Don’t get stuck in the snow because of Snowpocalypse 2010. With the right gear, you can still ride to work — on your bike.
One of the cheapest winter bike hacks is to attach zip ties to your tires. It’s a quick-and-dirty way of giving yourself some much-needed traction on icy, slushy streets and costs far less than a set of studded snow tires.
Fritz Rice of the Dutch Bike Co. explains how to install a package or two of zip ties on your tires. He admits that “it looks ludicrous” but makes up for its looks by giving your wheels some grippy ribs. As he’s installed them, the zip ties’ connectors are on the outside edge of the tires, which helps them bite even more when you’re banking to turn.
Update 1:20pm Pacific: As commenter Dave wisely notes below: Don’t try this if your bike has rim brakes, as the zip ties will get in the way of the brake pads. It will only work if you’ve got a brakeless fixie, or have disc brakes or a coaster brake.
We haven’t tested this (the Wired offices are thankfully snow-free), so if you have experience with zip-tied tires, let us know in the comments how well they work.
For more winter riding tips, check out Wired’s How-To Wiki for detailed instructions on how to winterize your bike (and your bike clothing).
Dutch Bike Co. (via Gizmodo)
Photo: Fritz Rice
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Full story at http://feeds.wired.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/FoCE8t7cpa0/
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