winter commuter/planning ahead
 

OK... it's basically springtime which means I need to plan for a better winter bike. I build my bikes mostly from trashed/discarded components and dumpster bikes and seeing as how MTBs are the most popular, those are the parts that will be at my disposal. I pretty much have the basic plans drawn out (the bike in the pic below served as inspiration) but don't have much experience with knobby MTB tires. The snow bikes (motorcycles) I've built in the past were basically speedway style which used knobby tires into which I would screw stainless steel machine screws for grip in the snow/ice. I would like to do the same with my upcoming winter bike project but am not aware of any bicycle tires with large knobbies. Has anyone had experience with tires that have knobbies at least 1/4" in length?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/...63387a2e6a.jpg

In my opinion, after you purchase knobbies, screws, and spend the time, you would be better off with Nokian studded tires. And do plan ahead, since they get scarce in December.

The winter forum has a sticky on making your own studded tires.

Paul

Yeah, Schwalbe and Nokian make studded winter tires, very well suited for winter riding if you're in a place that gets lots of snow and ice. The bike in that pic runs special wheels that will require a special frame and fork, like the Surly Pugsly. It's unlikely you'd come across one of those in a dumpster.

Cool!! Thanks for the heads up on the studded tires (DIY and OEM)... I never knew they existed!

HEY!!!! Don't be discarding my Spring and Summer like that. Spring is just barely here, and we're talking Winter???? STOP IT.... NOW!

Ok, sorry,..... carry on. I'm sensitive about my summer months that way. Yeah, we make studded tires, in various configurations depending on what conditions you have to put up with.

gb

Yea that's pretty much a no-brainer and is why I stated that the bike was used as inspiration. I built my 'Truckster' using nothing but salvaged and dumpster parts and used the XtraCycle FreeRadical for inspiration. As you can see it's far from being identical to the XCFR but then that wasn't the point.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=144088

I've been checking out Schwalbe's offerings and am intrigued. Granted the Ice Spiker HS looks about right but I lost my breath there for a second when looking at the price. I remember restudding snow tires on my parent's car back in the mid 70's... this looks like the same kind of stud.

The prices are definitely up there. I have to think that it is related to the somewhat limited seasonal demand, which limits the size of the production runs. I'm guessing they'd still be expensive tires if they were made in larger batches, but perhaps not as much as the current pricing.

There are less expensive 'alternatives' but the question is are they designed well? I'd have to think that in order to make a high quality tire that accepts studs with an anchor or shoulder (for lack of knowing what they're really called), the tire would have to be cast in a mold that would replicate the studs. This sort of a mold would not only involve an extra human element to extract the tire from the mold but would probably also introduce a higher level of possible casting/extraction failure... both of which would drive up the price of a tire.

I'm just guessing but maybe the cheaper tires use screw in or tolerance fit studs which may not be as reliable and are easily 'thrown'.

But hey, it's all speculation on my part but nevertheless I understand the possible reasons for the pricing and also would like to know how these tires are actually manufactured.

Reading this thread reminded me that when I recently removed my Marathon Winters, the inside stud rows appear quite worn down, but the outside rows are look OK. This is after about 3 months daily commuting 1 hour/day RT. Kojak, is this normal wear and are they OK for next year (function-wise)?

By the way, a nice-rolling studded tire you have there in the MWers.

The wear and tear on the studs can vary a great deal, depending on the bike/tire load, and how frequently the commute is on bare pavement vs. snowy or icy conditions. One way to minimize wear on the studs closest to the center is to run at or near max pressure when the roads are bare, and then back off on the pressure a bit when you have slick conditions. Maximizing the inflation pressure lifts some of load off the studs. Dropping it back down when it's slick re-engages the studs to your riding surface.

If you're dumpster diving, pick up an extra pair of wheels and mount the studded tires on them. When the snow/ice/crap is out run the studs. When it melts or the roads are clear a quick wheel swap to regular tires. they'll last longer and not annoy you on the clear pavement.

I better not let my wife read your suggestion... you'd be in serious trouble for enabling a guy with a certain parts acquisition addiction.. ;)

I'm sure there are various differences between the expensive studded tyres (Nokian, Schwalbe) and cheaper (Innova, maybe others too). But one of the main factors are the studs. Expensive tyres have carbide studs which are a must if you ride on pavement at all. I don't know your winter conditions, but towards spring my commute will have considerable lengths of bare pavement, and yet sections that would be really dangerous without studded tyres. Softer studs wear out really, really quickly in those conditions. Carbide studs last for years. And I like to be able to err on the safe side, to keep riding the winter bike for a bit longer than I absolutely need to, without having to worry about wearing the tyres out.

--J

Expect to get 3-6 years from your Nokian's. They are a good investment here in the Boston area.

This year I found myself disappointed with how my Marathon Winters handled more than just a little snow, and bought some Nokian Extremes. I've used one only on the front so far, but even with just that change, I noticed a big improvement in capability. I even remembered once when I forgot to switch to low pressure for snow, and the performance was still comparable to what it was before I made the change. Most surprisingly of all, the rolling resistance increase is actually very little. I know this may seem to be hard to believe if you've compared the tread on the two tires, but I've still been able to handle my 7-mile commutes just fine. Now this should be taken with a grain of salt because I have yet to use both Nokians at once, but I think I'll be fine when I do exactly this next year. I have kept one of my MWs so I have a spare studded tire. Also, I do plan on getting a spare front wheel so I can easily swap in a smooth tire for days with clear roads, but I've made that decision partly because I want to preserve the studded tires and partly because I think there's a fair chance I'll need a spare eventually anyway.

The bottom line is, as far as I'm concerned, if you want to be able to ride as much as possible and have to deal with significant snow, get the Nokian Extremes and be done with it. And start looking in early fall, because studded tires generally speaking seem to go quickly and then be in short supply midseason.

FWIW, I picked up a set of Nokians last April at a 2 for 1 sale. A few weeks ago, I noticed they were selling for 20% off at one LBS. Now might be a good time to buy if you can find them.