Cycling in the Snow

[Marek]

Can anyone give me some tips on where to get decent tyres that I can use on my race bike that would be suitable to use on roads after it has snowed. I realise that you cannot do much about ice, but surely someone out there can advise me on suitable snow tyres and where to order them.

Cheers

Marek...

[Marek]

I just read this:

I Have a Racing Bike!

I'm sorry you have a racing bike. Really, I am. The reason I'm sorry is that nobody makes a studded tire that will fit on any modern road racing bicycle. Racing bikes typically come with 700x23mm (23-622) tires. If you look at the clearance between your tires and those parts of your bike that the tires come close to, you'll see that there is probably no more than 4mm or 5mm clearance at some points. And at the top of the tire, particularly where the tire goes under the front brake, you could have as little as 3mm of clearance.

Since the smallest 700c (622) studded tire is 35mm, there is simply no way that they will fit in your frame.

Cheers

Marek....

[Paul H]

Someone is keen.

I would say the thinner the tyre the better as it is more likely to cut through the snow and get to the tarmac.

[Marek]

When I go to Poland every year in the Winter it is likely that in the hills the roads get snowed up. I reckon I could probably ride them just about, but it would be slow and a bit dodgy.

What I have tended to do in the past is ride up into the hills as far as I can get before it gets too dangerous, then I ride back down again, unfortunately this gives me quite a limited ride as where I stay each direction you go it tends to go up after about 10 miles or so.

Ah well, maybe it is safer to stick to the decent roads, hmm, maybe I will buy a mountain bike while I am out there and use that instead.

Cheers

Marek...

[Dr Frigo]

[url=http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-Moots-Snow-Bike-29er-pugsley-Titanium-Rohloff_W0QQitemZ290055506652QQihZ019QQcategoryZ98083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]I'd use this[/url]

[Bo-Gilly]

click on blair bike project

http://www.vertriders.com/multimedia_downloads.htm

[Marek]

Blimey Sylvain, I ain't that keen. The Blair Bike Project looks pretty good fun, hmm, maybe I will take my super power light with me when I go and see if I can get a bit of night downhill going on one of the local ski slopes.

Cheers

Marek...

[Andrew G]

As you can't fit fat barely inflated tyres on a road bike, I think the best bet would be thin and as knobbly as you can fit through the clearance (would a cyclo cross tyre fit?). I know rally cars on snow use very thin tyres to, as Paul says, cut through the snow to the gravel / road beneath.

What ever you come up with, good luck

[huw williams]

Cycling in the snow in Poland?

a) Don't.

b) Buy a mountain bike.

c) Go to Greece instead.

[Marek]

Huw, surely someone in your office must know what the score is in relation to riding racing bikes in snowy conditions on the road. How did Pawel Tonkow manage to get so good on the hills, he must have been training in the Polish mountains in the winter.

Cheers

Marek....

[huw williams]

If you feel like you have to ride your bike in the snow, on a family holiday to Poland, in deep mid-winter, after a long season like you've had. You need to sit yourself down and have a long hard talk with yourself young man.

I'm assured that Mr Tonkov, despite Russian nationality, didn't spend his winters blasting accross the icy tundra of Northern Siberia, snow-tyres or not.

Official cycling weekly policy on riding in the snow is DO IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE or DO IT ON A TURBO AND LOOK AT THE SNOW THROUGH THE WINDOW!

[mark mclaughlin]

Let some air out of your tyres, gives you better traction. Found this worked the last time it snowed here commuting back one evening. But only good when snows fresh, otherwise just don't go there!!

[Marek]

If you had met my parents in law, and see the amount of food that they stack up in front of me everytime they see me, 'oh you look so skinny'.

Also the fact that they don't speak any English and my Polish is pretty poor, then after a while there is only a certain amount of BBC World Service News that I can take. Therefore it is more of a Stir Crazy thing, I will do anything just get me out of the house before I cannot move due to the amount of food or before my head explodes due to boredom.

I remember about a year ago we went on a family holiday to Portugal. I did not take my bike, I have never been to such a fancy posh place for my holiday, but I have to say I was so bored I was driving the misses around the bend. She has now bowed to the fact that it is better that I take my bike with me everywhere we go as it is better that when I am around I have a smile as opposed to a grumpy peeed off look.

Cheers

Marek....

[Grahame]

Then the best solution is probably a mountainbike.

Which airline are you flying with?

The [url=http://www.lot.com/Portal/EN/aspx/Contact__FAQ_1101.aspx?_COCCID=PL]LOT[/url] website makes it clear that they take bicyles free. It's worth printing this page out and taking it to the airport 'cos on a couple of occasions they tried to charge me excess baggage fees for my bike (in a box) but showing them their web page saying it is in addition to the free luggage allowance got them to change their minds both times.

[Marek]

We are flying with Central Wings, not sure what the score is, but I am reckoning on some kind of Ryan Air type charge.

Cheers

Marek....