studded tires?

[godlikenastyboy]

Sorry if the pics don't work...this is my first post....

Not sure about tires...seen on the internet they have 26" Hakka WXC 300 stud tires. A bit expencive but I can get continental 240 stud tires in my home town for half the price.....any suggestions? Also Ive seen a pic on the internet about tire cleats...I'll try to upload a pic if i don't mess it up.... any suggestions where i can pic up a set something like that?

Thanks....

[CastIron]

I ran the Nokians last winter. They seem to be the gold standard for studded tires that work great and last forever.
The Conti's seem new on the market, but given Conti's reputation, I wouldn't hesitate to use 'em. The chains are another matter.

[ghettocruiser]

If you're riding JUST in snow then chains are an option. If any bare pavement at all comes into play they really aren't - Go with the Hakkas.

[Marylandnewbie]

I rode Nokians all of last winter and they are great on packed snow and ice. They are noisy and somewhat slower on bare pavement, but think of it as increasing your training load! In loose snow they are probably no better than knobby tires. After looking through a lot of stuff on studded tires I chose Nokians because of the longer life of the studs. If I remember correctly, other studded tires tended to wear down a little faster, but all of them performed about the same in riding. So assess how much riding you are likely to do in snow and ice. If its not a lot, then going cheaper might be a good investment. If on the other hand you might ride on studded tires everyday for months then Nokians might be a better value.

[godlikenastyboy]

Has anyone seen where I could buy a set of cleats like the pic..? I'll use it once in a blue moon but more for a conversation piece i guess...love to buy a set...If I had a garage i'd build a pair, Darn apartments!

thanks.

[ghettocruiser]

...If I had a garage i'd build a pair, Darn apartments!



When I lived in an apartment for a few years, a few of my fellow residents took a rather dim view of the kind of heavy winter off-road equipment I was rolling through. I bought the building manager some choice brew at Christmas for letting it slide.

The Nokian studs weren't that noticible to most observers, but I decided the giant home-made DH studs I made a couple years before were best left off.

[Tequila Joe]

The link below will bring you to a really good review of various studded tires. I bought the Nokian Extreme 294 based on this review. I've read that the carbide spikes on the Nokians last 3-4 times longer than regular steel studs on lower models. The Nokians require a 50 mile break in on pavement before you take them off road. Even then, I've lost about 30 studs last season off roading. I never lost any studs commuting. After I sent Nokian an email, they sent me 50 replaceent studs and a installation tool.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2340.html

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c76/TequilaJoe888/Nokian%20Extreme%20294/IMG_1712.jpg

[godlikenastyboy]

Thanks, I will look at that article very closely tonight....

[sswartzl]

I can highly recommend the 26" Hakka W106s for commuting to handle black ice and snow. Rode them all last winter (115 mi/wk), and I see no sign of wear on the studs.

[arcticbiker]

Nokians all the way! Great wear and traction. Not for deep snow. You'll need a wider or double rim.