..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

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redefined_cycles
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..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Just about to go for a short ride with snowy pavements and gonna have to ensure I don't mistakenly ride across or down a nice untreated slippery road. Got me thinking about spiked tires again. Main thing stoped me previously is that I imagine you can't get very far with em once the ice/snow disappears.

Anyone got any exp of using em and how good an investment for longer rides are they. Please, thanks...
Last edited by redefined_cycles on Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
ScotRoutes
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by ScotRoutes »

You can still pedal fine with them when the ice clears. Of course, it's harder work but that's not always a bad thing :grin: I used to commute on them and couldn't have done so without.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Obviously you need specific conditions Shaf and I'm not sure we get those conditions for long enough to make them worthwhile but saying that, I rarely ride on the road for any length of time ... for those who do, they're probably a lifesaver.

Used Conti and Schwalbe and both do the job. It used to be that you had to 'run in' certain makes / models to prevent the spikes from falling out ... things might have changed now though.
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JoseMcTavish
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by JoseMcTavish »

I'd think of them as a long term investment, as they last ages, due to you only needing them on certain days. I normally put them on a spare set of wheels for the winter so I can do a quick switch if conditions require. If I don't need them I definitely don't leave them on, though I hear plenty of others on them right through the winter months.

I commute by bike every day and have never had to travel an alternative way due to the weather, so for that reason they are priceless really. In addition, they make you want to go out on those days when the roads are too lethal for everyone and you almost have them to yourself, especially in the early morning :smile:

Schwalbe Marathon Winters for me, by the way.
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GregMay
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by GregMay »

Mine tend to go on in January and stay on until March - they are fine to use on "normal" road conditions, they just add increased resistance - which is just training in a different guise.
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99percentchimp
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by 99percentchimp »

When I lived in Norway on the west coast lots of people used them for commuting on hard frozen slush in the morning and thawed slush in the afternoon. Lots of freeze thaw on the coast.
One set of spiked 700c tyres seemed fine for a season (various brands at the time like ?Nokian) but lots of commuters use them, generally on untreated (grit not salt) paths.
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Al
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by Al »

I used to have some spiked schwalbe marathon on a set of crap spare wheels for my cross bike when I was cycle commuting inNorfolk on untreated country lanes.
Didn’t need them very often and found them very heavy / draggy so only used in dire conditions.
They do work well when it’s proper icy though. I remember on occasion stopping the bike for some clothing faff and falling on my arse the second I put a foot down but hadn’t noticed it was particularly sloppy riding along.

They also make a noise like rice crispies on tarmac.
restlessshawn
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by restlessshawn »

Have a pair of schwalbe snow stud 700x38 in the loft, used them once then decided could never be arsed fitting them again, if it’s Ivey or snowy I’ll go for a trail run instead. It’s just the odd day not months on end
firestarter
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by firestarter »

They last ages ive a pair of Continental Nordic Spike 240 700x40 that I've never got round to fitting ever lol
redefined_cycles
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Re: Experience of spiked road tires anyone?

Post by redefined_cycles »

I think I might just invest for that Winter313 ride. Some of the roads around here are a bit dodgy but thankfully I've managed with just using bus routes so far or riding out of the cycles lanes.

Seems a good investment if they'll ride ok-ish when the ice/snow has cleared up... Are the newer inventions starting to come out Tubeless ready now. Will take a look anyway and thanks for the recommendations so for. 30cc by 700 for me btw. 32 might be a bit too risky if it comes out 32 or more...

Thanka again all...
redefined_cycles
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Re: ..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

Post by redefined_cycles »

Just thought to change the thread title rather than clutter with another related thread...

Seems 45Nrth do so spiked tubeless tires but they're not in 30mm or less. Anyone know of any that are tubeless and spiked please
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Borderer
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Re: ..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

Post by Borderer »

We have had them in the past and I found them a faff - it took ages to fit them to four wheels so we could go out and by then the sun was usually going down. They would be ok with a spare set of wheels but we don't have any. I also felt like I was wearing them out and losing spikes at a rapid rate when riding on cleared roads to get to the snowy off-road bits.

I came across a solution the other day - it seems a lot of people swear by putting cable ties around the tyres to provide grip. Anyone tried this? If it works it would be great - they could be put on in a few minutes before a ride. You could just snip them off to ride the road home if needs be. Also easily carried in case things turn icy unexpectedly.

Not great from an environmental 'use less plastic' standpoint, but probably less waste than an entire tyre over time.

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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: ..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Fantastic ^ ... snow chains for bikes :-bd
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ScotRoutes
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Re: ..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

Post by ScotRoutes »

Just fit a tube. The likes of the Winter Marathons are very robust and it's unlikely you'll puncture one.

The ziptie thing only really works on snow, not ice.
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JoseMcTavish
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Re: ..... Tubeless ready road spike/ice tires?

Post by JoseMcTavish »

Yeah, if you have something like Marathon Winters then standard punctures are very unlikely to happen, due to the robustness of the tyre. I did try them tubeless one year to lighten things up and it worked for a few weeks. Eventually they needed topping up too often as air and sealant gradually seeped past the spikes!
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