Originally Posted by
Z R I D E R
50% decrease is a lot, but it's understandable for non-paved roads/trails and I expect that. You're right about balance, I'll focus more on that than speed (although it does take some speed to attain balance). If I found some cheap studded tires I'd consider them, but I'd like to know what it feels like without them first.
If you have a set of old tires, you can DIY the studs - check sixty fiver's post or Youtube vid's.
I would assume from your location that icy roads would frequently be a factor, so recommend studs of some sort. Also assume you are riding your Trek - if it has disc brakes, you could try "zip ties" around the rims & tires - check Youtube. The idea is similar to "winter tire chains" . I haven't personally tried this, but several local MTB enthusiasts use them on trails.