My winter tyres are called Ice Spiker Pros. Thet don't actually have spikes, but instead of having studs on the outside of the tyre, each tyre has 370 spikes all over the tread. The lesser-studded ones do help on soggy leaves. Without mudguards they often fling them high up behind you!

Decided I am going to get some winter tyres after all.

Problem I am having is no one seems to have any in stock.

 

I have found these, which do get good reviews, but they are only 1.75 inch where my normal tyres are 1.95...is this likely to cause any issues?

 

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-winter-spike-road-tyre-k-guard/rp-prod118113

Or we have these but they are 2.1inch

 

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/bike-tyres/schwalbe-ice-spiker-tyre-black-skin-26x2-10

Or we have these but they are 2.1inch

 

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/bike-tyres/schwalbe-ice-spiker-tyre-black-skin-26x2-10

Maybe from here

http://www.highlandbikes.com/m44b165s316p2279/SCHWALBE-Ice-Spiker-2-1/RS_GB/7709?gclid=COOBz4PYoNACFeEp0wodl2sD5g

 

I've used a pair of these for a couple of winters on my non electric bike and been happy with them, I'm just about to fit them again.

 

Dave

The smaller ones will fit, the larger ones probably will but you might have clearance problems. My Snow Studs are 622 X 40mm and look slightly smaller than the 622 X 37mm Marathons that came off. I think the stated size must include the studs.

 

Been thinking about this and I'm not sure the advice to use roads rather than cycle paths etc is good. The biggest danger ice presents to the cyclist is being struck by an out of control motor vehicle and the greatest risk of serious injury if you do come off is being struck by a motor vehicle. You have the opportunity to moderate your own speed, fit studs etc, but there's no way to control what drivers are doing.

 

So I'd tend to stick to off road paths in icy conditions, given the choice (I don't get a choice for most of my route). Encountering ice is more likely, but falling off (even into a canal) is more likely to be embarrassing than lethal.

 

Been thinking about this and I'm not sure the advice to use roads rather than cycle paths etc is good. The biggest danger ice presents to the cyclist is being struck by an out of control motor vehicle and the greatest risk of serious injury if you do come off is being struck by a motor vehicle. You have the opportunity to moderate your own speed, fit studs etc, but there's no way to control what drivers are doing.

 

Good advice, thanks.

 

The part of my route where I currently take the main road, I can replace with a canal path....if i feel more confident when I have the studs, I may well take that instead of the road....but it is very narrow, and sort of slopes sideways down to the canal, so not for the fainthearted I guess.

 

All but maybe 2 miles of my route would then be off roads.

Maybe from here

http://www.highlandbikes.com/m44b165s316p2279/SCHWALBE-Ice-Spiker-2-1/RS_GB/7709?gclid=COOBz4PYoNACFeEp0wodl2sD5g

 

I've used a pair of these for a couple of winters on my non electric bike and been happy with them, I'm just about to fit them again.

 

Dave

Thanks Dave, I will contact them to see if they have them in stock.

I have Schwalbe studs and they grip well on black ice.

 

Sounds daft, but you can cycle on a surface that it's difficult to walk on.

 

Be aware of stopping, you may be cycling OK, but your foot might slip when you try to ground it.

 

Studded tyres work on ice, but don't offer much more grip than an ordinary tyre on snow.

 

For that, you need something with studs/spikes and a chunky tread.

 

Studs can be used in all conditions.

 

If there's no ice, you pump them up a bit harder which tends to keep the studs away from the road surface.

 

They roll surprisingly well, although you will get a Rice Crispies sound as you bowl along which can lead to quizzical looks from pedestrians.

I agree, this is spot on advice from someone who has used them. The grip is incredible on ice though it takes a little while to gain confidence.

Dave.

I think Ice Spikers might be overkill, tbh. I have them, but only 'cos the two cheaper Schwalbe winter tyres aren't available in 27.5". I ran Schwalbe Winter Marathons last winter on 700c tyres without a hint of a slip. There are these.

 

They have the studs a little towards the the centre. The Snow Studs have deeper tread and the studs towards the outside of the tread. I think tyre pressure is very important. That's where the Snow Studs might be better for towpaths. Pump them up during over-freezing conditions and lower the pressure when you need the studs to do their stuff.

Well i grabbed what i think is a bargain.

