It is that time of year, you take off your slicks and add a tire to your bike that will grip in the rainy or icy conditions. There are a good amount of tires out there that I highly recommend but for now. I’ll look at you all to give me feedback for studded tires as I’ve only used them a handful of times when I lived in Boston, MA.
Top 5 Winter Commuting Tire
I feel in love with this tire when it came stock on my Salsa Casseroll. Good rolling, comfortable and so far pretty bullet proof. I’ve done a decent amount of skidding, off roading and general mishap and haven’t had any mishap from the tire. The groves running into the tires along the center ridge allow good traction when the ground is wet or you are turning, but the solid center ridge gives you low rolling resistance. I plan on getting a new pair soon for the Casseroll. After 3k miles of use in the past year the tires are about done plus they also come with reflective sides, which is exciting all I seem to ride in is the dark these days.
If you like to ride the skinny tires and possibly get in a decent amount of base training along side your winter commuting, then I will recommend the Continental 4-Season to you.. A great high end road tire, with a thicker sidewalls and a strong rubber section, these tires will get in the miles for you. Plus they handle excellent for your weekend group rides.
Great in durability, inverted tread and a following on many touring sites as the touring tire. Personally I think the Continental Contact has less rolling resistance as the center ridge on the Marathon breaks up every inch or so.
There are many tires in the Schwalbe Marathon line up, some will be more durable with better mileage than others. I picked the Plus as it is the model that is the most available in various sizes.
Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite Tire $60
The Armadillo line from Specialized is known for its durability. They’ve been branching out in the past couple years to add ride-ability to the Armadillo tires as well. Their Elite tire is light, and durable so this tire is popping up on commuter bikes. I’ve used Armadillo tires in the past, they were very durable and also a very large pain to install.
Kenda Tomac Small Block 8 $35-45
This really isn’t a commuter specific tire, but it is my go to tire this time of year for my cyclocross bike. I like to take greenways, beaten paths and gravel roads as much as possible. These tires allow me to do all terrain well and feel confident going into that sandy turn. Plus it was very handy to have these installed during cyclocross series while I was commuting daily and racing cyclocross at night.
Your turn, what’s your suggestions and daily tire now that the winter has gotten wet and cold?
Check out our selection of commuting tires!