Cycling in Waterloo Region

[Canard]

What!

a) Were they for the new bike lanes on Manitou?

b) Why would they have been removed?

[tomh009]

Lower tire pressure and/or wider tires are probably best for that situation.

Yes. Studs are really too small to make a difference in packed snow.

[Canard]

So, no good for this?

   

I really don’t want to start riding a fat bike.

[tomh009]

I really don't think studs would make any appreciable difference on that kind of trail.

[Pheidippides]

Or, or, we could plough the trails in a timely and effective manner!

Studded tires on anything but ice is like walking in soccer cleats on a tiled floor/smooth concrete.

[clasher]

I ride the slick 38mm tires that I ride all year around in that kind of snow. Run 'em wide and run 'em low. I tried studs once but couldn't get past the noise and rolling resistance. I have some 50mm tires I have been meaning to try out but they don't fit my frame.

[Canard]

38 mm is only 3 mm wider than my tires - and you ride on road/slick tires?!

[plam]

I ride the slick 38mm tires that I ride all year around in that kind of snow. Run 'em wide and run 'em low. I tried studs once but couldn't get past the noise and rolling resistance. I have some 50mm tires I have been meaning to try out but they don't fit my frame.

Yeah, I have used slicks in winter. Part of winter riding is knowing when to maneuver and when not to (e.g. on ice, just hold the line). I've also heard that some people use half-studs.

[jamincan]

What pressure are you running at, Iain? Most people tend to run with way too much pressure in their tires. With 35mm tires, and judging from pictures I've seen of you, you can almost certainly safely run them at 30-35 psi, probably even lower.

[razzie13]

Canard - Yes, and no idea. They were installed but never uncovered before being removed.

[Canard]

Hmm, I'm not sure. I top them up when they look or feel a little low. I haven't had to do that lately because in the cold they naturally go to a lower pressure.

A little bit of Saturday fun:



I love biking and I love riding my bike in the winter so much!!

[timio]

There was a pole taken down by a crash on Wednesday night at Manitou/Wabinaki (northeast corner). Maybe the bike signals haven't been placed on the new(replacement) pole yet?

[clasher]

38 mm is only 3 mm wider than my tires - and you ride on road/slick tires?!

Yeah, they are nice on gravel roads especially but do well in the winter except on pure hard ice. I've tried a few different models and they are all pretty decent, some have minimal texture that isn't really like treads at all and one model is completely slick, it's pretty grippy in the wet which I didn't except.

[danbrotherston]

Just spoke with Waterloo bylaw, and they're stating that although there are *some* no parking signs up, they are not in the right places, so they will not enforce no parking.

It boggles my mind that WR has been unable to install the proper signage for no parking.

[DHLawrence]

They probably don't want to change anything till winter's over and serious testing starts. Less surface area for them to have to plow.