Winter riding .... winter tyres and coping with frost. Advice please

[Kbrook]

Hi, relatively new to this and this will be my first winter on a road bike. Went out for a ride earlier and within a mile whilst on a gentle climb the bike skidded twice.Not sure whether it was at the front or back but it was scary. That put me off for the rest of the ride. Some questions
How do you guys manage frosty condition?
Do you have specific winter tyres, do they help. Mine are pretty much slicks?
Is it worth getting a cheap winter bike, really worried about smashing mine up on ice, but then again dont want a big heavy thing thats awful to ride, as I will end up not using it.

thanks in advance

 

[SpokeyDokey]

No idea what the best tyres are for cold weather grip. I'd like to know too.

 

[jazzkat]

I used to ride whatever the weather and I used to go out first thing in the morning often before daybreak, usually on a heavy tourer or a mountain bike.
How I managed all those years without hurting myself is amazing. Last year I fell off and broke my collar bone badly. My advice now is avoid the frosty mornings, wait 'til its warmed up a bit and/or buy a turbo trainer
Others will be along to tell you about winter tyres.

 

[Dusty Bin]

Other than studded ice tyres (which you don't want to be riding unless there is a proper covering of snow/ice on the ground), then there isn't a tyre on the planet which will grip on an icy surface. Tread (or lack of it) makes no difference whatsoever. Contact patch and rubber quality are the keys to grip on most road surfaces. Letting a few psi out of your tyres on a frosty morning will increase the contact patch and give you a better chance of staying upright or not slipping.

 

[Kbrook]

Thanks for the replies so far, Ive noticed tyres being refered to as winter tyres, apart from getting my money, what is the point of them? Is it just extra reinforcement as opposed to extra grip. I noticed other braver souls than me whizzing along on the flat and downhill, figured they must have some secret grip formula, maybe they are just younger, bounce better and are a lot braver.

 

[ayceejay]

I think wider tyres might help as will what the tyres are made from (more rubber more expensive) rather than the tread per se. Also if the skidding only happens on hills you may need to redistribute your weight differently and avoid sudden changes in speed.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Marathon Winters for the ice, minimum width though is 35mm, so no good for a road bike. They are also fine in the dry, just noisy, but you do need to be careful going over drain covers

 

[User6179]

Winter tyres tend to have more puncture protection and are made of a more durable rubber , the ironic thing about winter tyres is that they usually have less grip than a typical summer/race tyre.

 

[boydj]

Stick to main roads when it's frosty.

 

[biggs682]

Stick to main roads when it's frosty.

or turbo trainer but then you cant commute on a turbo trainer

 

[Kies]

Slightly wider all terain tyres will help, maybe 25c or if you have the clearance 28c (not likely on a road bike). Go a lot easier when it's cold, and don't lean into bends. Ultimately try and wait until it's safe

 

[Moodyman]

Ride slower in winter. Lower your air pressure slightly if you're used to riding at max PSI. Fit wider tyres if you can.

If you're not sure whether something is merely damp or icy, then treat as icy and make no sharp turns or braking. Allow the bike to ride through in a straight line.

 

[Kbrook]

Thanks everyone reassuring to know its not just me being a wimp. Sounds like all the whizzers I saw out and about are probably trusting to luck.

 

[Origamist]

If you have clearance on your bike it's worth getting studded tyres. I have 700 x 30 Schwalbe Winter tyres and only use them maybe 15-20 times a year. They are heavy, feel like you're riding through treacle and they make a racket. However, I have not hit the deck when it's icy (touch wood). If the conditions are really bad - frozen, deep rutted snow, I don't bother cycling as even more rugged and wider studded tyres struggle IME.

When I was younger, my cycling precautions when confronted with an icy morning consisted of slowing down, extra layers of clothing and volleyball knee pads....!

 

[tincaman]

Bigger tyres,
Grippier compound,
Slicks
Lower pressures
Slower riding