The roads were okay. They weren't great but the cars do take care of a lot of the ice. But once I hit the bike path I went down hard. Worse than last time. It hurt. You can see the ice shattered where I fell right where the kickstand touches the ground (click the pic to enlarge). I'm really trying to figure out what to do.
Anyone know of the cheapest/quality studded tires? I'd look at the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires, but... whoa. I don't think I can spend 80 bucks per tire. I just don't have that kind of money. And I've heard cheap ones wear out quickly and aren't worth the money. Any coaching from any of you northerners?
I think for now I'll have to stay off the bike path and hit the road with the cars. I'm not going to quit riding. But it looks like this winter may be different than the past winters. I'll have to be really careful this year.
Get out there.
zipties - saw this on a blog yesterday, google it
ReplyDeleteI just slapped the studded tires on my Xtra last night. Make all the difference in the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dutchbikeco.com/_blog/Dutch_Bike_Co_Weblog/post/Seattle_Snowpocalypse/
ReplyDelete@ Jason & Tim - Looks interesting. Totally worth a try. I'll throw some on there this weekend, most likely.
ReplyDelete@ Jeremy - I saw your post this morning after I pulled in. I was rather jealous as I looked at your bike with a bloody elbow :)
I have Nokian Hakkepelitta 106s, and I was lucky enough to buy them used, at a great price, but you can get them new for around $50 each. Same goes for the Nokian Mount & Ground. Either set has carbide studs, and they are high-quality tires. They aren't cheap, but they aren't $80 each,e ither.
ReplyDeleteHi there, my first winter. I bought Nokian Mount and Grounds for 80 bucks for the pair. Carbide, and supposedly they'll last for years. I just love them. I actually rode on a flooded snowmobile racetrack at my local lake today. No problem! You can pretty much ride with complete confidence, just dont turn super fast (on pavement or ice!). WORTH THE MONEY!!
ReplyDeleteI am on my second winter on a pair of Nokian W294's. (294 studs per tire). They are awesome. To describe in detail, The studs are carbide that simply won't die. The carbide is initially covered in aluminum that is designed to wear off to reveal the carbide. The traction on ice is great; better than a regular tire on a clear summer day. I am in the Navy and stationed in northern Japan so I am an internet shopping guru. Go to google shopping and type in "Nokian winter tire" and you can find them well discounted. With shipping I got them for $45 per tire.
ReplyDeleteI'm on my second winter of riding on the Nokian Mount & Grounds and they're great. $45 each at Peter White Cycles, and the web page says he has then in stock. http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp
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