Knobblies in the Snow?

[SNAKEBITER]

Silly frickin' question I know but...........

Do knobblies really make that much difference in the ice and snow?
(apart from deep snow, I'm on about the slushy rubbish we have darn sarf).
Is there really that much difference in contact patch?
Surely when you hit ice you are going to go whatever happens!

The reason I am asking is that I am still on City jet slicks, it is frosty but not snowy (yet).
When do I change tyres for knobblies again?

 

[JamesM]

Silly frickin' question I know but...........

Do knobblies really make that much difference in the ice and snow?
(apart from deep snow, I'm on about the slushy rubbish we have darn sarf).
Is there really that much difference in contact patch?
Surely when you hit ice you are going to go whatever happens!

The reason I am asking is that I am still on City jet slicks, it is frosty but not snowy (yet).
When do I change tyres for knobblies again?

A couple of years ago myself and a friend decided it would be a laugh to cycle home from work through the un-gritted lanes. The surface was sheet ice with a bit of snow. He had a full on MTB with knobblies and I had a commuter MTB with grooved slicks. Neither of us had any grip whatsoever. We made our way back to the main road by the shortest route but even that took ages and we both ended up on our asses more than a few times. It was a laugh though, but only because there was two of us. Had I have been on my own it woudldn't have been any fun.

 

[Chute55uk]

i think the knobblies "dig in" more and provide traction in the snow. i cant see anything being better than anything elso on ice or hardpack but definitley in the snow we had yesterday i jumped on my gt with off road tyres rather than my other bike with city jets and the tread pattern was definitive in the foot print and had no traction issues. today i havent had any trouble (still on the gt) on the ice but i have been taking it extra careful.
theres no way im trying it on jets.

 

[velomaniac]

Fit a front ice stud tyre and get on with it, you get the hang of it eventually. I find fixies are good as you've got traction control and its fun, fun, fun

 

[xerxes]

 

[JamesM]

Fit a front ice stud tyre and get on with it, you get the hang of it eventually. I find fixies are good as you've got traction control and its fun, fun, fun

Yeah and none of that cold freehub slipping nonsense either

 

[highlandsflyer]

I have just come back from trying out some forks that just arrived, and after about an hour of fiddling with them I had cause to dab my foot. Turned out I was on black ice. I was so involved in what I was doing I had not realised as I ventured onto the tarmac off the end of the track.

Thank Kylie I haven't put a front brake on that bike yet, or I would be back in the A&E again.

Impressed with the performance of the tyres on snow and ice, Maxxis High Roller and a Conti Mountain King. Perhaps because they are brand new.

I will be looking for some tubeless studded tyres

 

[JamesM]

I have just come back from trying out some forks that just arrived, and after about an hour of fiddling with them I had cause to dab my foot. Turned out I was on black ice. I was so involved in what I was doing I had not realised as I ventured onto the tarmac off the end of the track.

Thank Kylie I haven't put a front brake on that bike yet, or I would be back in the A&E again.

Impressed with the performance of the tyres on snow and ice, Maxxis High Roller and a Conti Mountain King. Perhaps because they are brand new.

I will be looking for some tubeless studded tyres

I've used high rollers in deep snow before and yeah the gripped well.

 

[Mr Panda]

Snow - yes knobblies grip better

Hard Ice - rubber doesn't bite into ice = no grip

 

[highlandsflyer]

Agreed.

The ice I was on was between soft and hard, back on the freeze again. That slimy ice.

Knobblies punch through rather than surf.