Opinion on tyres for winter

[mjr]

Not that they are much use on road bikes as they on as 700x37 is the narrowest size

Depends on the road bike. 26x1⅜" is 37 wide. 27x1¼" is 32 wide and you can sometimes fit 37s in the frame - if you can find them any more. I don't really understand why more newer road bikes aren't a bit more relaxed about the clearances. Maybe racers won't like them, but it'd help a lot more people through the winter.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I managed the last two winter on 700x23c Gatorskin tyres with mudguards.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

"The compound is adapted to work in colder temperatures and so this tyre will keep you going when other riders are spinning their wheels."

Not that they are much use on road bikes as they on as 700x37 is the narrowest size.

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti topcontactwinter.shtml

Awful lot of needless tread on those which = less rubber on the road.

Bold claim from continental

 

[mjr]

Awful lot of needless tread on those which = less rubber on the road.

Bites through mud/rotten leaves quicker, doesn't it?

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Bites through mud/rotten leaves quicker, doesn't it?

I dont normally do any of my winter riding on the road, in mud

 

[KneesUp]

I managed the last two winter on 700x23c Gatorskin tyres with mudguards.

The last two winters have been fairly mild though - not that I've ever bothered changing tyres. As a kid I used to swap my road bike for my brothers mountain bike (which he never used) if there was snow on the ground. I guess I'll take the same approach now that I've started cycling again: just swap from my road-ish bike to my MTB if it gets bad.

 

[User6179]

"The compound is adapted to work in colder temperatures and so this tyre will keep you going when other riders are spinning their wheels."

Not that they are much use on road bikes as they on as 700x37 is the narrowest size.

http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/ti topcontactwinter.shtml

Conti are great at marketing

 

[Nigelnaturist]

The last two winters have been fairly mild though - not that I've ever bothered changing tyres. As a kid I used to swap my road bike for my brothers mountain bike (which he never used) if there was snow on the ground. I guess I'll take the same approach now that I've started cycling again: just swap from my road-ish bike to my MTB if it gets bad.

Last one was, I think you might find that snow laid here from Jan-April in the winter of 2012-13, one of the worst I remember in recent years and the one previous to that hadn't been none to mild.

Could even pull out the temps of my rides if you want a comparison, coldest I remember in 2012-13 was about -5C, last year 0.8C

 

[KneesUp]

Last one was, I think you might find that snow laid here from Jan-April in the winter of 2012-13, one of the worst I remember in recent years and the one previous to that hadn't been none to mild.
View attachment 60100 View attachment 60101
Could even pull out the temps of my rides if you want a comparison, coldest I remember in 2012-13 was about -5C, last year 0.8C

Just shows how good my memory is! I thought we'd had two mild ones since the bad one.

I always put winter tyres on my car, but there is rather more kinetic energy to consider with a car than a bike, and if I can't get traction on my bike to get up the hill that is our road, I can easily push it. It's not so easy with 1300kg of car!

 

[San Marco]

So ..... Any opinion on the Continental Grand Sport Race tyres??
Genesis are fitting them to many of their 2015 models.

 

[pawl]

No I'm saying that with the exception of spiked/studded tyres there really is no such thing as a winter tyre for a bicycle. There is nothing special about a tyre that means it can only be used in "winter" and that will render it useless in July

I ride Michelin Pro Endurance all year round,as others have indicated the only tyre that is going to grip on ice is a spiked tyre.

 

[Globalti]

You could do worse than to buy a pair of the very excellent Veloflex Open Corsa tyres from Ribble for £52, these have a fine cross-hatched tread and are unbelievebly grippy in the wet. The carcass has a tpi of 320 so they ride like a tubular. They have improved my confidence by 100% and I will never go back to another tyre.

 

[loother]

I have used conti sport contact 28mm on my caadx for last two years, with no problems. I have a spare set of wheels with CX tyres on that will be soon fitted with studded tyres. I will then be able to have a safer commute in icy conditions.