Originally Posted by
diff_lock2
Yeah the W106 are not working so well on the REAL slick ice, but i avoid doing anything extreme with my commuting bike anyway. If you need more traction (with any tire) just lower the pressure, I have done this with the W106's cause it was just too icy.
Aren't the W240 and 294 new (came out this year?!?) Also for the roads I ride i think the 240 and 294 would be too much resistance for not-needed traction.
The W240 are not new, in neither 26" nor 700C. The Extreme 294 are new in the 29er (really just a fat 700C) format.
I have the 26" Extreme 294 and am very satisfied with it.
To be honest, I'd really like to try the Schwalbe Ice Spiker and/or Ice Spiker Pro. Lots of studs and kevlar protection - I love finnish stuff, but when something is good, it's good.
Finally: yes, of course, more knobs and more studs = more resistance to overcome. Don't think for a moment I don't feel the difference between my slick tyres and these monstruosities. But, when the ice is bumby and there's some snow on the top, and/or the ice has melted a little bit on the surface, the more you can grab the better. I have to go up and down on hills here to get to the uni, and I need more traction. I hate it when my tyre is being pushed around by the solidified grooves left by previous fellow cyclists or by those fsckers on mopeds.
EDIT: by the way, if you are not thrilled with the W106, avoid even trying the Schwalbe Snow Studs. They are nearly useless for almost any kind of ice. Studs are too shallow (noticeably shallower than on any Nokian studded tyre) and they are
in the fsking wrong place to be of any use!