Originally Posted by
squegeeboo
I feel like studs solve 95% of the skill issues, the rest is just will power.
I dunno. I think winter technique differs in at least three ways with studded tires.
1) You're not going to carve corners with them, wet, dry, snowy, or icy. So just forget that.
2) High cadence and light pedal effort works best for me in both the moving forwards and the staying balanced departments.
3) When it gets dicey, I shift back on the bike, unloading the front--just the opposite of what you ordinarily do on a roadie. This lets the front float and wander a bit, finding its own path. Otherwise it tends to follow ruts, or if the ice or hardpack is loose on the street, it will plow it along on the street. Plus, if the bike breaks through hardpack, it always causes a sideshift. It's easier to recover from the rear sideshifting rather than the front.