Winter Cycling - When do you go studded?

For the one's who use studded tires, when do you decide to change from normal slicks to studded? Do you have a set date or do you just keep an eye on the forecast?

after the first significant snow fall where it doesn't melt away by noon.

Where I live snow usually doesn't last for more than a day or two, so...

I check the temps in the morning and think about how wet the pavement was the night before and check the forecast for the evening. Based on these I just pop my spare front with studs on for days that warrant it.

I've gotten some more spare front wheels of late, perhaps I'll DIY stud another tire to keep at work.

...When I see a forecast of a week's worth of subfreezing temps.

Yeah it's a forecast thing. If the ground is still warm, the snow wont last and the stuff that would be ice is just slush. Slicks run pretty good on slush, although it is quite the mess. I'm more or less waiting for "real" ice. I'll be rinding on them for about 4 months or so. There's no hurry to mount them.

The morning of.

Last winter the studded wheelset just leaned against the basement wall most of the winter.

Maybe three or four days total.

Wet conditions, temperature below or close to freezing at night. Around here that's the recipe for black ice. Cold weather in itself is OK if it's dry, but wet is always suspicious this time of the year.

There is no need to put on studs just because it snowed. Studs help on ice. If getting snow means getting ice then put on studs. The bottom line is studs help if you are going to be riding on ice. I have my studs on my bike now because we will have ice and/or icy patches here and there along roads for the next several months without fail. No ice? No studs needed. Good mtn bike tires with open lugs will work just fine for snow. Studs are of no real help for snow, but wow...they are a huge help on icy roads.

I swap wheelsets (one with studs one without). I put the studs on one wheelset at the first major snow forecast. I put those wheels on when I see the need for it.

There is no need to put on studs just because it snowed. Studs help on ice. If getting snow means getting ice then put on studs. The bottom line is studs help if you are going to be riding on ice. I have my studs on my bike now because we will have ice and/or icy patches here and there along roads for the next several months without fail. No ice? No studs needed. Good mtn bike tires with open lugs will work just fine for snow. Studs are of no real help for snow, but wow...they are a huge help on icy roads.

Around here a real snow often means freezing rain right before it. So ours usually comes together. I agree with you though.

I think studs help on hard pack as well.

I'll put mine on as soon as the roads get slick. I'll leave 'em on for a while because I don't have a second wheelset.

It was a beautiful 76 degrees here today. Studs will wait. :)

I have a different bike , this spring or the post freeze-up occasion ,
I just parked it with the studded tires still on.

I'm a .. listen to the current local low temperature report ,
or look outside and try to walk on the pavement,
kind of decision maker.

Ok I have a question about kinda the same thing I guess. If I am going to be riding gravel rail trails when it snows should I go with a studed tire or just something with knobs and lots of tread for my Hybrid? Oh yea another thing if anyone has experience with studs in the tires will they last all winter? Some of the tires I have seen so far are not cheap and I would hope to get more than one winter out of them.

I have also read that you have to keep your speed down with studded but no one seem to state what is a good speed to cruise at, so I was also wondering how low does the speed need to be or is this more of a road thing for keeping speed down?

Snow-covered gravel trails generally dont ice-up so normal knobbly tyres should do fine.
Winter has come early in the UK and we have a lot of snow with temperatures bouncing around freezing. This means freeze/thaw action, compressed snow turning to ice and drivers unused to the conditions.
Ive just made some DIY studded tyres that should be good for a few weeks use. The carbide studs in ice tyres should last much longer.

Ok I have a question about kinda the same thing I guess. If I am going to be riding gravel rail trails when it snows should I go with a studed tire or just something with knobs and lots of tread for my Hybrid? Oh yea another thing if anyone has experience with studs in the tires will they last all winter? Some of the tires I have seen so far are not cheap and I would hope to get more than one winter out of them.

I have also read that you have to keep your speed down with studded but no one seem to state what is a good speed to cruise at, so I was also wondering how low does the speed need to be or is this more of a road thing for keeping speed down?

You definitely don't need studs on gravel rail trails unless you expect ice or highly compact icy snow. Knobby, open tread is fine for snow. Studs are just a tiny thing that are of no help at all unless they can get grip on a hard icy surface. Those made out of carbide will last a few seasons easily unless you do a heck of a lot of road riding that isn't on ice. The individual studs are user replaceable. Once you are needing studs you are on ice or icy patches and the tire size as well as conditions will dictate your own speed. I cruise at...22mph with my mtn bike and studs on...yeah...that's right...22mph. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Well thanks MikeW digibud that helps me alot. I didn't think I needed them but want to make sure so I was ready when the snow flies here in Western PA. I will have to head to my LBS and get me some good knobies tyres then. Oh and hey dig's I won't be going much more than 10 or 12 MPH and thats my story I am sticking too. LOL

I generally put my studded tires on around the end of November, first of December. They stay on until about mid April, or later depending on the weather.

I'm lucky that I have a dedicated wet weather/snow Mt. bike. So when the snow flies I take the semi slicks off and throw on the studs and leave them there until spring.

