I've thought about it a lot actually. Of course the weight distribution
and braking matters, but most riders don't shift their weight forward on
every corner. The big difference in ice vs. dry pavement is the larger
drop in sliding friction on ice once a skid starts. On dry pavement you
can actually slide your front tire through a turn and stay upright, as
the friction just before slide is only a little higher than the friction
while sliding. On ice the friction drop is much larger, so once the
front tire starts to slide it's gone. The reason studs on both is not
the same as summer is that with wet or dry pavement the friction is
nearly constant at each point on the road surface, while with a stud on
ice you get big variations depending on the ice at the point of contact
and where the stud is. So you could still bust loose and wash out. If
you only have studs on front the back tire will go first.
But like I said, try both and see which you like best, for your riding
style and your typical conditions. I ride fast, don't coast on ice, and
my back wheel doesn't slide out. But if I rode more ice I'd probably
get rears. I just think it's a matter of personal preference, not one
is inherently better.
-Doug Adler
Frank Hassler wrote:
On Feb 29, 2008, at 2:54 PM, Doug Adler wrote:
Most winter cyclists I know haven't tried only front.:-) To me
having studs front and rear can be more dangerous if you take a
corner too fast. If you have the same amount of traction front and
rear the front washes out first, while the rear slide I can deal with.
Think about this a second, does this logic carry through to the summer
riding as well? Its the same basic physics. Which tire looses
traction first depends on your weight distribution on the bike and the
friction between each tire and the ground.... and how much brake you
grab per wheel.
If you tend to ride slowly and cautiously get both, cause the rear is
more likely to slide out when you go slow. But if you have the
occasional slick ice along with pavement and hardpack, just front
will probably suffice, and you'll get lots less drag on the pavement
because most of your weight is over the back.
I like to ride quickly and aggressively (at least when I have the
energy to do so) so I have studs front and rear so I don't NEED to
ride slowly and cautiously. Or you could just ride however and
continue riding however. There is extra rolling resistance with
studded tires, but its more then made up for when you don't have to
coast over every patch of ice you hit because when you pedal your rear
wheel slides out from under you. Also, stopping can be very dangerous
if you can't get any traction with your rear tire. I think Peter
White brings up some good points in his discussion of the subject.
Frank Hassler
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