Yuk. Nokia 294. I'm on my 4th season with this set and they look brand new. I ride on glare ice all the time and I'm 60 with bad shoulders and a plate pinned to my collar bone so falling is not an option for me but those studded tires are entirely reliable on ice, even when I have to brake reasonably hard (for ice). I doubt very much that a chain would be nearly as safe. If the chain were on the ice and you had to hit the brakes I doubt it would be a good thing.