This is my first year for studded, but I start riding my winter bike around the time they start forecasting snow. I like to have a couple of fair weather weeks to get accustomed to my winter bike again, since my summer commuter is radically different.

Broke my elbow on black ice on 12/12/09. Or was it 12/14? Anyway, that's a good date for me to consider! It was 38 degrees out and had rained the night before. Evaporative cooling turned my whole neighborhood into unwalkable ice for an hour or so. I can't believe I made it as far as I did on my bike that morning!

There was a frozen puddle on my driveway this week, so I'm getting ready to make the switch.

Usually works out to be mid-December. I play it by ear since they add significant rolling resistance, and the first snow/ice that sticks around sometimes isn't until January.

Locally, outside of Fairbanks, we normally get solid cold and stay there all Winter but just recently the temps shot up to +34 and it rained for two solid days. It was just a drizzle but it froze on the ground as it arrived. I did a bit of riding down the ice-road and was quite surprised at how solid I felt on my Nokia 294's. I'd always known they were great, but I'd only been on patches of ice here and there and solid frozen snow on streets. This was literally a half inch thick sheet of ice "forever" down the road. Not a problem at all. The tires didn't help me get on a snowmachine trail as they were pumped up too much but the experience gave me a whole new level of confidence -not cockiness- about how effective studded bike tires can be on glare ice.

There is no need to put on studs just because it snowed. Studs help on ice. .....

That's definitely what I have found. I'm lucky enough to have a MUP for the majority of my commute, and there's never enough traffic on it to pack the snow down to ice. It gets pretty rutted and busted up, but not very slippery - I'm still on 700x28 Conti tourers after a solid week of snow on the ground and they do fine.

On the other hand, two blocks of my commute are on polished ice, where I just take it easy and put a foot down if I have to. After awhile you get used to it, though I'd think about studs if I had to spend more time on ice.

I generally put them on end of November and take them off mid-March (because I'm impatient to be rid of them by then).

You can get away with waiting to put them on better than you can get away with taking them off too early, because the ground will be warm as winter arrives, but when winter is leaving and you have a nice sunny day but ride into a shaded area that's had a little melt and re-freeze . . . look out.

I try to judge my removal day by one of the many frost charts (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/freezefrost/frostfreemaps.html), but it's always a guess.

Do you put studdes tires on front and back? Or just on front? I know at least one local guy who does only the front.

I just do front. From my perspective, we don't get enough snow here to justify the expense/trouble of swapping out two wheels on snow days. I just have to watch my speed on right turns.

I only run studded front and as this is my first year using it, i have it mounted on aanother wheel and just throw it on the bike when needed, but since last tues which is when i first used it, its still on it really doesn't feel like fall very unusual for boise

Yeah it's a forecast thing. If the ground is still warm, the snow wont last and the stuff that would be ice is just slush. Slicks run pretty good on slush, although it is quite the mess. I'm more or less waiting for "real" ice. I'll be rinding on them for about 4 months or so. There's no hurry to mount them.

The problem with slush though is that it can refreeze overnight. That's bad news for slicks.

On the other hand, two blocks of my commute are on polished ice, where I just take it easy and put a foot down if I have to. After awhile you get used to it, though I'd think about studs if I had to spend more time on ice.

The one time I crashed on ice, I was on the ground before I even realized what had happened. For me anyway, there wouldn't have been enough time to put a foot down to catch myself.

The one time I crashed on ice, I was on the ground before I even realized what had happened. For me anyway, there wouldn't have been enough time to put a foot down to catch myself.
+1

I watch the forecast. If I expect snow or ice I put them on. If the extended forecast looks clear I take them off. I've found I can switch both tires in 30 minutes or so. Bad conditions are intermittant enough around here it doesn't make sense to leave them on all winter.

Paul

If I have to shovel then the studs go on. Mine went on last week after 4 solid days of snow forcast. They will stay on till last snow of season. Last year they went on in December and came off in May. Put on over 300 miles and wore them out. This year who knows but I would rather ride studs on pavement then ride pavement on skin.

This is the first year that I have used studded tires. I already have them on the bike and plan on using them all winter. They are Schwalbe Marathon Winters, so they roll reasonably well even on dry pavement, which is why I got them. Last year I went down on ice twice, the worst being when it was 45 degrees out. Wasn't expecting ice since it was so warm, but the ice was hiding in a shaded area. Went down quick and slid under a car. Thankfully it was parked, but not taking that risk again. The ice will get you the worst when least expected.

Put on over 300 miles and wore them out.

What tires do you use? I can't imagine a tire wearing out in only 300 miles. I would need several pairs to make it through a winter if they wore out that quickly.

What tires do you use? I can't imagine a tire wearing out in only 300 miles. I would need several pairs to make it through a winter if they wore out that quickly.+ plenty. My Nokians are on their 6th year maybe, I forget. Early years they did not get much mileage, but lately definitely more than 300 miles per winter. No problems.

--J

First time I see frost on a window anywhere or piece of bare metal. Means we're probably going to have some nasty weather day very soon like freezing rain, a hard freeze the night after rain, or snow which melts just in time for a freeze overnight.