30 quid for a pair of unused scwalbe ice spikers. Will wait till temps drop again before putting them on.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161113/a1cd152dbe275187e0e79162c047caa0.jpg

Maybe overkill but at that price it made sense

 

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Well i grabbed what i think is a bargain.

30 quid for a pair of unused scwalbe ice spikers. Will wait till temps drop again before putting them on.

Maybe overkill but at that price it made sense

 

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

 

Looks like you've got a good deal. Just in case you didn't get the instructions with them

it's advisable to run them in for about 30 miles or so on asphalt to ensure that spikes are well bedded in so you may be best fitting them before you really need them. You still may lose a few spikes during the course of the year.

Dave.

Cheers Dave

I read that...problem i have is I'll only get chance to run them in every other weekend...so im just going to have to keep an eye on the weather forecasts ahead and hope i can time it right

 

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Well i grabbed what i think is a bargain.

30 quid for a pair of unused scwalbe ice spikers. Will wait till temps drop again before putting them on.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161113/a1cd152dbe275187e0e79162c047caa0.jpg

Maybe overkill but at that price it made sense

 

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

as a matter of interest how is traction, wear, rolling resistance on non icy non snowy roads?

You do lose a few spikes, but not that many, especially if you run them in properly. The Ice Spikers have a deep tread, so won't be the fastest of tyres. The main difference is the constant noise from the spikes. Grip is fine. The big thing is to adjust tyre pressures to suit conditions. £30/pair is really cheap. My 27.5" ones cost £90!!!

I was really lucky....couldnt find many about from shops even....then I googled them and these came up on gumtree less than 5 miles away from me.

as a matter of interest how is traction, wear, rolling resistance on non icy non snowy roads?

I find that although traction on icy tarmac is tremendously better with spikes than without, normal MTB tyres have more grip on dry tarmac. I tend to take it easy on tarmac, especially when leaning into a bend as the spikes seem to keep the rubber off the road surface a little (think hob nailed boots if you are old enough to remember them:))

I'm not sure about wear on tarmac as I use mainly on tracks and haven't done enough mileage, just a few hundred miles, to see any significant wear yet. The centre spikes of mine are now either a little bit shorter or they have retreated a little into the rubber, the outer ones show no sign of wear at all.

 

Rolling resistance is noticeably higher on tarmac though no worse than normal MTB tyres on snow and ice.

They are of course as the name suggests, ice tyres and not snow tyres though they work as well as good knobblies on snow. I'm pretty heavy but find that 30 front 35 rear gives massive grip for off road and better rolling than higher pressure.

 

They do have disadvantages if it's not icy but if it's freezing I wouldn't go out unless they where fitted.

I have three bikes so it's ideal to have these on one of them, I'm fortunate (apart from being older than I want to be) in that I only cycle for pleasure and exercise so can pick and choose.

Dave.

A long time ago I lived in northern Sweden. I bought a cheap, secondhand bike with two gears working on a 3-speed coaster hub. They tyres were similarly poor. However, that bike did me proud on my commute on all surfaces, including snow. They didn't salt the roads up there, as it would still have frozen! They used to sand the cyclepaths which were extensive, away from the roads and very good. I must admit, once it got to -15C I gave up and took the bus until the spring. I wonder how well a Lithium-Ion battery would cope in those temperatures?

Happy Xmas all you Winter commuters. I had a pattern of four shifts to do from Monday 19th, finishing on Thursday 22nd of December before my Xmas break, with the start times all in the afternoon.

 

That meant four splendid 16 mile off road trips to work with 10 mile on road return trips. Additionally I ran some errands on the bike on the Monday that turned out to be 18 miles. So in the end I finished on Thursday evening with 122 miles under my wheels.

 

I have been commuting like this for a number of years now and am starting to get a more noticeable reaction in my knees and right hip, so in my 56th year I might be wearing out quicker than my bike!

 

But I do love it and get a lovely exercise buzz for the majority of my shift where I am required to sit down and concentrate with very little mobility involved so my bicycle commute provides much needed activity to keep me healthy and aids the concentration required in my job. Win Win.

 

My second electrically assisted bike (first crank drive bike), a Haibike Yamaha sDuro Hard Seven was bought on the 20th March 2015 and has now completed 5466 miles and looks like travelling over 6000 miles by its second birthday.

 

Is there a down side to all this commuting by bike? I don't do very much leisure mountain bike riding now, as I mostly have my mountain bike riding needs covered by my ride to work, and my ride to work inevitably means using the same tracks, so there is less variety than pure leisure riding involves.

