Making Sense of Winter Tires

It’s that time of year again.  You’re fenders are probably already on (if you took them off at all), but have you taken a look at your tires lately? Fall can be a really great time to take inventory of your tire situation.

Are they looking balder than Bruce Willis?  It might be time to invest in some fresh threads.  As the weather turns and the roads get wet and grittier, new tires can provide extra grip and added flat protection.  And boy, oh boy, do you have some choices, sizes and style!  Below we’ll outline the common advice we give to customers.  It boils down to what kind of riding you’re doing and what will best suit your needs.

Tire Choices- size & rubber 

Tires come in a variety of sizes.

Determine your size. When you look on the sidewall of your tires you’ll see the dimensions, for example 700×28 or 26×1.5.  The first number corresponds to the diameter of the wheel and is non-negotiable.  The second number refers to the width of tire. And YOU get to choose whether you’d like to run narrower tires (more efficient) up to super-wide ‘balloon’ tires (more surface area and traction).  While your bike frame can dictate just how wide you can go, you’ll find that tire models offer multiple widths and sizes.

Tire models also come in a variety of choices.

• Lighter more supple rubber provides superior ride quality.  However they wear down quickly and are more prone to flats.  Makes sense for road racers, not so much for commuters.
• Flat resistant tires can be slightly heavier, but routinely last thousands of miles.  (I have a friend who biked across the U.S. on one set of Schwalbe Marathons, 3 flats!
• You might also encounter the option of ‘Folding Tires’, which use carbon or other lighter materials to make the bead flexible.  These come folded in packages.  They weight less and often use the best rubber, but conversely are more expensive.

Often times, riders will choose to run more supple, narrower tires in the summer when the roads are dry and free of gravel.  When the weather turns south, they’ll turn to slightly wider flat-resistant tires.

For example, a road rider might use Continental Gp4000 in a 700×23 in the summer, and switch over to Gatorskins in a 700×25 for winter training.  Commuters might not need to switch tires, you might choose to run flat resistant tires all year.  But even bomb proof tires can get tired.  After about 2,000 miles (or 200 skids) you might find that while your tires were fine in summer road conditions that you’re starting to accumulate flats as the roads get wetter.

You can also look for fun features like reflective skid walls for added visibility!  I think that’s COOL!

Knitty Gritty on Tread

True or False? Knobby tires provide better traction on wet roads.

Answer: False

On wet roads, surface area is the key to getting the best traction.  Knobs are great on gravel or dirt where they can grip into  the trail, but on pavement a smoother tire will actually provide the best traction.

Commuter tires will typically be smooth with a slight tread pattern to help channel water.

Here is a line-up of some of our topselling commuter/winter tires. Bonus points if you can guess which one’s which!

A. Continental Gatorskin

B. Schwalbe Marathon

C. Continental Contact

D. Schwalbe Marathon

E. Continental Top Contact