[Closed] Talk to me about ice tyres please

A waste of money over here (assuming you are talking about studded ice tyres). We don’t get the proper ice that ice tyres are designed for. We get slop and snow and sludge and grime.

Think of it as a long term investment, I bought a set of winter tyres about 8 years ago for my mtb and they probably get put on for about 3-4 weeks a year but have come in handy when the snow has remained on the ground for some time asit meant I could carry on commuting by bike.
The tyres still look in great condition after 8 years.

Do they work well on icy roads? I'd say 80% Of the routes I use the cx bike on are not on tarmac, so slushy ice and snow is fine on normal tyres. But thought they may come in handy on tarmac sections, especially with the potential for black ice

Are they any good, what are the best options to go for on a caad x, and could you get away with one on front only, or is that just a daft idea?

They're brilliant on sheet ice and neve, no better than normal tyres on soft snow and slushy stuff and, as a generalisation, slow, heavy and noisy. They're also reassuring on black ice, just about the only thing that is. Awesome on trails where snow has part thawed and then re-frozen leaving an interesting stream of water ice. On pure ice climbs, there tends to be a critical point of steepness where they no longer grip reliably, but it's quite steep and depends on the hardness of the ice.

I've used Conti Nordic Spike 240s - don't bother with the part-studded 120 imo - and the Schwalbe Blizzard things with studs if either of those fit, the Conti is more a cross tyre, the Schwalbe basically a road one, but I'd think about fitting something like Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pros to a mountain bike and using that instead. You get more traction and it gives you options of going off road or not as you choose. Better bite on softer stuff as well.

I wouldn't go with just one on the front, the rear will simply let go first instead, so you'll hit the ground less violently, but you'll still hit it.

Some years they're brilliant - the winter of 2009/10 which went on forever, for example - other years they just sit quietly in the cellar, but as per the comment above, they last for ages because they're only used occasionally.

Oh, and best bought in the summer when no-one wants them. I think they're brilliant in the right conditions - I've had some epic days on high, frozen, local Peak District trails, but it only happens occasionally.

Depends where you live. Mine get a fair bit of use, but then I live in Scotland & do a number of very early morning commutes. In terms of using them for training they are hard work & I wouldn’t like to use them for any significant distance, but it is more fun than the turbo.

A waste of money over here (assuming you are talking about studded ice tyres). We don’t get the proper ice that ice tyres are designed for.

You'll say that until you hit the water seepage that has frozen over, and you end up on your arse before you can think 'Shit!'

Ok it doesn't happen a lot, but it doesn't happen at all with ice tyres. I have a pair, they hardly get used but that's ok cos they last forever. I think I paid about £40 each when I bought 26er ones in about 2003, and when I went 29 three years ago I bought another set I think they were half price 35e each in Sweden. There's a road near my house that has water seepage all the time, and it's lethal in cold weather. But I ride up it with impunity.

As above, they aren't any better than normal knobblies in snow, and they are slow and draggy on road, but they do give peace of mind. Also, don't go flat out on rocky trails cos you may lose studs, but otherwise the studs stay put.

PS I still have my 26er studs if anyone wants to make me an offer?

Depends where here is.

I get my money's worth from our sets.

We haven't changed over this year on the commuters for the first year since 2012

Your location and riding time may vary how ever at 6am in the north of Scotland they were a very worthwhile purchase

Molgrips, first dibs on your 26" studded tyres. Could you PM me a price for the pair? Thanks.

I had a pair of kenda ice tyres on my cx bike when I lived in Finland. They were fantastic there. Incredible grip on what would otherwise be unridable roads. They are slow and heavy though. Depending on where you are in the UK I'd say they're worth a shot. As has been said they last forever.

I used them when commuting from Balerno to TBC. Pretty much essential.

Funniest tale was Mark and I sitting at the lights at the top of Broughton St and when they turned green I pedalled away as he got wheelspin and went sideways.

Also remember you have them on as you can forget, put your foot down when you stop, and find yourself splayed out on the ice.

They come treaded (like a knobbly MTB tyre) which is useful for snow /slush too, or more like a road tyre. My 700s are a Winter Marathon.

You'll need both tyres.

The handiest option would be a cheap pair of wheels you can swap on and off as required.