 

However I am very lucky that the countryside between where I live and work can be ridden over 90% off road on great tracks so I should not complain.

Edited December 24, 20169 yr by georgehenry

i was just wondering has anyone rode these tyres for a couple of hundred miles because i am thinking about purchasing a set for my commuting bike because my marathon plus are useless in mud & ice they are a complete waste of time and i have no confidence going out when it icey or below 5 degrees because of the ice

 

i commute about 12 miles one way on c roads and they are not the best roads and it seems that ice is always on them

 

Would it be possible for these tyres to see me through the whole of the winter because at the moment i want to go places but I am unable to because of the black ice and the last thing I want is to come off some where

 

 

"Thanks in advance"

Edited December 27, 20169 yr by Mac_user82

Ive had the ice spikers on for a few weeks now, probably have done a couple of hundred miles now.

The weather has varied a great deal, some days its just sub zero, living out in the sticks, then for a few days its in double figures...British weather i guess.

 

The positive side is I do feel safer riding in the sub zero, not had any close calls yet, maybe that's because the tyres are doing their job? A lot of my run is quite muddy too, usually wet..and they help there I'm sure.

The negatives.....They do feel a lot heavier and slower going on normal tarmac roads, and make a bit of a noise. I tend to make my turns without leaning in to the corners, as I must admit, id be concerned I would come off, especially when its wet. Maybe because I'm quite new at bike riding, well for about 20 odd years anyway.

 

I'm going to leave them on now probably until March or end of Feb, the positives outweigh the negatives just enough for me to do that.

 

My run is just short of 15 miles, with the spikes on, on days where you dont need them, it adds a good 10 minutes to my time.

I could not get today off so topped the battery up and set off to work for one shift before having another two days off. The temperature on my Yamaha LCD display was showing 2 degrees, but the sun was shining and I did not feel cold. I took the camera so I could take a few pictures on the way. Crossing this field is the start of my usual off road route.

A track I use passes two sides of a Copse with this sign not encouraging you to enter, although I have crossed it before the sign appeared.

Another nice section passes a lake.

And then enters a lovely area of common land,

All in all the off road route is around 16 miles and I used 31% of the battery today, which is a bit more than normal, the least I have used being 25%. The 10 mile road return trip from work took 30 minutes. As the temperature was just below freezing I put on an extra layer but was actually too warm from all that effort pushing the pedals. I used 38% of the battery getting home which is a bit more than normal but might be due to the low temperature. I use Schwalbe Smart Sam Plus tyres with slime filled tubes all year round and have found them to be an excellent tough all round tyre.

A bit chilly this morning with -5 on the display for my 10 mile road trip. Used 37% of the battery. The road conditions were OK with a bit of fog here and there. I put a thin jumper on over my thermal top and under my wind proof cycle jacket and actually overheated.

Canal towpath and ice!

If you slide into the canal do you then deploy your inflatable canoe?

 

 

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Well, it was minus 2 when I left this morning, the first part of my route was down an untreated road, so took it quite steady.

Then onto the trans pennine trail, again quite icy looking, but it felt ok, so upped the speed a bit, but a fair bit slower than normal.

Then onto the bit I wasn't looking forward to...the canal tow path. Again, it was reflecting back a very frosty look, so took it a lot slower than normal.

No slips or slides so far.

 

Then onto the main road for the last 4 miles into Manchester, so got up to my usual speed.

 

Overall journey took around 10 minutes longer, but got there safely, and probably still as quick as the tram, and a lot more enjoyable.

 

I think I have the right layered clothes apart from the gloves, as I had two pairs of, well, everyday gloves on and my fingers were dropping off when I got to work. Cant buy any new ones yet as the Mrs has sorted my a pair out for xmas.

 

Think I will hold off on the winter tyres for now, although that view might change on my way home later as snow is forecast.....

Cold hands and fingers? I'm an expert on that due to my slender hands and thin fingers. Solution: Mittens, preferably wollen ones. And with windbreaker toppings. Mittens help the fingers to keep eachother warm.

Yes you have to get used to this, but braking and gear shifting is not that difficult. And living in the eastern part of Norway means that sub zero temperatures are quite common.

Most of my route is on tracks and canals and a bit of road, total 15 miles.

 

How long does that commute take you, each way?

 

[mention=16217]Pollmak[/mention]