Switch out winter tires?
 

Curious - Do you change out your winter tires or wheel-tire combo to a "regular" tire/wheel-tire when the roads are clear or "safe" enough for you or do you just keep the winter tires on all winter long?

It really depends.
For most of my life I've been a one-bike rider. Sometime I rode the same tires year-around. Others I swapped tires.

I now have a dedicated "winter bike" which I thought I'd try installing some Tannus solid tires on. The tires are a bit of a pain to install... so it is once on the rims... until they're worn out. The bike gets a little summer use, but most of the riding is in the winter.

Another Poll .. Long Winter for You?


You First. Where Do you live, and what kind of bike do You commute on?

I put "winter tires all winter long" but I do have another bike sitting there, and in the case of unusually warm weather long enough that I'm confident I won't hit any ice, I will take the other bike.

Used to change change tyres, then wheel-tyre combo, for the last 5 or so years I got an extra "winter" bike, so I use that as a quickest, simplest option. Our winters are often changing - from snow, to no snow and sunny, so it's quickest to just use the appropriate bike for the day, already set up.

I take my fenders off in the summer - without fenders I can use 37mm tires, with fenders only 32mm.

I have the studs on one bike and another bike for clear days but when it gets nice I am always tempted to put summer tires on both bikes. Why I don't know.

I used studded tires for the first time last week but thankfully took them off yesterday. I keep them on a separate set of wheels.

When I had one bike I had thought about buying a second set of wheels but didn't know how advantageous stuff snow tires would be. But then, the snow melts quickly here. However three and four years ago we had snowy winter's with months long icy patches. So I didn't ride. When I bought a new bike two years ago, I bought suomi nokian w106s for the old bike.

Knowing what I know now, I would but a second wheelset and mount studded snow tires on it. Then I could swap tires fairly quickly. I really wish I would have done that.

Mounting and recounting tires is too much of a chore, but swapping wheels makes it easier, and I would do it as weather demands.

I usually put Schwalbe Marathon Winters on my primary bike (Workcycles Opafiets). If things are mostly clear (more and more each year as clearing of bikeways improves) then I'll pump them up for a smoother ride, otherwise lower pressure for better stud contact.

We have some Omafiets (Workcycles, Batavus, Gazelle I think) for guests to use so if things are really clear I'll ride one of those.

This year I switched it up and put the studs on only the front of one of the Omafiets for me to use when needed and ride my Opafiets when I know things are clear and will be on return as well.

My wife's bike always gets studs front and back. She'll occasionally grab one of the Omafiets if she's 110% sure that she'll not encounter any ice.

This year I have two bikes so I can switch things up as weather dictates. Previous years were all studs all winter. Really pumped I don't have to do that now.

:lol: It is starting to wear on me but this is my first year commuting in the winter and thus first year with studded tires. I've just been riding the studded tires this whole time but got to wondering if maybe others may do things differently for some reason or another.

I put studded tires on the first winter then changed tires back for summer. The next year I put them on and left them on, this is now my 4th winter. I use the studded tire bike as a winter bike when roads are real bad. I take the Velomobile (sometimes my trike) when the roads are clear. So I answered "I switch out bikes".

I do option #2 and #4.

I've got a winter bike with studded tires, full fenders, and pannier that I use. When weather is good (dry and no chance to ice/snow) and I need to carry lots of things I'll swap out the wheels for a set of 25 mm tires. When weather is good and I don't need to carry stuff, I'll take another bike.

i switch bikes.

i used to play the tire/wheel set swap game back in the early days of my bike commuting, but i got bored with that tedious game real fast.

having two bikes ready to go, one with studs/one without, allows me to quickly hop on whichever bike is appropriate for the conditions of any given winter morning and just go! with two little ones that have to get fed and dressed and dropped off at daycare every morning, i often don't have a literal second to spare as i race to get to work on time. tire/wheel set swaps would just be one more time penalty nuisance that i'm glad i no longer have to deal with.

thanks , the Why do you start a poll gives some background.

<< as indicated 7 bikes 1, is an old MTB, i built drum brake hub wheels , it gets stowed when above 0C.

This year , like last, cold + clear had roads dry, bare pavement & the tungsten steel alloy studs were less needed.

Location matters.. Inland [Pdx Etc.] they had Ice on the streets, but not here.

(so I get many years out of the Finnish made tires I got in 1990)


:50: They keep working though I'm old and have since retired..

this year i got traction for my shoes, for the ice on road pass rest area parking lots .

VA is inland..





;)

Madison WI. I have a dedicated winter bike with studs. The winter bike serves a number of purposes: 1) Studded tires. 2) Keeping road salt off my other bikes. 3) Cold weather (bar mitts). So the bike comes out when they start salting the roads, until early spring when the rains have washed everything away. Also, the 26" studded tires are a sunk cost until they wear out, and they only fit the winter bike.