Originally Posted by
stapfam
Lost the pic but I saw a bike set up by someone for their commute. Knobbly tyred MTB and to get grip- he had put Zip Ties round the rim and tyre. I don't know if it worked but looked as though it would. And it was an old trick we used in the Marines on mud- we used 1" thick rope to give grip and it worked. Bit messy putting the rope through the wheel and tyre but it just gave that bit extra to get through deep mud.
I think tough nylon cord might work, but I can't imagine how zip ties could work for that purpose in cold conditions. The material isn't designed for that kind of stress in the warmth, let alone the cold when they'd get brittle. I've broken many zip ties just in the process of using them for their intended purpose, in the cold - they are brittle and break easily when tightening them.
I bought a set of Schwalbe studded tires last spring and only used them a couple of times, mostly to make sure I did the miles to "set" the studs, but did go across a couple of icy parts. I plan to get out and see how confident I can be on hard pack and glare ice later this fall/winter.