Tires for frozen trails.

[MtBkGrl]

Hi all,
I did do a search but found mostly info about snow riding.
I'm looking for advice about tires for frozen trail conditions, not snow covered. The trails around here are already freezing at night and any moisture in the soil and fallen leaves have turned the trails hard and slippery.

I don't plan to ride when the snow gets real, that's what snowboards are for! But I would like to get in more rides until then.

My rims are 29" WTB STx i25 TCS that currently have the WTB Breakout Comp 29" x 2.3" tires the bike came with; they work pretty good but not on the frozen stuff. Bike frame and rims are gonna limit size.
I'm mostly concerned with traction, I'm older with a bad back, worried about falls, so slow is ok. So... studded tires, or soft compound? Both? Brands?
Thanks for any help!

 

[Mabman]

Try letting some air out of your tires to enhance traction and just riding carefully. You will be snowboarding before you know it and forget all about your bike.......

 

[ottoshape]

I've been slapped to the ground riding my dirt bikes far too many times. Now, I value my hips and shoulders way too much to ride on frozen ground. Even riding slow, the tires will slide out and you'll hit the ground in a millisecond. With that said, I've never seen studded tires for bicycles. Perhaps that would be the solution.

 

[harrysmalls]

I've been slapped to the ground riding my dirt bikes far too many times. Now, I value my hips and shoulders way too much to ride on frozen ground. Even riding slow, the tires will slide out and you'll hit the ground in a millisecond. With that said, I've never seen studded tires for bicycles. Perhaps that would be the solution.

studded mtb tires at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[All4Fun]

Winterreifen vom Profi – schwalbe.com

Orrrrrr.....DIY..

How to make your own studded winter tyres

 

[aarfeldt]

We had a lot of frost/snow last winter, and I fell quite hard and damaged my hand.
It was black ice hidden under 1mm of new snow....yak.

The next day I was on Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro on a smaller old set of wheels.....what a difference it made.
I could go just as fast as in the summer....if I dare to trust the spikes.
After some runs, I actually did a new PB !

You have to run the tires in, and go for a +20km on tarmac before using them on the trail.
Spikes will leave the tyre, but they can be ordered seperately.

Only downside....they are very NOISY

 

[Mcharza]

We use here up north of EU Schwalbe or Suomi studded tires. Both are good.
But they need to be running in carefully so that the studs do not come off. Maybe first 50 km on tarmac.

 

[MtBkGrl]

I thought I would update this thread with the choice I made for tires.

Bought a set of Schwalbe Ice Spike Pro tires. Turned out to be a great decision, the tires work very well on the frozen and snow covered trails.
However, as soon as the snow got deeper that was the end of off-road riding. Just not enough volume to keep from sinking into the dry white stuff.

I read a lot of stories about the tires loosing spikes but mine have not lost a single stud. Most of the info said to ride the tires gently on pavement for 10 plus miles to seat the studs before getting serious about using the tires but I only rode them a few hundred yards on the street.
Most of my rides have been fairly short, it's just too damm cold for long trips, so I only have about 30 miles total on them so far.
Looking forward to the late winter melt when the trails get firmer.

These pictures are from back in early December when it was about -5C, cold but not bad, not long after it went down to -20C and then we got a meter of snow.
I really love the tires, great traction but noisy on pavement as noted by others. Who cares, it's just great to extend the season!

Late December 2021

 

[DaveW2]

Good choice on the tires. But you still have to ride cautiously on smooth clean ice. Smooth ice hidden by thin snow is the worst. I've only lost studs if there are exposed rocks and I lets the tires skid on them.

 

[MOTO13]

I ride quite a bit in the winter. Generall ride on fairly hard packed/somewhat icy/sketchy single track trails in the Mid West. I generally ride my Niner WFO with the stock tires and have been REALLY happy with the traction. I am pretty sure they are Schwalbe Eddy Currents. You can't lean hard or ride too aggressively, but they do really good IMHO.

 

[DeRailled7]

There are a few ice patches where i ride. I’ve been riding on 45nrth - wrathchild, 29x2.6 tires. Absolutely stellar traction.