Cyclocross - Can you ride a cyclocross in the snow and ice?

I live on dirt roads. Sometimes it snows on the roads then freezes. Can a cyclocross ride through that with stock tires?

I did today. It works. Well, as much as any other bike on ice.

Yes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2726/4316113625_d1f2b7467b_o_d.jpg

Absolutely. I've not only ridden in ice and snow, I've raced in it as well. The main things to keep in mind for riding in ice and snow is to run your tires at a lower PSI so that the tires can splay out a bit on the snow, creating a wider footprint for the tire to "float" over the snow rather than at a higher PSI, where the tires would dig deeper into the snow and create more rolling resistance. I've ridden deep powder and concrete slush on 32's and 28's; works just fine.

studded tires help too

studded tires help too

http://twitpic.com/show/full/xfl92.jpg (http://twitpic.com/xfl92) Ditto on the studded tires.

Yes, you can.

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs005.snc3/11245_1222906185501_1614383746_547468_5735949_n.jpg

You can't ride any bike on ice unless it's got studded tires but packed snow sure but still be careful. BTW we had a mock race here a few weeks back in the snow and the cross bikes did better then the mountain bikes. The skinny tires seem to dig deeper and grab more while the fat tires try too hard to float on top.

I was just out for a bit in my neighborhood. Tried some soft snow and packed tire tracks, but the tires on the bike I used are basically slicks (32c Schwalbe Marathon Supreme). I had the tires at roughly 60 psi--Schwalbe recommends a minimum pressure of 55. Would something with a more off-road pattern feel better? Once I got to a certain speed the front wheel would bounce around a ton and disaster seemed imminent, which was a fun feeling except I was doing this on open roads with cars and snow plows around. My observations were that if I put more weight on the wheel to get it to stop dancing around, I felt less in control.

I tried riding on the show and it just collected snow on my tire like when you make a snowman then the wheel stopped spinning when it got packed to the fender.

luckasz ~ I don't understand the bouncing you were experiencing. play with that tire pressure - maybe you were too low. and your question about tread pattern - yes - a tire with tread would handle better on wintry trails and roads with snow and ice. I've been using Marathon studded Winter tires 700 x 35c

Less pressure. 55-60 psi? Maybe on a 23, but you'd skate all over the snow with those regardless. wider tires, and pressure as low as you can go without pinchflatting. The sidewall "minimum" is there due to company lawyers becasue they don't want you to sue them for something ridiculous.

To answer the original question, Of course you can. But the real question is *should* you? To which I say why not? Don't hope to make any speed, and be prepared for bitter winds on exposed flesh but as demonstrated above, it can be done and enjoyed.

Sure you can. I really hope that Schwalbe will make a lightweight folding 700 tire (like Icespiker Pro) fro cx-bikes. My Nokians are just a bit too heavy.

I live on dirt roads. Sometimes it snows on the roads then freezes. Can a cyclocross ride through that with stock tires?

Yes but you should get studded tires. Nokians are the best and come in different widths and number of studs. Wide widths (700x35 or more) work better for unpacked snow and all other conditions. If the surface is packed but has ice, then a narrower tire will work.

Best place to read about them is Peter White Cycles (www.peterwhitecycles.com).

I think fresh snow is easier.138574

Deep snow is nigh impossible.

I tried riding through my unplowed streets after Snowmageddon and just couldn't muster enough power to do it. Riding through over a foot of snow isn't going to happen.

My road bike has regular street tires and i ride on ice and light snow. Just be careful not to ride in any frozen tracks from other bikes though.

Maybe...

Regular 32 Ritchey Cross Max tires.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4340011724_d50943070d_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4339267029_6b84e89fa3_m.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2697/4339267497_6cf59287ae_m.jpghttp://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4340010478_9556e31116_m.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2778/4340010558_11ce8cbd34_m.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2730/4339266883_833546191c_m.jpg

Yes.

Fresh snow, narrow tires slice through to the hard stuff and do great.

Car tracks f### with bikes though. Where cars have been and roads are unplowed, I usually reach for my mountain bike. YMMV.

+1


You can't ride any bike on ice unless it's got studded tires but packed snow sure but still be careful.

this applies to actually riding on ice, and not just seeing ice off the side of the road or somewhere nearby. i've ridden on ice without spikes several times (and by this i mean nice smooth ice and not some vague covering where any road traction shows through)---and all of this riding was on my ass, after it slammed to the ground. a set of Nokians later, and there's no ice i fear. even road across a frozen lake.

Saying you can't ride on ice on any bike without studded tyres is too much of a generalisation.

I can manage it fine on my mountain bike without falling off, I actually find it very fun. It does require ALOT of concentration and a very good handling bike though, so it wouldn't be pratical for long periods.

In Sweden and north european countries people use cyclocross with nail equipped tires. It will be of course kind of heavy and harder to ride on such tires, but one should adjust the sport to the environment and the hursh climate.

i found out that if you ride on the street after it has been plowed (those days won't be around for awhile unless you live where it's still going to snow!), the tires CAN get squirrel-y....but fresh powder on strees is a blast (hmmm, up to 10+ inches...). i had a Michelin Cyclocross Sprint on the back and it did fine...much knobbier tire up front. trails, too, were fine, but once it gets DEEP, it's tough. just can't pedal through it. good ole black/slick ice is simply suicide....w//o studs.