Cycling UK Forum

When I were a lad the trick was to fit the car with town and country tyres and shove a couple of hundredweight of walling stones in the boot, courtesy of the farmer who got them back in spring. In exchange we helped with the haymaking.

All very interesting results, and still coming in - thanks for indulging my curiosity, everyone! You're clearly a brave lot - I've just put my 'stud wheels' on and am ready for winter proper to start tomorrow!

PW wrote:When I were a lad the trick was to fit the car with town and country tyres and shove a couple of hundredweight of walling stones in the boot, courtesy of the farmer who got them back in spring. In exchange we helped with the haymaking.

Right up until she sold it in the early 2000s, my Mam's Morris Minor ran T&C tyres through the winter with a bag of old solidified cement in the boot. Never failed to get out of our road, unlike many others, even FWD cars. I wonder if the generally low torque helped prevent wheelspin too . . .

cjchambers wrote:I've just put my 'stud wheels' on and am ready for winter proper to start tomorrow!

Mine arrived today, I've never wanted ice and snow on the roads before

Well you are supposed to do 25 miles on tarmac before hitting the ice.

I took mine out last night when it was much too warm for ice.
They do make a funny noise and you can feel it coming through your handlebars too.

I found that they are no harder to cycle with than standard marathons and didnt really slow me down at all, UNTIL I came to the first roundabout. They are all over the place when you bank the bike over.

I did wonder about how they perform without ice, metal isn't as good as rubber for grip.

The studs wear off at corners little bit. Mine are rounder after a winter and they make slightly less noise/vibration. They do sink in as they meet tarmac, so you do have rubber meeting the tarmac as well. I can't say I have less grip really. I don't remember skidding with studded tyres on any surface. I do remember many hairy moments with plain rubber tough, even on non icy conditions! When they go quiet, you know the surface is soft and potentially slippery (ie road paint, leaves, ice etc). So there is some tactile feedback/info to them.

gilesjuk wrote:I did wonder about how they perform without ice, metal isn't as good as rubber for grip.

The studs push the rubber in when they meet something harder than the rubber (e.g. tarmac), leaving rubber n contact. When they meet soft stuff (ice) they push into that instead

Have you all seen this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11827592

"The UK is entering a prolonged cold snap which could bring one of the earliest significant snowfalls since 1993, according to weather forecasters."

Glad I got my tyres now, although there's no point going into the office if everyone else can't make it in.

There will be ice and frost for a long time, if not snow..

Maybe it its the big freeze they went on about in the 70's before they changed their minds and started warning us about global warming.

BSRU wrote:Maybe it its the big freeze they went on about in the 70's before they changed their minds and started warning us about global warming.

Maybe it is the big freeze Locally tarmac had disappeared by nightfall yesterday and is now under 6" of snow. Another inch or two and the neighbours will be snowed in (He's only got a landrover discovery and she's only got some ford 4x4, so both struggle when it snow's).

My bike's never snowed in, though wish I'd changed the racing slick I was "using" up on the front