Despite being a road tire my winter marathons have done 3 strathpuffers for the lack of a better option until the Ridable line broke up. Through the unridable ice

Cut through the mud nicely and gripped on the rocks dandy.

Guy Martin got that tip from me ........or not (but he was spotted running the same tire on the front at the same event)

Long term investment - bloody great. I had Schwalbe Snow Studs on my 26" and used that as a cold weather commuter, when my road bike would have had me on my ar$e (icy roads) - they worked well in snow and mud, so used the bike like that most winters. I'm no longer commuting, but it's currently wearing the snow studs for icy rides (it's a spare bike).

I also have Ice Spiker Pro Evo's that I bought last winter for the 27.5 FS bike - these are great fun, very noisy though. They are also easy to change, unlike the Snow Studs. Quite handy if popping to a trail centre and finding it very frozen - had a few sketchy moments.

PS I've had a few nasty crashes on ice on 'roads' in the past.

Also remember you have them on as you can forget, put your foot down when you stop, and find yourself splayed out on the ice.

Hah yes, done this. Also nearly wiped out on a very polished drain cover as the spikes don't grip well at all on smooth iron. They are fine on everything else tho.

If you have spiked ice tyres fitted you probably won't notice what difference it makes unless you ride with someone without - particularly on country roads where you get frozen run-off from the fields and glazed roads. I've ridden down roads that 4x4s couldn't make it down. You definitely need a pair (not one) and consider them a long-term investment - I have a pair that are over 10 years old.

^ Absolutely - there’s a certain smugness to be enjoyed cycling on Marathon Winters past a Mercedes Vito on its side & transverse to the directions of travel on an icy road.

I had Schwalbe Ice Spikers back in the day that gave insane levels of grip on sheet ice. I had quite a nasty slide out on road ice on Christmas Eve that cost me a windproof and leggings along with some skin, which has me thinking about spiked tyres again for this winter.
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Had mine probably 7 or more years and still going strong. The metal studs do make them more grippy and the tread is better for cutting through or holding you up on snow,even in Leeds. They are heavy though - although you keep going when others don't - albeit slowly

Not needed them around Edinburgh for a few years as we've had so few frost's recently but if forecasts are right they'll be going back on this year.

I use marathon winters on my cross bike commuter. You don't notice the difference unless you've ridden the same ice patch the day before on normal tyres and ended up on your arse before changing to spikes.

You will at some point do a perfectly controlled stop at traffic lights and only realise you're on black ice when you put your feet down and then fall over as you're not wearing crampons.

Think of it as a long term investment

Yes, I've been using the same pair for many years now. Ideally you want to fit them to a spare set of wheels, so you can swap over on icy mornings, rather than running them all the time. I use Schwalbe Winters, and they are excellent on sheet and black ice.

Agree with the long term investment comments - spent a wedge on Ice Spiker Pros for the mountain bike many years ago, probably average 2-3 weeks use a year here near Derby but have paid for themselves a couple of times over in saved petrol costs commuting plus the sheer hell of riding on sheer sheet ice.

Picked up some second hand 700x38 Snow Studs on eBay for £25 the pair in September and waiting patiently to try them out on the gravel bike I now commute on

They are rarely used but amazing.
Didn't realise how good they were til i saw the dogs looking like bambi on the ice. Also remember its slippery when you put your foot down.

Paying full price for a pair will pretty much guarantee you several years of mild Winters.

mcnultycop
...We don’t get the proper ice that ice tyres are designed for....

That's more or less what I was told back in 2006 as the reason they weren't stocked in the UK. I had to import a set from Germany myself.

As said above you don't realise how good they work until you put a foot down and then struggle to stay upright - Bambi was a good description.

If you just use them when it's icy then they last forever.

As for the price, it's well worth it, but secondhand they can be bought cheap. Best to have a spare wheelset so you are more inclined to swap them in or out.

It's even cheaper when you consider the potential cost of an ice fall injury - they always seem to hurt more.

One tip, make sure you follow the instructions about bedding in the spikes. The 'Puffer course was littered with thousands of them after last year.

My shop paid for mine as it means i can get in whatever the weather. (And obviously the bike to put them on!)
Easily paid for themselves. Keep them stored up in the loft on spare wheels to keep them in good condition.

