KJL

I am buying a second cheaper wheel set for my commuter (2016 Diamondback Haanjo) 700c - I can take up to 45mm tires. I plan on putting some studded tires on them and have rotors on em and ready for an easy swap. I would prefer to go tubeless but might need to run tubes since the wheels will probably be cheaper and not tubeless ready. My roads and bike paths I take only get ice later in the winter when we get snow built up and then it gets ridden/packed down then thaw/freeze turns it into slabs of ice. Anyway, I am wondering what some good quality studded tires are out there for commuting that folks have that are in the 700x45 category. Thanks!

ScottCommutes

I don't think there is such a thing as bad studded tires. You can even make them yourself and they probably work great. The key is having ones that fit your bike and having them on the day you need them.

Do be careful. If I recall correctly, the studs stick out to the sides much further than the width of the tire. Of course you could trim them, with the corresponding loss of performance when leaned over.

sweeks

There are studded tires that have studs limited mainly to the center part of the treads (like THIS ). However, most of the studs I've seen on commercial tires don't stick out very far. If they did... good luck trimming them; you'd be better off removing them. The carbide is very hard.
The brands I would look at are Schwalbe and Nokian. Their studs are tungsten carbide and last much longer than steel.


Schwalbe Marathon Winter. Carbide studs protrude a short distance beyond the tread. This is a 20" (406) tire.

ScottCommutes

I think mine are the "Ice Spiker Pro". They appear to be the highest performance version and do stick out the sides, but not to worry - they are only made in wider widths. https://www.schwalbetires.com/Ice-Spiker-Pro-11100937

ScottCommutes

Personally, I'm too lazy for winter wheels, with the implication that I'm going to check conditions every day and change out my wheels accordingly. If I were you, I would keep the studded tires on the bike all winter. There's always that one random frozen puddle hidden in a shady dip on an otherwise beautiful day as well. I think this year I will keep my studded tires on and switch to my wife's bike on beautiful days. Another option is to install one only (on the front) when conditions aren't that bad.

For reference, I didn't even use my studded tires once last winter here in New Jersey. We had a record warm winter. Didn't set up the kids ice rink either. Still very comforting to have them however when you need to get to work. I love describing them to my coworkers.

BobbyG

For the last 7 winters I've been running 26x1.65 Suomi/Nokian W106 studded snow tires. The studs are just inboard of the shoulders which makes them act differently depending on tire pressure. For dry pavement, at the 65psi max (or 70psi as I do it) the tires ride on the smoothest center portion with minimal addition of rolling resistance. When cornering a little more than moderately, there is a there is a moment where the contact patch traverses the studs. It's not a catastrophic loss of grip, but it is noticeable. Also at max, the studs don't help on ice.

For ice, at 25-35psi the tire deforms enough so that two rows of studs are now facing the pavement. Under moderate cornering they are still in contact. I have not had a loss of grip on ice in this pressure zone. On dry pavement the tires now sound like they're riding on Rice Krispies, but there is no noticeable loss of grip while cornering, just a sight sluggishness.

For loose snow, 20-25 works well to increase the contact patch for maximum traction. On dry pavement the tires at this low level really increase rolling resistance, but, hey, at least you're biking.

For the last three winters I have had them mounted on their own set of rims which I got used for $20 for the pair at a co-op.

They come in 700c

sweeks

Ten or fifteen years ago, I had a routine: the studs would go on over the Thanksgiving weekend and they'd come off on the Ides of March. Any snow outside those limits would usually be manageable with normal tires. Of course, that meant that I'd do some riding with studs on bare pavement; not a big deal. More recently I haven't needed the studs until after the first of the year... Climate Change!
For quite a few years I had a beat-up Dahon Mu XL which became my dedicated "winter" bike, but the frame eventually wore out. I'm currently in the process of putting together another Tern Verge S11i to serve as my "fair-weather" bike, and my present Verge (currently wearing a Nexus 8-speed hub) will be my winter bike.
I have Nokian "Extreme 294" tires for my mountain bike. Studs let you have reliable commuting and extra fun on recreational rides. They aren't cheap, but what's the co=pay on a broken hip? (I'm in my mid-70s)

Like riding on dry pavement (almost)!


The dedicated Winter Bike. (Note the broken seat tube.)

LeeG

I had some Nokian w106 like what Bobbyg posted in 26” for road commuting. Absolute godsend after one day I skied down hill to a stoplight. If you’re on ashphalt don’t bother with off road widely spaced studs.
These look affordable and right size

https://www.schwalbetires.com/Winter-11100602.01

wolfchild

Schwalbe Marathon Winter are available in 700 x 40mm and also in 700 x 50mm.

sweeks

Studded tires may have somewhat limited life, depending on their operating environment and frequency of use. Peter White has a good explanation HERE (scroll down to "Studded Tire Failure Mode!").
My experience is similar. I use small-diameter (406) Marathon Winter tires on a folding bike, which is ridden M-F year-round. In Chicago, there is a lot of salt on the streets during the winter. This appears to accelerate the corrosion of the "roofing nail"-like heads of the stud. The studs themselves are made of tungsten carbide, which does not corrode significantly. The part that holds the stud in the tire (the "head" of the nail) is made of steel, which corrodes, especially in the presence of salt.
I get about 3 winters on a rear-mounted Marathon Winter, and about 4 on the front. As Peter White indicates, the tire is in "failure mode" when the studs (and abrasive rust) begin to wear through the inner carcass of the tire. My first awareness of this problem was random flat tires which traced to breaches of the carcass by studs. I suspect that the smaller tires develop these breaches faster than larger tires. I've been able to extend the dependable service life of these tires by fitting a tire liner ("Mr. Tuffy") as soon as a slight discoloration of the carcass is seen on the inside of the tire.
I have a set of Nokian "Extreme 294" (559) tires on my mountain bike; these are about 10 years old and have no evidence of stud penetration. However, they don't get anywhere near the amount of wear and exposure to salt since I'm not commuting on them.


Early signs of stud penetration. This tire is still good for 2 or 3 more winters.



This tire is at the end of its useful life. No flats resulted because of the presence of a tire liner.

campfire

Have you tried this? I made one with standard sheet metal screws and discovered how quickly soft metal wears out compared to proper tungsten carbide. Yes, it worked, and it was cheap. But it's worthless after a few hundred miles, while the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus I paired it with isn't yet showing noticeable wear.

If you run a mismatched pair (like mine), be sure to run the better tire on the front. That's where the traction matters most.

Materials aside, studs make ice riding much funner!

rumrunn6

watch out for fresh powder over glare ice. best solution for me has been the more aggressive type tires with giant voids & of course metal studs/spikes

for winter commuting on plowed roads I always used to use Marathon Winter tires. wider isn't always better

good luck & have fun!

KJL

I was able to find a pair of used Schwalbe Marathon's from a local that was moving to Arizona and they were only used for like 10 miles!. While in his garage buying them we were chatting and I noticed a pair of 45 North Dillinger 5's studded tires that would would fit my Fat Bike. He ended up selling them to me as a "bundle deal". Brand new those tires are $235 US dollars each (w/carbide studs). $200 for both sets!! I felt like I won the lottery! Now the fun part - mounting them. Of course we are in a El Nino winter and it was 55 F 20 degrees above average.