Just added 2 Marathon Winters...

[potsy]

..to my Wiggle basket, you can now rest easy in the knowledge of a really mild winter to come

Have been debating since last Autumn about buying a set of these, is it really worth it?
What are they like to ride in on a normal winters day with no ice?
Am thinking of putting them on at the first signs of ice and leaving them on until the Spring.

 

[potsy]

ps- £41 at CRC and £33.43 at Wiggle.
Use voucher code EXT10-WHE for another 10% off

 

[coffeejo]

I thought you were being Old Skool about snickers and was about to (a) demand to know how you managed to buy chocolately goodness from wiggle and (b) tell you off for being smug on the tea? thread yesterday

 

[potsy]

Jo, you know I am far too disciplined to let temptation like Snickers (or Marathons for you oldies), knock me from the good path 'diet'

Hoping now that my mudguards are wide enough to cope with 35mm tyres They do look a bit too wide with the 28's fitted so am hoping they will be OK.

 

[Saundie]

I did the same thing myself a couple of weeks ago, but decided against it in the end. I had intended on buying some 26" ones and leaving them on my Carerra Subway, so that I wouldn't have to spend time swapping the tyres over when it eventually does snow. Fortunately I've broken the rear hub on the Subway, so that idea has gone out the window - at least for this year

From what I've read, you'd probably want to remove the mudguards if you're going to use them in the snow. Apparently the tread is good at grabbing up compacted snow, so if you have limited clearances it may end up jamming up against the mudguards.

 

[potsy]

I'm hoping there is plenty of clearance as they are 50mm guards and 35mm tyres.
Will be putting them on at the 1st sign of ice and leaving them on, will use the summer bike on any days/weeks when the weather looks OK.

Think the 1st ride will be 'interesting' though, can't even imagine being on a bike in some of the conditions we got last winter

 

[MacB]

Think the 1st ride will be 'interesting' though, can't even imagine being on a bike in some of the conditions we got last winter

icier the better for the studs, especially if you want to cycle past cars that can't make it

Deeper snow then it's up to you, probably as quick pushing it, but it gets really fun when the hard compacted snow/ice starts to melt, slip sliding everywhere. Not gone down yet but the hearts been in the mouth a couple of times.

 

[potsy]

I think we need a guide on cycling on ice/snow Mac, would an offroad/side of river route be better or stick to the roads?

Anyway it's still 'Summer' stop talking about winter

 

[barnesy]

Id guess you would be okay keeping them on all winter, pump them to full pressure on non icy days and take some air out for the icy days to help the studs grab better

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Picked up mine from lbs today, I ordered them in July. I'm surprised at how sharp they are

 

[Holdsworth]

I have been in two minds whether or not to get a set for this winter. My commute is mostly down un-gritted country lanes so they may come in handy. I hope that if I do get them that my mudguards will have enough clearance, they take the 32c Continental Sport Contacts alright so a step up to 35c should be too much trouble, right?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

If u need spikes then u don't need guards...the water will be frozen

 

[phantasmagoriana]

Id guess you would be okay keeping them on all winter, pump them to full pressure on non icy days and take some air out for the icy days to help the studs grab better

That's what I did with my Snow Studs last year - they were on from late November to late January. They're a bit slow on non-icy roads and I'm sure this was overkill, but at least it meant that when I changed back to my 32mm Marathons in January they felt positively speedy!

Riding on studded tyres is pretty weird though - I found it rather unnerving being able to cycle on roads that I probably wouldn't have been able to walk on as they were completely iced over (and then realising I'd have to put a foot down at the traffic lights...). I had a bit of a death grip on the handlebars most of the time!

 

[mcshroom]

If u need spikes then u don't need guards...the water will be frozen

Tried that - works fine on the back roads, but then you reach a gritted road and get covered in brown, salty sludge

I got studded tyres last winter (I went for snow studs which are like CX tyres, so I was ok for snow and ice) and they really make a difference on ice. On the road they drag a bit and are noisy but the studs are carbide so they should outlast the rubber, I rode on them for about 3 months and didn't lose a single spoke.

Do remember to steer rather than leaning too much when using them though