Not sure the loft is a good place to store tyres - ours gets incredibly hot and pretty cold.

Bit late on this but.... Have been living out in Norway last 20 yrs. Biked to work daily since arriving.., all seasons. Now biking daily for leisure (ebike only) as recently retired.
Massive ice, snow, slush condition changes in winter around October to March. Jan to Feb the best and most settled time in temps. ice or hard packed snow on the roads.
Lovely long, prepared 'Nordic style' ski routes also good in winter. Many lit up all night.
These changes in conditions over a long season really taught me the best tyres that suit my 26 x 2.3 wheeled YETI 575.
No expert at all, but on icy 'tree embracing' trails with rocks, roots etc, SCHWALBE ICE SPIKER PRO EVO rule for me. Thats in all the many types of snow\ice conditions that we get in this part of Europe. Amazing bit of kit!
Though can be lairy, turning at speed on ice free tarmac.

If I'd been commuting this last week, I probably would have fitted my Gravdals for those chilly morning starts, but it looks like temps around Southampton are on the up again.

I've had mine a good few years. The only thing to keep me getting to work a couple of bad winters

I've not got a set now but in previous winters they've been awesome, simply they got me out in conditions I wouldn't have tried to go out in, and I had some brilliant rides as a result.

You'll probably never wear them out but that's not really the point

My experience of them is limited to the Strathpuffer and they are amazing, unless you get the half spike ones where there's only tread on the shoulders, in which case they're no use at all.

I’ve got a pair of Nokians in the collection that are fitted as needed.

Totally agree with most of the above. A collarbone and most of a drivetrain persuaded me regular tyres on ice are a bad plan. They are noisy/draggy off ice but that’s character building. Deep channels and nice soft compound help with general foul weather. Admittedly the soft composition probably becomes less so as the tyres get older, so people in properly frozen countries probably find these better value overall. A spare wheelset may be the easiest way to deploy.

Do Nokian make road bike tyres? Didnt know that.

So are marathon winters the option for sticking on the gravel bike then?

i have used the half spiked ones at the strathpuffer on 26 inch wheels to good effect. just run the pressures a little lower and the side studs come into effect perfectly well.

picked up full spikes for the 29er because they were easily availible by that time

As said above, they are totally amazing. Every winter commuting had a few comedy and painful crashes on ice. Not anymore. A pair last me 2 winters tops (sometimes less) but nowadays pretty much nothing stops me commuting, beast from the east aside.

If you use them regularly on those questionable is it freezing dark days they pay for themselves quickly in peace of mind.

I made some in the winter of 2009/10.

They had 104 screws in each, drilled through the knobs.

They were brilliant on ice and hard packed snow, a bit skatey on tarmac/concrete, no different from a regular knobbly in soft snow, and the screws wore down in 4 weeks. I never used them off road.

They got me to work every day though.

The half stud ones are good for a mix of tarmac and off road - my Snow Studs did well at this, including mud, and aren't too noisy. I used them mainly for commuting.

Now, the Ice Spiker Pro Evo's, on the other hand, are incredibly loud on tarmac - enough to make people turn and look at what the hell is coming down the road.

Just remember, you can't defeat physics completely, so no daft cornering on sheet ice.

Marathon winters are good when there's something hard for the studs to take hold of, but they are really bad in soft snow. Cornering traction is low and unpredictable, and your front wheel tends to spend a lot of time sideways, or at least mine does.

45 North has some reportedly really good ones (Xerxes at 30 mm and Gravdal at 38), but they cost around 100 euros a piece, so I haven't tried them. Reliable Reports say they roll much better and are generally smoother.

I've found that cornering on sheet ice is a bit like cornering on dusty hardpack. Fine for normal riding; in hard cornering there are limits but you can deal with them.

Marathon winters are good when there’s something hard for the studs to take hold of, but they are really bad in soft snow. Cornering traction is low and unpredictable, and your front wheel tends to spend a lot of time sideways, or at least mine does.

When I moved to 29er and 29er spikes were rare and pricy I used winter marathons for 2 strathpuffers. They surprised me with how well they handled snow mud and in particular rock slabs.

When I moved to 29er and 29er spikes were rare and pricy I used winter marathons for 2 strathpuffers. They surprised me with how well they handled snow mud and in particular rock slabs.

