Originally Posted by
grolby
And again, this is pure, unmitigated nonsense. ALL tires have poor traction on wet pavement, but slicks are better than any of the other options. Bicycles do not hydroplane.
EDIT: Sorry, I don't mean to be a jerk. This is a frustrating issue! I simply don't understand why this belief that slicks are poor wet-weather tires sticks around. Bicycles can't hydroplane, and hydroplaning is the only reason that we don't drive around with slicks on our cars.
Have you never ridden in the rain before? On asphault, I can lift the rear tire off the ground on a mountain bike in the wet and I can can come pretty close on a cyclocross bike. On a road bike with slicks if I so much as breathe wrong on the front brake I lose the front end.
I am not claiming to be an expert in wet-weather motorcycle, bicycle, or racecar tire design. But intuition tells me that even if you aren't hydroplaning having some tread would aid in removing the micro-layer of water between the tire and the road thus increasing traction.