Winter Cycling - Second thoughts on them studded tires

I just finished my first winter with studded tires. I had the Nokian Mount and Grounds, and its been fantastic being able to ride all winter long. However, I took the M&G's off tonight and replaced them with my Michelin Country Rock tires. MAN what a relief! I didn't realize how much rolling resistance the studs have. At one time I thought that I would rather have the most aggressive studded tires I could get, like the 294's. I have changed my mind. The M&G's are a knobby with studs. If I was going to buy another set, I would get a road tire with studs. Something with low rolling resistance. I ride a bike, not a snow plow. I don't need to be able to barrel through snow drifts. I need to be able to ride down the road and not slip on the ice and fall on my butt.
Maybe next winter I'll set up my hybrid with studded road tires.

The nicest thing about studded snow tires is when they come off. :)

This season I sprung for a second wheelset. That was a total revelation. Everything except for the tires and tubes are the same as on my three-season wheelset. I grind along with the snows, then fly with the road tires. The snows have increased my leg strength though.

If you live in an area where they are good about clearing the streets and the pavement is mostly bare and dry all winter (i.e. Winnipeg), you can easily get away without studded tires.

I am clinging to my studded tires until I KNOW that there is no more freeze/thaw or snow/ice.

The worst thing that will happen is that I will be stronger in the spring.

AND hopefully will not have crashed on ice until then :D.

(this is until I take off the studded tires and realize where the time difference came from during the winter- and say I had just blamed it on the cold...)

I recommend the Schwalbe Marathon Winters. Typically heavy for studded tires, but rolling resistance is decent. Or I could be just out of shape and not know the difference with my regular tires!

The nicest thing about studded snow tires is when they come off. :)

This season I sprung for a second wheelset. That was a total revelation. Everything except for the tires and tubes are the same as on my three-season wheelset. I grind along with the snows, then fly with the road tires. The snows have increased my leg strength though.

I did the same thing. I put the 294's on my older wheels, and built a new set with CK classics and XC717's. Now I don't have to wrestle the steel bead twice a year!:)

I did the same thing. I put the 294's on my older wheels, and built a new set with CK classics and XC717's. Now I don't have to wrestle the steel bead twice a year!:)

There's that too, but the reason I went with the second wheelset was for fast changes on nice days. Snows off, road tires on, in under a minute.

If you live in an area where they are good about clearing the streets and the pavement is mostly bare and dry all winter (i.e. Winnipeg), you can easily get away without studded tires.

This is very true, and not emphasized enough, IMO.

But the studs are nice when you want to ride off the main streets, and for the commute home when snow has been falling all day.

The nicest thing about studded snow tires is when they come off. :)

This season I sprung for a second wheelset. That was a total revelation. Everything except for the tires and tubes are the same as on my three-season wheelset. I grind along with the snows, then fly with the road tires. The snows have increased my leg strength though.

I agree. It is such a relief to do without the Snow studs. But, boy am I glad I have them. I also have a second wheelset with the studs on them. 294's up front. M&G 160's on the back. It takes me 10 mins to switch wheelsets. The only time I ride with knobbies is in bad conditions. And if I'm going to ride with knobbies, then I want some studs on them. Once you go back to the road tires, it's like night and day. By the way TSL. I read your Blog.

I recommend the Schwalbe Marathon Winters. Typically heavy for studded tires, but rolling resistance is decent. Or I could be just out of shape and not know the difference with my regular tires!

Personally speaking. I found the Schwalbe Snow studs to be junk. I don't know about the Marathon Winters or the Ice Spikers. I rode on hard pack and ice with the Marathon Snow studs and they didn't do the job. I went with the Nokians and they made quite a differcence.

I trust nothing less than the best. The wet and fluctuating climate here makes ice especially unpredictable.

One day you have +6-7°C and light rain. Then the clouds clear up in the afternoon and radiative cooling brings the road surface below freezing, turning that water into black ice. Uneven patches of road surface catch water and turn into smooth ice patches

What I just described is a VERY common situation during the winter here. In fact, it's a risk factor from maybe October to May, if it's colder than usual. And the high humidity year round means that even when it's way below freezing and no precipitation, with streets cleared of snow, ice still forms during the night due to sublimation of the massive amounts of water vapour in the air. Dry and clear streets are very rare during the colder half of the year.

That said, however, I actually took the studded tyres off yesterday... :)

This is very true, and not emphasized enough, IMO.

