Yeah, for
cheap studded tires that's true, like Innova's (again their non studded tires might be fine I don't know).
I've had a front skinny tire slip out on a bike, and it was just like described online - suddenly I was down with no chance to react.
I invited a coworker to go to a bike demo with fat bikes (pugsleys I think) on a lake, because I was curious how a really fat tire handled ice. She knew how to bike, but was no "serious" biker or anything. The lake surface alternate between large patches of ice and large patches of snow. We both biked across it. When I ended up on the sheer ice section, I could not keep the bike upright and biking forward it would slide out and I'd have to walk it across. But - it slid out slowly enough that I had no problem getting a foot down. Compare this to my skinny tire where I didn't even have time to process that I was going down, let alone get a foot down.
If you want to bike on sheer ice, I'd want studs, but just for safety on commuting where you don't hit much sheer ice with both tires at the same time, I'm not sure if you need them or not. (With skinny tires I feel like you needs studs.)
Huh, you found the Nokian 294's useful? Any more info on the conditions you use them in? Like I said in my post, I had trouble figuring out a use for 2" tires - didn't seem to let me get through any more snow than the 30-40c models.
On a slightly different subject, I think this was your thread on making your own studded tires isn't it?
http://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cyc...ded-tyres.html