Winter Cycling - Grinin' & Chucklin" - first ride on studded tires

Got my Nokian Hakkapelitta's yesterday and took my first ride today. Riding along on icy hardpack like it was dry pavement, I was having such a ball that I had a big sheet-eating grin on my face and was chuckling my way down the trail. I'm sure the other cyclists I passed all thought I was loony. The Nokians are amazing as advertised.

I crashed today on my semi-slicks. I guess I'll have to try a cheap studded tire.

+1 - The Nokians make winter possible in my world. I couldn't do it without them. Ok I could, but truth be told I probably wouldn't, and before I had them I didn't.

+1 - The Nokians make winter possible in my world. I couldn't do it without them. Ok I could, but truth be told I probably wouldn't, and before I had them I didn't.

I'm in the same world you are in - Minneapolis. If you happened to pass by some nut on the Greenway today with a big goofy grin on his face -- THAT WAS ME!!!! Cackling his way over the new Hiawatha suspension bridge - ME!! Getting hauled away by the men in the white coats -- ME AGAIN!!!

I find myself chuckling out loud in my balaclava sometimes as well when I see cagers and peds roughing it out there during rush hour in -20 temps as I pleasantly coast on by on my studs.

Going on my third winter running studs, I still find myself "Grinin' and Chucklin".

Anyone who hasn't ridden on studded tires can't begin to understand that punchy feelin'

If you happened to pass by some nut on the Greenway today with a big goofy grin on his face -- THAT WAS ME!!!! Cackling his way over the new Hiawatha suspension bridge - ME!! Getting hauled away by the men in the white coats -- ME AGAIN!!!Sounds like you had a good day! :beer:

+ a lot on the Nokians.

--J

Got my Nokian Hakkapelitta's yesterday and took my first ride today. Riding along on icy hardpack like it was dry pavement, I was having such a ball that I had a big sheet-eating grin on my face and was chuckling my way down the trail. I'm sure the other cyclists I passed all thought I was loony. The Nokians are amazing as advertised.

You sound just like me 5 years ago, When I started using the Nokian 294s. I had a big ole grin on my face the whole time. I still get that same grin when I'm out riding on ice and snow.

Ice rocks,
Johnny

Here's to the Hakkapeliittas! :beer: (Can any one pronounce it?)

Welcome to the club ;)

Ice riding is a hoot! It was 45 today here in CT, with a fresh inch of melting snow, so I stayed with the knobbies. But it'll freeze here soon enough! Can't wait to slap on the 294's! DR. Raleigh, don't waste your money on cheap studded tires, as they won't last long. Just get the Nokians, and you'll be good to go for a few years.

Meanwhile, I just got back from making a trip around White Rock Lake, wearing my shorts and a T-shirt- got all sweaty too. It's rough down here in the southlands. :)

The difference is night and day. With studded tires I no longer worry about ice, and seek for slick ice to ride over :D

Most of the USA riders are going to NEED studded tires within 24 hours... Personally, I just avoid riding on snowy days if I can help it. Usually, within a few days, the snow has melted and evaporated enough to allow travel with just knobbies in my neck of the woods, a semi-arid climate. If you commute by bicycle, you don't have much choice, though. The biggest problem on ice is not the bicyclist, but the driver of the car.

I'm in the same world you are in - Minneapolis. If you happened to pass by some nut on the Greenway today with a big goofy grin on his face -- THAT WAS ME!!!! Cackling his way over the new Hiawatha suspension bridge - ME!! Getting hauled away by the men in the white coats -- ME AGAIN!!!

I was wondering who that was...

Nice bridge. Not very well lit, but the snow on it helps.

Meanwhile, I just got back from making a trip around White Rock Lake, wearing my shorts and a T-shirt- got all sweaty too. It's rough down here in the southlands. :)

I get all sweaty whether it's zero or one hundred.

(Can any one pronounce it?)
Bet you Juha can. :D

Here's to the Hakkapeliittas! :beer: (Can any one pronounce it?)

Just like it's spelled.

Got my Nokian Hakkapelitta's yesterday and took my first ride today. Riding along on icy hardpack like it was dry pavement, I was having such a ball that I had a big sheet-eating grin on my face and was chuckling my way down the trail. I'm sure the other cyclists I passed all thought I was loony. The Nokians are amazing as advertised.

Me too! got mine Friday night. Received 5" Sat. to Sun. Had a total blast this afternoon.:D I felt like a little kid. I can't wait to ride to work tomorrow!

Here's to the Hakkapeliittas! :beer: (Can any one pronounce it?)

Hah-kah-pehl-it-tahz :D

Took a ride on the lake again today..studs on ice are fun! Deep snow is something else altogether....

I too went down the other day on semi-slicks, and so decided to see what the LBS had to say. Nokians were the serman and boy did he preach.
Sadly I found that Nokians don't fit my bike, and I'll have to deal with what I have this year.
So to all you lucky Nokian owners; enjoy!

I too went down the other day on semi-slicks, and so decided to see what the LBS had to say. Nokians were the serman and boy did he preach.
Sadly I found that Nokians don't fit my bike, and I'll have to deal with what I have this year.
So to all you lucky Nokian owners; enjoy!

Why won't they fit your bike?

I just rode aimlessly around the park by me (Winnemac Park, for northside Chicagoans) on my M&G's. It's 36˚F and the grass is totally covered with several inches of slush and/or dense, wet snow. Indescribably fun.

?? If I get the studded tires, how many mph slower is expected??

?? If I get the studded tires, how many mph slower is expected??

None, if you take into consideration that you are riding on ice and wouldn't be able to ride faster with your regular tires as you would fall all the time.

I too went down the other day on semi-slicks, and so decided to see what the LBS had to say. Nokians were the serman and boy did he preach.
Sadly I found that Nokians don't fit my bike, and I'll have to deal with what I have this year.
So to all you lucky Nokian owners; enjoy!

They make several models. Unless it's a brake clearance issue, it seems like you ought to be able to make something work. For commuting, they make the Hakkapellitta in 700c and 26", many other 26" choices and at least one other 700c choice. There's even a 650b studded. Check out Peter White's site, which is a great primer on studded tires in general, and of the 12 different Nokian models he sells:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

I am gonna get studs on my winter bike. This will be the first time I ride with them. This will also be the first time I ride all winter, usually I stop in Febuary due to the ice.

Gas, the price of a can of beans.

Oh, well, I guess some incorrect information was given to me on my account of the LBS who said they wouldn't fit my 700C.
Thanks for the link as well!

For me, it was roughly one rear chainring of speed drop between a pair of more-aggressive-than-I-would-have-chosen-if-he'd-had-a-bigger-selection-in-stock Nokians at 60 psi versus a pair of slicks at 80psi on my Schwinn MOS Sierra. The Nokians I have are probably the least suitable tread pattern available for road riding, but as noted, those were what the LBS had available at the time, and Nokians come in a variety of tread patterns.

I made a quick graphic representing the fun of winter commuting. As shown below, it is actually possible to surpass 100% fun while riding in the snow, similar to a day when you might be looking forward to an evening ride. Eating food is roughly 1/2 the fun of biking at any given time.

http://i18.tinypic.com/8bsbjvk.jpg