Studded tires are off
 

Well, I took the studded tires off the trail bikes and gave them a little TLC before spring. Been on the road bikes for a bit while the trails dried out. Today was half day Friday and I decided to get on the Fat bike and roll out to my old trail riding grounds. I did forget that Lake Dennison is in the flooded-out period before the big canoe race in April. So, I was on some pretty wet trails at times, but I guess that's what happens when you slow the dam flow.

This week I suddenly remembered I don't have summer tires for my mountain bike and had to order a pair. Last year I bought big box tier Kendas that don't even have a name, just a model number. Horrible things with sidewalls so stiff you need to run max pressure all the time. Broke a tire lever trying to get them off to put the studs on.

I don't have slicks for my touring bike either. But I do have gravel tires which will suffice for early season rides. I like the look of 700x32 Continental Grand Sport Extra tires but am having trouble finding them for a decent price. Wiggle / Chain Reaction's shipping prices to Canada pretty much double the price of a set. The shipper they use now pretty much forces you to use the pre-paid tax option to Canada. I had better luck finding Grand Sport Race so I ordered a pair of those. Company had mixed reviews but at least they shipped regular mail.

Second wheelset with non-studded tires or did you swap tires? If so we’re they tubed or tubeless? I’m asking because I have a fatbike with studded tires and am not sure the best approach.

I just swapped tires and I'm old school and still use tubes, they are tubeless ready if I so choose.

yup, studded tires came off my commuter about a week ago. I won't miss them.

My commute is always slow- it's a short jaunt and just the nature of all the streets and turns along the route mean that I never have an interest in speed. And even though the non-studded commuting tires are actually knobbies, they still ride easier than the studs.

I just took the studs off. Only took 45 minutes. The rear winter tire needed a visit with Professor WD-40. Other than that, they slid right on. Very Psyched for some summer riding!

Studs came off my mtb last night. So much more peaceful riding around without a constant buzz. Buying tires locally is quite frustrating as the selection is terrible, its like all the LBS' abandoned 26" all together.

Had a half crash this morning, bike ended up on the ground but me somehow on my feet. Very slick patch of black ice before a puddle with broken ice. I was expecting the puddle might give me a problem not the dark spot created by the splash of vehicles that broke up that puddle.

I'm always impressed with my ability to unclip in an instant, without even having to think about it. Somewhere within my 128,000 km of clipless riding it became second nature. It would probably take me longer to get my foot off a flat pedal since they are so much larger.

Glad you're ok dude!

nice work thanks to your cat-like reflexes! they say luck is when preparation meets opportunity. may be true. glad it ended well. always prefer to dump the bike, rather than go down w/ it

Snow in the forecast for next week, so my fat bike might get a little more action this year as its the only bike with studded tires at the moment. Once it starts getting warm you really hate to see a week straight of below freezing days. The snow is almost entirely melted here now apart from drifts in the shade.

With early morning temperatures still hovering around freezing, I have been hesitant to take off the studs. It only takes a little bit of moisture on the road surface for it to turn real slick. But this weekend I finally did take them off. I do have them on a separate set of wheels, but the shifting needs to be adjusted slightly, so it's not a simple matter of just swapping out wheels and then go. Hopefully that's it for studs this season.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...add0b05146.jpg

Studs are off and now this. Just a couple inches, but there may be ice under there. Fortunately i don't need to go into the office until tomorrow. It's snowing at 34f, and the high 47. Tomorrow should be fine.

Took studded tires off the commuter and put 25mm i had laying around on it. I’d rather beat the crap outta an old steel beast than my nice aluminum or carbon bikes for commuting. And i miss my panniers on the steel commuter

Storm track is changing, so we might get a foot of snow mid-week. And that's still on the outer band, the center could see 2.5x as much along with 90 km/h wind.

We were originally on the warm side of that track with three days of rain and some snow on the tail end in the forecast for the Twin Cities. With that track changing, my folks and sister in Minot, ND, will get up to 30" of that white stuff the next couple of days. The "big hurt" in that part of the state is for the livestock out on the open range, especially since this is calving season. The bikes can shelter in the garages for a few days. Around here, some rain moves in this afternoon and will be done by tomorrow morning.

I swapped out my hybrid's studded tires for some slicks a couple of weeks ago, the first time in over 10 years I've done that. It's actually not a slow bike with faster tires! :)

If you are in North Dakota, esp Bismarck and west, maybe wait a few days. From NWS 4/12:

...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM CDT /6 AM MDT/ THIS
MORNING TO 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ THURSDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow and blizzard conditions expected. Total snow
accumulations between 12 and 24 inches, with locally higher
amounts up to 30 inches possible. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph.

* WHERE...Portions of west central and south central North Dakota.

* WHEN...From 7 AM CDT /6 AM MDT/ this morning to 7 PM CDT /6 PM
MDT/ Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Travel will become very difficult to impossible.
Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility.
Expires in 2 days

We didn't get as much snow as forecast, but it blew around a lot. The wind died down today so I decided to go for a ride, but it was a real slog. The combination of heavy deep snow, warm temperatures and having not used the fat bike in a month did not make for a good ride, so I cut it short. The city is using a lot of salt so this next melt will be much worse for the bike than the last one. I already had to deal with a seized fix brake pad adjuster on the mtb when swapping tires from spring riding. I'm just going to wait until the roads are mostly dry, it should only take a few days.

My resolve to wait until the roads cleared up lasted a day and I put the studded tires back on tonight so I can ride tomorrow. More snow in the middle of next week so ice will be around for a while yet.

what brought you, or your family, to that area. not trying to be nosey, but it sounds like rough territory

Discovered a blown tire on my winter beater bike. Just received my replacement spiked tire from Amazon a few days ago and put it on today while it was snowing. So I'll be ready if I need it.

Studded tires are off for the second time. Ended up doing some other maintenance at the same time. Worn out change, rear wheel bearing adjustment an of course the mechanical disc brake pads that need adjusting every time you remove and reinsert a wheel. Maybe I'll be able to put away my winter boots soon.

OK got mine off

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f962971064.jpg

I did put away my 0-25F boots but the 25-40F shoes are still "ready to go." I last needed them on 4/26.