mnsam

Set up my road bike for shoulder season riding in minnesota (clear pavement with the occasional black ice) with a 45 north Xerses studded tire in the front and kept the normal road tire in the rear. Plus side is that the bike is almost as fast as with my normal tires since the studs only engage if I am turning. Downside is that I'm a bit concerned that I'm only fooling myself that this setup is any better than just riding with my summer tires since the studs dont engage when I'm going straight and if I bank the bike to turn the wheel is likely to slide out and by the time the studs engage it's too late to prevent a crash. I tried the trick of dropping the tire pressure to 30 to "smoosh" the tire a bit and engage the studs but I still can only hear them touching the pavement when I turn. Guessing my light weight (140) combined with the fact that the front tire doesn't get much weight means that the tire doesn't flatten much at all under my weight.

I have a 29er set up for winter with nokian extreme 294 tires which is extremely secure in the worst conditions but it's slow and overkill this time of year . Anyone rode the Xerses tire before to comment on whether my setup is actually safer or better in any way or just false confidence.

parkbrav

I had a pair of Xerxes for 2.5 winter seasons. I mostly wore them on pavement to combat the inevitable black ice up in the northeast.

I found them reliable for this purpose.

I had a longer commute (22.2 miles round trip for 20 days) last winter. I found them less reliable on the plowed snow pack treated with salt and sand than on pavement.

I tested them out on virgin snow fall and they impressed.

I burned through the rear tire last year, the one that survived (the front tire) will be attached for a fourth full season.

parkbrav

In terms of the ice, I am a realist. I tend to assume it's there and act with precaution, especially on most turns and lights etc.

I greatly prefer gradual braking and and jam on the brakes only when there's an emergency.

A lot of this has to do with proper route-planning

mnsam

Did you drop the tire pressure on ice to get the studs to engage more are they making more contact with the road than I think they are? To me it seems like I need to bank a fair bit before I hear them on the road.

BobbyG

+100

parkbrav

I keep them inflated, but everyone has their own preferences. I'm not sure what you're saying about "hearing the studs" - as far as I'm concerned, they are there, they are doing their job, even if I can't hear them. Perhaps someone else knows and can better answer that question

One reason I keep them inflated is because I was having some puncture problems. When under-inflated, my studs were poking through the tire into the tubes and causing flats.

parkbrav

@mnsam

@ Bobby_G

This is what the 45 North website says about the Xerxes tires:

Quote:

Commuting to work or school on black ice just got faster and easier with the Xerxes. 140 studs provide unrivaled control on those morning rides where ice patches threaten your commute. When a layer of snow conceals black ice, the ultra-narrow profile easily slices through the fluff and gets straight to business providing extreme traction in these extreme conditions. Run the Xerxes at minimum pressure for traction performance, and maximum pressure for a quieter and faster ride on clean roads.

parkbrav

I replaced one of my Xerxes with a Schwalbe and the Schwalbe is noticeably louder, so I am getting where you are coming from.