winter tyres studless

[trevor brooker]

Question - any practical experience of using Continental - Top Contact - Winter tyres

I am thinking of purchasing as I am tarmac only and its mainly frost pockets that cause problems

I have Schwalbe MARATHON WINTER studded tyres for snow/ice but they are not comfortable on cleared tarmac

Question - does the width make a PRACTICAl difference I know it does in theory but there is a large price difference

700 x 35 £40 700 x 37 £47 700 x 42 £63

all prices off ebay just as an example

 

[Fordulike]

I haven't any experience of the tyre you mention, but I would say, what is the price of your physical safety!

In general, a thinner tyre should work better on frosty patches, as the concentrated contact area should push through the frosty surface to contact the road better. It certainly works better having a thinner tyre in snow, but that's just my experience, and opinion, with bike and car tyres.

Bear in mind that no tyre, unless studded, will save you from black ice, but some are made with grippier compounds, for better grip when the temperature drops.

I personally swapped from Marathon Plus to Marathon GT 365 last year, and the difference in grip in colder weather is certainly noticeable. The GT 365's are more confident in wet weather too. They are also cheaper than the Continentals, but I have no idea how the two compare, grip wise, on different surfaces or weather conditions.

 

[Fordulike]

Apologies for rattling on, but your thread got me looking into winter tyres again. Whether these are new, or I just overlooked them last year, they appear to be a good choice for our unpredictable winter months.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s142p1942/SCHWALBE-Marathon-Winter-Winter-Plus-HS396

The description states:

'You have full control on icy roads with this tyre. Even in tight bends and under violent braking everything remains under control. The spikes work best on ice when running at minimum pressure, whilst at maximum pressure the tyres can be ridden on ice-free roads with minimal road noise'

The part that is interesting, is that they can be inflated to ride on roads where there are zero icy patches, but can easily be deflated partially, to cope with a change in the surface condition. Obviously, you would decide on which inflation level before you set off.

Might be worth a look at. The link was the first one I clicked, so may be available cheaper elsewhere.

 

[gsm.terra]

Apologies for rattling on, but your thread got me looking into winter tyres again. Whether these are new, or I just overlooked them last year, they appear to be a good choice for our unpredictable winter months.

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s142p1942/SCHWALBE-Marathon-Winter-Winter-Plus-HS396

The description states:

'You have full control on icy roads with this tyre. Even in tight bends and under violent braking everything remains under control. The spikes work best on ice when running at minimum pressure, whilst at maximum pressure the tyres can be ridden on ice-free roads with minimal road noise'

The part that is interesting, is that they can be inflated to ride on roads where there are zero icy patches, but can easily be deflated partially, to cope with a change in the surface condition. Obviously, you would decide on which inflation level before you set off.

Might be worth a look at. The link was the first one I clicked, so may be available cheaper elsewhere.

a wee bit cheaper for these ones ..... https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-winter-spike-road-tyre-k-guard/rp-prod118113

 

[Fordulike]

a wee bit cheaper for these ones ..... https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-winter-spike-road-tyre-k-guard/rp-prod118113

Nice find. So forum members, who may want a tyre like this, can make an informed decision, there is a difference between the two tyres in the links, even though they look similar.

The tyre in post #3 has SmartGuard protection and more studs on the outer edges of the tyre.

The tyre in post #4 has K-Guard protection and less studs on the outer edges.

In my experience of running tyres from Schwalbe, I have found that K-Guard protection is pretty pants when it comes to puncture protection. The SmartGuard offers far superior protection, so if you rely on your bike for commuting, I would go with SmartGuard for peace of mind.