Winter studded tyres

[rogerzilla]

Ah, but none of these have the job satisfaction and opportunity to injure yourself provided by the DIY option.

[Mrs Pingu]

My name is not nutty. Plus, frankly, ICBA

[Mrs Pingu]

So, I have my tyres, and given the weather forecast I might even put them on soon.

Q - My usual commute route features a humpback cobbled bridge, which I usually avoid like the plague as soon as it gets frosty, after breaking a chunk off my helmet there a few winters ago.
Are cobbles a bad idea on studded tyres? I wondered if the studs were more likely to get ripped off in between the setts, or if the cobbles will be too slidey for the metal.

[Ivo]

Ah, but none of these have the job satisfaction and opportunity to injure yourself provided by the DIY option.

There are quite a few continental AUKs.

[corshamjim]

So, I have my tyres, and given the weather forecast I might even put them on soon.

Q - My usual commute route features a humpback cobbled bridge, which I usually avoid like the plague as soon as it gets frosty, after breaking a chunk off my helmet there a few winters ago.
Are cobbles a bad idea on studded tyres? I wondered if the studs were more likely to get ripped off in between the setts, or if the cobbles will be too slidey for the metal.

I would think the studs will bite in to the cobbles (whether wet, dry or icy).  I don't think the studs are long enough to get caught and ripped off in the gaps between the setts (not the ones on Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres anyway).  I only lost a couple of studs last year - I don't ride over any traditional cobbles, but some modern ones (traffic calming at the end of the road on my daily commute).

[andrew_s]

I wouldn't think the studs would bite into the cobbles, just into any ice on the cobbles.

The studs have flat ends rather than sharp ends, tyre pressure isn't all that high, and cobbles are generally of a fairly hard stone to stop them wearing out too quickly.

[David Martin]

You won't lose the studs. What you will get is about the same grip as on wet polished cobbles. Ie not much, but more than ice.

It may prove beneficial to keep your winter tyres on an old set of wheels to save having to faff with tyres when the weather looks poor.

..d

[Mrs Pingu]

I haz no such thing

[David Martin]

yet

[Cyclops]

I haz no such thing

I keep my winter tyres on all the time from roughly November to March as I can't be bothered faffing about changing tyres. They are slower than normal tyres and will wear down quicker on dry tarmac but I've had 3 years so far out of my current winter tyres doing a daily 12 mile commute.

[wooliferkins]

I have been in correspondence with DotBike on this matter, and they are trying to import the Schwalbe winter ones, they have more expensive ones in stock.

Still waiting for 700 and 26" Marathon Winters to arrive from importer (ordered in August!) I have 26" Ice Spikers on the shelf which are pretty knobbly.

[MercuryKev]

I ordered a set of Marathon Winters from Bike24 last Sunday and they arrived on Thursday.  I've fitted them to a Gary Fisher Sugar 3 that I picked up for not much cash on Gumtree and now I've got a real winter bike.  I've actually looking forward to the end of this week when it's meant to get a bit snowy.

[Ivo]

I ordered a set of Marathon Winters from Bike24 last Sunday and they arrived on Thursday.  I've fitted them to a Gary Fisher Sugar 3 that I picked up for not much cash on Gumtree and now I've got a real winter bike.  I've actually looking forward to the end of this week when it's meant to get a bit snowy.

Same here. Although I'm still waiting for a new set of mudguards, the old ones failed on a towpath.

[Mrs Pingu]

I haz no such thing

I keep my winter tyres on all the time from roughly November to March as I can't be bothered faffing about changing tyres. They are slower than normal tyres and will wear down quicker on dry tarmac but I've had 3 years so far out of my current winter tyres doing a daily 12 mile commute.

That's good to know

[TimO]

The way the temperature will be dropping in the next week, I'm wondering whether swapping over to studs (just for any ice) would be a good idea!  I've got a set of Hakkapeliittas sat in the kitchen doing nothing at the moment.

[corshamjim]

The way the temperature will be dropping in the next week, I'm wondering whether swapping over to studs (just for any ice) would be a good idea!  I've got a set of Hakkapeliittas sat in the kitchen doing nothing at the moment.

It would be cruel to them not to let them fulfil their destiny. 

[clarion]

Still waiting for my winter tyres from Wiggle

*drums fingers*

*stares at calender*

*sighs*

[pdm]

Still waiting for 700 and 26" Marathon Winters to arrive from importer (ordered in August!) I have 26" Ice Spikers on the shelf which are pretty knobbly.

You may be waiting a while.... 
I have been waiting for some tyres from the importer promised in June. I think supplies to the UK of special tyres from Schwalbe may be a little sporadic?

[clarion]

Still waiting for my winter tyres from Wiggle

Wiggle respond that the tyres are expected in in 'late November'.

*looks at calendar again*

[mike]

oh cock. I'd found some showing as 'in stock' on Amazon and ordered them last night, then this morning I get an email saying sorry, their amazon page was out of date and they're not expecting them in till Jan.

I might be ordering from Germany!

[clarion]

Expected January?  That's gonna be useful.

Not that I trust Wiggle to deliver before spring...

[vorsprung]

I ordered some 35mm Marathon Winters from starbike in germany yesterday (22nd Nov)

I'll let you know when they appear

[CrinklyLion]

Dearly_Beloved ordered from Germany (I think) and got them in about 3 days.  They worked out a bit cheaper too...

Apparently everyone in his office went out to have a listen to the noise they make riding round the car park t'other day.  He's very happy with them, although getting the bike into the bike shed dining room without damaging the laminate flooring is quite challenging.

[Chris N]

I ordered some 35mm Marathon Winters from starbike in germany yesterday (22nd Nov)

I'll let you know when they appear

And I ordered the same from bike24 yesterday. We'll see who wins!

[mrcharly-YHT]

There is almost no snow (1mm!) nor is there rain forcast for York for the next fortnight, so I wouldn't fret, CL.  Cold and dry conditions, lovely cycling weather.