irclean

My experience with studded tires is that they handle just fine on clear or ice-covered pavement. Intuitively one might be tempted to think that on dry surfaces studded tires would be like riding on steel instead of rubber, but if that were truly the case I'd have wiped out on every turn I attempted on ice-free pavement. The fact is that these carbide-tipped steel studs are mounted in rubber and therefore sink back into the tire when encountering a harder surface. It's the physical principal of following the path of least resistance. When encountering ice, or more correctly the contact patch between the tire and the ice where there is constant transitioning of liquid to solid and vice versa, the studs again follow the path of least resistance and sink into the ice thereby providing grip.

I use Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires, size 700x35. I put them on at the first sign of frost and leave them on until I'm sure spring has finally settled in for good. They do indeed provide more rolling resistance than my fair-weather tires, but IMHO it's a small price to pay for the trade-off in safety. The first time I put them on I found their chatter a little unnerving and I was tentative taking my first corner, but I soon came to trust that I was getting all the grip that I needed, wet or dry. Plus, like tsl said, once I take them off in the spring I feel like I'm flying. Think of it as winter training for the other 3 seasons.

BTW I considered the Nokian W106, W240 and the A10, but settled on the Schwalbes due to their high stud count, relatively low rolling resistance, Kevlar belt, and reflective strip. They're a great compromise of grip vs. resistance for 95% of my winter commute. For the other 5% I recommend a MTB with a more aggressive studded tire, or finding alternative means of transportation.