I've never ridden them offroad, and the widest I've tried are the 40 mm versions, so that might be the difference. The wider ones seem to have more of a gap between the center and edge tread, so they might deal with soft things better.

Ended up getting a set of these

https://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/gear/article/daily-deals-cheap-winter-tyres-53486/

Marathon winter race guards to put on the cx bike for the next few weeks. Not sure if they are any good or not buy hopefully they'll let me get out the house in these icy conditions.i winced at the weight however..not light are they!

If you think Marathon winters are heavy, you ought to try a pair of studded 45Nrth Dillinger 5s - over 2kg each.

Aren't they like £150 each too?

Now that would be a tire thats very much over kill in the UK.

mcnultycop
A waste of money over here (assuming you are talking about studded ice tyres). We don’t get the proper ice that ice tyres are designed for. ...

Someone on here says something like that every year.

And every year they're wrong.

Ended up getting a set of these

https://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/gear/article/daily-deals-cheap-winter-tyres-53486/
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I just fitted some of these at the weekend in anticipation of the coming weather. Just enough clearance for them on a 2015 diverge with mudguards for the 28mm. I'm still lacking confidence cornering on ice, but they really do seem to do the job. No sliding around yet.

Draggier and nosier than a normal tyre, but at least I can't hear my creaking BB now...

 

My commute a few winters ago involved several weeks of solid ice cycle paths.

By the time my 700c marathon winters arrived it had melted, and they've been hanging in the shed ever since...

They do look nice and spiky, maybe one day it'll be worth fitting them.

Thanks for the heads-up on the half price Winter Marathons - got a pair heading my way now 🙂

I run Conti Nordic Spike 240's on the crosser. The 120's are a waste of time in comparison. Not light but will happily ride over boilerplate in confidence.

On the 29er, I run Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro's - my review below.

https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/schwalbe-ice-spiker-pro-29/

I have ridden some pretty hair raising terrain on them. Ben Chonzie in the ice with 80mph winds, a hard frozen Cobbler, Ben Ime and Narnain circuit, Ben Lomond as well as local trails. They just work and take the uncertainty out of riding on sub zero days where it is all too easy to slip and spanner yourself.

They seem like a lot of money for limited use but mine are going back on today as the ice is back! Woo hoo!

Glad of the 252 spikes per tyre Gravdals out there this morning, bit of ice around, I missed any slippy fun and games yesterday.

Do they work well on icy roads?

They work pretty well - not infinite grip/dry weather levels of grip on sheets of ice but reasonable off road conditions kind of grip levels.

There's just not the risk of zero grip levels happening.

I've not tried the marathon winters, I'd be interested to know how they roll compared to marathan supreme hd's. But at the moment I've 2 bikes with studded tyres fitted after racing the puffer last weekend, so maybe 3 would be a step too far. The 29er was reasonably quick riding in this morning though, despite still being on a recovery pace!

It's not just the spikes, it's the rubber compound as well.

I live in Sweden. It's cold here right now and I set off this morning to work in -9C (it's warming up a bit). Even though I live in the city, most of the smaller roads and cycle tracks are sheet ice and snow. Those that are not are covered with kinda slushy ice/snow on a road that is cold. I ran summer slicks until the first serious frost and then changed to the Schwalbe half nails (two lines of spikes, not four) and am glad I did.

The rubber is a softer compound that, like car winter tyres, stays more rubbery at a lower temperature. That alone means you get better grip than running a 'normal' tyre. Add in the spikes and you get more grip on the things that would normally leave you on your arse or, worst case, under a truck. I have only come off once so far, after it threw down about 10cm of wet snow in about two hours on roads that already had ice on. That was fun.

Yes, they are slower. Yes, they are noisier. Yes they are expensiver. But... It means I can ride my bike to work all year round and, as I hate public transport and like eating cake, I accept that gladly.

If you feel really strongly about it, Wiggle had the Schwalbes I have on special at about €22 each. They are the narrowest 26" winter tyres I could find. Nokian also make a really good winter tyre, but I have not seen many of them for sale. I'm still looking for someone that makes a good "Autumn/Spring Cold, but not snowy with rain, no spikes" tyre.

