Reminder why I have a trike

[UpWrong]

Immense feeling of glee and smugness riding to work on the icy roads this morning.

[Jdsk]

: - )

Jonathan

[reohn2]

When it's icy (or just wet FTM) it's the other idiots that frequently abound on UK roads that trouble me the most.

[hercule]

My thoughts exactly. I love riding on those icy mornings when I couldn’t walk but I have become too much aware of motons who believe that 4WD, ABS, ESR, and other TLAs mean they can drive as recklessly as before. And in any case it’s not long before a ton of salt gets dumped on the road and transferred onto my precious trike.

[belgiangoth]

Does this require ice tyres or knobbies - or is it a product of being a three-wheeler? On my second ride on the Catrike I had some wheelspin climbing a steep hill with *lots* of fallen wet leaves - as the back wheel has less of the load I wonder whether this would also apply to ice?
For snow/ice I have to decide between my fixed with snow tyres (easier to carry) or the trike (less likely to fall off, but harder to carry and less suited for some of the roads I use).

[nobrakes]

Had some fun today. Marathon winters all round.

[UpWrong]

Now that's a great photo. I'm jealous of where you ride.

[nobrakes]

belgiangoth- yes traction is an issue on steep slippery slopes. The back of the trike doesn’t have much weight on it. I wouldn’t go out on ice without at least a rear studded tyre, but three is better if you want brakes to work

[belgiangoth]

For that I would need to switch the rear to a 26" and get a snow tyre (I don't believe they do them in 18" for the front). Hopefully this year will feature wfh and school closures when (if, I m in the midlands!) there is snow and I can muddle through with the fixed.

[[XAP]Bob]

I've lost traction on slicks to the extent that I had to push exactly once - It was about 50 yards further than any of the motor traffic was getting, and only 15-20 yards from the crest of the hill. Amusingly the grit lorry was stuck in the tailback with the cars at the top of the hill fishtailing.


I have had a complete set of ice tyres available for several years, and have occasionally fitted them - but most of my commutes were on major enough roads that they were well gritted. They were absolute marvels though, you'd be riding along with the traditional gravel sound and suddenly it would go quiet, with no other change. I could slow/stop or change direction on the ice quite happily.

The biggest issue, as suggested above, is that the following car might not be able to, and might assume that your traction means that the road is not icy, when it means nothing of the sort.

[belgiangoth]

Interesting. My experience of snow/ice tyres on the fixed is generally psychological - as in "it's icy so best fit the tyres" - I still find chunks of road unrideable due to snow or ice. I did think one year I would just not bother and keep the regular tyres, as there is only a narrow range between clear and too icy for snow tyres.
I can see this would be different on a trike, where a small loss of grip wouldn't cause a fall - just a wobble.

I would consider mtb tyres in 18" + snow tyre in 26", but I am not convinced that I will see enough snow to justify it, or that I would trust myself commuting on the trike in those conditions.

[[XAP]Bob]

To clarify the tyres I have are marathon winters - deep tread and studs, so function on both snow and ice.

Summer tyres are Trykers - no tread at all...

[Marc]

belgiangoth- yes traction is an issue on steep slippery slopes. The back of the trike doesn’t have much weight on it. I wouldn’t go out on ice without at least a rear studded tyre, but three is better if you want brakes to work

Check Ebay for the older Schwalbe Marathon Winter (20"/42-406) and Schwalbe Winter (16"/30-349, 18"/42-355). Schwalbe recently discontinued the 16" and 18" sizes, but they are still available at some vendors.

[nobrakes]

Another cracking day on the trike. Pushing the envelope a bit - a full fat would be better. Lots of wheel spin on steeper climbs and riding through several inches of snow in places is slow going. Great fun though!

[Cunobelin]

Made a classic error on mine....

Fitted a snow tyre to the rear wheel to add traction and it worked well

Then on the downhill from work applied brakes and realised that the additional grip should have been beneficial as I skidded along

Now have snow tyres all round