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Studded Tire Questions

Old 10-28-08, 01:54 PM
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Studded Tire Questions

I know this topic must come up a ton but I've not found answers to my specific questions on this board or elsewhere. I ride a cyclocross bike on a MUP to and from work. This is my first year commuting in KC and I'm pretty sure I felt my first bit of ice on the trail this morning. It wasn't much, but it got me thinking. Would snow tires be a good investment for me? We don't get a lot of snow but have our share of occassional ice. There are patches of standing water for days after rain and I'm guessing these will be ice soon as well. Here are some specific questions I have:

1) Are 700 x 35 the thinnest studded tires I can get for my Kona Jake the Snake? I was thinking about the Nokian Hakkapeliittas (I'm leaning towards these, any thoughts?) Would I want to go thinner even if I could?

2) I'm guessing there will be many days where I won't know if studded tires are needed. Will I hate riding on them when it turns out I probably didn't need them that day?

3) I've heard people getting a second wheel set for studded tires. If I were to go that route, is there anything specific I should look for? This relates to #2. Is it a viable option to put the studded tires on and leave them on for winter's duration knowing I'll be riding on mostly clean surfaces 80% of the time?

Thanks for the help!
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Old 10-29-08, 07:28 AM
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I do believe 700x35 are the thinest you've got going.

I do believe that if you inflate(or deflate) the tire to minimum pressure on icy days you are good for grip and if you inflate the tire to maximum pressure on non-icy days you are good for better rolling resistance. I heard this really works out and I am thinking of giving it a try myself.
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Old 10-29-08, 07:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Podolak
I do believe that if you inflate(or deflate) the tire to minimum pressure on icy days you are good for grip and if you inflate the tire to maximum pressure on non-icy days you are good for better rolling resistance. I heard this really works out and I am thinking of giving it a try myself.
He's got it right. On icy days, go for for lower pressure on your wheels. It will make for a higher rolling resistance, but give you a better grip all around.

Regardless, the studs will seriously increase your rolling resistance. Last spring when I swapped back to my slicks, cycling felt insanely easy for a week or so.
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Old 10-29-08, 08:15 AM
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Yup the rolling resistance is remarkable.
I'd suggest separating your tread needs (how big the knobs are) from the need for studs with your tire shopping. 35c is about the narrowest stud I've seen.

On my CX bike (my road bike in winter), I run the Nokian 106's. I'd much prefer to have the Schwalbe Marathon Winter (more an ice tire than snow tread) since I have big knobby studs on my hardtail.

Lastly, the second wheel set really didn't prove to be worth the trouble. I put the studs on and run them until the ground is thawed in spring. Get about three years out of a set doing it that way.
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Old 10-29-08, 12:00 PM
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#1 - Nokian makes a 32c studded tire. Go here:
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Look for the Nokian A10
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Old 10-29-08, 07:56 PM
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I bought a pair of Nokian Hakka W240s (40c), but I won't try them out until maybe December. Everyone tells me they are overkill for commuting, but the Peter White article seemed to recommend them for a mixture of riding surfaces.
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Old 10-31-08, 07:58 AM
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Ya know, with studded tires we're talking about some heavy stuff. Doubling the stud count doesn't appreciably make it worse, so why not go all in and be ready for everything with confidence? Besides, rush hour in a snowstorm that started as rain is no time to entertain the concept of 'overkill'.
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Old 10-31-08, 10:42 AM
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Schwalbe Marathon Winters. Not too slow, and great in icy ruts.
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Old 10-31-08, 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by CastIron
Ya know, with studded tires we're talking about some heavy stuff. Doubling the stud count doesn't appreciably make it worse, so why not go all in and be ready for everything with confidence? Besides, rush hour in a snowstorm that started as rain is no time to entertain the concept of 'overkill'.
+1000
That is exactly what I don't swap wheels. I just put on the W106's this past weekend because there was snow in the forecast this week. Luckily the stuff stayed about 20 miles south of here. Too often the weather conditions will change around here and you get suprised with some nasty precipitation. Yes I now feel like a weak rider as I have to work HARD to average 2.5 MPH slower than on my Summer 32mm clicks, but being cought off guard by some frozen precipition just once can realy ruin your riding season.

Happy riding... I no longer need to ride so far, the tires are providing lots of extra work

André
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Old 11-13-08, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by PaulRivers
#1 - Nokian makes a 32c studded tire. Go here:
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Look for the Nokian A10
I like Peter's Article, but something he doesn't mention is slush. He talks about the wide knobby tires as if they are overkill, but I think they'll be the best thing to deal with slush. I don't want multiple tires to ride in the winter, so overkill it'll be...
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Old 11-13-08, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by CastIron
Ya know, with studded tires we're talking about some heavy stuff. Doubling the stud count doesn't appreciably make it worse, so why not go all in and be ready for everything with confidence? Besides, rush hour in a snowstorm that started as rain is no time to entertain the concept of 'overkill'.
Correct. WXC 300s are not as painful on dry pavement as I've seen suggested.
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Old 11-13-08, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by mcfc57
3) I've heard people getting a second wheel set for studded tires. If I were to go that route, is there anything specific I should look for? This relates to #2. Is it a viable option to put the studded tires on and leave them on for winter's duration knowing I'll be riding on mostly clean surfaces 80% of the time?

Thanks for the help!
What I did:
Nokian+Mavic Crossmax SL+XTR Disc=very light winter wheel

Originally Posted by PaulRivers
#1 - Nokian makes a 32c studded tire. Go here:
https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Look for the Nokian A10
Nice article; also check these links out:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...er#post7579539
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...er#post7579535
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...er#post7594682
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