dcr

I own a 2017 Trek Crossrip 2 bike and will be biking to work (5.7 miles) on concrete bike trails that are plowed well when it snows. They will have to fit with fenders.

It hasn't snowed much in Madison this winter so far, but I still feel better with studs for my winter biking. Any tire recommendations?

Thanks!

rumrunn6

Schwalbe Marathon Winter

Fenders for wide tires

WiBoy 

Very low stud count and key is Carbide. Low studs will make it just enough to bite but not enough to skid corners. And carbide will last you 30 years

tclune

I have used both Nokian and Schwalbe and have been satisfied for the most part with both. I got the low stud count Nokians because I also ride on mostly-plowed trails and thought that would do. I was wrong. Even on plowed roads around here, there are patches of very rough ice that build up -- especially around intersections -- that benefit from the studs going up the sides of the tires. Also, I have found that carbide studs don't last forever around here. Maybe we use more salt than most places, but after the first year or two, the studs are much less effective than when they are new. As always, YMMV.

Bikewolf

I have (Schwalbe) Marathon Winter for the first time this winter and have seen snow & ice. But I have been riding them on dry pavement too for a couple of days due to circumstances. Love them so far. Not too much rolling resistance, weight is fine. Of course, they are still brand new but they get good reviews.

I use my Spikey only on ‘slippery days’ though :-)

GadgetGirlIL

Another vote from me for the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. I was just up riding west of Madison in Dane county this weekend. Was up by the Indian Lake county park yesterday on roads that had a very light covering of frozen precipitation. Temps were hovering around 31-32 degrees. I had no issues with sliding even though there were a lot of hills and rough pavement. I'm very glad I made the investment.

Leebo

700c I'm assuming? What width will fit? 35 mm? 45 mm? I run 40 and 50 mm tires on my rides. Wider is better. Max studs better yet.

fietsbob

I have Suomi Nokian*, that have been fine for decades.. but Ice is occasional here not seasonal for 90 days.

& they 're on an old MTB, not a bike like yours..

*harder rubber compound , more so since they've been here since on my bike 1990..
never lost a stud..

schwalbe, from posts here rubber is softer , and they lose studs (rider behavior unknown)

maybe get them now for next year and let them age?

[noted in Peters blog to ride them on pavement , first, to settle the studs in better,
wonder if that is because they had to speed up production to keep up with Demand]




....

BobbyG

Like #fietsbob I have Suomi Nokian W106s on an old 26" mountain bike. THis is my third winter with them, but so far I've only had two snowrides, and only one was icy. But the last two winters were snowy and icy. Because of the dry climate, the ice doesn't build up here in Colorado Springs like in the midwest, and I only had a few rides with ice ruts, but the Nokian Suomi W106s worked okay for me. But on smooth, glare ice and rime ice, they are fantastic!

Whichever tires you get, remember it is important to alter the tire pressure to fit conditions. Max for dry pavement, about 35 for ice and about 25 for snow...although you will have to find the pressures that work best for you and your tires.

gregf83 

They work well on ice but I can't imagine a tire with higher rolling resistance. They are heavy and slow but will keep you upright when it's icy.

Gresp15C

I live in Madison, and have commuted year-round for the last few years. This year the entire family is equipped with studs, so I can comment on a few types. From what I can tell, you can't go wrong with Nokian/Suomi and Schwalbe. I haven't tried any others. The Nokians have just 2 rows, not a huge number of studs, but seem to be just fine for the situation that we've been having, of nearly dry roads for the entire winter but occasional snow days, ice storms, and patchy ice.

I even got to work last year on that day when it was solid wet ice everywhere.

About the Marathon Winters, I just got them, to bring us up to 4 winter bikes in the family, and the rolling resistance seems to depend a lot on pressure. I think that pumping them up to rated pressure gets you to where you're riding on only the two inner rows of studs. I think that I can hear the difference too.

dabac

Over here, quality of the SMW seems to be a bit hit-and-miss.
There are plenty of complaints about studs wearing through to the inside.
My first set didn’t last a full season.
The ones with the flat protection have really high rolling resistance.
Suomityres seems to do better.
W106 do OK on smooth ice, but are poor on rutted ice.
My favourites are probably the W240.
They roll heavier than the SMW w/o flat protection, but do better than the W106 on rutted ice.

dabac

SMW stud cores when new are shaped like a perfect cylinder, with a sharp edge.
Suomityres WCX comes to a point.
Both eventually get blunted, the contact point turns into a half-sphere.
I’m too cheap to consider them worn out at that, But yeah, they do lose some bite.

tclune

Do you know if you can replace old studs with new ones? If so, how much effort does it take and do they stay in?

dabac

It’s entirely possible to replace studs. Levering the old ones out is a matter of seconds for each stud. Insertion is a little longer, slightly dependent on which tool you use.
Stud retention doesn’t seem to change much.
If you want to safeguard it’s possible to glue them in as well.
Main issue is probably finding a cost-efficient source of replacement studs, and not dieing from boredom while doing the work.

Bikewolf

FYI, to put things more in context:
I chose to ride on on dry (actually wet ;-) pavement with my ‘Spikey’ winterbike only to bridge a gap of 2 days, until my regular bike would be back with me.
Pumped up high, I didn’t experience too much inconvience to be honest. (Depending on your commute etc.)
Fortunately, I now have two bikes for winter: one with, the other without spikes.

’njoy winter! thx

PaulRivers

Fastest tire I'd ride in the upper midwest: Schwalbe Marathon Winter. They roll faster at high pressure, and grippier at low pressure.

But it depends on how well plowed and travelled the path is. I used the ride the greenway which is well plowed, and they were fine. But last year I was trying to ride some bike sidewalks in a suburb that are plowed but not well plowed, and they schwalbe's weren't quite enough for a comfortable ride, left me wishing I had the clearance on my bike for either 45nrth Gravdals, or Nokian 240's.

KLW2

Here is a nice article at Peter White Cycles...

rumrunn6

yeah, winter mess is a spectrum, meaning 1 tire (or bike) can't do it all. & what I remember from last winter is, trying to ascertain the conditions of various trails I was considering for a ride. fortunately, this forum is full of other ppl who are out & about & can report back what they encounter, often with pics!

Bikewolf

A spectrum, indeed. But a medal to everyone who’s riding winter nonetheless :-)

sweeks

My solution: two bikes. One is dedicated for "winter" riding, with studded tires (SMW), a rear roller brake, lower gearing and fenders. The other is a "normal" bike for better weather. Well, maybe not strictly "normal", as they're both folders for use in "multi-modal" commuting.

In a typical Chicago winter, I start riding the studded tires around December first, and bring out the regular bike in mid-March. The last couple winters have had long stretches of snow/ice-free weather, so it's nice to be able to pull out the fair-weather bike as appropriate.
Steve

rumrunn6

if I expect to do any riding Saturday I've got to mount my studs tonight ...

sweeks

I'm putting the Nokians on my Trek so I'll be ready if the ice is thick enough on Diamond Lake. If there's not much snow on the ice, it's a blast! (Image from a few years ago... ideal conditions don't happen every winter.)
Steve

EDIT: @rumrunn6: I see you are near Boston. My daughter is there and I've visited several times over the last few years. It's got a lot to offer visually, culturally, gastronomically.