Winter Cycling - Was having second thoughts about my studded tire order

So I was having second thoughts about my studded tire order. Could I have saved the money and gotten through winter?

So tonight I go out for a road ride after a over 32F day and all the sudden I hit black ice for the first time at 23MPH. A part of the road had turned into an ice rink. All the sudden I lost all control of the bike and went sliding down the road. It was so slick I could barely stand and fell down trying to get up a couple of times.

Honestly, it was actually fun but if I had been on a turn and slid underneath a car ... well it would have had some pretty nasty consequences.

So I'm very happy I ordered some Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. It will give me the piece of mind to ride in safety on my cyclocross bike.

Once you get the studded tires and ride them, any remaining doubts you might have will utterly vanish.

I seek out ice on purpose now. I love it when I can hop onto a patch of glare ice and just ride blissfully along.

I actually have a set of Nokian Extreme 296 on an old mountain bike. And yeah, when I ride that I feel secure over everything. But I prefer to ride the cyclocross bike for rolling resistance and aerodynamics.

I am primarily a mountain biker. But flat bars suck when you're trying to maintain speed in a stiff headwind. And when I'm on the road with an MTB, I end up with my hands straddling the stem.

once you get the studded tires and ride them, any remaining doubts you might have will utterly vanish.

I seek out ice on purpose now. I love it when i can hop onto a patch of glare ice and just ride blissfully along.

+1

I could'nt do my daily commute without Studs. I have a second wheelset. And when the weather calls for it, I switch wheels.




I am primarily a mountain biker. But flat bars suck when you're trying to maintain speed in a stiff headwind. And when I'm on the road with an MTB, I end up with my hands straddling the stem.
This is how I solved that problem.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/3224608923_b5a76bb262.jpg

once you get the studded tires and ride them, any remaining doubts you might have will utterly vanish.

I seek out ice on purpose now. I love it when i can hop onto a patch of glare ice and just ride blissfully along.

+1 Ice is so much fun now!

There were times this last winter when I had better traction with/on my bike (with studded tires) than I did with my 4WD truck.

I'm gonna say, tires on the truck are toooooo wide ... without asking the tire size and weight of truck.

So I was having second thoughts about my studded tire order. Could I have saved the money and gotten through winter?...

So I'm very happy I ordered some Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. It will give me the piece of mind to ride in safety on my cyclocross bike.

Zombie thread, but 1+. The above describes my happy experience last wnter, including the Marathons.

I was considering getting some studded tires, I think you've convinced me.

The problem with studded tyres is, if you stop on the ice and put a foot down, you will promptly fall over. It's easy to forget your shoes don't have the traction studded tyres provide.

The problem with studded tyres is, if you stop on the ice and put a foot down, you will promptly fall over. It's easy to forget your shoes don't have the traction studded tyres provide.

Good tip; thanks a lot.

When I had to stop on ice I would keep the brakes on and use the bike for support.

Fixed wheel + Trackstand = no foot-down and no worries.