Comments on: DIY Snow Tires

By: zody

zody — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:48:28 +0000

I’m dubious of this zip tie for traction idea. I’ve commuted by bike in Minnesota for 15 years, and I don’t think that zip ties would help. If anything, they would be a hindrance if it means that you lose brake control at your rear wheel, which is the brake to use in slick conditions. When riding on snow and ice, you do fall over from time to time. This usually is a result of losing traction sideways on the front wheel. It seems to me that these zip ties would give a bit of bite fore and aft, but not really do much side to side??

Studded tires do make a big difference in traction, but they are expensive. This zip tie idea seems intended for an emergency “stuck in a snowstorm” type situation. My recommendation, if that happens, rather than spend half an hour installing zip ties would be:

-Lower your saddle a smidge so you can get a foot down if need be.
-Ride a bit more slowly than usual.
-Stay off the front brake.
-Avoid leaning into turns.

By: Tinker

Tinker — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:24:54 +0000

So why disc brakes? I have a roller brake front with a coaster brake rear, and this seems to be just about perfect for the rare (every few years) snow/ice days. All you need is a completely non-rim brake set up. (A very versatile brake system for variable width tires, in fact.)

By: Andraž

Andraž — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:04:28 +0000

Oh, and the zip tie solution is ingenious!

By: Andraž

Andraž — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Few days ago I took my BMX to cross-country ski trail to keep my girlfriend company. I have old slippery tyres on it (no knobs) but the main issue was sinking into the snow. Consequently the resistance of snow was to great and rear wheel lost traction…

When I deflated both tyres to almost flat (0,5-1 BAR) it went smoothly even of-trail or across the icy patches. Tyres did not sink anymore and I was faster than all skiers, it was sooo much fun that next time I am bringing a toy rifle to this bike biathlon… Then girlfriend got frustrated and we went home.

The worst situation in the city is thin layer of snow, the tire grips the snow OK, but the ground does not keep the snow in place. Either snow moves and lubricates ground or top layer skids on wet/frozen layer below. I usually use my road bike for such occasions. Its thin tyres penetrate the snow and stick rather firmly to the solid ground below. It works surprisingly well.

But once I was out with BMX when it started to snow heavily… I was hilarious, people must have thought I was a drunk being unable to change direction without falling.

I will give some home made solutions mentioned above a try next winter.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:21:46 +0000

This is a great post. Love your blog, keep up the great work.

By: James T

James T — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:10:31 +0000

Richard, I have ridden that bike in the snow with no zip ties, and you are right….the wide knobby tires do pretty well in the snow. I think the most dramatic improvement with the zip ties was on the ice after the snow melted and refroze. Some of the hills near my house were very slippery and difficult to walk up (like the sledding hill I linked to in the comment above), but I was able to ride up them without the rear wheel spinning out at all. I know from riding the same roads after snow or ice storms that is not always the case (in fact, I went down hard on one of those same hills in the ice last year). I would have much preferred to do both wheels, but I need to keep one brake connected so I opted for the drive wheel to maintain traction on the climbs. I probably should have been clearer in stating that this set-up required extra care on the ice to keep the front wheel from sliding out. The bike cornered great in the snow (as it probably would have without the zip ties) but on the ice I was definitely cautious. Still, I am convinced that I couldn’t have climbed some of those icy hills without the zip ties. It may not be a good as a set of real studded tires, but it did seem to help.

By: Richard Masoner

Richard Masoner — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:53:17 +0000

James, did you compare against riding with no zip ties? Your tires look knobby enough that they probably do just fine for most snow.

I lived and biked in snow country for about a decade, and much of that riding was done with skinny road slicks. Knobbies on a mountain bike was a big improvement from that. Studded tires were a big help on hard glare ice, but I’m not so sure the handling improvement was that dramatic on slush and snow.

Finally, as other suggest: front tire!

By: Mick

Mick — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:22:26 +0000

Not a chance that would work. The ties would completely prevent the bead from seating into the rim (even if you sanded them down…which would also dramatically decrease the strength of the tie).

By: James T

James T — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:02:45 +0000

It is definitely true that losing front tire traction is much more likely to cause a wreck. I needed the traction on the rear tire though to make it up the hills. I just had to ride carefully to avoid the front wheel from sliding out.

By: James T

James T — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:59:53 +0000

I like the pop rivet idea. That seems like a better solution than screws, which could back out and cause a puncture, even with a duct tape liner inside the tire.

Since I live in an area with only occasional snow, the quick zip tie solution works for me. If I lived in a colder climate though, I would definitely try the pop rivet idea (and I still might next time it snows here).