Looking at making the bike a bit more usable than last year. Couple of options but can’t decide on best but can’t afford both

Either get some 26 x 3.0 beasts of tyres and run them in my karate monkey on 28mm mavic 26″rims. Should fit give a big foot print and run at a low pressure bad point they will be heavy and will only fit that bike

Or fit some 700cc ice spikes they are 38mm and will fit my karate monkey and crosscheck so handy but they seem like pretty normal tyres with spikes on side if I slip, which I will .

I presume big tyre good for snow ice spikes for ice but if I had to go for one set up which would be the better for the coming season. Mainly for offroad but will be on road on sections. But a lot of the trails last year were snow with a hard layer of ice on 🙁

Hope that makes some sense . Cheers

Or stick with 29er wheels and use WTB Weirwolf 2.55 29er Tyres ?

For my 29er bike, I’ve got some Mountain Kings 2.4 which look like they will do the job if run low pressure without being so out and out massive as those wirewolf’s.

Since firestarter mentioned it I do like the look of some studded 700cc tyres (I have a commuter bike with 700cc wheels)

has anyone used them? Do they work on black ice?

mick, just bought some michalin tyres off crc. £7 a piece. 700c x 40
got some small screws ready and some duck tape too.

Worth a thought tony 😉

I just bought some WTB Weirwolf 2.55 29er Tyres so will hopefully get to try them out in the snow (when it arrives).

in snow i found thin tires to be better than fat tires tbh ….

on ice – spikes are the way forwards.

You want one of these on the front for snow Mick.

gurnytittylip by singlespeedstu, on Flickr

wide 26″ rims and some of these 3″ big boys would be tops as well (only £28.00 a tyre!!)

I hear they’re quite light too tazz…

ooooo about 18st a tyre I think, makes the larrys and endomorphs look positively svelte as well 😀

actually about 1600g a tyre 😯

actually about 1600g 1650g a tyre

😀

LOL it’s inverse weight weenism adding hefty things to bike breaks my mind

I do stu lol that’s why I was admiring your monkey.

Taz I was thinking of ordering those tyres actually they were the ones I xas looking at on unicycle.com.

I liked the idea of the snow spike rather than the ice with more studs but can’t find one in 700cc

I’m toying with idea of making a winter 96er with a carbon fork and one of those in the front on an old carver frame and a narrower stud on the back

Stu, a q on that front tyre.. i ask ‘cos Jeff’s bikes / ideas appeal to me and i rode one recently and really liked it. is that tyre an admission that certain things need more squish than a ‘soft-ride’ frame like that provides, does it make life without shocks easier? i’ve never ridden a fat tyre but the idea doesn’t appeal; weight, lack of any control on the bounce etc, but riding a jones makes you question a lot of things 🙂 so i’m interested now.

BTW those Alex rims are available direct from a European contact if anyone’s after one.

well i think ive found some nokian 3.0 to try but cant decide on those or going for the conti 28 1.6 nordic spike 240 as the ww 2.55 coped very well in the snow today. started off at 20psi and dropped to about 15psi on the back and about 10psi up front and it was much better. im just not sure how much a 3.0 26er tyre will improve the snow grip.

i was fine from compacted snow up to about 4/5 inch but owt over 6 and i was stuffed. also slid on ice but i expected that. the bike also stands up by itself in snow , which is nice 😉

pardon the crappy pic but it was getting dark

Teases Mick again. 😛

2010_1203snowride0032 by singlespeedstu, on Flickr

Just ordered a Mukluk too. Should be here in just over a week. 😀

cheers stu 😉 i was looking at those the other day (well i was before my laptop decided it didnt like the salsa site.

i must say i was impressed with the ww 2.55 today but im sure a 4″ would have been better in the 6″ plus bits , at least i had my walking boots on lol

what sort of pressure you running on the rear of that mate

Here’s mine

Very sure footed on on compacted snow and ice – no skidding at all. Not so good in foot deep powder snow.

SSstu – is that an Aluminum loop bar I see there? – How are you enjoying your fatty? 🙂

It’s all melting fast now anyways.

Yep ally loop bar fresh from Biff. Soon to be replace with the Ti version.

Realy liking the fat thing. The Larry seems to work on all sorts of ground.

It’s all melting fast now anyways.

We’ve just had a bit more.

Going to be 9deg down south tomorrow 🙂

The Larry is ace, so much better than the Endo. I hardly ever put my skinny front wheel on, though is does make a nice change now and then.

futon river crossing – Member
Going to be 9deg down south tomorrow

We had days in summer that barely reached that.

Stu, if you want to unload that alloy loop bar when your Ti ones turn up let me know.

Stuart

Stand in line for fat stuff 😉

You can have the silly bar tho 😉