When you're trying to get around on a bicycle in the winter studded tires are a great investment, but if you only occasionally have snow or ride a bike in snowy weather you can make a set of tire "chains" using a few dozen cable ties.


Bike shop website Dutch Bike Co. shares this tip for quick and cheap traction in snow. The zip ties themselves dig into the snow nicely but are not thick enough to make the bike bounce. The author alternates cutting off the zip tie heads on either side of the tire to help with cornering.

There are two caveats with using this method—make sure that if your bike has fenders that the zip tie heads are low enough to not cause clearance issues and also make sure that you don't try this if your bike has rim brakes; the zip ties will get in the way of the brake pads.


Seattle Snowpocalypse | via Wired