um, zip ties on tires ... is this a thing?
i know, i know ... i keep saying it. i'm new to riding - but i've never even seen anything like this. i will go outside right now and outfit my bike if you all tell me it's safe.
or even mostly safe. or even safe adjacent.
if you tell me it's not safe at all or not a thing or doesn't work ... how necessary is it to get snow tires? can i get snow tires on 20" wheels (i think that's they're size ... it's a foldie)? i'm not going to be riding in severely inclement weather - yesterday the roads were mostly fine. but two feet of alley up to my door had me slipping and sliding and almost falling.
i would like to prevent falling, as a general rule.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by T.C. O'Rourke on
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The problems with studded tires, even good ones, is that riding them on clean pavement slows you down and wears/knocks out the studs. They are really only good for ice, or very packed/heavy snow where your tires aren't making contact with the road.
Historically, the city does a very good job of clearing & salting the streets. They tried to cut back in 2008 and the general public wouldn't stand for it (it WAS miserable). Mayoral elections have been lost over such things. Conditions where studded tires are useful: about 2% of the time, if even that.
So, I think it only makes sense to use studded tires if you are keeping them on a separate wheel set, which is an expense on top of the $150 for the tires themselves.
Anybody ever try riding with just a front studded tire? Seems like it would be 75% as good...
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Permalink Reply by Martin Hazard on
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A studded front tire may keep you from crashing in conditions where you hit a small patch of ice at moderate speeds. On solid ice over any distance, two studded tires are nesecary. If you hit ice at full speed, with any tires, good luck. All the studded tires I am aware of are also WORSE in most active snow conditions than slicks. I have used studded tires of various brands over several years. I can't recommend them unless you have at least a spare set of wheels, as T.C. recommends. I actually keep a beater bike with my studded tires for the 2? days a year they are warranted.
The tires are expensive, very slow, loud, and not of much benefit in Chicago. Unless you need to ride in alleys, or the sidewalk of your jackass neighbor who refuses to shovel (we all have them).
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Permalink Reply by J on
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I've experimented with the zip tie method and can report that it's very effective and costs less than a dollar. In fact, I raced the cyclocross state championships on a zip tied bike. http://picasaweb.google.com/velostati/December2010#5547014195539457906
As for studded tires, it's true that they're not ideal for some winter conditions. I personally would not even bother with the cheaper ones with non-carbide tips -- because they tend to break off right away.
If you do go with studded tires, remember that you will need to experiment with air pressure. Each tire profile is different and some (such as the Schwalbe Marathon Winter) are actually designed to work in various conditions depending on the pressure, which changes the contact patch. So when the conditions aren't that bad, you inflate to "normal" high pressures, which rounds out the tire and causes you to roll mainly on the (non-studded) center strip. When conditions are very bad and icy, you drop the pressure, flattening the contact patch, and engaging all or most of the studs.
For the curious, another DIY method is to use plain old screws and some old tires. It really does work.
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Oh yeah, brake pads! I guess you don't win races by riding the brakes...
J said:I've experimented with the zip tie method and can report that it's very effective and costs less than a dollar. In fact, I raced the cyclocross state championships on a zip tied bike. http://picasaweb.google.com/velostati/December2010#5547014195539457906
As for studded tires, it's true that they're not ideal for some winter conditions. I personally would not even bother with the cheaper ones with non-carbide tips -- because they tend to break off right away.
If you do go with studded tires, remember that you will need to experiment with air pressure. Each tire profile is different and some (such as the Schwalbe Marathon Winter) are actually designed to work in various conditions depending on the pressure, which changes the contact patch. So when the conditions aren't that bad, you inflate to "normal" high pressures, which rounds out the tire and causes you to roll mainly on the (non-studded) center strip. When conditions are very bad and icy, you drop the pressure, flattening the contact patch, and engaging all or most of the studs.
For the curious, another DIY method is to use plain old screws and some old tires. It really does work.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on
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Oh yeah, brake pads (+1)! I bet the bike would stop in a hurry if and when the caliper brakes were applied though.
T.C. O'Rourke said:Oh yeah, brake pads! I guess you don't win races by riding the brakes...
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Right. Obviously the setup is most practical on bikes with discs or coaster brakes, etc. The photo showed a special occasion configuration on a fixed gear cyclocross bike. The whole bike looked like this:
T.C. O'Rourke said:Oh yeah, brake pads! I guess you don't win races by riding the brakes...
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Permalink Reply by Michael A on
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what, no orange zip ties over at the TATI tent?
J said:Right. Obviously the setup is most practical on bikes with discs or coaster brakes, etc. The photo showed a special occasion configuration on a fixed gear cyclocross bike. The whole bike looked like this:
T.C. O'Rourke said:Oh yeah, brake pads! I guess you don't win races by riding the brakes...
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