For winter riding, I will choose 700*25. Even 25s are a little thin for winter conditions. At the moment it can be quite treacherous with wet leaves on the road. I take extra care not wanting to risk a broken leg.
For winter riding, the main thing is puncture resistance and good grip on the roads. I have tried quite a few different tyres for winter riding. Winter Tyres I recommend include:
Specialised All condition
I have Armadillos on my winter training bike. Armadillo’s offer one of the best puncture protection. I have them on my commuting bike for nearly four years. They rear tyre needed replacing after 18months, the front tyre after about 24 months. They are very hard wearing) and have only had two punctures; one puncture (6 inch nail) which probably would have punctured a car tyre.
The disadvantage of Armadillos is that they are a little more sluggish, little heavier and they are also quite stiff – hard to get on and off. But, I guess this is the inevitable trade-off for puncture resistance. However, time spent not mending a puncture by side of road on a wet November day is worth the slight reduction in rolling speed.
Schwalbe Durano Plus
If you really wanted to go for maximum puncture resistance on winter training tyres, you could consider the Schwalbe Durano Plus. However, they are heavier than ordinary tyres because of the depth of puncture resistance. I would use these on my commuting bike, but for long rides I would prefer something lighter and slightly faster rolling resistance.
The Schwalbe Ultremo is a more sporty version that is good for all year round riding. It is geared more towards fast summer riding, but it is scratch resistant and has decent puncture resistance. However, I would it is probably worth changing to a more puncture resistant tyre for winter. At least it is easy to get on and off. (Schwalbe Ultremo at Wiggle). However, they are on expensive side at £35.
My Winter Tyre of Choice
At the moment, I also have been using Continental Ultra Gator Skin. They offer three levels of Kevlar puncture protection underneath the tread. They are semi slick tyres so grip well. The Continental ultra gator skin have a soft feel and are easy to put on and off (unlike for example the Continental 4000 and Armadillos). I have had the odd puncture during winter riding, but the ratio is reasonable low (perhaps 1 per 1,000 miles). This is acceptable given their good performance and ease of repairing puncture. They also last quite well and I’ve got 2-3,00 miles out of them before I’ve wanted to replace.
Vittoria Open Pave
If money is no object, then the best tyre for performance in winter could well be the Vittoria Open Pave Evo. It is specifically designed to give best grip – even on slippy surfaces like pave (as used in Paris Roubaix). It uses both a green grip on outside and also a specially designed tyre compound to give greatest levels of grip. It also is quite low weight at only 240grams and has excellent rolling resistance. I haven’t tested these myself, but they are frequently used in early season pro-races like Paris Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. The tyre has often been used by the winner of Paris – Roubaix. e.g. – (2007 O’Grady), (2006 Cancellara) , (2004 Backsted) (2000 Museeuw) The tyre comes in one size 24 which is good size for winter riding. (Vittoria Open Pave at Wiggle)
As I’ve mentioned before, I always think tyres are one area not to skimp on. It really is worth paying £20 – £30 plus to get the best tyres. I know I’m happy to pay £20, to avoid getting a few more punctures…
If you have any good recommendations for winter training tyres, please leave in comments.
Related
If your frame can take them I highly recommend Schwalbe Land Cruisers. Smallest are 35s unfortunately so no use for ultra narrow frames.
I have used them in both 700/35 and 26/1.75 (not on the same bike) all last winter and they handled all the snow without a problem – and generally kept me moving quicker than most cars. I’m pretty much an inner-city A-Road commute so Ice is not a huge deal as long as you pay attention to likely formation spots. They have Never punctured (he says touching wooden desk)
slightly off topic – my 2011 tricross stock tyres were useless – over 6 months about 20 punctures. switched to Marathon green guards (28) and the punctures have stopped. Again though, fatter than some would like
thanks Ian
Just a few days ago I was looking into puncture resistant tyres. Are you psychic Tejvan?
It’s just that time of the year
Schwalbe are very good but you really don’t need so many studs and if you do want to make your own studded tyres, use sheet-metal screws. Pan head, instead of hex head, use old road slicks to protect the tubes on the inside. Choose an old pair of 26 inch with big knobbies then choose screws which will emerge about 3 or 4mm. Drill starter holes and screw them in. The points will wear fast on uncovered tarmac but you’ll be left with 2-3 mm studs, which is ideal and could last you several winters. They are excellent on sheet ice when braking. Nothing else comes close. People who don’t know you are riding on studded tyres will be amazed.
