So I comute by bike and this week I ride through fast changing snow condition. It got from completly covered cycle route, to badly cleaned roads, to mushy brown sludge, and today there were loads of frozen bits of snow and ice patches.
I managed to fell only twice - inertia is your best friend and worse enemy at the same time. And I hope that these conditions will be over soon. Most annoying part is that I dont know what to expect and how to prepare because conditions vary from day to day.
What type of bike is it and what type of tires? If it’s got disc brakes you can zip tie some zip ties around the tires for extra grip. If that doesn’t work for you buy some chunky mud tires like maxxis shorty. Also make sure your tires and suspension are fairly soft so they can track the snow better. A hard suspension will be bouncy on ice and that can be dangerous.
I have gravel/touring/all road/do it all bike so no suspension. But I may try the zip tie trick. I dont have a problem on packed snow, problem is when there are ice chunks and ice.
My bike handeling skills are minimal and I got this bike recently (my first drops). So it is good way how to improve them.
The zip ties may work on ice but they’re more for the snow. With it being a rigid bike and you being a newer biker I would suggest getting a front tire with ice studs. I suggest front tire only, because you could swap it yourself quickly for those days that its very icy. Front tire traction is better for keeping the bike in control, you’ll quickly get used to drifting (plus it’s fun). Back tire would be annoying to swap all the time if you don’t know a lot about bikes and it’s also more expensive if you want a full rear tire setup.
