Just wondering.

And additionally, if you answered "yes" or "no", do you wait until the last minute to put them on, and what date do you put them on if you don't.

:)

There's no ice yet, but mine need breaking in, so yes :)

My summer tires are my winter tires. :)

I mount them when the snowstorm is already in progress.

I ride slicks until I crash and almost slide under a bus. Then I know it's time for studs.

I ride slicks until I crash and almost slide under a bus.

How do you coordinate your crash with the bus schedule?

Nokian's are mounted on the "Ice Bike" but I haven't ridden it yet.

How do you coordinate your crash with the bus schedule?

Around my neighborhood, the buses become stationary objects on a good icy day.

I'm waiting for a set of new wheels to mount my Nokians on. Since I'll only be using them when the snow is sticking, I think I'll be switching back and forth between regular tires and winter tires quite a bit. Having an extra set of wheels will be much easier. I expect to start using winter tires in mid-December.

No I haven't. I ride a mtb for a commuter and enjoy it - I ride inner city and actually (to avoid some bad intersections and bad streets) tend to jump a lot of curbs, hit some stairs plus some other interesting avenues - all in my quest to have a safer commute sans stupid drivers.

This year was to be different however as I was moving my one mtb down a status to being total commuter - build it up (which I was doing) and purchase another mtb for total off road. Poo, it was stolen, but not before I dumped about $300 into it. grrrr.

Anyway, I'm still moving forward on separating my mtb / commuting by just having a commute bike that will take that slushy wear and tear, etc - but also keeping up on the potential problems that arise from winter riding as well as other things.

Hopefully I'll establish that tomorrow when I pick up the new/used bike. Looking forward to it too - as I have some ideas for winter riding that I want to install - and thinking of studs too.

I put them on about a week ago, first signs of frost, and they are on.

Watch the forcast, then do the flip.

I did not really put winter tyres on, as my winter bike has them on all the time. But this week I rode the winter bike for the first time this season. Just a quick spin to a nearby grocery store and back. As always, I was horrified by the rolling resistance during the first ride. After summer "slicks" (Schwalbe Marathon Racer) studded tyres make me feel very s l o w.

--J

I just built a new wheelset, and put the Nokians on the old wheels. I'm ready for some cold weather.

Yes. I actually put them on my winter bike a week or so back when we had an inkling of snow that quickly melted away. But yesterday, 15 November, the day of the original post, is when I first had occasion to actually use them. Barring any surprise thaws, I'll be on studs until April.

Winter. Bring it on!

I'm waiting for a set of new wheels to mount my Nokians on. Since I'll only be using them when the snow is sticking, I think I'll be switching back and forth between regular tires and winter tires quite a bit. Having an extra set of wheels will be much easier. I expect to start using winter tires in mid-December.

+1

The other advantage is that gearing can be changed at the same time. The Nokians are harder to push and, of course, there's the snow too. I just don't have the stuff to push a 12-23 through the snow, so my winter wheelset has a 16-27.

I also thought I'd try stainless steel brake rotors on the winter wheelset, since the standard steel ones are already trimmed with orange from the rain. They were only $5 more, so why not try 'em? If I like them I'll get a pair for the three-season wheelset too.

So on my quick wheel swap, I change tires, gearing and brake rotors all at once.

I live in houston.... what are winter tires :D

studded on the winter bike, which has been tunedup but not used yet!

almost did last night, but decided to hold off. If the current weather continues, I may have them on for Mondays commute.

Wheelset with Nokians and bigger freewheel mounted and ready. Hanging in the garage waiting for precipitation. If it never rains or snows I'll never put them on.

How do you coordinate your crash with the bus schedule?

I'll admit, it's not easy...

I usually put mine on around the first of December.

Been riding Nokians on my MTB this year for about 2 weeks. I've logged about 90 miles in the snow already. I'm going to try the road bike version on my cross when I can get it together.

