagining the awsome power I will be capable of outputting come the summer! :)
  • alex_uk
    alex_uk Posts: 56
    85 PSI - that's what is stamped on the side of my tyre as a max. I usually run slicks at 135 PSI, so the spikes seem squidgy by comparison.

    I actually managed to get home on my usual pace somehow - 16 miles in an hour. Man On Fire :shock:
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    mine are the 30mm ones with a max psi of 95 according to the tyre wall. It was actually much easier riding home so there might have been a slight headwind that i hadn't noticed (or maybe it was the extra burst of energy that going home gives me). Warmer today so on the other bike with Kenda Karves - noticeably easier but on reflection the Winters were not too bad.
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Jealous, not had an excuse to get mine on yet this winter.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Think mine are around 60-65psi - but they're solid tyres - not much squidge in them anyway ... still blummin hard work.

    I swapped the wheels about for yesterdays commute so rode in on slicks again (it wasn't icy) and today/tomorrow I'm in the car due to other commitments ... gives the legs a rest anyway ;)
  • dombo6
    dombo6 Posts: 582
    Mine are at about 50-60 psi, the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres. Great on ice and hard-packed snow but hard work. I figure it's good training for the summer.
  • mattrixdesign2
    mattrixdesign2 Posts: 644
    I have these on my CX at the moment, in all honesty I don't think its been cold enough here in the NW.

    I do run them with the PSI high, when there is little/no ice - I like riding the CX so even taken it out with these tyres when they are not really needed - anyone noticed the spikes wearing out? I think mine have kind of lost their sharp edges. Thing is I can't really be faffed with changing the tyres/wheels often.

    Thinking of removing them now as winter seems to be non existen, but you can gurantee the day I change the tyres it will turn icy.

    Would you recommend not using them at all, when there is no ice/snow - I don't my the drag as I am not racing, but don't want to wear the spikes away.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    There is no doubt that the tyres wear down with use - so if these tyres are expensive then it's worth not using them when you don't need to. But if they're the same cost as other tyres you may use instead then it's financially not worth the change.

    I just have 2 wheelsets - although I could do with a 3rd - one with the spikes on and the other (better set) with slicks.
    I'd like to have a 3rd wheelset with CX tyres on atm so I can choose quickly between the 3. It doesn't take a minute to swap the wheels over (actually, I guess all in all it's around 2 mins as I need to reset the brakes as well) but 2 sets suffices for the summer.
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    At the moment i have two bikes - a hybrid with the Winters on and a Norco steel road bike with kenda karves. I tend to look out the window to see if the car windows are icey and then make a decision about which one to ride. I have only ridden the hybrid on two occasions since I fitted the tyres (other than a ride to bed in the studs and try them out) but I have seen no sign of wear (nor would i expect to though!). I read a review that said the wearing and rounding off of the studs did not have a large impact on the performance of the tyres so i am not too worried about this anyway...
  • mattrixdesign2
    mattrixdesign2 Posts: 644
    That was my thought. Certainly the rubber is not wearing much, but the studs have lost their sharpness, I may put some air in.

    I may set up an older set of wheels with the spiked tyres on, but I find swapping wheels more hassle due to the changes of the indexing/brake pads.

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