pluc

I've read a lot about these two tires on the forums but there is no post comparing both directly, though they seem very similar.

I'd like the opinion of people who have ridden both and how they compare. The Hakka W106 looked like it would not handle Québec's winters (although if you have any info against this statement please tell me so!) so I am now in a dilemma as to which to order. I'll be buying two pairs of them so I'd rather not do a 200$+ mistake.

Ice wise: The Schwalbe has only 100 spikes while the Nokian has 160.
Snow wise: The Schwalbe looks to have more aggressive threading while the Nokian seems to be weaker on that side.

Which is better for icy ruts? Would the Hakka 106 do just as well?

We don't get that many icy ruts around here cause the city plows pretty well most of the time, but I'd rather not get caught in a snowstorm with tires that ain't up to the job.

I'm a bit confused.

Cyclist0383

The W106 are plenty good for any winter road riding. I use them on the streets of Riga, which as a general rule are not plowed. The street which I live on for instance is literally a sheet of ice from December to March. It's almost impossible to walk on it, yet even with ruts and bumps in the ice I have no problem with the W106. Any more studs would be overkill and would be considerably slower and rather dangerous when riding on clear pavement or any cobblestones as the studs tend to slide across them, seriously compromising braking power. More isn't always better.

JonathanGennick 

A lot of us are probably in the same boat as you, in that we can't afford to buy even two different sets to compare. I know that I agonized a lot over my first snow-tire purchase last year. Choosing to buy Nokian was the easy part of my decision. Nokian seems to me to be the clear leader in the market. They have the most experience making studded tires, and they have the widest range of tire models. The hard question for me was: "which Nokian tire to buy?"

I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a few blocks from Lake Superior. We got a LOT of snow up here. My guess is that our winters probably compare to your own. With no prior experience riding in the snow, I had to decide whether to go for more studs and potentially harder peddling, or whether I could get away with fewer studs on a tire that would (hopefully!) roll more easily.

I ended up buying the Nokian Hakka 300s. Having ridden them one season, I will say that I would probably switch to something with fewer studs were I to be riding on pavement most of the time. But where I live, the city leaves a couple of inches of hard-packed snow and ice on the streets all year 'round. They do that to accommodate snowmobiles. So even on plowed streets, I am riding on either snow or ice, and conditions can vary from glare ice to loose snow to hard-packed snow within a block, depending upon weather conditions, the angle of the sun, how much car traffic has been by. The 300s have worked well for me in those conditions, but I say that without having had the opportunity yet to try a different tire.

This winter, I may buy a set of studded tires for my 29er bike. If I do, that is my chance to try out a different model of tire.

Good luck with your decision. Studded tires are costly, and I can well-understand your desire to avoid buying the wrong tire.

Edit: Most of the time in the dead of winter our streets are hard-packed snow. I've became convinced that it is actually the knobs on my tires that do me the most good in those conditions. Usually the layer of snow on the streets is thick enough that my studs are never hitting pavement, nor are they hitting ice. The knobs sink in, and thus I get traction. There are patches of ice though, especially in driveways and parking lots. I need the studs because I never know when I will be transitioning from snow to ice, but I'm willing to bet that, for a lot of my riding, that it is the knobs, not the studs, giving me traction.

SCREEM

I have a Mount & Ground up front and it is an amazing tire in icy ruts, I have 2 of them and found I only needed it up front. Sometimes I loose traction in the back and fishtail but you get use to it and it gets fun controlling it. Mec has the schwable for $55, though I have not tried it I use some of their other tires and they are absolutely awesome, had they been available when I bought the nokkians I would have saved $100+ buying the schwable.

Gojohnnygo.

I just picked up a pair Nokian 160 mount and ground because of what Peter White has to say. but both seem to be good tires.

I have used two Nokian 294s front and back(Over kill for commuting) A Nashbar studded tire on the rear WHEN they were made by Kenda tires and still have a Nokian 106 that I purchased my first year of winter riding.

Some good reading for you.

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

pluc

Don't worry I have read the whole Peter White page on studded tires numerous times. He says in the part about the Snow Stud that they are very much alike.

Last winter I used regular knobbies all winter long and did pretty fine but ice was always a problem, and I already tried the Snow Stud, and they were pretty good. I'm just wondering how they compare to the Nokians in roll and grip.

Chicagoan

I'm in this ame delima as you right now. This is my first year of consistantly commuting to school. I live in Chicago about 3 miles east of Lake Michigan my school is on Michigan ave. which is one block west of my street Indiana Avenue, but 5 1/2 miles north. The further north you go the farther west the lake comes so my school is just over a mile west of the lake.

Anyway I just bought a new bicycle this summer. A Specialized Crossroads Sport hybrid. It is actually meant for people who are old and fat but I like it even though I'm 15 @ 140 pounds. I have done a few things to it though to make it more suitable for me (thinner less cushy seat, slicks, and some nice toe straps. Plus a rear rack and panniers.

I am currently trying to decide what kind of tires to get. I tried snow riding once last year on a road bike . I would go up the sidewalk but it was hard to keep traction in all that snow. I would start on our part of the sidewalk which was shoveled and get up to speed. Once I got to parts of the block where it wasn't shoved my wheels slipped alot and I was brought to a slow stop. My wheels had no traction whatsoever.

My current commute uses about 3 blocks of unplowed streets but the rest is plowed. I think the 106's will do fine for me but not sure.

Portis

I have the Mount & Grounds but have never tried the Schwalbe. I used to run the Nashbar tires and they had even more studs. In fact i think they may have been even a little better on ice. My point? Get the most studs that you can.

jeff-o

I'm also choosing between the M&G 160 and W106... I'm just trying to remember what gave me more trouble; ruts or ice!

sherpa93

What is the true PSI rating for Nokian Mount & Ground W160? Vendors and even Nokian site says 58-65 PSI https://www.suomityres.com/specs.htm However the tire sidewall says 30-45 PSI! Hmmm..... I have mine mounted and at 40PSI and seem a little soft. Especially heading out for 30 mile break in :-O

pluc

30-45 psi must be the recommended inflation in winter conditions. Not maximum inflation.