Colder climates require special consideration when choosing bicycle tires. If you ride on icy roads, you’ll need different cycle tires for winter. Tires are designed to grip ice and snow. Hence, you need tires that can handle these conditions.
You might also want different bike tires if you ride on smooth roads in the winter. Smooth roads don’t grip snow as well as icy roads, so your bicycle will slide more on smooth roads. In this article, I’ll explain winter tires and why you need different bicycle tires in the winter.
Does Cold Weather Affect Bike Tires?
It’s important to have the right tires in winter weather, especially on icy, or snowy tracks. Snowfall and black ice make cycling extremely unpredictable in cold. No other season of the year challenges tires to provide traction like this. That’s why winter tires are specially designed for cold temperatures, ice, and snow.
Then How Do Winter Tires Differ From Regular Tires?
A winter tire has several characteristics that make it unique:
Rubber Tread
An all-season or summer tire’s tread rubber stiffens in extremely cold temperatures. And this makes it less capable of providing adequate traction. To grip the road better, winter tires have flexible tread rubber compounds.
Tread Patterns And Depth
The depth of the tread and the tread pattern of winter tires make them stand out from other tires. For this reason, snow buildup is reduced, and traction is improved with deeper tread depths. Water is channeled out of winter tires by their tread patterns, which channel snow and slush.
Biting Edges
To provide traction on ice, winter tires have thousands of tiny slits on the tread as well as a biting edge. Moreover, winter tires have multi-cell compounds that help remove water from ice. Also, it improves traction to help you maintain control in icy conditions.
Puncture – Resistant
Winter tires are designed to resist punctures. Because of the ice and snow on the roads, more punctures occur than usual. Snow tires have thicker treads that keep them from getting stuck in the snow or mud.
Better Grip
Winter tires are designed to provide a better grip in icy and snowy conditions. This is because winter tires have a thicker rubber compound that provides more grip than regular tires. They also have specially shaped treads that allow them to stay on the road even in bad weather conditions.
Well, What Tires Are Good For Snow?
Several types of snow tires are good for snow.
Studded Tire:
A common type of winter tire is a studded tire. As their name suggests, small metal studs are added to the tread area of these tires.
- Stud provides traction on ice and snow, allowing the driver to be in control and perform well.
- They provide extra traction by digging into the snow and ice, keeping the tires in contact with the ground.
- Winter cycling with studded tires provides better handling, stability, and contact with the road.
Furthermore, studded tires aren’t subject to damage or breakage like chains and cables in the winter months. But studded tires have some drawbacks indeed.
- Despite their suitability for icy and snowy roads, these tires can be dangerous on normal roads.
- Sometimes, they can damage the pavement or road by digging into it.
Non-Studded Winter Tires:
These are also known as winter tyres or studless tyres. Unlike studded tires, these tires do not have studs. A snowflake symbol with a three-peak mountain deterioration appears on the sidewalls of these tyres.
- Winter compound and tread pattern provide adequate traction.
- Aggressive tread patterns improve grip and traction.
- And rubber becomes more flexible in extreme temperatures. Winter rubber compounds make tires without studs perform better.
- The tyre remains flexible even in extreme temperatures despite its soft compound.
- Sipes are also unique to non-studded tyres. These slits reduce tire tread wear as well as stopping distances.
- Biting edges and grip are required in winter. Because they provide traction on snow and slush. And no-studded tires designed for extreme winter driving that make winter cycling safer.
Knobby Tyres:
A knobby tyre has a rough tread that enhances traction on fat tires and mountain bikes. This tire, especially a 26-inch tire is a great choice for snowy or icy roads. It is better to replace knobby tyres with less grippy ones as the weather warms up.
Mountain Bike Tires:
Because mountain bike tires are thick, they provide a lot of traction. Most tires have smooth surfaces, while a few have grips that extend almost to the rim. And that enhances traction when driving on icy surfaces. For winter use, you can purchase rougher treads, but most mountain bike owners use the same tires all year.
Fat Tyres:
Fat tyres can only be used on bicycles with fat frames. Despite having traction-enhancing knobs, fat tyres are best used off-road in situations with deep snow or mud. More importantly, there is no difference between winter and summer fat tyres.
All Weather Tires:
The all-weather tire provides traction, flex, and performance regardless of temperature.
- It can handle slush, snow, and heavy rainfall in mild winter conditions.
- Their aggressive siping and tread designs also provide impressive traction in winter.
Are All-Season Tires Really Good In Snow?
All-season tires perform best above 7°C, with performance dropping below that temperature. As they perform best in warm, dry, and mildly wet conditions, they are also known as “3-season tires”.
Why Regular Tires Won’t Fit In Winter?
The tread rubber of a regular tire becomes stiffer and less able to conform to irregularities on even a dry road at colder temperatures. Ice and snow fill in and smooth over the irregularities of the road, making it even more hazardous in the winter.
- When a tire rolls across a frozen surface of ice and snow, then heat and friction melt the surface of the ice and produce a thin film of water. Ice-covered roads are especially slippery due to this water film.
- Another factor that contributes to slippery roads? The slushy surface. Ice becomes slushy when the air temperature exceeds 32°F. You are more likely to slip when your tires slip as water film and slush deepen.
That’s why winter road conditions make regular tires ineffective for gripping and handling. Whereas snow or winter tires can provide you with the grip and handling you need in that condition.
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Before The Closing
So, it is clear that you need different bicycle tires for winter riding. But it is also important to keep weather conditions and riding style in mind when choosing winter tires. That’s all for now. Safe Pedaling In Winter!
