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I follow the council gritters info on twitter though haven’t checked if they have moved to Bluesky/threads they give a detailed forecast as going by temperature isn’t enough as air and ground temperatures can be wildly different.
If they are going to grit then I’m not going out as I want to ride on quiet roads not main routes, many a time I hear of collarbones/wrists/bruises etc on weekends I have sacked it off.
Yeah no way I'd be going out on roads with even a chance of ice without the studded tyres. Got them on a spare set of wheels, was dubious they'd be any good but they are brilliant.
Beautiful morning this morning, maybe 1 or 2°C but dry roads, no frost on windscreen.
Little patches here and there but could see well in advance and they weren't slippy.
Still verrrry tempted by studded tyres, am loving getting out on the crisp cold mornings right now, don't want to miss any opportunities.
I picked up a couple of weather stations from Lidls (£15 each).
one sensor dangles out my bedroom window in a mesh laundry bag. The other one dangles out my living room window.
so, until they’re blasted by the sun, it’s a pretty realistic indicator of actual temperature before I venture out.
studded tyres at this time of year (until April).
the amount of people doing their winter training on high end pinarellos, 23c tyres, no mudguards…makes me think that there’s a new niche for bikes.
Another stunner this morning and dragged the singlespeed Charge Plug out just to see if it's worth fitting studded tyres to.
Schwalbe do two different types of studded tyre, depending on the number of studs. Am tempted to go for a lower stud count as I imagine even the 'icy' rides will still be predominantly tarmac, unless the difference between 120 studs and 240 is so negligible that I might as well just go all-in?
I need to either swap to studded tyres or get a spare set of wheels with studded tyres for my Sonder Camino which I commute on in Aberdeen. My commute is on a mix of treated and untreated sections and I have always managed with standard tyres but I have maybe been lucky. I need to get on ebay and look for a second hand set of wheels.
Schwalbe do two different types of studded tyre, depending on the number of studs. Am tempted to go for a lower stud count as I imagine even the ‘icy’ rides will still be predominantly tarmac, unless the difference between 120 studs and 240 is so negligible that I might as well just go all-in?
I was looking at this as well. I think I will go for the lower stud count but not sure if that is a sensible choice or not.
I'm sort of hoping I can mitigate for fewer studs by just being careful, I'm just trundling about and taking it easy on corners etc. at this time of year, and since I might only be out once or twice a week max I'm hoping law of averages is on my side (touch wood!).
I have some ageing Schwalbe snow stud tyres in 35mm for the gravel bike, and some even older Ice Spiker Pros for the Soul (partly the reason I'm still on 26" wheels)
I've not come off using either, and the bigger Ice Spikers have seen me ride crazy compacted sheet ice/snow. You do need to be careful when putting a foot down though. Currently regretting not getting the Soul ready to go out for a lunchtime play.
They might only be used a few weeks a year but precovid and when I was commuting regularly, I justified it ( and MrsMC agreed!) by the cost offset against the cost of driving to the office. Probably took 2-3 winters to genuinely be worthwhile.
Now WFH is an option on icy days, I might not bother, but very grateful I still have them.
Cant speak for studded tyres with lower stud counts, but ive got Continental Spike Claw 240s (26er) and Schwalbe Ice Spikers (27.5). They are awesome on sheet ice (like at the Strathpuffer). Safer to cycle than to walk on it. They will be heavy, draggy and be noisy on tarmac. However in a previous job with a 30 mile round trip commute - i used them no worries.
The lesser studded ones have them on the outside edges of the treads, so need to run lower pressures presumably, to make them more effective?
An oldie but goodie - ice tyre test https://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2340.html
Most round here commute on the lower stud count tyres and take it a bit easier, or lower pressures if it's *very* icy.
I ride off road with some nokians with 300+ studs... The sparks when i get off the ice and on to the rocks are impressive.
You know those bloody jobs...
After being essentially nagged by this thread, I popped out to the garage to swap to winter studs on my commute/pub/town bike. Front, all good. Back was a bit off centre/misaligned/wobbly after fitting so I applied the usual extra PSI 's to get it to seat... Who knew the brake track was that ready to let go. It did frighten the cat tho... So, I'm now looking for a new rim and a wheel rebuild <sigh>
Years ago long before zwift, I'd happily ride the road bike with 23mm tyres in any weather conditions. I was never worried about snow and ice, even if i fell off. I would call my mates soft if they cancelled winter rides due to icy conditions. Then this happened:
It soon makes you realise its not worth the risk. It's not the falling off in icy conditions that is a concern, it's the risk of a 2 ton car skidding on ice and killing me that stops me from going out on the road in icy conditions.
