Winter Cycling - How much Mileage on a set of Nokian Hakkapelittas?

I'm trying to decide if I need a second set of wheels to swap tires back and forth to conditions, or if I should just slap on some Nokian Hakkapelittas in the late fall and roll them all winter. Will they be ok on dry roads? A lot of resistance? I'll be running 700c x 35mm. Do the studs wear out fast? do you lose them in dry conditions, especially trails?
Thanks,
R.

Regarding Tire swapping: I just put the Winter tires on in the Fall and leave them on till Spring is clearly here to stay. Now that I have two bikes I could ride the road bike if the weather is going to be great and the salt is no longer on the road (this could be in Spring when we still get some sporatic snow showers, but they get to be farther and farther appart).

Regarding rolling resistance: You work a lot harder with that thick rubber. When you ride home and you stayed up right, but nearly fall when walking into the garage because it is so slick... you know the tires just saved you from crashing. You only need to hit the ground hard once to appreciate the extra grip from the Winter tires.

Regarding dry roads: Even in the Buffalo Snow belt, most of my rides were on dry roads. There were days when I'd have snow on the road during the morning and the roads would be clear by the evening. The tires handle quite find on dry... just more resistance and the "pop corn" sound coming from the studds when rolling down the street.

Regarding Studd wear and loss. After about 1000 miles, the carbite tips pretty much showed no wear. The steel studds on the Innova tires were worn smooth with the rubber after a month or two. I never lost a studd in either tire. Nokia suggests riding easy the 1st 30 miles to help seat the studs. That is no big deal. Sine you are putting the tires on 700Cx35 wheel you are clearly not a hard core off-road rider. From what I've read there are more chances to loose studs when you ride on rough trails.

Happy riding,
André

The W106's are fine on dry roads. I have around 1,000 miles on mine too and they look brand new. Amazing.

I have two wheelsets and switch back and forth all the time. It's because by road bike standards, they're a very heavy tire--850 grams as I recall. I'm no weight weenie. My summer tires are 350g. I sure feel every one of the 500 extra grams of my Nokians. I just plain don't like the extra work of pushing them around.

That said, most people here don't worry about it and ride them all season.

Still, I love my W106s and can't imagine winter riding on anything else.

I've got over 1,000 miles and four winters on mine, and they still look good for next year. Moset of my winter riding is on ice-free surfaces. The tires are not noticably worn. Basically, I put them on in December, take them off in March, and don't think about them in between.

Paul

I bought mine used off eBay, advertised as having around 500 miles. Over 3 winters I put an additional 1,600 on them. I could for sure get 1 more winter, possible 2 more. I would say I rode 70% ice/hard pack and 30% dry pavement, ran 'em November through April in northern Michigan. The studs get a little rusty but it is amazing how well they age.

At the start of winter, the cool factor of studed tires outweighs their weight factor. By the time the coolness wears off, you have the legs to push them around and it's no big deal. Then, when spring rolls around and you put on the regular tires, you get a speed boost!

Regarding Tire swapping: I just put the Winter tires on in the Fall and leave them on till Spring is clearly here to stay. Now that I have two bikes I could ride the road bike if the weather is going to be great and the salt is no longer on the road (this could be in Spring when we still get some sporatic snow showers, but they get to be farther and farther appart).

Regarding rolling resistance: You work a lot harder with that thick rubber. When you ride home and you stayed up right, but nearly fall when walking into the garage because it is so slick... you know the tires just saved you from crashing. You only need to hit the ground hard once to appreciate the extra grip from the Winter tires.

Regarding dry roads: Even in the Buffalo Snow belt, most of my rides were on dry roads. There were days when I'd have snow on the road during the morning and the roads would be clear by the evening. The tires handle quite find on dry... just more resistance and the "pop corn" sound coming from the studds when rolling down the street.

Regarding Studd wear and loss. After about 1000 miles, the carbite tips pretty much showed no wear. The steel studds on the Innova tires were worn smooth with the rubber after a month or two. I never lost a studd in either tire. Nokia suggests riding easy the 1st 30 miles to help seat the studs. That is no big deal. Sine you are putting the tires on 700Cx35 wheel you are clearly not a hard core off-road rider. From what I've read there are more chances to loose studs when you ride on rough trails.

Happy riding,
André


I'm so thankful for complete, thankful, well thought out answers. Refreshing! thank you!
R.

The W106's are fine on dry roads. I have around 1,000 miles on mine too and they look brand new. Amazing.

I have two wheelsets and switch back and forth all the time. It's because by road bike standards, they're a very heavy tire--850 grams as I recall. I'm no weight weenie. My summer tires are 350g. I sure feel every one of the 500 extra grams of my Nokians. I just plain don't like the extra work of pushing them around.

That said, most people here don't worry about it and ride them all season.

Still, I love my W106s and can't imagine winter riding on anything else.

+1 - my experience and feelings almost exactly

2 sets of wheels is wonderful indulgence that I'm happy I did. The Nokians make it all possible, they keep me upright and alive, but I hate the weight and the resistance during dry spells.

Thanks for feedback. I ordered extra rims, it seems worth it. I'll be in germany and rain is more common than snow in the winter. I've taken a few dumps on the ice though and have vowed to not do it again. I just need to get myself the sprocket now.

How much money would/should you drop on an extra set of wheels?

It seems like all the wheels listed on various online sources are "good" models (several hundred dollars). The cheapest I saw was at Bike Nashbar for about $125.

http://www.rockymountaincyclery.com/servlet/the-132/Mavic-Touring-Wheelset-700c/Detail

I picked these up because I wanted a good ,bombproof wheel set. In my opinion they are the way to go for an inexpensive commuting, touring, or cyclocross wheel set.
R.

How much money would/should you drop on an extra set of wheels?

It seems like all the wheels listed on various online sources are "good" models (several hundred dollars). The cheapest I saw was at Bike Nashbar for about $125.

I upgraded my summer wheelset and use the stock ones for winter. Made more sense to me rather than having one so-so set and another cheap set. Now I have an excellent set and a so-so set.

TIP: try to get wheels that are the same rim width (or same rims) so you don't have to mess around adjusting your rim brakes every time you want to swap wheelsets. It's not that big of a deal, but it just makes it easier and quicker.

I'm riding single speed, so it's a wheelset is cheaper. On eBay - I got new Mavic CXP 33' rims with formula hubs were around $150. They became my summer wheels, they've been great. Winter wheels are Mavic MA-3 with Surly hubs.