No need to yet I already had snow, but it's not sticking on the roads. I do need to mount my new nokian 160 mount and ground for the break in period. Now I have something to do this afternoon, like go for a ride.:)

We don't usually have snow and ice. Just rain. Lots and lots of rain. Every day. All day. All night. When it's not raining, it's getting ready to rain.

No ice yet - so no studded tires yet. I have my Nokians mounted on another set of wheels, so the swap isn't very time consuming anyway. I ususally only run the front studded tire in the winter unless it gets really icy - then it's full medal jacket, baby.

... Brad

I picked up a pair of used rims at my LBS for $50 and mounted Schwalbe Snow Studs on them. They look good and the rims fit perfect. So I'm ready IF I need them.

Put on a set of Schwalbe Snow Studs after it snowed a week or two ago, but then it quickly melted. Now it's almost the end of November and it still looks like the beginning of Spring when in all the years previous we'd get 10cm by the end of October, and I'm almost ready to put my slicks back on. I hope we don't get a sissy winter this year, since I love being able to ride faster than the cars right after a huge snowstorm. Damn global warming.

We have had snow and ice for a couple of weeks now. I live at the top of a hill, I really doubt it would be more than 200 foot change in elevation but its crazy, I can have 2 or 3 inches of snow at home and by the time I get to work it can be raining and roads can be bare. Studded tires on my 29er seem to work great, as it gets colder my ears seem to be the only thing thats not coping well any suggestions? I do like to wear a helmet.

I don't use special tires for snow or ice. I hate putting on tires, and that's the main reason why. I haven't ever slipped on snow or ice either, but I ride an MTB with slicks.

my ears seem to be the only thing thats not coping well
Polartec toque with flaps. Some call them Peruvian hats.

Not yet man, despite ice & stuff.

Last Friday with some buddies we decided for a track meet at the gaetan boucher outdoor ring, they finish passing the zamboni & turn off the lights around midnight so we had the place to ourselves. Well I'd forgotten how slippery ice is without studs.

The front of my bike has a worn knobby and the rear has a tire with inverted thread. Thinking about getting a box of sheetmetal screws and put just two rows of them on the front tire, see if that's sufficient for Quebec city.

My snow and ice bike always has them on it. I just switch bikes. It allows for lots of chainging back and forth as the conditions change.

I have not put my winter tires on yet, but it is looking like I will have to put them on tomorrow. Yesterday it snowed about 3 cm. It was still fine for biking, I even went on a late night trail ride throught some tight single track. Today however brought more snow and freezing rain! I will do y short 3km commute tomorrow with out my studded tires, but I think this will be the last day.

swapped wheels back in late september, studs won't come off now until at least late March unless something really unusual happens.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b268/halimec05/DSC06364fx.jpg

I give it two weeks tops, before I put studs on a least one rig. Both snoblowers should be operational by this week as well. *sigh*

Just put the front studder on last night. Snow level is expected to be close to the high point of tonight's ride, and there's a chance of frost the next couple of mornings. I frequently swap my front wheel/tire between the studder and a much lighter rain oriented tire depending on conditions.

I usually start doing this around mid November, when frost starts becoming more likely -- which also happens to coincide with the leaves piled up along my route starting to decompose into a gooey mess. Studs punch through nicely to the pavement underneath.

And contrary to peter white's advice, front only is generally more than adequate around here. We very rarely get true slick ice. It's easy for your front tire to slip on the frost and send you crashing to the pavement, but not slippery enough that I have to worry much about the rear skidding sideways on me. On those rare occasions when we do get real ice I'll put a studder on the back too.

I've got winter tires ordered. This will be the first year I've used winter tires and I'm going to dedicate an old Specialized Hard Rock to my "crappy weather" bike for winter commuting in snow/slush conditions.

I try to wait for the first snow that really sticks around before putting my snows on. I've got Hakka 106's and they make it feel like I'm riding through wet concrete, so it kind of sucks the fun out of riding for me unless it's actively snowy out because then I am looked upon as a winter god.