Roymondo
Registered user
Would knobbly tyres such as TKC80 or Metz Karoo be better at dealing with snow and slush than the Conti Trail Attacks my GS came with?
Tyres for snow etc
- Thread starter Roymondo
- Start date
: Have you considered Heidenau's?
Farmer Palmer
Registered user
TKC 80's and Karoos would be my choice but i've never ridden Heidenau's
My Icelandic friends use 'studded tyres' in the winter on their motorbikes when they ride in snow and ice but they tend to ride lighter DRZ400's etc but now they use quadbikes or snowmobiles as they're generally much safer......!
I use studded Continental Spike Claw 120's(120 studs per tyre) but that's on my Trek mountainbike which I think is much safer than my GSA in icy and snowy conditions.
Mostly I use my quadbike, Landrover Defender, JCB or John Deere if there's any snow about rather than using the GS
Just how big are your balls.......????
FP.
My Icelandic friends use 'studded tyres' in the winter on their motorbikes when they ride in snow and ice but they tend to ride lighter DRZ400's etc but now they use quadbikes or snowmobiles as they're generally much safer......!
I use studded Continental Spike Claw 120's(120 studs per tyre) but that's on my Trek mountainbike which I think is much safer than my GSA in icy and snowy conditions.
Mostly I use my quadbike, Landrover Defender, JCB or John Deere if there's any snow about rather than using the GS
Just how big are your balls.......????
FP.
The Grey One
Registered user
Are you mad?
You want to ride a bike in the snow? Go and lie down in a dark room until this madness passes. Out here we get real snow every winter, it got as warm as minus 9 today by early afternoon. All cars are on winter tyres, all bikes tucked away until the spring. Nobody would dream of riding a bike in the winter here. If you lot are having a bit of real winter then maybe you should do the same as us. But then again-it's the winter version of mad dogs and Englishmen I suppose.
Have fun
John
You want to ride a bike in the snow? Go and lie down in a dark room until this madness passes. Out here we get real snow every winter, it got as warm as minus 9 today by early afternoon. All cars are on winter tyres, all bikes tucked away until the spring. Nobody would dream of riding a bike in the winter here. If you lot are having a bit of real winter then maybe you should do the same as us. But then again-it's the winter version of mad dogs and Englishmen I suppose.
Have fun
John
Roymondo
Registered user
That's the point really - we don't get "proper" Winters here (we don't get proper Summers either, but that's another thread entirely 
, so we can ride pretty well all year round. I've been toying with the idea of putting some off-roadable tyres on ever since I bought the bike (with a view to exploring a bit away from the tarmac - without getting too serious) and wondered whether the same tyres might also make things a bit easier on the few days each year that the roads are significantly affected by snow.
Of course, the next question will be to ask how much said tyres will impact on the normal road use that my bike gets for the other 360 days of the year...
, so we can ride pretty well all year round. I've been toying with the idea of putting some off-roadable tyres on ever since I bought the bike (with a view to exploring a bit away from the tarmac - without getting too serious) and wondered whether the same tyres might also make things a bit easier on the few days each year that the roads are significantly affected by snow.Of course, the next question will be to ask how much said tyres will impact on the normal road use that my bike gets for the other 360 days of the year...
Roymondo
Registered user
Oh - and BTW apparently you can ride in snow etc if you want to (and at -22 degrees C) :
http://vimeo.com/8896446
http://vimeo.com/8896446
Been out today on my brand new Tourances at zero degrees. Interesting handling, but they're not gonna get scrubbed in any other way.
Gromit
Registered user
Tourances are shite.
I'm not one of these people who can feel tyres slipping around under them but.
My GS had anakees on it and I test rode a GSA with anakees on and the GSA I bought came with tourances on.
the anakees feel solid and lean progressively all the way over.
Tourances lean so far then feel as though they come to a ridge then the bike feels like it drops over.
The hidenaus don't clear the mud from the treads as well as the TKC's or the karoos so I've been told.
I'm not one of these people who can feel tyres slipping around under them but.
My GS had anakees on it and I test rode a GSA with anakees on and the GSA I bought came with tourances on.
the anakees feel solid and lean progressively all the way over.
Tourances lean so far then feel as though they come to a ridge then the bike feels like it drops over.
The hidenaus don't clear the mud from the treads as well as the TKC's or the karoos so I've been told.
Get yourself a set of TKC's which offer good all round performance. You do get a bit of a rumble at speed and you may also feel the bike moving about a bit on the nobbles but you soon get used to them.
Roymondo
Registered user
Thanks Bilco. Hmm - I wonder if any dealers have demonstrators fitted with TKC80s..?
---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.253198,-1.152439
---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.253198,-1.152439
AberdeenAngus
Registered user
TK's no question.
If deep snow or ice then these can be improved by screwing a self tapper into the centre of each 'knobble'. About 2" long is ideal.
If deep snow or ice then these can be improved by screwing a self tapper into the centre of each 'knobble'. About 2" long is ideal.
Good in my experience once you get used to it moving around a bit
Try keeping up with Vern or Bobble on wet muddy roads on their TKCs.
Possibly not the best choice for an inexperienced rider though
Agothaclypse
Registered user
Agothaclypse
Registered user
Tourances are not very good in snow. Im gonna fit Heidenau K60 Scout M+S next tyre change. Apparently the compound is optimised for grip on icy roads & I would say, ice is more of a problem than snow in the UK.
Regards
Spyder
Regards
Spyder
Boxergs
Registered user
It's the compound that has more silica in it which allows the tyre to warm up more quickly. Nothing will give you grip on ice but it will give better grip on cold roads. I used TKC's last year in the snow/ice and it did 'feel' much better although I still had a few 'moments'
If you've got the choice then leave the bike at home when it's snowy.
Roymondo
Registered user
Thanks for the responses. I think I'll maybe give the Heidenau Scouts a try - I'm seeing encouraging reports on other websites about tread life, which could well be a bonus.
Similar threads
