Winter Cycling - PNW tires - what's good?

Any recommendations on tires for the wet & grimy north west (Vancouver BC)? Snow in the city is rare, but temperatures will often dip under freezing overnight and shady areas can stay icy, and wet leaves build up on less travelled paths especially in the 'burbs. I'm using a cross bike and commute about 20km each way. In summary: fast rolling and grippy on ice.

Schwalbe Marathon Winter (http://www.schwalbetires.com/node/1788); I'm very impressed with this tire for my winter commute. IMHO if there's any chance of ice on your commute, studs are a necessity. The Schwalbes are a good compromise between performance and utility.

Nokian hakkepalittas 700x 37.

I'll likely put a studded tire on the front, but what about non-studded options? Something like Marathon Extreme or a cross tire that would be useful the rest of the year.

In summary: fast rolling and grippy on ice.

No such thing exists. You can have fast rolling, or you can have grippy on ice. Never both.


I'll likely put a studded tire on the front, but what about non-studded options? Something like Marathon Extreme or a cross tire that would be useful the rest of the year.

On ice, no amount of tread, or shape or size of tread will make any difference at all. Slicks, inverted tread, knobbies, cyclocross nubbies all work the same on ice--they slide.

So you can save money on tires by staying with whatever summer tires you presently use, or you can save on broken bones, time off work and doctor bills (although I guess that's not an issue in Canada) by using studs.

Or, just avoid riding on icy days. That's both cheap and safe.