which tyres for the wet and slippy routes

[bristol-dave]

Hi folks, could do with some advice about tyres. Monday morning, hit the gym, left for work 9 1/2 miles away. Went across a flagstonned square, did a very soft right turn , and bang, the back went from under me . I wasn't going at speed cos of all the people toing and froing to work . Just embarressed but unhurt . At present i have specialized all condition 700 x 28 , a mate at work i was chatting to, had a similar incident using sport contacts , his skid was on fallen wet leaves.

So i know find myself riding very carefully, and worried when cycling in the wet over cobbles, wet leaves and flagstones, and at this time of year i cant avoid them on my route.

question is im thinking of getting winter tyres, and i want grip but dont want the tyres too slow me down too much, also should i stick to 28's or should i go upto 32 or more ?

 

[ianrauk]

cycling in the wet over cobbles, wet leaves and flagstones?
Not many tyres will give you much grip with those conditions.


It's best that you just take it easy and a little slower.
Wet leaves especially are a nightmare.

 

[ColinJ]

Wet leaves especially are a nightmare.

Indeed! I fell from my MTB on wet leaves and I had huge grippy knobbly tyres on that.

A former colleague broke his pelvis on a fall on wet leaves, and he wasn't even riding his bike - he was walking it into Hebden Bridge station when he slipped.

 

[palinurus]

I like to use puncture-resistant tyres - Specialized all condition 28s currently, very effective- in the winter when the roads are more likely to be wet, partly because punctures are more frequent when it's wet (for some reason I don't completely understand- perhaps stuff is more likely to adhere to the tyre and get worked in or perhaps the water sort of lubricates the puncture-causing stuff helping it to penetrate the casing, maybe some combination of the two? like I say, I don't know)

Anyway, those sort of tyres tend to be less compliant and hence less grippy. The benefit is worth it though, I just ride slower and take it easy when there's leaf-mush and stuff on the road or other surfaces likely to be slippy.

Flagstones can be terrible when wet too, some of them are pretty shiny.

 

[palinurus]

Running them a little softer can help though. I used to run at 100 pounds all the time. I don't weigh that much, I generally keep about 75-80 in the front and about 80-85 in the rear now.

 

[Andrew_P]

My old Tyres (originals fitted to a Roubaix Comp) were great always felt pretty secure, which could have been naivety they lasted 2800 miles relaced them with Spec Roubaix Pro and they are really skittish and I too feel strangely nervey on them. Not sure if they need 500+ running in, even managed to wheelsping them at first pulling away out the saddle in the wet.

I only got them as they are 25 casing and 23 contact, the sides have a bit of tred which I though would be helpful!

So I too will be looking around for something else!

 

[ianrauk]

I like to use puncture-resistant tyres - Specialized all condition 28s currently, very effective- in the winter when the roads are more likely to be wet, partly because punctures are more frequent when it's wet (for some reason I don't completely understand- perhaps stuff is more likely to adhere to the tyre and get worked in or perhaps the water sort of lubricates the puncture-causing stuff helping it to penetrate the casing, maybe some combination of the two? like I say, I don't know)

Anyway, those sort of tyres tend to be less compliant and hence less grippy. The benefit is worth it though, I just ride slower and take it easy when there's leaf-mush and stuff on the road or other surfaces likely to be slippy.

Flagstones can be terrible when wet too, some of them are pretty shiny.

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