Last year there were a few days when I did not ride because of fresh fallen snow, like a few inches, and I just didn't feel comfortable riding my CX bike with 35mm studded tires. They tires would just sink into the snow making it difficult to get anywhere.

Anyway, I do have a beater MTB that I use often and was thinking of putting on a set of 2.1" studded Schwabe's or Conti's for these conditions. I'm not crazy about riding the MTB for longer than it takes to the corner store, but studded tires are slow to begin with, so there may not be much difference between the CX with studs and MTB with studs in terms of speed. It'd be about $100 for the tires, and for maybe four or five days when I might have to resort to this. Worth it?

What do you think?

Yes, that's what I use in winter, an old MTB with slicks. Makes an excellent winter bike.

Worth it? The other option is driving a car with crazy unskilled drivers around you and bad tires? Sweat people crowded together in a bus or train? Got a plan B? I have 2 winter bikes with studded tires just for commuting( old and junky ) One has nokian 700x 35 and the other has 26 x 1.95 on the mt bike. 2 more for winter trail riding with studded tires for winter. Keep in mind one could get 5-10 years out of a pair of studded tires.

I have a 29'er MTB set up as a fixed gear with 38mm studded tires, it's my favourite bike for serious winter commuting.

I finally bought studded snow tires last winter and put them on my old MTB based commuter. I did it mostly for the ice. I found 3-inches of snow to be my practical commute limit since it slows me down too much.

But since I ride side streets and the traffic on my routes is relatively light, I found large curb to curb swaths of residual ice to be my main challenge. And while I could ride around some of the oce sheets and just walk the bike over others, the studded tires have made that a non-issue and keep me pedalling.

Last winter I caught up to another bike commuter just as we began riding a block long ice sheet. I asked him if he had studded snow tires. He said no, just off-road tires with low inflation. He said those studded snow tires are too slick on dry pavement. I said I am using them and have had no problems. He said people had told him he couldn't ride on ice without studs. While he was able to ride a slight incline on ice without studs, I doubt he could come to a stop on some of my big icy downhills as I can with studs.

My biggest thrill last winter was effortlessly riding uphill on an icy street as numerous cars struggled to do the same.

I have an old MTB with studded tires for winter use. Having a dedicated winter bike is not just for snow, but also to keep road salt and muck off my other bikes. Due to road salt season, I commute with the studs on there for several weeks, even if the snow and ice are only moderate. The bike is slower, but not unacceptably so.

My tires are 47mm, but how they actually perform on snow depends a lot on conditions. Heavy, wet snow is just going to be a slog, no matter what.

Worth it I bought a set of Klindike XLTs the winter before last they worked out very well for me.

My car commute isn't actually that bad. It's only 25 minutes, or about half the time of the bike commute, and last year I did allot myself a couple of dozen drives. And I think even with the wide studded tires there may still be a few days when it's not wise to be riding. Weather prognosticators all seem to be predicting a pretty bad winter.

Two winters ago even with newly mounted studded tires I slipped pedaling up an icy driveway. Fortunately I was going very, very slowly, but I was probably running too high a pressure for them to effective.

The low pressure makes them more effective on ice, but also makes them feel like riding on sand when on bare pavement.

Yes, After the first ride on ice I did more reading and found they work best on ice at lower pressure. And yes, at lower pressure they can be a chore to ride on bare pavement.

I prefer the term, "Like riding in wet tar". What pressure? Tire size and rider weight?

On my cross bike I've got 35mm Schwalbe studs. My own weight is about 145lb, but often I'm weighed down by panniers and backpack loaded with stuff. Anyway, I couldn't tell you what pressure I run. I just kind of do trial and error.

I don't like riding when I can't see the actual condition of the road beneath me. When the snow is too deep or the puddles to wide to see the road, I always resort to plan B.

This was exactly my strategy for a year-round beater heavy Cannondale mountain bike, with studded tires in winter, to keep my high end carbon fiber bike clean. Last month though, I bought a quality aluminum bike (Specialized Diverge Elite) with 30 C tires that I will now use as my main beater, and reserve the mountain bike with studs for the worst of winter.

The Diverge is a great ride, well worth the price, compared to the Cannondale, and easier to haul up two flights of stairs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobbyG

I finally bought studded snow tires last winter and put them on my old MTB based commuter. I did it mostly for the ice. I found 3-inches of snow to be my practical commute limit since it slows me down too much.

My biggest thrill last winter was effortlessly riding uphill on an icy street as numerous cars struggled to do the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobbyG

Yes, After the first ride on ice I did more reading and found they work best on ice at lower pressure. And yes, at lower pressure they can be a chore to ride on bare pavement.

I find too that for my Marathon Winters, about 3-4 inches of newly fallen snow is limiting. I travel well-tended thoroughfares, so mostly I encounter hardpack, and Marathons are ideal. I don’t note that much extra rolling resistance as without studded tires, as others have often noted for that brand. I keep the tires inflated to a full 65 psi, and just take my path on ice straight and easy.

I too have once ridden up hills impassable to cars. On one winter day, I helped push three cars stuck on ice on the flats (just by myself; didn’t use the bike).

I am still using the same Suomi Nokian 26-1.9 mount and ground W tires I got in 1991.

On an old stumpjumper I break out when the roads ice up .

need to get some traction studs for my shoes ..
last 12-21 I fell on black-ice getting out of the Van at the top of US26 on the way to pdx.

You can always give it a try, my experience was that a 2" tire doesn't really handle anything better than a 35c-40c tire. I also find the "skinnier" tire limiting in snow, but a 29" tire just didn't improve on that. It was still to skinny to float on top of the snow.

I had to go all the way to a fat bike to find a tire that's actually wide enough to allow me to tackle additional snow. I didn't buy one because it made more sense to just drive, but in my personal experience a 2" tire is just not wide enough to have an additional positive effect in handling extra snow.

Thanks for all your replies.

So it appears to be a bit of a toss-up. I'm leaning toward not doing it. If conditions are too poor for riding with 35-mm studs, I'd resort to driving on winter tires. It would at least appease the Mrs.

I don't know about Toronto but NYC after snow is nearly impossible. Our temperatures hover around the freezing point, and car tires mash the snow making slush even when the temp is below freezing. So we have a dozen different textures and depths. I try every year and it's just not worth it for me. One day I'll get a chance to ride on hard pack or ice.

I found that to be an issue when I stopped on ice...my shoes had no traction.

Depends on the snow. If the snow isn't all new and loose, there is some improvement. Riding in car tracks.

Streets are ploughed where I ride and when they aren't, cars pack the snow with their tyres, so I can always ride.

More than 10 cm of fresh snow, just like you said, isn't worth riding - too much effort, even walking is faster.

Much the same here after a snow fall. But all depends on the amount fallen. I ride mostly side streets and secondary routes, which get plowed after the main arteries. So sometimes there is packed snow/ice before the plows come through.

I am thinking along the same lines as @PaulRivers, that when there some significant accumulation anything other than a fat bike isn't going to be much use on it. I'm not interested in a fat bike either.

^This

The tires on my winter bike (mountain bike) sinks into the snow just as bad as the 32mm tires on my hybrid. And once they're sunk down, the mountain bike tires might even be slower than my hybrid tires because now I'm trying to push more snow out of the way as I pedal through it.

I think that may be why some people prefer tires around 30 or 32mm in the snow.

I don't think I've ever seen hard packed snow on a street or road in New York, ever. I have in Vermont.

Plain old knobbies on the mtb works well for me, no studs required. Nothing is perfect in the winter. If you're gonna ride then, you have to be okay with that.