Originally Posted by
chephy
I spent over a dozen winters biking in Canada (including a short stint as a bike messenger), and rode over stuff that I could barely walk on because it was too slippery. As long as you don't brake or turn on it, the bike stays upright.
During my first year of winter bike commuting in chicago 8 years ago, I took two spills from black ice rolling on regular road tires, the 2nd one resulting in a wrist injury that kept me off the bike for the rest of that winter.
Then I got wise to studded tires. No ice spills since then. That's the funny thing about studded tires; you will never ever need them until you actually do.