Tyre pressures in slippery/icy/snowy conditions

[braddo]

Would you:

- keep the pressures up (smaller surface area but greater weight/penetration?), or
- lower the pressure a bit (larger surface area, perhaps a more maleable surface area that can hunt out grip a little better?

In my context, this is a road bike on slicks on city roads.

[nammynake]

Lower pressure, e.g. 90PSI instead of 100+ (on 23mm tyres).

[Kermit power]

braddo said:

In my context, this is a road bike on slicks on city roads.

I'm a complete wuss when it comes to road tyres and excessive slippery moisture of any variety, so my road bike is safely locked up in the garage.

I have, however, just come back from a 5 mile lunchtime pootle on my mountain bike (2.25" knobblies running around 40 PSI) on the snow, and I was amazed at just how much traction and stability I had.

[Rob_T]

i'm looking forward to the first 'proper' outing with the studded tyres i have riding home from work this afternoon. i have ridden then in a dusting of snow, but not in what's coming down and on the ground at the moment!

[Accelebrate]

Lower pressures seem to work best for snow and ice on bikes. Chunkier tyres with some tread if you've got them.

[braddo]

Kermit power said:

I'm a complete wuss when it comes to road tyres and excessive slippery moisture of any variety, so my road bike is safely locked up in the garage.

After years of using Specialized All Condition Pro's and being very impressed with their wet grip (grip/handling in general for that matter), I have been very, very tentative on the slicks my new bike came with. However, it seems their compound serves up a surprising amount of grip in the wet. Metal drain covers seem to be more slippery though so I'll never relax on slicks the way I could on the All Cond Pros.

Bear in mind that on city roads I am never having to deal with mud or loads of loose debri on the road though, so obviously it's a different kettle of fish to less urban roads.

[Gizmoish]

On snow, the bigger the contact patch the better. On ice, the size of the contact patch doesn't make a huge amount of difference.

CX racers go low-pressure.

[delmatt]

Just been to the shops on my old Giant XTC....Much better than my trip out earlier today in my Volvo s80 Auto. Let the tyres down a bit and it worked really well. The only issue was you dont really know what is under the snow when going down the bridal paths.

[BadgerBenji]

Gizmoish said:

CX racers go low-pressure.

Regularly run 25-30 on a clincher, depending on the surface, it's only when you get roots/concrete lumps that you put the pressures up. Tend to find latex innertubes are better as well for not punch puncturing when running lower pressures.

[Kermit power]

delmatt said:

Just been to the shops on my old Giant XTC....Much better than my trip out earlier today in my Volvo s80 Auto. Let the tyres down a bit and it worked really well. The only issue was you dont really know what is under the snow when going down the bridal paths.

Ah yes... Will she still be dirty in 10 years time, or will that sort of thing just be a distant memory?

[delmatt]

Still dirty....have two other bikes now that I take more care of!But not forgotten,
dirty things are always best remebered.

[Gizmoish]

Kermit power said:

Ah yes... Will she still be dirty in 10 years time, or will that sort of thing just be a distant memory?

Well I got it, at least.

[Kermit power]

Gizmoish said:

Kermit power said:

Ah yes... Will she still be dirty in 10 years time, or will that sort of thing just be a distant memory?

Well I got it, at least.

I'm glad someone did! I'd already glued the parrot to its perch and set up the camera... I just needed to find out where my wife has put her hairdryer!

[AyBee]

Cracked out the mtb this weekend and for the commute this morning. Inspires much more confidence in these conditions and it's nice having hydraulic disks rather than rim brakes. Lower pressures make for a much harder work out but I found many slides on ice alright to catch. It's quite fun drifting on two wheels

[braddo]

The Friday evening ride home was uneventful with the main roads quite clear of ice and settled snow. I let the tyres down to perhaps around 30-40 psi.

The final leg required a bit more care though.



Had a day on the tube today but that experience was enough to more than likely see me on the bike tomorrow...