Winter Tyres for commuting

[tommobot]

Been commuting a couple of days a week so far this year and want to continue through the winter.

I'm currently on a e-bike MTB with slick road tyres.

My commute is on one deadly road where the gritters refuse to go, and a couple of years ago commuting on a road bike I slipped off as the bike simply came out from under me..

Looking for suggestions on tyres please for over the winter / frosty / icy months, wondering if spiked tyres are probably too much but I would imagine the slick road tyres won't offer much grip, if any in the conditons.

Suggestions welcomed please

[budgie smuggler]

How far are you going and how icy is it ? Also what size wheels are you on?

If it's really slick sheet ice I'd take something like the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro, otherwise if it's icy but not too slick then Scwhalbe Marathon Winter Plus.

[tommobot]

Its about a 13mile commute, but with about 5miles of it being untreated, and 1 mile being utterly lethal.

I remember cycling it previously on the road bike in winter and for the most part it was OK, except for the 1 mile stretch of doom.

I'll have to check and have a look at the tyre sizes..

[thiscocks]

Used these on my gravel bike a while back and although a fair bit slower than a regular road tyre seemed decent: https://www.continental-tires.com/products/b2c/bic...

Even those though I wouldn't have thought would give you much hope on sheet ice. Best to find an off road route if possible for any really icy bits or dont ride when its icy!

[outnumbered]

The amount of tread won't help at all if you're on ice. Personally I would just leave the bike at home and use some other transport when it's cold enough to be icy on the road. It's not worth a broken hip...

[BOR]

You have about three options:

• Fully spiked - Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro for example. I've used these and they really are very good even on sheet ice. Disadvantages - bit heavier, bit slower, bit noisier and tend to shed the spikes.

Could be a good option on a heavy e-bike.

• Small number of spikes. There are various versions with just a few spikes centrally on the tyre. I haven't used these, but could be a good compromise.

• Spikeless winter tyres - I use these now, possibly the Continental linked up thread. Obviously not quite as good on ice as the Ice Spiker Pros, but the winter rubber compound provides a lot of grip even on ice and snow. Disadvantages - Slightly slower but not by much.

If you've already been caught out on ice, then you already know winter tyres are a must-have for commuting.

[bigdom]

tommobot said:

Its about a 13mile commute, but with about 5miles of it being untreated, and 1 mile being utterly lethal.

I remember cycling it previously on the road bike in winter and for the most part it was OK, except for the 1 mile stretch of doom.

I'll have to check and have a look at the tyre sizes..

Utterly lethal is always going to be an issue, given the rest of the commute. I'd be looking for some thigh protection, easy to do a wrist too. Or maybe a set of these - https://www.roodog.co.uk/product/adult-stabilisers... ;-)

I've used Panaracer for winter commuting and found them very good, however there are some days when only 4 wheels will do.

[jamm13dodger]

Is there an alternative route? Adding an extra bit of distance might be a better idea if it means avoiding that section.

[zax]

I'm riding on spikes here in the winter (Finland) and even with those there are certain scenarios where I'll detour or get off and walk - wet slick ice on off-camber turn or those places where rutted melting snow has refrozen into a slick, wet lunar surface. In your case I would probably opt for some decent non-spiked winter tyres for the winter months if it's generally frosty and slippery (the Continental's mentioned perhaps) and try to avoid the more lethal stretches if you can.

[Barchettaman]

Change your route if possible or just leave the e bike at home if it’s full-on icy.

The best winter bike tyres won’t help on ice.

I have full studded tyres for snow and ice here in Frankfurt but in 12 years I’ve only used them a few times.

[Mars]

I bought a set of Conti Top Contact winters for my 26" MTB-converted "tourer" and they were an incredible improvement over riding on Mountain Kings - absolutely night and day improvement. Where before I felt I was about to fall off when riding on snow, slush and ice, they gave me back my confidence. I wouldn't trust them (or any tyres) to lean over on corners but at least I could ride in a straight line with confidence.

[oddman]

Change your route. If you're on an ebike a few extra kms is de nada

Winter rubber as suggested above a good idea.

[jshell]

In Norway I used Schwalbe spiked touring tyres for a 15km each way commute. Brilliant on black ice, with never a mooments drama! Fairly low resistance but heavy road tyres.

[stargazer30]

In coming curve ball…. if it’s a ebike being used in sub zero temps. Make sure your battery is not freezing cold when you put it on charge. It’ll get warm from use so best charge it as soon as you get home if it’s being stored in an outbuilding or the like.