Anybody change tyres in winter?

[Easytigers]

Hi there,
Have a Sirrus Elite Hybrid and currently running the tyres that came with it (Specialized All Condition 700x28c). Although they say 'All Condition' are they gonna be any good when things get icy? They're slicks and have a pretty non-existent tread. Do people change tyres in Winter?
If people do change then any advice??? Obviously I want reasonable protection against punctures, good grip and have to be reasonably cheap (could probably got to about £25 a tyre if they're really worth it).
Thanks,
Russ

 

[yello]

Yes, I change tyres for the winter. From Conti GP4000S to Conti 4 Season or Gatorskins. 4 Seasons aren't cheap (unless ProBikeKit are having a pairs sale), gatorskins can be found at reasonable prices from time to time.

Can't comment on your particular tyre but recommend you do a few searches for opinions. You'll invariably find a variety of opinion (tyres are something that divide) and so you could certainly do worse that ride the Spec 'All Condition' into the winter and form your own opinion.

 

[HLaB]

Extra tread won't do you any good in the ice (in fact you'll have less grip/ less tread in contact with the road) but a lot of people change to grippier compound tyres or tyres which they don't mind exposing to winter grit etc. I've never changed my self however, as I use to run 4 seasons throughout the year (they are pretty grippy tyres anyway) and I can't afford new tyres just now.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I use Conti Top Contact 700x32 all year round on the commuter, never be as good as a studded tyre on ice but they work OK for me.

 

[ianrauk]

I use Armadillo All Conditions on my commute bike all year round with no problem.

 

[martint235]

I used 4 seasons last winter but that was largely because my other tyres were Ultremo R1s which are allergic to damp. I found the 4 seasons to be a little disappointing given the price of them.

I'm currently running a Rubino front and a Zaffiro rear and I'm just going to see how they do. If they puncture a lot, I'll change them otherwise I'll just leave them on. If I have to change I may even consider Marathon+

 

[yello]

Lots of good mentions for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus, from my reading.

If I wasn't running 4 Seasons (and I may not next purchase because of the price), I'd do a bit of reading up on the Michelin range. There's one there, the Krylium 4???, that gets a good mention for a winter tyre... but I'd have to hit the search buttons again to confirm that.

Edit: it appears to be the Krylium Carbon road that I was thinking of

 

[barongreenback]

I use Armadillo All Conditions on my commute bike all year round with no problem.

Same here on my Sirrus. Fine in the wet and obviously anything short of studded tyres is going to be crap in vey icy conditions anyway.

 

[Tynan]

a tyre for ice is a very specific and specalised tyre

for wet and cold, any decent tyre good enough for commuting in summer should be fine in winter, they are some tyres not too good in the wet

 

[slowmotion]

Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres never let me down in winter on the hybrid. Never. Unfortunately they do not go thinner than 700x 25. That was commuting daily amongst the glass-strewn streets of The Smoke. Great tyres.

 

[threefingerjoe]

I do change tyres for winter, but only on icy or snowy days. I have Nokian Hekapalita W106 (studded) tyres mounted on an old wheelset that I can quickly change when I come outside in the morning and find that it is icy, or conditions are such that I could encounter blackice.