First experience with studded tires.
 

Just had my first experience ever with studded tires (Nokian W240). I knew it was going to be a bit tougher to ride, but I just got my butt whupped. I just rode 6 somewhat hilly miles, riding fixed with 76.5 gear inches (42x15). Yikes! I didn't know it was going to be as difficult as it was.

Lucky for my my commute is only about 5 miles each way. I have a flip/flop hub with a 17T freewheel on the other side. I don't know if I'll go that route, or just try to be a superhero this winter. I know the wind will be worse some days than it was today, and there will be deeper snow to ride through too.

Play it by ear I suppose.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...r-Single-Speed

Check this thread.

The hills are getting to me too.

Hi apricissimus,

Haven't seen any posts in a while; Happy New Year. As you recall. I also commute in Boston. I have found the roads pretty well-maintained on my routes, so I got the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires, reputed to have less rolling resistance, which appears to be true. On the worst snow day, I got through about four inches worth of snow, but about six inches near the end of my commute was tough, and I've heard that's where the Nokians rule.

I've been mostly posting in P&R of late. Epic battles take most of my time :p

I probably would have gone with a lighter tire if I didn't get a good deal on the Nokians. And I wanted to pull the trigger on them before the end of the year to make full use of the bike commuter tax credit/stimulus thing that my employer is participating in (thank you Pres. Obama, and thank you American taxpayer). I know I'm not going to even need studded tires 98% of the time, but that one fall I had last winter convinced me that I should use them going forward.

It should be interesting. But even if it's a real pain, I know I'll only be using them for a few months, tops. I can do anything for that short of a time.

Or maybe not, I don't know. Lets see how I do with 76.5 gear inches, uphill, against a stiff headwind, with heavy low pressure studded tires through six inches of snow. Oy... I'm starting to make myself upset :(

Hi Jim,
a belated happy New Year to you. I live in Bremen in northern Germany,where we are currently experiencing quite a bit of snow - which is a bit unusual here. I fell off my bike once already and am now a bit weary about cycling here, especially since the road clearing is a mess.

I have Schwalbe Marathon Plus on my bike and have been thinking about using studded tires for a while. Since you are using the Schwalbe ones, could you let me know a bit more about them? Here in Bremen, salt is usually used for getting rid of the snow, meaning we usually have melted snow which then often freezes at night. Do the Schwalbe winter tires still have grip when the snow starts to melt? What about snow that has been trampled on countless times and is thus extremely slippery? Do you keep the winter tires on all winter and use your bike even on days without snow? I'd hate to go to my bike place and have the tires changed again and again.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Hi Mel184,

I have basically learned all I know about studded tires from Bike Forums. The premier cited reference is:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

That explains it all, IMO. In general it seems the Schwalbe Marathon Winters are made for slippery conditions without much loose snow, such as ice and hard-packed snow, and have the least rolling resistance, nearly negligible to me. Then there are the others with more "aggressive" treads meant for deeper snow such as Nokians, but with more rolling resistance as described by apricissimus. I think these are also considered more appropriate for hard packed rutted snow.

My route as described in my reply to the OP is generally well-tended. There have been discussions on this Winter Forum about the utility of studded tires under such conditions, but as apricissimus describes, and I agree, there are always some little patches that can take you down hard. I leave my studs on all winter on my winter beater bike. The studs on the commercially available tires are usually carbide steel and they apparently last a long time without falling out. A general recommendation is to ride on pavement for some thirty miles or so to set the studs. I'm in season 2 with them, and the longest experience I recall seeing posted is at least four seasons.

One nice description of what the studs do is I think on Peter White's website and describes riding with them as similar to walking on sanded ice; pretty secure, but not perfect, so maneuvers such as turning and accelerating should be done with caution. There have some good threads since about October on the Winter and Commuting Forums about studded tires, including a discussion of subscribers strategies for using them, such as even changing tires for various road conditions. I couldn't find that one but there was this recent one about longevity of studs:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-studded-tires

Finally check out this website for winter riding: http://icebike.com/ though I note the article does not discuss the Schwalbe Marathons, maybe because they were introduced after the latest update (in 1999!)

Hope this helps. BTW, my son is leaving soon for four months study in Berlin. :D

Sincerely,

Jim

Hi Jim,
Many thanks for the long & detailed reply and the links! The one from Peter White Cycles was especially great since I am really new to this issue.

My plan is to leave the studded tires on all winter as well, since winters here in Bremen are quite unpredictable. It's not like we have snow all winter long and when we do have some snow, it tends to leave to all sorts of road condition; the main one being either solid snow or frozen bits with tracks in it (almost brought me down last night).

We also have constantly broken glass on the cycling paths in the city center (mainly broken Becks bottles) which is why I would prefer a tire from Schwalbe. When I got my current bike, I had to replace both tires within the first week and I have never had any flat tires when using Schwalbe Marathon.

I am sure your son will enjoy Belrin; I have an aunt there who lives next to the Wannsee.

Thanks & regards,
Melanie

The single speed/fixed with studs took me a while to learn also. Actually I just figured it out yesterday. My problem was that I was always watching the garmin and trying to keep my speed and cadence equal with my road bike.
Yesterday I went out for a ride with a heart rate target of under 150bpm. This ride is by far my best most enjoyable winter ride on my single speed.
When the pedaling got just a little tough I slowed down and got out of the saddle.
Pulling on the reigns is not easy as there were time when my heart rate was up at 170 (My max is 185). This was a great ride. Right now I am only riding once or twice each week... Just didn't want to face a hard ride after dark in the snow. After last night ride I am looking forward to another ride today. Actually I am looking forward to a ride schedule of 4 or 5 rides during the week.

FWIW, I've found that each winter it gets a little easier. My first winter nearly killed me pushing those things. Now in my fourth winter, it's not so bad. This is also the first winter where I'm leaving the studs on the bike all the time rather that changing wheelsets with conditions. If nothing else, running them four months a year has made me a stronger cyclist.

That said, it was heaven today when I took the roadie to work--five miles there, 20 miles home.

After years of winter riding sans studded tires I finally threw in the towel, threw down the cash and bought some Nokians. I had always been able to ride pretty much through the winter but inevitably would have a good slip and fall and take a break for a week or two until the weather changed. Since the Nokian studs- (knocking on wood) no more falls and that makes the struggle of riding at a slower pace all the more worthwhile.

This year I outfitted an old Specialized MTB with my Nokian's and it is now my "winter bike". On a day like today, warm temps, no ice on the road, no snow and off I went on my usual commuter and wow! how fabulous it was! Basically, studded tires are the hairshirt of the Order of the Bike Fanatics.

this is my fourth winter on the fixed gear / studs program and the one thing i have to say to apricissimus is: 76.5 inches is insane!

well, okay, maybe not "insane" per se, but certainly not advisable. pushing studded tires through slop is hard and you need to gear down. that's all there is to it. as usual, your gear size is your business, but i run/roll/rub/palp 67 during the snow months.

I've actually done exactly that. I flipped my rear wheel over to the 17T freewheel (67 inches). It's a world of difference. I kind of have a bad right knee, and the 15T fixed cog/studded tire combination was starting to really give it some problems.

The 17T feels heavenly, though I'm slow as dirt and spin out pretty easily on some of the downhills. But that's okay, I'm not racing anyone.

:thumb:

Nokian 294s on ice and hardpoack are really niiice, Deep snow, "coca cola
slurpy" sh**t you're on your own.