Winter Cycling - Fatter studded tires

Hi, in Saskatchewan I rode on mostly hard-pack snow quite happily with my Nokians Mount and Ground. My first winter in Ontario (last year), a lot more snow...and looser. I was thinking about replacing my old Nokians; they didn't do that well in the deeper snow. I ride on the road almost always.
I was looking at these: Schwalbe Ice Spiker 26 x 2.10 Wire Tire. The Nokians are 1.9. Will the wider tire help? And has anyone tried the Ice Spiker? Thanks.

I think that most studded tires are meant for winter commuting duties. Thus, they seem to all be too narrow.

There are plenty of wide tires out there with big nobs, but none will be studded.

For off road duty, the only option is homebrew.

if there's nothing but soft snow or ice below the deep stuff, it's better to get something with a more aggressive tread and larger contact patch.

you can also play around with tire pressure. lower tire pressure gives a larger contact patch.

How wide do you need? Widest Nokian studded tyres are 26x2.30.

--J

How wide do you need? Widest Nokian studded tyres are 26x2.30.


The Freddies. I run a set of those. They are a narrow 2.3". They're actually my favorite winter tire, but I too could wish for something wider. I'd buy into a 3" Nokian.

Wider is not always the key for snow and ice. Look at rally car tires. Wider is only better if you want flotation.
On my road bike I've ridden past MTBers struggling for traction on a snowy pass. My tires cut through to the pavement like a pizza wheel.

More flotation is what I'm after, but I still want the studs. I don't always want the studs and the flotation at the exact same time, but I do want them both at different times on the same ride.

But you know, maybe this is the year to order a narrow set of studded tires, just to see how they work in my local conditions. That'd give me something new to play with this winter.

Wider is not always the key for snow and ice. Look at rally car tires. Wider is only better if you want flotation.
On my road bike I've ridden past MTBers struggling for traction on a snowy pass. My tires cut through to the pavement like a pizza wheel.

my 35mm W106 don't work too well when taking unplowed paths.

works well when
hard pavement underneath snow
less than 1in of powder
freshly plowed
thin layer of hard packed snow
slushy brown slop

does not work well when
layered snow (i.e. will not work with powder on top of packed on top of pavement)
unplowed foot print rutted paths
iced rutted paths
more than 2in of snow fall


in short, narrow for well plowed, wide for everything else including snow storms.

AEO hit the nail on the proverbial head.

Having said that, for folks riding in winter trail conditions where exceptional flotation might be of use, they are running the Large Marge bits. A stud kit for motorcycles would complete the package, but the weight would be stupefying.

unplowed multi use and bike paths were terrible with narrows
fresh snow is fine, but once you hit areas that are frequented by pedestrians, the foot print ruts bring you to a crawl.

Studs won't help you if you're floating on the snow. If your tire is too large you'll simply float away if there is ice beneath the packed snow. You float away because your studs will be suspended in the snow and not making contact with the ashphalt when you maneuver or break. Having said that, you don't want flotation on icy rutted paths, yet you want flotation on loose-pack what you're describing are two conflicting types of needs. Decide which is more appropriate for your riding style - Loose Large Marge or Studded Schwalbes. I give that dilemma because if you get a middle range tire it will end up being a jack of all trades - but a master of none.

P.S. If you are having trouble with narrower tires deflecting, just go faster or get a bike that has wider handle-bars, a shorter wheelbase and a taller head-angle.