Originally Posted by
TransitBiker
This is what most of the residential roads look like right now:
It isn't solid, there is a bit of snow (or snow remnant?) underneath, but the height of that bit underneath is like 1/8th inch and in a few spots its pure ice but very granular in the tire tread marks. I liken it to a graham-*******-pie-crust kind of ice. now on the other hand, some of the ice on solid surfaces like car windows etc is pure frozen rain coating with the signature multitude of icicles hanging off.
I would use studded tires on this, but it happens so rarely, and is salted/plowed so quickly in most instances that it isnt remotely a responsible purchase to ride a few hours a year, especially when i can wait till the plow comes and clears it from pretty much every street in town by sunrise.
- Andy
I'll preface this by saying that I
hate using studs. They are heavy and slow and useless...except in conditions exactly like the ones you show. I know they are expensive and you may not use them that often but if you want to ride on those kinds of roads with any degree of confidence, they are worth the investment. Personally, I resisted owning a set for many, many years and have suffered my share of crashes. I've been using them on one of my bikes when conditions get bad for the last couple of years and find them to work as advertised. I still don't like riding them but they do work.
You could just purchase the tires and change them when it snows (cheapest but most inconvenient option), buy a set of wheels and change the wheels when it snows (next cheapest and slightly more convenient option) or get a dedicated bike (most expensive but most convenient option). Otherwise, you can ride without them and risk a crash or find another form of transportation until the roads are clear. It depends on how important riding a bike is to you.
Last edited by cyccommute; 03-02-15 at 08:36 AM.