Winter Tyres

[JohnInStockie]

Just a question. Does anyone on the forum change their tyres for winter? I found the Marathon Plus a bit slippy when using them off road after rain (which I why I stopped going off-road - as well as speed and maintenance), and wonder what they will be like on icy mornings.

What sort of tyres are best for commuting on icy roads?

 

[Ian]

I too have found the marathons a bit slippery on mud, I presume it's because there's no knobbles to dig in and grip and I guess all road tyres are the same.

While mtb type tyres would have an obvious advantage on mud, and possibly snow to a lesser extent, I doubt that anything short of studded tyres would give any significant advantage on icy surfaces. I can't say I've had any real problem with ice as such, I find the worst hazard to the greasy mulch from fallen leaves which almost anything will slip on... including train wheels

 

[allotmenteer]

While mtb type tyres would have an obvious advantage on mud, and possibly snow to a lesser extent, I doubt that anything short of studded tyres would give any significant advantage on icy surfaces.

I agree with that. Some years ago me and the wife were riding off-road in winter on a compacted mud track. Suddenly we rode onto a large patch of sheet ice which had formed on the track. The wheels slipped immediately and violently but luckily we threw our legs out quickly and kept upright(ish) but were totally out of control, no steering, no brakes, nothing. Once we slid to a halt we could barely even walk off the ice. Wouldn't like to come across something like that on road.

 

[flecc]

Yes, this time of the year I think is the worst for poor adhesion due to the oily sap oozing from fallen leaves, and no tyres are really proof against that, except metal spiked ice tyres. A good downpour washes it away, but pending that it's best to be cautious, corner slowly and brake gently where there's leaves on the ground.
.

 

[shootmesomeinfo]

Marathon Plus ATB

What size M+ tyres are you using? You guys know you can get the M+ tyres in an off-road version don't you? 26"x2.00

Chris

 

[flecc]

One of Ian's has 700c rims, and John's bike hasn't got enough mudguard clearance for those 2" ones.

Also off road tyres increase the rolling resistance.
.

 

[frank9755]

For me, the thought of trying to get the motor wheel off far enough to squeeze in a tyre is enough to put me off. Having got The marathon plus on, its staying on until it wears out!
Frank

 

[shootmesomeinfo]

Also off road tyres increase the rolling resistance.
.

True, but he did mention about using them off road. I'd rather play on the motorway than use a normal marathon plus off road in damp conditions

Chris

 

[Ian]

I frequently use my Torq with M+ tyres on a muddy towpath and I've not been in the canal yet, anything more extreme than that is not really suitable e-bike territory anyway, at least for stock machines.

 

[DWiskow]

What about these . . . Schwalbe - Marathon Plus ATB . . . the same old Marathon Plus (including SmartGuard), but with a more suitable All Terrain tread ?

Any thoughts ?

 

[JohnInStockie]

Well they've gotta be considered for those autumn/winter days with lots of leaves, and especially off-road.

Anyone trie these?

John

 

[halflife]

I have 1/2 road 1/2 offroad tyres on my paratrooper. They are knobblies on the sides and then a very slight tread on the center. I use them for work every day and then offroading at the weekend. Bit of a compromise because there are times when they don't have enough grip off road and I would not want to courner at really high speed on road but the advantage for me is not having to change them at the weekend

 

[BrizzleBoy]

Have had those Marathon Plus ATB on my Wisper for 2 months now and been pleased so far. Wait to see what happens in the autumn though cant be any wetter than the 'summer' we have had.

 

[DWiskow]

I now have Schwalbe Marathon Plus ATB tyres (complete with Schwalbe Inner Tubes and 40mm schraeder Valves) on both of our Agattus.

Pretty simple to fit, although you do need to make sure the tyre bead is well seated . . . and I had to use tyre levers for the last few inches.

Handling seems to be absolutely fine and off road (bridleways with our horses) is much improved.

I used to experience rear wheel slip when powering up a muddy hill and the occasional front wheel sideways slide (which resulted in me coming off a couple of times) . . . I have not had either of these problems since I replaced the tyres.

 

[andyh2]

The lanes round here have been covered in mud of late and the I didn't have much confidence in my standard Agattu tyres. I put some Conti Twisters on a couple of weeks ago (700 x 37) and have been very impressed with grip on off road tracks and muddy roads.

I suspect they're slower on smooth clear surfaces but I'm not really noticing that so far. Marathons probably give more puncture resistance though.

I strap the battery in position so it doesn't rattle about. It doesn't have the bottom bracket clearance of a mountain bike and I'm more cautious and slow down a fair bit down hill so as to limit potential bouncing about damage, but a load of local on / off road routes are now accessible. So my 'sensible' commuter has become a great fun machine too.