SlipNot tire traction system
 

http://www.bicycletimesmag.com/conte...raction-system

Chains on car and truck tires have been widely accepted for decades in colder climates, so why not bikes? Turns out, no one has made it work - until now. SlipNot uses braided steel cables and galvanized steel chain links to keep you moving in the snow. They come in two widths and are avaialbe for 26 and 29-inch tires. Retail price is $85 a pair. After a less-than-awesome experience with studded tires last winter, there's a good chance you'll be seeing more of these in the pages of Bicycle Times.

There had been such offerings in the past and they have not lasted. Such chains may be attractive for a persistent heavy snow but with this they can only appeal to a very small fraction of the consumer market. They will make riding on asphalt tough and be then quite detrimental to the tires. On ice patches one is primarily concerned with sideway slip and they might not help much there. Finally, there might be an issue of these chains interfering with rim brakes.

Yeah, I'm just not seeing any benefit over winter studded tires. These chains are not that much less than Nokians, they would certainly offer far worse traction on pavement, if even one chain broke it would make a real mess of your seat tube and fork crown, they seem like they would be more difficult to mount than a winter tire and I'm not seeing how they could be better in the snow and ice than a studded tire.

I owned a set of chains in the early 90's. They worked well on snow and ice. I would say they are mildly dangerous on frozen/cold pavement. They slip and slide abit when you are cornering on pavement. Had to try a few different tires to find a set they worked best with. I didn't have any issues with them interfering with the brakes. I did have clearance issues with the chainstays. They did have a tendency to shift under hard riding and start ticking against the chainstay. I would have to stop and adjust them. I used them for a month or 2 and took them off. Went back to studded tires.

If forced to speculate, that's about what I thought they'd be like. Thanks for the report from your experience.

What kind of studded tires were you using ?

He quoted the article in the link. They don't say in the article.

Where I live people use studded tyres on their cars for 6 to 7 months of the year. Chains on the other hand are only used in emergencies and temporary situations, like when you are stuck in a patch of deep snow or driving on a road unexpectedly that is not ploughed. I think it is the same for a bike, if you have harsh winters put on the studded tyres for all round extra grip in all directions of movement. Maybe these would be "cool" for guys thet want to take their bike out into the woods and mess around during winter snow but id say thats all....