squeakywheel

Here is a collection of things I have learned from reading this forum mixed with some of my own ideas. In sum they form a contradiction.

1. Conventional wisdom indicates rear wheel braking is desirable in very slick conditions. This avoids a front wheel skid.

2. Conventional wisdom indicates studded tires are more important for the front wheel. This avoids a sudden fall.

3. Most weight is on the rear wheel. For mixed surface riding that includes dry pavement and icy portions, a studded wheel on the rear is noisy, inefficient and wears out the studs quickly.

4. Seems to me you would want to brake with the wheel that has studs.

5. Drum brakes are better than calliper brakes in wet conditions. It would be easier and cheaper to put a drum brake on my front wheel than the rear. I haven't seen rear drum brakes that work with deraileur systems. They all seem to go with a matching internal gear hub.

The best compromise seems to be studs on the front with a drum brake in the front, and just leave my rear wheel as is. This violates point number (1) above.

Question: Is it wise to use front wheel braking on ice if you have studded tires in front?

rushr

No expert advice here as this is my first year winter riding. I am running studs front and rear with caliper brakes.

Without studs on the rear I don't think I would be able to get moving as I ride on alot of ice.

I am using the front brake in an attempt to increase my proficiency at brake control and bike control when the front end gets loose.

squeakywheel

Expert opinions that I have read indicate recovery when the front end gets loose is impossible even for expert riders. You are on the ground too quickly. No personal experience with this. Guess I could put on some ice hockey pads and find a frozen parking lot.

rushr

With my front studs I can make the front slide under braking without being on my head instantly. It just gets loose and slides sideways which I can control with brake modulation.

Walkafire

Lower the AIR PSI

rushr

I want it to slide, I think it's good practice for another hobby I have.

frankiee

Question: Is it wise?
Today is second day I went out. Lots of black ice. I don't have my studs on yet. I imediately crashed on the road. I love it. I say that it is best to use the back brake.Leave extra room. I've still wiped out fast with my studs on if and snow gets between the tire and the ice.
If I had a choice of only 1 tire and brake then I would put them on the rear.
Just like the old coaster brakes in the 70's when I was young. Quite hard to get into trouble using the rear brake. If you have to stop faster then start to gently feather the front.

DCCommuter

Riding on ice and snow has taught me a lot about the physics of how a bike handles. Basically, there are only two external forces that act on a bike -- gravity and friction. Friction is the important one, as it's the one you have control over. Ignoring air resistance, the only source of friction is the contact patch of the two tires, and there are four ways you can manipulate those contact patches -- by pedaling, braking, steering, and leaning. Learning to bike is basically learning to balance those four forces without having to think about it.

When you get into low friction circumstances the relationship between those four forces changes, and you have to learn all over again. Pedaling and steering become most diminished, braking is less diminished, and leaning is unaffected. So I find myself making exaggerated steering movements and pedaling hard, while trying to stay off the brakes and not lean at all. If the front tire loses traction and you lose the ability to steer, you will wipe out. Similarly, if the rear tire loses traction and you lose the ability to drive the bike by pedalling, you will also wipe out. So you really want to have studs on both wheels.

The thing about studs is that even when they are skidding, they are still generating helpful amounts of friction, which is very different from the behavior of a normal tire on ice. So it's definitely possible to pull out of a front wheel skid with studded tires.

I always use the front brake as my primary brake. The amount of braking force you can generate is directly proportional to the amount of weight on a wheel. While the rear wheel starts off carrying more weight, using either brake causes weight to shift forward onto the front wheel. Using the rear brake transfers weight off of it and reduces its braking capacity. Maximum braking is achieved when you have 100% weight transfer and the rear wheel is carrying no weight, and not contributing at all to braking. Normally this can be accomplished with the front brake alone. In low friction the front tire may start to skid before that happens; when that occurs, a little pull on the rear wheel will transfer more weight to the front and help it dig in. If things are so slick that you can't get meaningful weight transfer then it doesn't matter which brake you use, you're not stopping except by falling.

The picture is different with coaster brakes or a fixie, as there you lean backwards as part of braking and shift weight onto the rear wheel.

My winter commuter has studded tires and disc brakes, front and rear. It works pretty well. I set the tire pressure as high as I can and still maintain traction; the worse the conditions, the lower the pressure.

mechBgon

I would add that carbide studs don't necessarily wear fast on dry pavement. My IRC Blizzards are now on their third season, and they've seen plenty of pavement usage.

Also, yeah, studded tires on both wheels AND pay attention too. When people ask me how well the studded tires work, I tell them that the studs give me a fighting chance in a marginal situation, not that they work miracles Granted, the old 112-stud Blizzards ain't Nokian Extremes or anything...

I just recently got some small panniers and installed my old Blackburn LowRider front rack, which puts the bags right down by the front axle. Hehe, maybe I should buy some bagged sand and put about 10kg. of extra weight on the front for traction... Anyway, the low-mounted panniers should help in my case, versus carrying the weight up high on my back.