# 700x30c spiked tyres on Caad 8



## petura (Oct 25, 2013)

Does anyone know if these Schwalbe spiked winter tyres will fit on the Cannondale Caad 8 road bike? The size is 28 x 1,20 / 700x30C. Not worried about the width, the height could be more of an issue since there is not much space between the tire and the fork.

Schwalbe Winter 118 Spikes 28 x 1,20" Draht

I´m not planning on riding much on this bike in the winter but would like to go out occasionally without worrying too much about grip in freezing conditions.


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## Dan Gerous (Mar 28, 2005)

I wouldn't do it. It might fit but it will be very tight and usually when riding in the winter, tires pick up not only snow but dirt, rocks and such and that could quickly wear the fork and frame where it's tight. 700x30 normal road tires would barely fit, but remember spiked tires have more rubber with the knobs plus the spikes so they're usually bigger than the same size in a normal road thread. You also need to consider if they'll fit in the brakes, road calipers don't have that much clearance.

But, being one that rides year round in Canada myself (mostly commuting but I also do some longer training rides here and then), if you're just occasionally riding, I wouldn't bother with spiked tires unless you ride somewhere where it's almost always on thick ice. Spikes are good when it's icy but most days, I find tires without spikes to work as well, even better. I had some spiked tires but I gave them to friend who lived deep in the woods, in an area where most little roads barely get plowed in the winter so they're on sheer ice for a few months. For me, they were only useful a day or two per winters (riding in a city, snow gets pushed by cars, gets plowed or melt quickly). If you only want to ride occasionally, just pick days where conditions are not too bad. I commute year round so sometimes, I ride in bad conditions. 

My winter ride has some 700x25 tires with a bit of sipes and texture but it's not a winter specific thread, they're Schwalbe Marathons Plus (virtually flatproof, changing a flat when it's -20°C is not fun!), you want to run them at lower pressure when roads are not dry, that helps a lot. From my experience, narrower tires also work better when it's snowing and there's a bit of accumulation or wet snow, wider tires tend to float more so they slip a lot more while narrower tires cut through and actually can make it through and touch the tarmac.

Technique is very important obviously, more than the tires. When conditions are slippery, it reminds me of riding in very muddy sections in cross races where you have to stay loose, relaxed and let the bike float/move around a little under you, so be smooth, don't brake/turn/accelerate too suddenly... I've been riding in winter for years now and I raced mountain bikes and cross bikes in the past so I'm getting much more skilled and confident riding in the winter.

But again, depending of your local conditions and your definition of occasionally, it might not be that bad. If you really need a more capable winter setup, I'd buy a used/cheap CX bike, so you could fit spiked tires without worry. And also remember that, depending where you are too, winter can be very nasty on the bike, especially if they put some salts/calcium to help melt the snow.


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## petura (Oct 25, 2013)

Dan Gerous said:


> I wouldn't do it. It might fit but it will be very tight and usually when riding in the winter, tires pick up not only snow but dirt, rocks and such and that could quickly wear the fork and frame where it's tight. 700x30 normal road tires would barely fit, but remember spiked tires have more rubber with the knobs plus the spikes so they're usually bigger than the same size in a normal road thread. You also need to consider if they'll fit in the brakes, road calipers don't have that much clearance.
> 
> But, being one that rides year round in Canada myself (mostly commuting but I also do some longer training rides here and then), if you're just occasionally riding, I wouldn't bother with spiked tires unless you ride somewhere where it's almost always on thick ice. Spikes are good when it's icy but most days, I find tires without spikes to work as well, even better. I had some spiked tires but I gave them to friend who lived deep in the woods, in an area where most little roads barely get plowed in the winter so they're on sheer ice for a few months. For me, they were only useful a day or two per winters (riding in a city, snow gets pushed by cars, gets plowed or melt quickly). If you only want to ride occasionally, just pick days where conditions are not too bad. I commute year round so sometimes, I ride in bad conditions.
> 
> ...


Hi Dan and thank you for a very good and detailed answer. I have been doing some measurements today and I do not think this tyre will fit my bike. Even though it would it would fit it would be very tight and not much room for snow, mud or anything else that could go in between. I went on a ride today on my Schwalbe Lugano slicks in the -1 degree celsius cold here in Iceland, decided to drop the pressure to about 70 psi and it was not so bad going over some icy patches on the road. I agree with you that narrower tires work better than wide ones in these conditions. I´m looking into getting a second bike for winter and I think a cyclocross would be the best choice since mountain bikes do not fit me very well.


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