Originally Posted by
cooleric1234
I've often heard the argument that bike tires can't hydroplane. That's all well and good, but is hydroplaning the only cause of a tire slipping? I honestly don't know, but I doubt it. It seems like debunking hydroplaning is a bit of a straw man argument, people don't care how they go down in the rain, just whether or not they do.
The Michellin web site, clearly posts that Hydroplaning is not a problem with bike tires... but as you note, things can get slippery. The problem is that knobby tires are worse than slicks on normal roads. At the end of the month I'll be switching over to my Nokia W109's. I can tell you that I can notice that they have less grip on dry and rainy days than my slicks. Once the snow comes out, the Winter tires are infinitly better with gripping in a few inches of snow. A slick tire would get no grip, but I can power my way throught he snow. On icy roads, the carbite steel studs dig in and give me far more traction and grip than I'd have trying to walk. I can always tell in winter when I am hittting black ice, because my tires get quiet. As other pointe dout painted lines, and steel cover plates are probably the greatest risk, as these can be slick as snot. Just be sure to go easy in the rain.
Happy riding,
André