rain tires?
 

It's started raining here in Northern California, and it will rain on and off through next April.

Last winter, my first winter of riding after a long, long layoff, it was easy, I just didn't ride when it rained, and waited for the roads to dry completely before I started riding again.

I'd like to ride more this winter, but I'm concerned about my tires.

I'm running Michelin Krylion Carbons. They have great durability, great traction on dry roads, but have no tread. Are they safe for wet roads, or should I switch to something else? And if I should switch, any recommendations?

From what I've read, Kyrlion Carbons are a good choice in the rain. The "carbon" in the tread helps wet grip, I guess. Check out the Michelin page on them: "superb grip on wet or dry roads". For wet, Michelin promotes its Pro2 Grip as having 60% better wet grip than the Pro2 Race. Makes me think the Pro2 Race is crummy on wet roads. Also the Pro2 Race Limited Edition is supposed to be thirty or forty % better than the regular Pro2 Race in the wet.

A cheap tire that seems to be made for rain is the IRC Paperlite Aqua - $15 at Nashbar right now.

There is no advantage to tread on a bike tire used on pavement, wet or dry.

On the road, tread is only applicable/useful to prevent hydroplaning, something that is not an issue for bikes. So don't worry about tread on the road. Of course, dirt riding is a different story.

You just need a softer compound. even slicks work well in wet. The tire is so narrow that aquaplaning is not really an issue.

Lots of discussion about slick vs. tread here.

The Hutchinson Carbon Comps are excellent rain tires. I've noticed they get tiny cuts very easily. Mileage isn't great either but they stick like glue on wet roads.

The ripped up pair of shorts and the now-healed road rash and large hematoma on my right hip, along with the trashed rear derailleur and repaired STI brifters all agree with you. I went down hard on a slightly wet road while riding on Pro2's, and I wasn't doing anything all that crazy.

+1 for the Krylion Carbon, though. They're my off-season tire of choice.

As somebody else said, tread is pretty much irrelevant on road bike tires--the advantage of tread voids (the open spaces) on cars is that the water can escape through the channels, it doesn't "wedge" under the tire and cause hydroplaning. Bike tires are so skinny that's never a problem.
A softer rubber compound may give you better traction in the rain. Personally I've never been able to feel a difference, but I'm just riding around, not trying to corner as fast as I can.

OK everybody, thanks, looks like I'm already running a good choice, don't need to switch :)

FWIW - I am in N. California too. Went on a ride this morning on freshly wet roads with some leaves and patches of mud and clay over asphalt. I was on a bike with Michelin Krylion Carbons on and was not able to detect any difference in handling. Keep the Carbons.

For one thing, you can't aquaplane with bicycle tyres at conceivable riding speeds and conditions.

As for tyres, I am sold on Conti GP4000. Nice all weather solution.