Well now I've fitted them and plan a 40 mile tarmac ride on Saturday to bed them in, it's meant to be bloody freezing so I'm sure there will be ice on the road.

From what I read they provide roughly similar levels of grip to a normal cx tyre in mud, ie not same as a road tyre in dry but at least won't have a 'grip one moment, on arse the next

What kind of pressures are folks running them at on road? I'm running 35 mm, and was planning around 50 psi. I get a feeling that may be far to high however?

With the Schwalbe winter active spike, the ideal pressure varies with conditions. Higher pressure for less icy conditions, where the tyre profile means the studs make less contact. When it gets icier, drop the pressure which means a bigger contact patch are the studs in greater contact. Recommended pressures (see https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/schwalbe-winter-active-spike-tyre-709890?product_shape=black&article_size=700x30C) are 50psi for icy conditions and around 90 psi for ice-free roads with minimal noise. I think I run somewhat lower than these personally....

Cheers, I'll go with 50 and see how i get on. No idea why anyone would run them when it's not icy!!

I'd be careful with high pressures on the (Marathon) Winters. Once I was JRA to work and noticed a wobble on my front tire. Stopped to take a look and saw about 20 cm of inner tube bulging from between the rim and bead, same thing in the rear. I'd just pumped them up to around max recommended in order to make them roll faster as there wasn't much need for the spikes that day. Something had happened to the beads, and they wouldn't stay on the rim anymore, even on low pressures.

The casings are pretty stiff and the ride extremely uncomfortable at high pressures anyway, so I'd advise to go low.

About rubber compunds and freezing temperatures, here in Finland there's a sort of mountain biker folklore that says that anything softer than 50a is going to go plasticky in freezing temperatures. So folk ride Maxxis dual compounds instead of 3C and Schwalbe Pacestar instead on Trailstar. When the Addix compunds first came out I did see one news site advertise them keeping their properties down until -4 °C, but haven't seen anything since.

The point is that not many road tyres have compounds that soft to keep wear in check, and I've never heard anyone having problems with road, CX or XC tyres in the winter. I currently have Hillbilly/Butcher on my MTB, that I commute on when I know there's going to be a lot of snow, and Hutchinson Toro CX's on my fixed everyday commuter and they've all been ok down to about -25 °C. Earlier winters I've ridden Gravelking SK's, Ritchey Megabites, Schwalbe G-Ones and Schwalbe Smart Sams in addition to Marathon Winters without rubber related problems.

I was running my 700*35s around 60-70 psi.

Adding to the knowledge pool for Marathon Winters-

I used to run my marathon winters quite soft- 50-60 psi ish. I started running them harder (80-90 psi) as per the max inflation rating on the side, to reduce noise and increase speed.

On the rear (I've been using them 3 winters so far and keep on accidentally putting the same tyre back on the rear, so total maybe 12 months riding, 12 miles/day) I've lost about half of the spikes, those that remian have started wearing through the casing on the inside. I use panaracer flataway tyre inserts (who wants to fix a puncture on an alfine bike in the winter????!?!) and the studs have worn through that as well.

Luckily CRC had their tyres on sale and I got a replacement without bankrupting me!

I use the old snow stud tyres, but would prefer the full on ice spikers.
There must be hundreds of barely used 26er ones lying in the sheds of more modern bike riders who have gone to 29. Anyone got anything?

If anyone is after some ice tyres I'm about to stick some conti Nordic spikes in the classifieds. They got me through the beast from the easy last year, and only gave up when I tried to dick about on compacted frozen snow.

DM me if interested.

Pm sent

My Ice Spikers are going on tonight, then off for a night ride in the snow - Whoop. Should take about 10 minuted to swap both over.

Just fitted my spikes to the tandem for tomorrows ride. Several days of heavy frost on wet ground followed by a light dusting of snow. Gonna be slippy with hidden icy patches!

I can barely stand up on the pavement outside my house today due to the ice and will be on some back roads tomorrow that I expect not to be gritted, ie lots of ice. I'm still apprehensive..the spikes on them are tiny!😮 do these things really work or am I going to have to totally alter my riding style and be ultra careful so as not to fall on my ass?

I appreciate (before anyone points it out) that I don't have any spikes on my trainers when walking down the pavement, but nor am I going at 20mph with potentially cars behind me..

yes they really do work.