What's Best on Black Ice?

This is just a summary of a brief discussion on the Uselessnet newsgroup rec.bicycles.misc on the topic of staying upright on icy surfaces, a topic that gained extreme relevance here last week. Comments are welcomed here.

Subject: Whats best Black Ice strategy - chains, studs?
Date: 29 Nov 1995 21:47:40 -0500
Message-Id: <49j60c$2rm@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
Reply-To: seayacker@aol.com (Sea Yacker)

I haven't logged onto this newsgroup for a while but did so to ask a specific question. Looks like I may have missed some recent discussion of this, so sorry for the rehash...but last winter I wiped out (while carrying a big wooden fish) on some black ice at a sometimes busy intersection. I commute to work and have already put on 6 pounds as a result of thanksgiving and a recent vacation. Need to keep cycling but don't want to wipe out.

I have seen studded tires (in Performance or Nashbar catalog and I can't find them there now) and chains. Do either of thise work well for black ice and/or does one work better than the other)?

Thanks alot.

---Dave---

Subject: Re: Whats best Black Ice strategy - chains, studs?
Date: 30 Nov 95 23:48:54 GMT
Message-Id: 
From: ummcbrid@cc.umanitoba.ca (Stephen James Mcbride)

> (while carrying a big wooden fish)

Huh? Wha!??

Any way. I use a studded tire on the front wheel. I have not fallen since I put it on(knock on wood). I have not had any problems with them. I recommend them although a bit pricey and noisey on concrete I really enjoy them. I have heard that chains can fall off and generally have to be run at max tire pressure all the time. While with studs you can vary the pressure to suit your weight, conditions or just personal prefference. I would reccomend the studs. You can always do the studding yourself. Ask at any bike store what screws to use(I think they can be bought at most hardware stores) Use a pair of conti tires they seem to work the best(I cannot remeber the name of the tire soory). thats what a lot of the couriers use here in Winnipeg. (lots of ice)

Anyway, my thoughts. feel free to disagree!

==============================================================================
|Stephen McBride		|Think Globally	|Why are there interstate 
|ummcbrid@cc.umanitoba.ca	|Act Locally	|highways in Hawaii??
==============================================================================

Subject: Re: Whats best Black Ice strategy - chains, studs?
Date: 1 Dec 1995 19:06:21 GMT
Message-Id: <49njnd$atu@metroux.metrobbs.com>
From: fresh aire delivery services freshair@big12.metrobbs.com

Dave,

I've used both chains and studded tires, both home-made and commercial. Chains work well on thick snow and ice, but tend to wear out quickly when used on pavement. (I operate a delivery service here, and went thru a pair of chains in about 2 weeks.). Also, if you ever break a chain, it will catch on the frame and lock up a wheel. If that happens on the front wheel, you'll go over the handlebars (I speak from experience!). Studs generally work better on black ice than chains, and are certainly better nothing at all, but they don't work as well on black ice as they do on thick ice, simply because there's not as much material to dig into. So, be careful on black ice, regardless of what you do.

As for the best type of studded tires, I recommend getting some carbide-tipped tire studs (available from any automobile tire dealer) and stud your own. Carbide- tipped studs last *much* longer than sheet metal screws. The commercial studded tires (i.e., IRC Blizzards) don't have as much "bite" as home-made ones, since IMHO the studs don't stick out far enough.

Subject: Re: Whats best Black Ice strategy - chains, studs?
Date: Fri, 01 Dec 1995 05:06:35 GMT
Message-Id: <49m2fj$389@ionews.io.org>
From: timmer@io.org (Tim Gleason)

I use chains because they're easier to take on and off as the weather changes (though not a hell of a lot easier!). They work pretty well. You can save yourself some money if you get an old mountain bike tire and put wood screws through it then line it with some tough plastic. Don't waste money on the store bought studs. Chains are pricey too if you want the good ones. It all depends where you're riding. I live in Toronto where you just never know... so I keep chains in my panniers for piece of mind (they work really well there;-)

Timothy Gleason           Adventure? Excitement?
timmer@io.org             A Jedi craves not these things.