Tyres on icy roads

[Schornsteinfeger]

Can anyone recommend all purpose winter tyres for my Raven Sport Tour?
Yesterday morning, rain on cold ground produced astonishingly slippery road surfaces; after falling off & sliding about 5 yards I had difficulty even standing up. I wonder whether any tyres could perform adequately in such conditions and also be useable on wet or dry roads.
The present tyres are the Paracelser supplied as standard by Thorn. They seem to ride and wear well in wet & dry and, using Mr Tuffy's kevlar strips between tyre & tube they resist punctures quite well, but they are not much good off road or on ice.
Would anyone have any suggestions?

[DavidH]

Living in Dorset, I have little use for these, so have no direct experience (even if the heaths are a bit of a frost pocket). But for off road vehicles, ice tyres need to have metal studs on them - or alternatively put snow chains on. The only thing I found on google was this link. Don't know of a supplier in the UK. Knobbly tyres are not likely to be much better gripping than slicks on smooth ice. Don't know whether you can get snow chains for bikes - these would be likely to be less hassle than changing tyres everytime there's a frost. In Dorset, the frost would have melted in the time it takes to change a tyre.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

[stutho]

I also don't have any experience of studded tyres but I believe Magnus Thor, a list member, from Iceland does - try PMing him or search for his posts.  He is running a set of Nokian studded tires.

Stuart

[freddered]

I don't think you can go far wrong with Schwalbe Marathon.  Just choose your size and the amount of protection you need.

I use their basic £14 26x1.5".  They have considerably more tread depth than Panaracer (Hi-Road or Pasela) and , in my opinion, are built much stronger. I think they are quicker than my old Hi-Roads becasue they take high-pressures better (no sidewall cracks).

Wouldn't off-road them in the wet but perfectly suitable for dry-tracks.  On ice I don't really trust any tyre but I'm sure they are no worse that a Panaracer.

[geocycle]

I agree with the last post.  That said, this guy on a raven tour has managed to get through France and the Pyrennes on Panaracers in some pretty icy conditions last month.  He's now heading through Morocco.  It's a good read!

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=rzyi&doc_id=3134&v=TI

[jags]

do not ride schwalbe marathon's on icey road's please .i dont think there were designed for that purpose i went out last week on them  on icey roads big mistake i now have a broken collarbone ,brused ribs and neck. if its icey stay inside read cycling mag's.

[Fred A-M]

Jags, all very subjective methinks: I've ridden Schwalbes exclusively with the exception of the Panracers that I inherited with my RST (and which didn't last that long), and not had one fall bar one attributable to relative lack of experience with SPDs as documented elsewhere on this site.

[jags]

fred a-m, i should have said  dont ride any tyre on ice you will fall.belive me it's just not worth it,i really dont know what i was thinking of going out in icey condition's  ,now im going to be laid up for the next couple month's, ice and bicycle tyres dont mix.

[john28july]

Jags,
I went out for my first ride since my fall , yesterday. Not got any broken bones (like you) but it was still painful and a little nerve wracking. Still it got the Club Tour cleaned up, the roads were awash with loads of water following the deluges we have had. Keep your chin up.
John.
www.pbase.com/john28july

[freddered]

fred a-m, i should have said  dont ride any tyre on ice you will fall.belive me it's just not worth it,i really dont know what i was thinking of going out in icey condition's  ,now im going to be laid up for the next couple month's, ice and bicycle tyres dont mix.

On ice I don't really trust any tyre but I'm sure they are no worse that a Panaracer.

Sorry to hear about your accident Jags.

Get well soon

[Fred A-M]

Indeed, get well soon Jags!  Until recently, I've been a bit fairweather when it comes to my cycling, apart from my daily commute, which might explain to some degree why I've never come a cropper due to weather conditions.  Generally, I only like to go out when the sun is shining, a mentality I'm in the midst of revising however!  The Schwalbe Marathons do strike me as good as anything for general all-weather use though.

[jags]

thank's lad's for the good wishes ,would you belive i cant wait to get back on the bike we are all bike addicts,but it's going to be a while before that happen's .
this time or year can be dangerous to ride what with icey roads bad light so be careful ok thats enough moaning for now ,thanks all

[paulhipwood]

Hi All

I am currently working in Switzerland (since October). I am commuting most days on very quiet roads and paths.
I have a Raven Sports tour with Marathon supergaurds on.
During the week I ride to work at 6:30 in the dark and can hear the whoosh of the tyres going over frost; but it does not seem to be a problem
On a Saturday I go in later when it is light and sometimes have to ride fairly gingerly because of the conditions.

So my advise is to ride in the dark!!!!!!!!
Its been as low as -9 degC

paul

[Magnus]

For winter riding around here all of us run studded tyres.  For the last two years I have been running Nokian Extreme 296 and those have stood up quite well.  Off course, they, lika all studded tyres, are heavier than hell but when the weather alternates between hub-deep snow and rutted ice you really need them.  The downside is that they aren't really good on clear tarmac and tend to wear quickly if you ride them off the ice.  It's really worthwhile to have a second bike or another set of wheels with standard tyres to use on those days.
What you want to look for is aggressive tread - if it snows - and studs that extend onto the sides of the tread so you'll have traction when leaning into turns and when getting out of ruts.  You also have to be careful when braking; use the rear brake more, since it's so much easier to lock your wheel when braking on the ice.  And if you lock your front wheel you'll probably go down but locking the rear wheel only makes you skid a bit.

Hope that helps.

Magnus Thor
Iceland

[Schornsteinfeger]

Here's an late answer to my own question.
The Marathon Winter 26*1.75 that I fitted to my RST a couple of weeks ago are excellent. The 40 km running-in period sounded and felt like towing a croskill roller. Since then, the tyres have proved quick, comfortable and give a surprisingly good grip on wet or dry tarmac. I have only used them for three days in light snow and ice, but have found them to give a firm grip starting, stopping, cornering and in between. An additional benefit is the increased confidence which enables me to admire the snowy nocturnal landscape instead of anxiously watching for black ice and frozen lumps on the road ahead.
The only drawback so far encountered while using these tyres is the obligation to remove the mudguards, to give clearance and of course to bedraggle the rider with slush.