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Is one enough, on the front?
I am sure two is better but I am thinking the primary aim is to stop the front wheel washing out.
Guaranteed to make the thaw happen as well if I buy one
No it's not enough.
Wot he said.
One at each end. And grippers on your shoes for when you put your feet down.
Just be warned if you google 700c studded tyres, these are not what you want
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/schwalbe-winter-spike-k-guard-road-tyre
(635, not 622)
Fair enough. Thx all
Really icey all around here, Lancashire, at the moment.
No spikey tyres but also got full on man flu so grounded anyway
My tip for ice tyres is get an old 26 inch hardtail, then pick up second hand ice spikers for peanuts and leave them on it all year. Even in the highlands I only use them a few times a year but wouldn't bother to put them on every winter. As it is a bit of air and i'm ready to go- as a matter of fact I can't think why I'm here now.
My tip for ice tyres is get an old 26 inch hardtail
One of the reasons I've never got rid of my Mk1 Soul is because I have 26" Ice Spiker Pros
My onld rigid 26er is currently wearing snow studs. Got Ice Spiker Pro for the FS.
No it’s not enough
Very much this. Otherwise you'll forget you're riding on ice, right up until you throw it into a corner and your rear wheel overtakes you and you slam into the frozen ground.
If you store the tyres out of sunlight, they will last years. My Snow Studs I've had 13 years stored in a cool dark garage. The Ice Spikers are about 4 years old. Just great fun. Snow Studs used for cold commutes and are now on spare wheels so I can swap out.
sweepy
Free MemberMy tip for ice tyres is get an old 26 inch hardtail, then pick up second hand ice spikers for peanuts and leave them on it all year.
+1 this advice. Or if not all year, then all winter- you can find a lot of use for a decent old 26er, for "just riding about" or nipping to the shops or an occasional proper summer mtb ride for a laugh. But, no matter what get the tyres on before you think you need 'em, like car winter tyres you will sooner or later regret it if you leave it late.
TBH I used to always have a set and usually had them either on the bike or on spare wheels but even then I still constantly got it wrong. Even if I'd had a whole spare ice bike I'd have still sometimes taken out the other bike and regretted it, or taken it out and regretted it. But even with all that user error, it still was worth it I think, every so often I'd get in a great ride that'd have just been idiocy and the feeling when it's really working is just a joy, suddenly you can ride the impossible.
Also, make sure get the right sort for your riding, there's as much difference between different stud tyres as there is between any other tyres and people's recommendations that work for them might not work for you as the requirements are pretty specific. Like, I tried to make a rear schwalbe snow stud work offroad after some well meaning advice from a bunch of people but it was a disaster, total failure for me. But ymmv- likewise the ice spiker pro, which I loved, is quite a lot of spike and would be unsuited for a bunch of people.
Just exactly like if you say "what mud tyre" some people will say "maxxgrip shorty" and some people will say "2 inch Dirty Dan" and some people will say "just use a highroller".
Schwalbe marathon spiked front and rear were more than enough match for anything icy.
Loved the sound as they bit the ice…like rashers of bacon, frying.
It’s trying to convince yourself that you’re not going to fall off!
And they need at least 25 miles of ‘running in’ beforehand.
If you store the tyres out of sunlight, they will last years. My Snow Studs I’ve had 13 years stored in a cool dark garage
Having agreed with this at the time, I was 2.5 miles from home in 3 inches of snow this morning when I discovered that if the wire bead of a tyre snaps it just rolls off the rim and you're buggered. Not sure if that was it being an old tyre of just being unlucky.
Anyway, I walked half a mile to a cafe to get a warming drink when 8 members of the cycle club - and 5 dogs - arrived at the cafe having gone for a 10k trail run as it was too icy to risk a ride, and one of them gave me and the bike a lift home. 🙌
I never had any problems on my schwalbe marathon winter tyres, and I’m always a massive jessie where ice is concerned.