Originally Posted by
bikemig
My commute is on fairly quiet residential streets so I'm not really worried about cars. My fair city of Des Moines however does not believe in plowing the streets down to the tarmac. There comes a point in the winter where the roads become a sheet of ice and hard packed snow. That's where I draw the line.
Ice and hardpack are just what studded tires are made for. They will grab that much better than snow. Seek ice for lower rolling resistance and best traction. (not really traction, studs sticking into something hard) the more ice the better.