But the studs are nice when you want to ride off the main streets, and for the commute home when snow has been falling all day.

I'm seriously considering investing in studs for next year as I'm hoping to be car free by then. However, where I live, it is opposite of what you'd think. I live north of town, work south of town, have to ride through town. North and south is usually cleared well before the main road through downtown - which is about 4 of my 7 mile commute.

But my 'other' factor is whether to find a clunker commuter for the bad weather or get the studs for my 'bent. Anyone know about commuting with studs on a 'bent?

The nicest thing about studded snow tires is when they come off. :)

This season I sprung for a second wheelset. That was a total revelation. Everything except for the tires and tubes are the same as on my three-season wheelset. I grind along with the snows, then fly with the road tires. The snows have increased my leg strength though.

+1 on all points

A second wheelset with studded tires for when you need 'em is the best solution!! Your studded tires last a lot longer plus they're readily available to put them on the good mountain bike to do a little snow trailin' when there's ice underneath.

I actually ride cruiser tires. In southern CT the roads are pretty clear, and the sand/salt they spread all over the roads is a much bigger traction problem than the threat of black ice. The cruiser tires seem to love the sand, and they provide an awesome amount of rolling resistance for off season power training.

I've only seen black ice out here once in two seasons of daily riding, and it was late in the winter when you get temps well above freezing during the day causing snowmelt to run onto the roads, and then sub-freezing at night which makes it freeze.

I don't ride when there's actual snow falling from the sky and accumulating on the road, but that's less a matter of my bike's traction than it is concern about cars sliding around.

GB

Think of it as jogging with weights on. When they come off, you're that much stronger! I ride like a banshee after breakup.

So Monday I pulled off the 26" Nokian 294s and put on a set of 700C road wheels with slick tires...

.. and had consistently slower rides in this week than last week.


I have a number if theories as to why this is, none of which are credible-sounding enough to present here.

If you live in an area where they are good about clearing the streets and the pavement is mostly bare and dry all winter (i.e. Winnipeg), you can easily get away without studded tires.
True, however, if you live in Calgary where snow clearing is mostly left up to the Chinooks and the weather can do whatever it feels like with zero notice..........:(

Last week I thought "Yay spring!" and switched to knobbies on my mtb. Yesterday I crashed after my front wheel went somewhere it wasn't supposed to.

Last fall I bought all the clothes I needed for a few winter rides. There was so much fallen snow or snow melting on every day I had off, I didn't get one ride in. The previous Chicago winter I could have ridden three times a week! My concern was that the ice that never melted, or the snow that had melted and became ice last night, was going to take me down hard. I don't tolerate pain as well as I used to.

Now I learn about studded bike tires, and I think I might not have to stay off the bike this winter???? Can this be true?

True, however, if you live in Calgary where snow
clearing is mostly left up to the Chinooks and the weather can do whatever
it feels like with zero notice.(

I live in Calgary, commute year long and don't think I will ever swing
over to using studded tires. Fortunately I have about as perfect a commute
as is possible. From Bow Trail and 40 St, to the municipal building
downtown. I am usually going early in the AM and beat the traffic straight
down the long hill, then get my exercise on the way home.

The simple sig site article is mostly about winter commuting in Calgary,
with a bit of entertainment thrown in. Actually even in winter I really like
it. Compared to floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, mosquitoes that can kill you,
heat, skin cancer, volcanoes, having a bug free winter sounds great to me.

here in minnesota i rode 4 miles a day all winter to my favorite hangout thanks to my snow tires. my 100$ set of tires costs more than the bike they are on lol.

I live about about 60 miles east of Chicago, and the winters are harsh one year, and mild the next. I bought a mountain bike for winter, and have ordered studded tires for it. My summer bike has been a trek 720, and I hope to ride it on the nice days. I was thinking of buying more winter-like tires for it. I don't want to put studded tires on it. Can anyone suggest a set of winter-like tires. My LBS does not ready have much knowledge about winter ridding. They just sell, and make general repairs.

I just finished my first winter with studded tires. I had the Nokian Mount and Grounds, and its been fantastic being able to ride all winter long. However, I took the M&G's off tonight and replaced them with my Michelin Country Rock tires. MAN what a relief! I didn't realize how much rolling resistance the studs have. At one time I thought that I would rather have the most aggressive studded tires I could get, like the 294's. I have changed my mind. The M&G's are a knobby with studs. If I was going to buy another set, I would get a road tire with studs. Something with low rolling resistance. I ride a bike, not a snow plow. I don't need to be able to barrel through snow drifts. I need to be able to ride down the road and not slip on the ice and fall on my butt.
Maybe next winter I'll set up my hybrid with studded road tires.

