As faux-winter comes on in Houston and people are cleaning their garages some nice road bikes and commuters are going on sale- perfect for a nice-looking fixie. Most of them however have either 27" or 26 1 3/8 wheels and clearance for tires up to about 32c at most.

I will be moving up north in a couple of years and want to get my projects done now so there's some money left over for the move. If I set up one of these skinny-tired roadies/commuters, what are the limits of thin tires? I don't expect them to go off-road or through serious snow/sludge/flooding (my 29er's for that) but they would need to handle general road conditions, probably ice and snow, city "bike trails" and some light hardpack (shortcuts through cities, dirt roads, detours on tours, etc).

So how good/bad are they for these conditions? Comfort isn't a concern, but I don't want the bike to fall to bits from vibration on a trail of something like that, or get stuck in light snow, destroy itself on a pothole, etc.

And secondly, based on this, should I go for 27" roadie wheels or 26 1 3/8? The 26"ers have wider tires stock but it's damn near impossible to find alloy rims in that size, and tires are a pain to find as well. The 27s are larger, somewhat more common, and alloys can be had pretty cheap with some scavenging but standard tires are very thin at 1 1/4".

Thanks

I had to ride really really slow when we had snow a few weeks ago. I am riding 23c tyres. Skidding was neat as it took no effort at al but the few day old snow was pretty sketchy to ride on.

I was typing the same thing as milkcratebasket but I pressed refresh accidentally and it's all gone...too lazy to type it all again but yea, couple of weeks back, we had a **** ton of snow and riding on hard packed snow is much more scary than riding in the snow. Skidding was really fun, spraying snow everywhere.

I would just get another set of cross tires if you are planning to ride in the snow a lot.

Take clean lines and don't go fast.


And watch out for black ice...

If there is snow on the ground, ride your 29er. You don't need another bike.

If you disagree, get the 700c. If you have the balls to take it out in the snow you will be fine. The cool thing about snow is that it hurts less when you fall over. Just make sure not to fall under a moving car, bus, or truck.

I find that 27 inch vs. 700 makes a noticeable difference in snow, probably also has a lot to do with the wheel base. Any older touring bike with 27 in wheels is going to have plenty of clearance for 1 3/8+ tires and fenders. You'll want full fenders because the salt/sand mixture will destroy your drive train in no time at all.

+1 to the tire size and to having balls

Last three winters i've been riding fixed on 26x2.25 knobbies, perfect for Iowa winter, the only thing that kept me off the bike was wind in excess of 40 mph.

The main problem is that you're far more likely to fall not when the snow is full, fluffy, and fun for falling, but instead when it's packed down and/or iced over. That **** hurts.

No. Skinny tires are the best in snow. Skinny tires with aggressive tread.

Watch any WRC snow event (World Rally championship for you car haters) and you'll see that skinny is the norm. Look at a dually truck. there are two skinny tires on the back for a reason. Better traction.

Skinny tires penetrate deeper into the snow avoiding the snowshoe effect of larger tires. Find the skinniest tire with the blockiest tread for snow traction. In other words a cyclocross tire is what I'd choose.

it depends on what you get.

this is barely ridable with narrow mud CX tires.


this is not.


this is also not possible with narrow.

I like to ride with a 2 inch knobby on my mountain bike but now I have my Masi Soulville ss/fg out in the snow.
I have 32c panaracer urban tires and they feel great but I am considering on of these cyclocross tires for the front. Not sure how much more effective it will be but I have a spare 700c rim I can throw it on.
Any recommendations for a good snow tire in 32c? I don't want to go any bigger because my fenders are only 43mm.

Are we talking tires that you can fit in your general use SS road bike or fixed gear? Those pics are barely rideable with a road bike anway---can't fit much larger than CX tires.

I'd rather ride an mtb in snow. But that said, with light snow I don't find skinny tires to be a problem. Stay up on it! Don't lean and you'll stay clean!

anything that's rated for mud.
although mud tires won't protect you from ice and slick compacted snow.

I think the theories you espouse only work for wheels under power.

For my snow riding, I like the fattest available tire up front. Skinny tire's fine out back. I run 26" tired MTBs in the snow. Fat tire up front helps keep the tire from catching in ruts and/or making its own ruts in the soft stuff. You really don't want your front tire to dig in on a bicycle when on sand or soft snow, it's gotta float. I think my dream setup would be a gnarly 2.5" up front and one of those 1.35" Contis in the back. Currently running studded 2.1" in front and non-studded 1.95" rear.

A fat tire in the back just adds extra drag in the deep stuff.

But you have more clothes on. And moving slower.

Regarding duallies - that is for payload, not traction. And the reason the tires are skinny is not because traction is better.

I've lived through a couple of snow rides on my Pinarello on 700x25 tires. Really squirrelly, but kinda fun! If you've safety in mind, ride your 29er, however.

yep, that's why there is a relatively new invention called the super single

I have commuted in the Northeast year round fixed on 23's.

and how many times have you fallen? (but props to doing it! I am going into my second winter with 25's)

Me? Haven't laid a bike down on road yet (knock on steel). But I started racing BMX at 7, and mtn biking at 15 so I guess my bike handling prevails in the slippery. Your results may vary. Just saying it can be done

Try to find a decent quality roadbike from the seventies. They often have room for quite wide tires. I had an old Swedish Crescent from 73 set up as a fixie with Nokian W 106 studded tires.

Road bike + studded tires and front brake if you have to ride in snow/ice IMO.

I am going the clear this up.

It depends largely on the texture and volume of snow and the surface the snow is upon

Skinny tires work great in light(powdery) / shallow snow, in fact much better than wider tires. as has been mentioned they cut life a knife through butter allowing you to get down the that sweet tractiony pavement.This is the best all around option, especially for an urban setting.


However once the snow gets deep enough or if it's really heavy, skinny tires will not be able to cut through the snow and with be totally flummoxed.

That's when it's best to get the fattest 29er tires you can find. to try and "float" as much as possible ,Studs will not contribute to traction, unless you're riding over ice, or the snow is on a loose surface (ie: winter mountain biking or on a gravel road). I find the "float" to be really inefficient and most mornings i've busted out the 29er i find myself sweating my balls off wishing i'd man'd up and ridden the fixie instead.


Lastly as mentioned by Vw addy. bike handling plays a large part, larger than any equipment change will (IMO). this is the first year i will be putting winter specific tires on my bike in the past i've run pro 3 race all year, and ridden in snow up past my wheel nuts with no problem. the only reason i'll be going to studs this year is my commute will be across a frozen lake.... . so just get out there, you'll fall a few times the first winter, but who cares snow is soft!


Also be very careful when using your front brake, if there's ice under that snow, you may find yourself on your ass wondering what went wrong.


So in closing, Skinny tires are not bad, the're the best!

they arent bad at all. Im typing this after ride on dusted roads on Ultermo R's pumped to 125psi. Take it easy no skids or whips and you'll be golden.

In canada i had a horrible time in snow, i always feel on one left on my commute due to a high centered tree root in the middle of the road, and the snow would be soft on the hump and hard around it. and i never could see the road before i turned due to a downhill before it. Agh hate it, so i said f it. LA.