So you think you believe in winter tyres?

[Angib]

Nokian WR-G2s on the Mini and Continental TopContact Winters on the bike.

My work tails off in mid-winter so it's a shame not to make use of the time off for some biking. The Contis are presumably a low volume product, so they are made in Germany not farmed out to India like the mass-market Contis bicycle tyres - as a result you can just about buy a budget 15" Mini winter tyre for the price of each bike tyre. Ouch. But then they'll probably last 10 years.

[Defender]

Quote: Originally Posted by Angib (original)

Nokian WR-G2s on the Mini and Continental TopContact Winters on the bike.
My work tails off in mid-winter so it's a shame not to make use of the time off for some biking. The Contis are presumably a low volume product, so they are made in Germany not farmed out to India like the mass-market Contis bicycle tyres - as a result you can just about buy a budget 15" Mini winter tyre for the price of each bike tyre. Ouch. But then they'll probably last 10 years.

It's interesting the difference in the tread patterns, the MTB tyre is symetrical, but then the other car tyre will be the miror image as they're directional?
I have Schwalbe Land Cruisers for my winter bike, but they're not specifically designed for winter like those Conti's are.
I've seen some Nokian studded MTB tyres for ultimate grip, I know studded tyres are illegal for road/highway use in the UK, not sure about cycle tyres, maybe OK as you can run a slick/untreaded tyre if you wish .

[Angib]

The Nokians are asymmetric, not directional - the other side is identical, but t'other way round so it runs backwards! You can just about see 'Outside' moulded in the bottom of the widest outer groove.

So far they are a bit of a disappointment - I got them for better dry/wet road performance than the 15" winter Pirellis I had before, but they haven't impressed me for that. I have had one day in slush, where they are truly staggering - I was driving down the road wandering in and out of the 'bare' tracks that other vehicles had worn in the snow/slush and I had trouble detecting any difference between the slush and bare tarmac by feel - the only difference was the noise in the wheel-arch. That's in the 'barely possible' category!

Studded tyres are fine on a bicycle, though noisy, I'm told. I would have thought they would be lethal on bare tarmac, but apparently not. But then I'm the sort of old fart that rides with mudguards, so studs are out.

[Defender]

Interestingly, I also ran Pirelli Snow Control's last year, they didn't seem to feel quite as grippy as the Good Year Ultra Grips do, but as it's been a while since the Pirelli's were on the car it's difficult be sure.
I have lost a slight droning noise that I thought might be a wheel bearing and the overall noise seems a bit lower or maybe it's just a lower frequency so less noticable?

I've read that some people make their own studded tyres by screwing 'self tapper' through a mountain bike tyre then wrapping an old inner tube round the good one to act as a barrier to stop the screw heads puncturing the inner tube.
I think in this country mudguards are far more usefull than studs, we have far more rain than ice and snow!

[Angib]

A good reminder of this post - I was out on my winter bike tyres yesterday and they are a bigger step forward on a bicycle than they are on a car. I was riding on polished sheet ice with complete confidence when walkers couldn't safely walk on it in boots. Two boys were sliding on their shoes down an icy suburban hill that I was quite happy to pedal up. I will come off my bike soon as the overconfidence is growing in the ability of these tyres to completely overcome the laws of physics......

I do hope we have some snow soon, so I can see how well they deal with that. I might even start thinking the price of the tyres is worth it to avoid bruised hips and the possibility of a broken wrist.

[RedLyl]

Quote: Originally Posted by Angib (original)

I will come off my bike soon as the overconfidence is growing in the ability of these tyres to completely overcome the laws of physics......

Remember Scotty in Star Trek - "Ye cannae break the laws of physics Captain!"

[Angib]

I think an even higher authority than Scotty is Billy Bragg:

Quote:

The laws of gravity are very, very strict
And you're just bending them for your own benefit

From "She's Got A New Spell"

And I have now slid off these tyres, sort of - I stopped to offer help to another cyclist, put my foot down, found that my boots didn't grip as well as the tyres and ever so gently slid to the ground, doing the splits. Other cyclist laughed, damn him!

[Defender]

Quote: Originally Posted by Angib (original)

I think an even higher authority than Scotty is Billy Bragg:
From "She's Got A New Spell"
And I have now slid off these tyres, sort of - I stopped to offer help to another cyclist, put my foot down, found that my boots didn't grip as well as the tyres and ever so gently slid to the ground, doing the splits. Other cyclist laughed, damn him!

That's life, it's always funny when it happens to someone else!