Had a very rare sight waking up to snowfall in Hampshire in November this morning, thankfully it didn't stick on the roads and I survived popping out on my hybrid with the usual Marathon Supremes.
Ice warning over night tonight, but I have no plans to go out.
I was looking at this as well. I think I will go for the lower stud count but not sure if that is a sensible choice or not.
I have a set of the lower stud count ones. the studs are on the side of the tyre not the crown. If the pressure in them is high just riding along the studs do not really contact the ground, on ice you slide then as the tyre tips over it grips. Lower the pressures and the studs make contact the whole time - so what I did was lowish pressures with a lot of ice, higher pressures with just an occasional bit
It did frighten the cat tho… So, I’m now looking for a new rim and a wheel rebuild <sigh>
What else did the cat shred while it was on it's way out of the vicinity?
The joys of rim brakes. Don't pump them up in a cellar as the bang sounds even louder.
When the air temp is below freezing you start to see sparkles on the road surface and on foliage etc from your lights. Salt on the road can sparkle a bit but it's not the magical twinkly kind of sparkle that frost gives. It's not 100% reliable indicator of ice because there can still be ice on the road when the air has warmed a bit, but it's something to look for. If you see sparkles then a dark patch on the road, prepare for impact. In the dry, night-time tarmac is actually pretty light in colour - dark patches mean caution. You can also generally see when a road has been salted. Crucially - don't go fast at any point.
I've done a lot of night rides in freezing conditions and I have yet to fall off using the above advice.
The joys of rim brakes. Don’t pump them up in a cellar as the bang sounds even louder
I was a bit surprised when the local TSG showed up shouting 'show me your (oily) hands!' etc 🙂
One of my nearest-death moments on a bike was cycling home from work one crisp frosty evening and receiving an unnecessary high speed close pass from behind from Cambridgeshire gritting lorry on a residential urban street. He must have been doing about 50mph and it was so fast and so close I barely had time to realise I was probably about to die before it was over and he had torn off again into the night.
When the air temp is below freezing you start to see sparkles on the road surface and on foliage etc from your lights. Salt on the road can sparkle a bit but it’s not the magical twinkly kind of sparkle that frost gives. It’s not 100% reliable indicator of ice because there can still be ice on the road when the air has warmed a bit, but it’s something to look for.
Was reminded of this advice this morning! Bigger ride planned so out early. MET suggested no lower than 2°C overnight and 3°C when I set off. Ground was damp though. Saw a few sparkles here and there so was on high alert and right enough encountered a few ice patches, thankfully was prepared for them but after the third little wheel spin I decided I'd pushed my luck so trundled home.
Had relinquished my credit card in attempt to get it paid off so will need to clear out some old parts from the garage to pay for those studded tyres!
Yeah - in still weather cold air collects in the smallest of hollows so overall temps can be just above freezing but you can still find sparkles and ice.
I was 50/50 swapping to studs this morning, but 3c and rain, I just took my time into work.
Couldn't even walk up the lane to my place on sunday. Whole thing was glassy piece of sheet ice.
Saw Stefan and his girlfriend heading out on their ebikes about lunchtime, Nokian studs all round.
I am still very wary of black ice after hitting a sheet of ice one November and ending up sliding along the road with my car on its roof. Aged 18 and inexperienced driver at the time. The streets were just wet when I left home late evening. As the road left the town and came out of the shelter of trees at the crest of a hill it turned to a sheet of ice. So slippy the recovery truck couldn't recover my car just spinning wheels on the ice.
Freak conditions. In the decades since I've only seen sheet ice like that a few times.
I like to think I would see the signs now. Temp not far above freezing. Clear skies. Roads not gritted. Possibly light steering.
As far as cycling goes. I don't want to risk a broken hip in my 60s. Any chance of ice I'll go for a swim or a jog on the golf course rather than ride my bike.
Awesome, a ruthless clearout of the garage has yielded the money for some studs, so should I go for 120 stud 700x35mm Schwalbes or 120 stud 700x32mm Continental Top Contact?
Contis are 150g lighter a tyre (stated weights) which is appealing, don't mind the narrower width for tarmac trundling...
Tomorrow AM a write-off though, will be the first indoor session of the winter, boo!
Spa Cycles do the Schwalbe in a 700x30
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s142p3917/SCHWALBE-Winter-HS396
I fitted a pair to a hybrid for my son who who rides to work every day. He reports this past 10 days using them a few times. Good grip on ice and only slightly slower. A bit lighter than the 700x35 version I assume.