Originally Posted by
mtalinm
well i had a tire emergency yesterday and had to replace the back one in a hurry, so now there's a vittoria on there. with the drum brakes, IGH, and esp the belt drive it took over an hour to replace with the help of a friend. I'm in no rush to swap a studded tire onto that anytime soon... i'll just put one on the front and take the train on really icy days.
thanks all for the good advice
2 things about this come to mind. I am surprised it took so long, how long would it have taken you on a regular dérailleur set up? From what I and others have said, big knobby studded tires have less of a chance of flatting. Not flat proof, but more flat resistant, so why would you avoid fitting one? Yes, it means an hour now, at home, but reduces your potential for having to do it on the road, in the snow..
I have never had an IGH bike, but will be getting one this year, I understand that it will be a little more complex to get the rear wheel out, but I'm not going to avoid them because of that. I've found with good tires, flats are pretty uncommon.
Another thing to think about, if the puncture is obvious, and not catastrophic, i.e. small nail sticking out of the tire, peeling back the tire, pulling out the tube, and patching, is an option. No need to remove the wheel at all.