I use studs front and back. I'd rather not go down in front of a truck because I was being a cheapskate. I leave them on all winter; if there's no ice in sight, i'll just ride on the studs. I'm slightly slowed down, big deal! I'll be a stronger rider when the leaves come back for it anyways, and I already planned my trip times around the studs.

Snow near Bellingham is often associated with northeast Canadian winds, so we'll go from forties and rainy to teens at night and low 30s during the day, we just had a week below 33F and the ice was as smooth as 35mph winds could made it, esp on the unsanded residential streets. Main roads are sanded pretty well but just to get to them I want the studs on. I'll swap wheelsets because it might only last a week, and it might come back again in a week. Wonder what January will hold.

I run two main bikes in the winter that also see year round use... the extra-bike has studded tyres front and rear which will stay there all winter and the Kuwahara has a studded front that lives on it's own rim so I can swap this in and out depending on conditions.

The DIY studded tyres have their studs placed to the side so they provide traction when you are turning or when you drop the psi so normally don't get engaged when you are riding straight... so they last a very long time and don't slow you down very much.

The rear tyre on the extra bike has it's rear studs a little closer to central as the bike needs that extra traction when you accelerate from icy intersections... with a 64 inch wheelbase the rear wheel does not have a lot of weight on it if you aren't carrying anything.

I have been running my studded tyres for a couple of weeks as after the first snowfall it has stayed below freezing and the roads, especially side streets, have been polished to a high gloss and the studs also help on the frozen hard pack.

Whenever I finally get everything greased, moving and de-rusted on the winter bike--which I generally procrastinate until the snow starts to fly.

If it is December I need the traction. Sometimes in November as well. They will be on until I see spring has taken hold. I have a backup mountain bike with home made studs just in case. But I'm addicted to the feel of speed with the 700Cs on the Trek. The 26ers on the MTB just don't get the feel I look for. Anyone else commuting in the winter humidity of Misery? What studs? and when do you decide to put them on?

I popped on the studded tires just now for my spare bike.
We're supposed to get the leftovers from Boston's snow storm this week.

I just put a Nokian on front after a bunch of drivers complained about ice. went out for a quick spin and they didn't seem to add all that much rolling resistance at full inflation. we'll see on a full commute tmw.

My studs went on today! Rained through the night, then got 4 inches of wet snow this morning, and then dropped to 25 F. Worst ice/snow I've seen in a while! My studs went on today and they will stay on until probably around mid-march, once the temps go above freezing regularly during my morning and evening commute.


Ok I have a question about kinda the same thing I guess. If I am going to be riding gravel rail trails when it snows should I go with a studed tire or just something with knobs and lots of tread for my Hybrid? Oh yea another thing if anyone has experience with studs in the tires will they last all winter? Some of the tires I have seen so far are not cheap and I would hope to get more than one winter out of them.

I have also read that you have to keep your speed down with studded but no one seem to state what is a good speed to cruise at, so I was also wondering how low does the speed need to be or is this more of a road thing for keeping speed down?

I would suggest using studded tires on gravel roads and trails. Just yesterday I did a 25 mile gravel road ride with knobby cyclocross tires, and slipped a handful of times. Also, all handling had to be at the handlebars, no leaning into turns or I would have gone right over.

How long the tires will last will simply depend on how much you ride. My studded tires lasted all last winter and I presume will last all this winter as well. I got around 500 miles last winter, all studs are there are tread isn't worn.

Mine went on this weekend. On Sunday morning out in the far suburbs the news reported a lot of cars off the road due to black ice, and this was early Sunday morning, though I noted no ice in the city (driving). It rained all day Sunday and this AM the roads were very wet with puddles, but the air temperature was about 50*F.

I have front and rear Marathon Winters and leave them on until April; this is the third season. As often reported by others, I note no sigificant increase in rolling resistance. I did feel sluggish cycling this morning but attributed that to the headwind, until I noted my front tire was slightly off center and rubbing on the brake. Even though it was my first time out with studded tires since April, it never even occured to me to blame the studs. :lol:

I saw no significant extra time on my 13-mile commute this morning with a Nokian on the front wheel. seems too good to be true! no more slipping on painted lines in the rain, either, an unexpected bonus...

This morning, front and rear, for the first time since March 2009.

May have been overkill.

This is my first winter riding. I bought an old Raleigh with new tires. It seems to handle the slipperies fairly well. The sipping and sliding that I do seems to be when there are ridges of snow built up by cars. Under the ridges is snow that has been packed to ice. I commute every day, and there have been only two or three instances where I thought studs would help.

So I'm adopting a "wait and see" attitude. The posts on this forum are really pulling me in the direction of getting another bike to keep studs on.

I have a second set of wheels. During the Summer they have off-road tires on them, during the Winter they have studded tires so I can swap at moment's notice in the morning. If it was wet the day before and now it's below 0C, I "wear" studded because there will be ice all over. I also use studded in snow, because they're also fat and knobby so they're better for snow than my slicks, even though studs don't do much for fresh snow.