Are these a Godsend for people training in the winter with snow, ice, etc?
Are these a Godsend for people training in the winter with snow, ice, etc?
I run in the snow often and have never felt the need for Yak Trax. However, I live in a place where we don't have much exposed ice. If I was running a lot on ice, I might consider. But I've been running for about a dozen years in Minnesota and never felt a need for them. Just my experience.
Yeah I hear ya. I run in northern Wisconsin and today I was running on a lot of ice. I feel like I really should get a pair of these.
They don't work all that well on ice, but they do work well in slippy snow. Nothing works on ice....
snowbunny wrote:
They don't work all that well on ice, but they do work well in slippy snow. Nothing works on ice....
According to you, yak trax does, just not very well ;). I also do run on slippery snow indeed. I think I'll get a pair of these. Also, what's up with the '....' after you said ice? Kinda creepy haha.
I have a pair, they seem to work alright; I have the pro version not the XTR.
Something like the Spirit OLX may be a bit more effective for harsh winter running.
They work on ice that is soft and deep enough for them to cut into, but they give virtually no traction on hard slick surfaces like smooth concrete or black ice over that kind of hard surface, and it's easy to fall on that kind of surface. If part of your run is on cleared sidewalks or something similar, you may have to put them on and off which is a pain. Also, if you don't take them off on hard surfaces, the rubber wears out very fast.
Something else to look at is putting machine screws in the sole of some old shoes with a fairly thick midsole. It's cheap, they give decent traction on ice, etc., but partly sink into the sole of the shoe on hard surfaces so you have some rubber in contact with the group. Just Google screw shoes.
^^^
group=ground
Try "stabilicers" instead... if I was on more snow, I would probably use yaktrax, but stabilicers to better on ice and when crossing plowed sections of pavement.
I was given a pair of Yak Trax and they broke within a week of running, tearing a hole in my sweats in breaking. Try the screw shoes idea. I've heard elsewhere that it works. I managed to run a lot outside during a Burlington, Vermont winter and fell hard on pavement twice, really struggling to get up the first time. The key to not falling is not changing direction. I fell once turning around (on black ice, which I did not see) midway through a 14 miler and once turning left on a sidewalk after crossing the street. So when you have to turn, just stop momentarily to do it, or step off the pavement onto the grass/snow.
The YakTrax work fine as long as 100% of your run will be on snow,ice, or grass. Any (and I mean ANY) rocks or concrete or pavement will destroy the rubber straps almost immediately. Even dirt will begin to cut the straps.
Matt Carpenter has good explanation of sheet metal screws when running on ice/snow.
I believe that sheet metal screws are also used by a fair amount of mountain bikers who ride on snow and ice. Studded mountain bike tires can be expensive, but I guess the sheet metal screws are a good alternative. A friend of mine did this and he said it worked well.
DueNorth makes a product that is similar to the IceBug shoes, but slips on and off. Absolute best product out there for ice, still gives a normal grip on concrete, and does equally well as YakTrax on snow. I use them frequently, and one $20 set has lasted me over three winters (approx. 4000 miles). Here's a link:
Do NOT click the link provided by common....it's a Rick Roll.
Yeah, no it isn't. It's a link to the product made by Surefoot. Jackass.