Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I was very happy to find out that I could get Marathon studded tires in a 30 C size for this winter for my Diverge beater bike, and I never needed to ride my wide studded-tire mountain bike at all. All my winter (and otherwise) riding is on pavement mainly as a commuter...
Also nice is that they worked well at full pressure (90 psi). On the worst slippery day, I rode confidently, but had two near falls while walking. 90 psi is my usual tire pressure. I also have run my wide Marathon Winter studded tires on my mountain bike at normal pressure of 65 psi for the past several winters.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Several years ago, when I was considering whether to get studded tires, this post by @
tsl of Rochester, NY in the Lake Erie snowbelt convinced me.
I dunno, maybe it's my age showing. Here in Rochester, at least along my commute, there's always ice that miraculously didn't get salted away….
Broken bones would keep me off the bike for weeks while they mend.
One thing I have tried to figure out is
what’s a good way to test the studs on a given day with slick conditions, to make sure they will hold, without actually sliding off the road?
Originally Posted by
Leebo
Those tires look like they really have minimal studs. Do they work? Seems like you would need more. Testing? Get some pond ice at low speed. Hit brakes? And lower pressure will do better for grip. Most studded tires have sidewall that are very thick. Try 50 psi front and 60 rear, even that seems too high for me. 225lb rider plus gear here.
Thanks for your reply. As I mentioned previously, all my winter riding is on well-tended pavement (major car commuting routes), and my most adverse conditions are smooth black ice or hard packed snow. If I’m out early in a storm then I might have to contend with new-fallen snow, and very rarely do I encounter frozen rutted snow. So I have found fully inflated studded tires to be suitable. Furthermore, as I previously cited, even on dry pavement I keep the studs on in the case of sporadic icy patches, especially black ice.
Because I’m commuting (with time constraints) / riding for fitness, I want maximal efficiency so I ‘m reluctant to lower the pressure and make the ride “squenchier,” as described by @Archwhorides. Also as described by others, the alleged increased rolling resistance of studded tires seems negligible for the Marathon Winters, as well as for the Marathon 30C tires in my experience. (I also have inserted tireliners in the bikes to avert flats.)
I inquired about testing the studs, because unlike a frozen pond, which I never pass, it’s unusual to have significantly long stretches of slippery road to test the studs. If the surface is that slippery continuously, then I’ll soon find out. 
On that previously described slippery slush, I didn’t realize how slippery it was, until I was off the bike walking on the sidewalk.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-30-17 at 05:54 AM.