Winter tyre query

[FlatCapCyclist]

Having moved to the Bristol area over christmas I started my daily commute with brand new studded tyres (schwalbe marathons) so I was ready for any ice. Thing is, I was getting a rear puncture around every 7-10 days, never found anything sticking through but the dead inner tubes had circular marks which seemed to match the studs in position but were maybe 6 or 7mm dia & the couple I checked were leaking from there. I took them off at the end of Feb, I think I only needed them for 2 actual days but my inner boy scout was insisting I was prepared, just in case.

Now I do approx 15 miles/day along the Bristol-Bath bike path & whilst lovely, there are quite a lot of tree roots just beneath the tarmac in places, leading to some nasty little ridges - I'm wondering if going over these plus my weight pressed the studs back into the tube(s)? Any thoughts gratefully received

 

[mjr]

It sounds a bit like pinch flats. What tyre width, what tyre pressure and can you see a recommendation on http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/BQTireDrop.pdf for comparison? (Maybe not if they're wide tyres.)

I can appreciate the over-caution. Better to ride ice tyres for 20 days where you don't need them than ride without for one day when you did...

 

[FlatCapCyclist]

Thanks for the reply, they're just standard hybrids tho', 700c x 35, I put them to the max the tyre said, 85psig IIRC. The new ones are normal (unstudded) Marathons - no problems since swapping.

Was thinking for next winter of a new pair of wheels & swap only on icy days, as well as replace the back tyre in case I was unlucky & got a dodgy one

 

[mjr]

85psi in 35mm-wide tyres should be more than enough for most typical loads. Very strange. I await to see what other users think, as I've not heard of this problem before.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I commute on Marathon winters. My pair is now 5 winters old, for at least 3 of them they were used constantly from November to March. Never had a puncture on them, on potholed roads, parks and shared paths.
I seem to remember that someone else on here had your same problem, it turned out to be faulty/incorrectly seated rim tape causing the punctures, not the tyre's studs.

 

[e-rider]

Having moved to the Bristol area over christmas I started my daily commute with brand new studded tyres (schwalbe marathons) so I was ready for any ice. Thing is, I was getting a rear puncture around every 7-10 days, never found anything sticking through but the dead inner tubes had circular marks which seemed to match the studs in position but were maybe 6 or 7mm dia & the couple I checked were leaking from there. I took them off at the end of Feb, I think I only needed them for 2 actual days but my inner boy scout was insisting I was prepared, just in case.

Now I do approx 15 miles/day along the Bristol-Bath bike path & whilst lovely, there are quite a lot of tree roots just beneath the tarmac in places, leading to some nasty little ridges - I'm wondering if going over these plus my weight pressed the studs back into the tube(s)? Any thoughts gratefully received

studded tyres don't work well when there is no ice and snow

 

[summerdays]

I used my studded tyres ... (can't remember is they are winters or snow studs), on the cycle path this winter and probably the last 4 winters and I'm yet to have a single puncture on them, not daily as I have an alternative bike but certainly used on days when I thought frost was possible or when the other one was out of action.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

studded tyres don't work well when there is no ice and snow

They take you to work and back home like any other tyre.
Some folk on here have done 100 miles on them @Rickshaw Phil and I think @Supersuperleeds
I use the ice bike often when ice is a possibility after work, or when it's icy early morning.
We can have 4 seasons in a day here: once I rode to work in sunshine, finished 12 hours later there was thin ice allover the road. I did not have the ice bike

 

[e-rider]

They take you to work and back home like any other tyre.
Some folk on here have done 100 miles on them @Rickshaw Phil and I think @Supersuperleeds
I use the ice bike often when ice is a possibility after work, or when it's icy early morning.
We can have 4 seasons in a day here: once I rode to work in sunshine, finished 12 hours later there was thin ice allover the road. I did not have the ice bike

well, I have used the schwalbe marathon winter ttyres, and I can confirm that they are crap on normal roads - yes they work very well in snow and ice, and are tolerable on normal roads but the OP said 2 days in an entire winter season - sorry but change the tyres!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

well, I have used the schwalbe marathon winter ttyres, and I can confirm that they are crap on normal roads - yes they work very well in snow and ice, and are tolerable on normal roads but the OP said 2 days in an entire winter season - sorry but change the tyres!

I've done 1000s of miles on normal roads on mine, you just need to make sure they are fully pumped up and that you bedded them in.

 

[MichaelW2]

If you really want to be prepared, use your winter tyres on a spare set of wheels. They don't work as well as normal tyres in normal conditions and you are wearing them out.
I have some home made studded tyres and I have glued a patch of inner tube over every screw head; tedious but neccessary with screws.