Winter utility Tires
 

I don't want to invest in studded tires, so I am researching 26" tires that will keep me (usually) upright on the snow, slush and ice this coming stormy season. I have a couple of questions: 1.) are the 2.35-2.4 width tires any more stable than 2.1 on these kinds of surfaces, and 2.) should I deflate my tires from the 60 psi I usually run my mtb tires at?
I actually just bought some 2.1" Hutchinson Toros, but that's cause I couldn't find the 2.4's in clincher.

Wider tires offer more "float" on soft snow, but doesn't have (much) better grip on ice and hardpack.

Consider chains in lieu of studs for ice.

last winter, was riding a newly plowed paved bike trail. it was cold enough for snow AND ice. the plow didn't get everything. was really impressed with a guy on a mtb riding ahead of me. until he slipped an fell. my 1st winter I swore I would NOT get studded tires. that changed early one morning while descending a hill in traffic on a patch of black ice. I didn't go down but I turned right around & made it home safely. I wish you good luck without the studs, especially on wide tires

You don't want to invest $34 in winter tires?

What psi would you run 2.15's at for maximum traction?

Who sells chains?

Wow! I thought all studded tires were about 100 dollars a pop.

Most any non-slick tire will work pretty good on snow covered pavement. Nothing beat studs on hardpack and ice.

Try these or go to youtube and learn how to make them yourself.

https://www.slipnottraction.com

Depends on what mileage you're hoping to get out of them, and your riding conditions.
Over here, the department stores still sell studded tires where the studs are regular construction steel.
They can still give OK mileage on all-snow/ice surfaces, but as little as 200 miles of mixed riding can render cheap studded tires effectively "toothless".


Good quality studded tires use studs with a Tungsten Carbide core. In these, it's near enough impossible to wear the studs out. The carcass might give out, and the studs get a bit blunter. But that's about it.


The SW is a decent but not great Winter tire. The tread pattern is fairly shallow and poorly self-clearing. They don't do well in mushy or soft snow.


And at a 100 stud count it'll save you from Bambi moments, but you still need to adapt your riding/braking considerably when traversing ice or hardpack.


Studs are good quality though. They are a good choice for casual riding on mixed tarmac/ice roads.

I'm a fairly dedicated all-year commuter.
I rather lose a few known minutes due to poorer roll than losing unknown time to a fall.
So I use winter tires with high stud counts these days. 200-300 range.
PSI don't change traction on ice or hardpack much for me.



What'll happen a few days each season though is that we get thick layers of fairly thick, soft snow.
It's not only traction, it's more about tracking.


That happens, I'll either not ride those days, or if caught out, will lower the pressure until I begin to feel the rim bottoming out, add a few strokes of the pump, pray not to pinch flat and ride.


As this happens along the road I don't have an accurate idea of pressure, but at a guesstimate it's below 2 Bar. Maybe 1.2-1.5.

kinda depends on road or trail surface, conditions of the day (temp & precip) & also what's underneath the day's precip. obviously if it's just cold & no precip that's like now, you get a little rain on pavement it's a little different than rain on dirt making mud. you get sleet on top of wet mud, that's one thing. if that mud freezes hard & you get rain that's another thing. if you have dry conditions & get a cpl inches of fluffy powder that's another thing. you get a base layer of snow & ice & then get 2-6" of fresh wet gloppy snow that's another. dry pavement with fresh wet snow with road salt mixed it to make super slush that's whole different animal altogether. I'd start with close to max pressure. but air down the front cuz the rear takes more of your weight. then judge your weight, the road or trail, the conditions & fine tune your pressure from there. as an example, when I commuted through the winter using a 700c roadified hybrid with 35mm Marathon studded winter tires (on plowed roads) I maxed the pressure but then tapped the valves to soften them just a tad. I wanted the tires hard enough so the studs dug down to find whatever pavement they could. but soft enough to flex over irregularities (like frozen lumps under the snow & slush) to maintain contact & not rebound abruptly. with wider tires you'll just have to find what works best for you. I had an epic blizzard ride on an old MTB that took twice as long as it should have cuz I was riding thru 4-5" of fresh cold snow, with tires aired waaaay down & riding on grass & sidewalks that were not plowed or shoveled. major mistake for the 13 mile 1way trip. after turning around I aired up the tires as hard as I could with my hand pump (still well under max) & rode home on pavement through the plowed snow & slush another 13 miles & it took half as long as the 1st 13 miles

From where I sit, you look like setting yourself up for failure. After I ripped a third or so set of clothes in falling on ice, I suddenly realized that an investment into studded tires was a cheap solution. It would have been so much cheaper if I bought them before ripping all the clothes and it would have been so much more comfortable without the involved aches and bruises.

After riding many winters I realize that I do not need to rely on the studded tires as much as at the beginning, but this is because the studded tires gave me the breathing room where I could hone my winter riding skills.

& it's a drag to get a taste of ice, mount your studs, then get no ice for weeks. you're riding your studs on dry rds & feel like a fool. some ppl have 2 sets of wheels, or better yet, 2 bikes! :D

That's probably the approach I'll take: Just be more discreet about when I take the bike out. I don't have far to go to work or the supermarket, which are .25 miles right downtown. I'll most likely walk it like I have been when its icy. My tire pressure max is 59 psi, so I'll drop it down to around 40 and see how that goes. You drop yours as low as 30, so maybe I'll check that out, too, and see if I feel more stable.

Studded tires rock on snow and ice. Alternatively the continental winter contact ii tire is pretty good on snow and ice and very good as an all round tire.

I ride a long wheel based recumbent in the winter because I have no car and it's my work horse, getting me where I need to go and hauling what I need to haul. I am close to the ground so falling is not a big concern for me.
I mostly ride on the sidewalks after they have been cleared because to ride on the streets is really a death wish because cars have a hard enough time seeing you on a bike without high snowbanks. They do take pretty good care in clearing the MUPs here and since they are blacktop the snow and ice melts fast when the sun hits it.
But I am fortunate in being retired and so can ride when I can and postpone a trip if conditions are too bad.

26ers nokians are pretty cheap. Check used in your local bike clubs. Most riders are on 29ers/700c that I know, sometimes I see them for free.

Thanks for the tip on the Nokians. The Mount & Ground is a nice tire.
There can be a thick sheet of ice over everything around here,
at winter time. My sister's in Newburyport, so I know you guys get the same weather.

I was looking at Bontrager, and saw that they have "studdable" tires, which means you can put the studs in (with a special tool) and take them out again. There was one model for $75.00, but it wasn't available in 26".

oh yeah that would be fun, taking the studs in & out depending on the weather? if there was a quick & easy way to do that maybe ...

Probably not something I am willing to do. I'm just going to try to get through the winter on my knobbies, like always.
I can always put Stabilicers on my boots and walk it.

No tire in the winter will be better than anything else. Most people suggest thin tires to push through the snow and get to the pavement.

Honestly, I rode half a winter with normal MTB tires before I bought a pair of studded tires. It's just not worth it not to have them.

Now, I have 3 sets of studded tires for 2 winter bikes. (Trying to sell the one set, not 26" though.)