Ice spike tyres

[Moby Jones]

I noticed the weather forecast this week is not looking too good, -2 in the mornings. I have a set of ice spike tyres on stand by. When do you guys use them on your bikes, what weather conditions dictate when you put them on the bike?
It looks like it will be a heavy frost tomorrow morning, does this warrant the spiked tyres?

 

[fossyant]

I put my tyres on the mtb so just grab that when the temps drop below zero. I don't take chances these days with ice.

 

[HovR]

At the start of winter a fresh pair of wide chunky tires went on the MTB, ready for use in icy conditions, although I've only had to use the bike once since then - Quite a mild winter down here.

I guess it's easy if you have a spare bike - Otherwise maybe you could invest in a cheap front wheel for one of the spike tires so you can at least easily change over the most important wheel to have traction on.

 

[BSRU]

Any forecast or chance of ice is enough for me to swap wheels and put the spikes on, I do not see the point of taking the extra risk.
Looks like they will be on all this week .

 

[moon_monkey]

I put mine on in mid December, when it looked like it was going to be getting cold. Then the temperature went up about 5 degrees
Haven't taken them off since.
They're pretty noisy, and the rolling resistance is noticeably greater which makes for a good workout.

 

[BSRU]

makes for a good workout.

That's an understatement and a half

 

[Gez73]

I bought a pair this week and will probably put them on as soon as I can. You can always head for the upper range on the pressure and just drop it when you need more traction. I got Schwalbe Snow tyres with the studs on the edges only so I can avoid the noise and resistance by adjusting the pressure. The sidewall has two ranges for that very purpose. Already went over on ice a few weeks ago so not risking it. Gez

 

[Red Light]

If you have the carbide tip ones (Schwalbe, Nokian) you can fit them at the beginning of winter and leave them on. They make a funny noise on the road - a crackling sound on rough surfaces and a bit like the corona discharge sound you get on electricity pylons on smooth roads that has everyone looking. But they should last no problem. I'm only going to put them on when it gets icy though.

 

[Theseus]

I put a pair on the No.3 bike back at the start of October in anticipation of a repeat of last year. I doubt that they will get used now, but if I take them off it will trigger the next ice age.

 

[fossyant]

Time for the tyres this morning. Main roads looked fine, but no chances. 50% road/50% off road route today.

 

[Herzog]

Time for the tyres this morning. Main roads looked fine, but no chances. 50% road/50% off road route today.

Pretty much the same here. The main roads can be ridden with normal profile 23's, but venture off and snow tyres are necessary. I view riding with winter tyres as solid winter training for the coming season.

 

[Moby Jones]

Used the Schwalbe marathon winter tyres this morning. They are a bit noisy but you soon get used to it. They do take a bit of getting used to and require a bit more effort. It wasnt really bad this morning, so i may go back to my marathon plus tyres tonight.

 

[fossyant]

The only issue I had was my rear canti's froze on the off road section. Soon de-frosted once sat at a set of traffic lights. Time for bike to live in the hall way overnight rather than a cold garage for a few days.

 

[potsy]

The only issue I had was my rear canti's froze on the off road section. Soon de-frosted once sat at a set of traffic lights. Time for bike to live in the hall way overnight rather than a cold garage for a few days.

I have decided to use the CX bike today, hope my decision is wise, need to get the spike bike ready just in case though.
How was the trail Foss? Might make a detour down there on the way in if it's not too icy.

 

[fossyant]

Not icy and quite dry (which makes a big difference as the mud is like concrete).