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Question about 700C studded vs 26" studded

Old 04-26-09, 12:21 PM
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Question about 700C studded vs 26" studded

(sorry to cross post this from Winter... I only wanted to post here and accidentally.. what evah)

Effectiveness of 700C studded tires vs. 26" studded tires:

I'm already looking ahead to next years winter bike. My mid-80's Trek 890 (a freebie!) converted to 3-speed internal was okay... frame is just a bit too small, and I found I'm old enough to want/need a couple more speeds at times. I have found a freebie tour-ish no-name roadie, canti brakes, that looks good for a commuter conversion...

Question: I've always had 26" studded tires (MTN style winter bikes). What is the opinion or efficacy ($65 word!) of 700C studded tires vs. 26" tires. I would have to buy a new pair of studs that size... or keep looking for a better sized MTN for next winter

thanks!
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Old 04-26-09, 02:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Sigurdd50
(sorry to cross post this from Winter... I only wanted to post here and accidentally.. what evah)

Effectiveness of 700C studded tires vs. 26" studded tires:

I'm already looking ahead to next years winter bike. My mid-80's Trek 890 (a freebie!) converted to 3-speed internal was okay... frame is just a bit too small, and I found I'm old enough to want/need a couple more speeds at times. I have found a freebie tour-ish no-name roadie, canti brakes, that looks good for a commuter conversion...

Question: I've always had 26" studded tires (MTN style winter bikes). What is the opinion or efficacy ($65 word!) of 700C studded tires vs. 26" tires. I would have to buy a new pair of studs that size... or keep looking for a better sized MTN for next winter

thanks!
It's really a matter of whether or not the studded tires you like are available in a 700c size.

I don't know if there's a really wide, studded, 700c tire around yet or not. Likewise, I don't know if there's a skinny (35mm or less) tire available for 26" wheels. If not here yet, I imagine you'll see wide 700c studded tires come out in the next couple of years as 29ers become more popular.

Some will claim that a skinnier tire is preferred because it will cut through snow to the pavement better. Others will say that a wider tire is better because it will be less affected by rough icy surfaces.

Since I have some experience with both wide and skinny I will offer this: I don't really know which is best but none are perfect

My current plan for next year involves taking a middle ground by using a 700c x 40mm tire with a lot of studs and an open tread pattern that I hope will shed snow well. It's a Nokian W240. You may or may not be able to fit those on your road bike. The down side to them so far is that they're a lot of work to get rolling on dry pavement.

Popular studded tires for road bikes that can take them are the 35mm Nokian W106 and the Schwalbe Marathon Winter.

The Marathon Winter is really a nice tire. It's rolls well on dry pavement and it has plenty of studs. The problem with them is that I don't like they way they handle on snow. The Nokian W106s are better on snow but don't roll quite as easy and there were times I wished they had more studs. Between the two I'd take the 106s. They're cheaper too.

Personally I would not buy the Nokian A10s unless you ride mostly on well plowed bike paths or something like that.
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Old 04-26-09, 03:25 PM
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I switched to marathon winters this year, and I agree; I don't like them at all. They're fine on ice and pavement, but hopeless in snow. Others have had the same problem as I have. They wallow sideways badly in deep wet snow. I'm switching back to Nokian W106s next year.

I'd rather have to pedal a little harder than to have my bike suddenly slide sideways a foot or so.
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Old 04-26-09, 04:34 PM
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Sorry, it was 93' here today. Hard to discuss snow, ice and studded tires.
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Old 04-26-09, 11:12 PM
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Just wanted to add that Nokian does make a 2.1" studded tire for 700c wheels. I think it's the 294 and I also think it's pretty spendy, even for a studded tire. Nevertheless, the option is there.
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Old 04-26-09, 11:43 PM
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I have Marathon Winters 700X35c.

They are great on dry pavement and ice, but they suck in snow.
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