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Grip in snow & cold
Tyres are the "feet" of a bicycle. Their qualities are crucial for safe contact with the ground: Grip when starting off and braking, tracking in bends and when riding over manhole covers and kerbs, grip during rapid load changes and evasive manoeuvres. On slippery, smooth surfaces, tyres are faced with difficult tasks. It's a good thing that new trends and manufacturing processes in the tyre industry are making major advances in bicycle tyres possible. Wide tyres are becoming ever lighter and are becoming more and more popular, tread patterns are being tailored more closely to requirements, puncture protection has improved and special rubber mixtures, the "compounds", can be matched ever more precisely to demanding conditions of use. Today, winter tyres for bikes score points with compounds that develop their optimum properties between plus 5 and minus 15 degrees Celsius; sipe cuts improve grip, grip and tracking on snow. Studded tyres have become lighter and can also be ridden comfortably on ice-free sections: So there are plausible reasons to put your winter bike on suitable tyres.
Fitting tyres is tricky. A few tricks will make it easier even for non-professionals: always deflate the tyre completely and press any remaining air out of the inner tube when the valve is open. Use plastic tyre levers that can be attached to the spokes. Press both tyre sides successively from the rim flange to the centre of the rim base and roll the loose tyre from both sides to the uppermost point in the rim base. Most tyres can then be easily levered off the rim. Make sure you pump up the inner tube when fitting the tyre. This makes it less likely to jam. Coat the tyre beads with Schwalbe's "Easy Fit" fluid. This makes the beads glide more easily over the rim flange and the tyre centres itself better when inflating. Always ensure that the tyre is correctly inflated.
Tyres for the winter
Nothing is more important in winter than good ground contact. Special rubber compounds, treads or spikes make cycling safer.
Schwalbe Marathon GT 365
The all-season tyre shines in terms of tread and compound even in wet conditions, snow and temperatures down to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Exception: ice. Price: approx. 40 euros >> available here.
Schwalbe Marathon Winter
Deep snow and slippery ice can only be reliably driven on with studded tyres. On dry roads, however, studded tyres cost additional power. Price: approx. 55 euros >> available here.
Continental Top Contact Winter II
The sipe cut and special rubber compound make the Conti fit for snow, wet conditions and temperatures below zero, a good tyre for winter. Exception: ice. Price: approx. 40 euros >> available here.
