Winter Cycling - On paved roads, what's your ideal winter riding surface?

Assuming that these surfaces were in a position that puts you in your favorite position on the roadway, which would you choose? This is my first winter ice biking, so I've found myself confronted with a lot of new options on the roads. I would imagine that riding on ice or hardpacked snow would put less wear and tear on my expensive new tires, but would have somewhat reduced stopping power.

Somewhat reduced stopping power? Oh boy, you're in for a treat.

Virgin snow with a clear pavement underneath is a beautiful experience but hard to come by.

Winter biking here is great because you can cut across the lakes instead of going around them. I prefer ice over water.

Dry blacktop, of course!

I'd rather avoid any other surfaces if at all possible. I'm getting too old to enjoy falling.

Hardpack.

It's a bit slower than bare pavement, but it quiets the studs down and gets a bit of adrenaline going, so it seems faster.

Plus it feels more like some kind of actual winter sport.

Best to worst:
Blacktop
Ice
Smooth hardpack
Fresh snow
Slush
Rutted/rough hardpack

From a safety standpoint -- hardpack.

But for fun -- ice!

Lately though, I've been getting a lot of fresh snow over rutted hardpack. That's never fun.

dry pavement.
ice, snow and slush are tied
hard pack coming in last.
I don't care how much noise the studs make, dry pavement is safer for me and the cars to ride on.
if the snow and slush are sitting on pavement thats ok, I need a solid surface for my tires. My biggest difficulties last year were with the hard pack. It would break as I ride making it a lot more work. I normally ride on the shoulder but when the hard pack gives me trouble I take the right tire track.

Is this a trick question?

Hardpack.

It's a bit slower than bare pavement, but it quiets the studs down and gets a bit of adrenaline going, so it seems faster.

Plus it feels more like some kind of actual winter sport.

+1 to that.

Hardpack.

It's a bit slower than bare pavement, but it quiets the studs down and gets a bit of adrenaline going, so it seems faster.

Plus it feels more like some kind of actual winter sport.

+2

Though without actually knowing one way or the other, I've decided that I'm faster on hardpack. The Nokians just seem at home there. They're good on ice too but I'm still cautious on bare ice.

+3 to hardpack, you can give 'er.
Though most of my winter commuting will be dry/wet blacktop, with a nice varied selection of slush, salt, and various degrees of snow and ice depending on the weather. Alas I won't have a lot of hardpack to ride. Luckily I like to bomb the toboggan hills as well, that's always a hoot. Going to see if the local ski hill will let me give it a go this winter.

^^^ Earl bales?

They closed at least a month before the snow on the hill finally melted last year... although it got so icy, some type of massive homemade studs would be warranted if you were going to go for it.

Bone dry pavement at -30C. Other than that, 3" of pow on top of hardpack is so sweet just before sunrise. It's quiet, and the sound is so perfect.

:)

Was going to contact Blue Mountain to see if they had a boarder-cross track I might give a run on. Get a couple buddies, video crew and a Red Bull marketing guy and you got's yourself an event. :lol:

Given all the lame new restrictions they put on lift-serviced riding there in the summer, if someone can talk them into this I'll start putting lag-bolts into my DH tires.