This is very true. Many think that 'more is better' where studs are concerned; it's just not so. Where I live many of the roads are unplowed, and turn to sheets of ice for the whole winter, I've always been very stable with my Nokian 106 tires; any more studs would just be a burden.

I started winter commuting last winter. It was a record snow fall year with over 5 METERS. Never crashed, never fell and yet still had decent riding times (when the winds permitted...) through out my 800km ridden... How you might ask? I rode all winter long with Schwalbe CX Pro cyclo-cross tyres in 700x28C. When the guy at the LBS (an old messenger) recommended them I was a little sketched out. At first I wanted to buy studded tires. But I trusted him and did not regret it. Granted the roads are cleared fairly fast, but the couple days after a fall or coming back from work after it snowed all day didn't get me stuck. I never missed a day of riding.

I live about about 60 miles east of Chicago, and the winters are harsh one year, and mild the next.

I assume you are in SW MI? What tires are on you're MTB now?

These look interesting : Continental Top Contact Winter

TopContact Winter

The TopContact Winter was designed for use in fall and winter. The tread compound contains sharp-edged granules, creating additional high-grip edges on the tread surface.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/imagesProduct/cotcw-1.jpg

I have no experience with them, but the design looks interesting

Man i can't wait for the white stuff to start falling... and I'm the one who started commuting in the snow... just last year... note to self... get studded tires... is it just me or are there times you think your the only ones who commute in the snow...

Anybody put their own studs on? I'm considering getting some new cross tires and putting studs on my old road tires myself for this winter. Any advice on good tire liners? Screw size? Also, anybody have any experience using chains? I have been told that guitar strings work well if you have disc brakes or ride a fixie... Thoughts?

Anybody put their own studs on? I'm considering getting some new cross tires and putting studs on my old road tires myself for this winter. Any advice on good tire liners? Screw size?

Mike had a suggestion I enjoyed in a bygone thread, roofing screw tires. I guess the trick
would be to get them from someone else's roof though.

Has anyone had any experience with the Innova snow fox tires from tires direct cheap price . Building up second set of wheels to claim some winter ground on my Giant. They warn the studs come out but sell a stud tool . Anyone replaced they're own studs ? If I have success this winter I will likely romp my way through the next 5 for sure ...

Has anyone had any experience with the Innova snow fox tires from tires direct cheap price . Building up second set of wheels to claim some winter ground on my Giant. They warn the studs come out but sell a stud tool . Anyone replaced they're own studs ? If I have success this winter I will likely romp my way through the next 5 for sure ...

I had these on my bike last Winter. I never lost a stud, but the steel studs just don't last more than a month or two during a daily 10 mile (RT) commute.

I also had a tire failure. I had the bead fail on one of the tires while the bike was sitting next to me in my office... that was a LOUND bang! I called up Tire Direct and they were backordered for a few weeks. Since this happend in mid December I could not wait a few weeks as the snow was falling every few days. I then called up Peter White and got a Nokia W106 as I had to get a tire immediately.

The difference between the Innova and the Nokia were kind of interesting. The tread between the tires looks just about dead identical. From a few feet away there would be no way to tell the two appart. The studds, now there is where all the difference lies. With Steel studs ground down even with the tread after having been on the bike for about 8 weeks. I put the Nokia on the Front and left the remaining Innova tire on the back. I could tell no difference in traction on snow. In February we had a nice ice storm and I rode home. Part way home I went around a bend, and the rear end just slipped right out from under me. The Nokia were holding on fine, but the Innovas has very little traction. I tried to get my foot down, but it was so icy that my boot slipped and I hit the ground hard. I had a hard time getting up and slip slided my way accross the street to out of the road. I was far enough home that I rode the rest of way. The Innova just didn't do its job.

Innova cost about $35 the Nokia cost about $50. The difference in traction caused me to whipe out and need to take nearly 2 weeks off the bike. I will NOT run the Innova tires again. If you need studs, then get the Nokia or Schwalbe tires. If you don't need studds then get some Cyclo Cross tires with some tread. Don't waste your money on slightly cheaper, but clearly inferior Innova studded tires, the savings are not worth it... they will let you down when you need them most.

Happy riding,
André