Originally Posted by
Abe_Froman
Yup, it was 26 when I road into work this morning. Roads were fine today, but were pretty slick yesterday after the first snowfall. I'm thinking of ordering a set of studded tires myself for my beater mountain bike bad weather commuter. Never had studs...are they worth it?
Absolutely worth it if you're planning on commuting all winter. They're especially useful in the late winter when you start to get lots of freeze/thaw cycles and the black ice forms where you can't see it.
One day last season in the early spring we were getting some freezing rain. I was riding home on the MUP when I came across a guy walking in the snow along side of the pavement. He asked, "How are you staying upright?" I stopped to chat, immediately hit the ground and then realized the frozen asphalt was too slick for me to stand on. However the studs were letting me ride on it without any trouble.
I just replaced my old pair of studded tires with a new set. The old pair lasted me 7 winters. The studs were still in good shape, but the sidewalls were starting to crack and bulge from age.
The way I see it, I set of studded tires is cheaper than a trip to the ER for a broken collarbone.