I ran Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase 28s for nearly 3,000 miles on rural roads and had just one puncture – a tiny pinprick from an undiscovered source (no carcass holes).
Thanks for the info, useful link to. I noticed my tyres are Armadillo All Condition, but the Armadillo Nimbus seems more robust, the smallest available are 700×28, will they fit my 700Cx28H rims? I currently have 700×23?
Cheers.
That sounds pretty bad luck. I’ve had one puncture in the past two years on Armadillos. Personally, I pump mine upto 90-100psi for commuting.
700/25 shouldn’t really make any difference for not getting punctures.
One thing to check is that when you replace an inner tube, it is not getting pinched as this is sometimes a reason for repeat punctures.
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/bikes/tips-for-avoiding-punctures/
I have Armadillo 23 pressured to 120psi, but I get at least a puncture a month, I ride 100miles a week along London roads.
Compared to other peoples experience, am I doing something wrong? Do I need 700/25? Can I repair the gashes left by flints and glass? I don’t now much about this topic so any advise appreciated.
Happy cycling!
It’s a good point. I see so many people turn out on our winter rides on their worn out summer tyres. A puncture in the winter can be so much harder to fix, and so much more disruptive, than in the summer. That said, I have to keep up with some fast people and choose some Michelin Lithion or “Carbon” training tyres or Vittoria Rubino Pro (slippery!) that are nearly the equivalent of race tyres. I commuted on Armadillos once. They were dead to ride, but soaked up the flints and glass etc.
Another vote for Conti Ultra Gators here.
I had a bad fall on ice, last December, and am dreading meeting icy conditions on my commute, this winter. I’m considering studded tyres, but is it worth it, we only have a short time when icy conditions prevail? How would studded tyres run on tarmac, in between icy conditions? What’s your view? By the way I’ve been using Continental Top Contact Touring tyres for over 12 months now, and had only a couple of punctures. So I’d recommend them to any commuter, save for icy conditions.
Try a pair of Schwalbe’s Marathon Winter tyres. I have used them for the past two years. They are semi slick with 200 spikes. As my usual commute on a cycle path has been and will be covered with snow I have to go on the road with around 60psi. They have low rolling resistance and lots of people will look around to see where the noise is coming from because (in my opinion) they sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies as you travel down the road.
In normal road conditions they perform the same as normal tyres. The drill-bit material tungsten carbide tipped spikes push into the tyre as they come into contact with the road surface so you have no loss of traction. When on ice at a slower speed you can ride, turn and brake almost the same as you would with a regular tyre.
Mine are due for replacement as after two seasons on the road they have lost a few of the spikes out of each tyre. But no more than ten spikes out of two hundred. They have great puncture protection too. They do feel heavy but once on the bike you will quickly get used to them.
I would also suggest that once you put them on you leave them on for the whole of the winter season. I will put a new pair on my large frame commuting hardtail mtb when the weather turns and then leave the tyres on until spring arrives.
I’m a BIG fan of Armadillos and I use them all year round, not one puncture in two years! I couldn’t care less whether they are slow (read “they ride like well hardened garden hose) or not, at the end of the day you are not training if you are fixing punctures. As to being slippy, I always take the corners easy anyway as I’m not that brave. Fantastic tyres in my opinion when I think about the number of times a month we used to mend punctures 20 years ago.
Just fitted an Armadillo 28 to the rear of my commuting road bike – is it THAT wrong to run 25 front and 28 rear?
Though it does have something of the old 27×1¼ about it, that’s not a bad thing with roads in Sheffield, which have given my rear wheel a real hammering
After having been forced to use my MTB for the ride to work last week (due to my last rear tire on the road bike “growing an egg”) I haven’t noticed any major rolling resistance…hmm..wonder why?
armadillos are seriously sturdy – but slippy as anything. watch out for adverse camber on glassy roundabouts; i’ve had some painful moments on these. also agreed re: sluggish – they ride like a car tyre, whether 120 or 20psi.
gatorskin 25s all the way.