Best winter tyres?????

[Bandit]

What tyres do you use during the winter months?

 

[JackRabbitSlims]

Conti!!

Conti Ultra Gator Skins for me!

All year round, only swap them out when I'm having a race or in an event.

 

[LugHugger]

Easy. Conti GP Four Seasons. imo no other tyre comes close for affordability, puncture protection, grip and wear with little weight penalty.

 

[orange_lycra]

Michelin Krylion for me. Very racey performance and excellent puncture resistance.

I've had terrible experiences with Conti Ultra Gator skins. During the time I had them on my commuting bike (well over a year) I had far more punctures than I've ever had before or since. I think it is to do with the fairly thick rubber tread allowing sharp bits to remain stuck in the tyre and so get hammered into the tube in due course rather than just flicking out again. I was always having to pick little bits of glass out of the tread.

 

[Hawkwood]

We have flints on the road round here (Kent, UK) and these appear to cut through anything especially when it's wet, so some suggestions for flint-proof tyres would be welcome as well.

 

[dsut4392]

What tyres do you use during the winter months?

Continental Mountain King Tubeless 2.4"

 

[Monty Dog]

Conti GP4 Season is the only winter tyre I've yet to experience a puncture in the last few years. I also run Gatorskins (cut way too easy IME), Schwalbe Stelvios (pretty durable) Michelin Krylions (good compromise between performance & durability). I ride mainly country roads that get strewn with small, razor-like flints that cut through most tyres, including Armadillos. Running a wider tyre at a lower pressure helps a lot too in terms of comfort, grip and puncture resistance.

 

[Hawkwood]

I ride mainly country roads that get strewn with small, razor-like flints that cut through most tyres, including Armadillos.

You don't live in Kent too do you? I remember yonks ago that Michelin brought out a tyre with a wire mesh in it to stop cuts and punctures, obviously they'd never tested it with flints!

 

[Wallace]

I have Michelin Krylion's on my commuting bike and--and of course I'm cursing myself here--haven't had a flat in two years and a few thousand miles. The downside? They're tanks. The performance sucks. But I live in Seattle and in fall, winter and spring ride to work in the rain almost every day. The performance trade-off, as opposed to standing on the side of the road changing a filthy wet tire is totally worth it.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

It's funny reading all these comments on basically slick training tires.
A suggestion from a place that actually has SNOW IN THE WINTER! Nokian Hakkapeliitta are the best tires for people who actually have winters.

 

[Wallace]

It's funny reading all these comments on basically slick training tires.
A suggestion from a place that actually has SNOW IN THE WINTER! Nokian Hakkapeliitta are the best tires for people who actually have winters.

Yeah, well sometimes we get tornados, and then I have to carry weights so the wind doesn't just pick me up and leave me somewhere miles away, and at other times we have serious floods, and then I have to ride using scuba gear.

No wait--you're right. Your commute sucks a lot more than mine does.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

No wait--you're right. Your commute sucks a lot more than mine does.

Yeah, I'm not going to miss -20F and sideways blowing snow. Actually moving to Denver at the end of the year, suppose I'll be hanging up the studded tires and trading them for heavy duty slicks.

 

[Archibald]

+1 on the Ultra Gator Skins