Musical

I commute to work daily on a single speed/fixed converted steel road frame here in the NYC. This year I am planning to commute through the entire winter and was wondering what a good recommendation for tires may be. My rims are Mavic CXP 22 so I cannot put any beefy 700x30's on or anything like that. Also, in NYC, the roads are rarely covered in snow and I will probably just take the subway on real crappy days so I don't need any studs. Currently I have a pair of Michelin Pro Races (700 x 23), which are slicks and I fear a small patch of ice could send me flying. Any recommendations on a tire with decent tread perhaps in 700x25 that would be suitable for my purposes?

Thanks!

Scheherezade 

The only kind of tire that will protect from black ice is studs. Increasing width/adding knobbies won't really make any difference.

CliftonGK1

+1
Short of studs, nothing will keep you from sliding out on a patch of ice.

slcbob

Question about treads --

I understand that on wet pavement aquaplaning is a non-issue for bike tires due to the shape of the contact patch, psi, etc. Treads do not add traction over slicks, and may actually detract.

That would seem to me to suggest that treads are irrelevant for the OP's situation. Barring an off-road-ish situation where you want lugs to lock up with soft dirt, snow, etc., (which OP will avoid), it is either to stud or not to stud for black ice. Tread pattern is moot.

Is there a nuance I'm missing?

Musical

Thanks for the input. So if someone could tell me what makes a tire "4 season" like Continental's Grand Prix 4 seasons, I would be interested in knowing. Are tires more subject to punctures in the cold air? Seems like for my purpose I just keep the slicks on and my eye to the road for any icy spots. 18 degrees this morning....it was a cold one.

sauerwald

My view goes like this - as far as traction goes, the pressure exerted on the road by a bicycle tire is huge compared to most automobile tires (much, much smaller contact patch), and the rubber will deform into the contours of the road surface, and this is what will give you the bulk of your traction.

A separate, but equally important issue for a bicycle tire is sensitivity to punctures and length of wear. To get long wearing, sturdy tires requires more bulk of rubber on the tire. I believe that there are issues with making a very thick rubber tire with no tread, so tread is almost a byproduct of the manufacturing process when making a sturdy tire.

That said, I commute on Schwalbe Marathon Plus's and get several thousands of miles on them, and have yet to have a flat on a SMP. I use them year round, although I avoid riding on the really icy days.

hornytoad

i'm rollin these in 700x25

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/pscma...us_700c/pp.htm

tsl

According to Continental's web site, the rubber compound retains its grip at lower temperatures.

On this page, it's referred to as "our wet specific GP4Season".