An recomendations? And should I just go with a back studded tires?

Do you notice that you have studded tires on when you are riding?

do you just switch the tires over the night before?

What happens if it is not snowing when you go to work but snows while you are at work? Then what do you do?

Are studded tires better then chains you can put on?

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

If you only have one studdded tire, put it on the front. You can usually recover from a back tire slide or at least get a foot down. This is not true for the rear tire. But, if possible get both. How much is your safety worth? How much money are you saving by bike commuting? Get two.
Yes. On dry pavement, they make noise. On ice, they grip way better than non-studded.
I keep them on the entire winter. The only way I would consider switching is if I had 2 wheelsets with the same rims or disc brakes (that way you don't need to adjust the brakes). I do have 2 bikes, so one will probably get touring tires and the other studded for the beginning & end of winter.

If switching wheelsets/tires, I would be sure to read the forecast. It is extremely rare that a snowstorm would come without warning. Also, studded tires make the least difference on dry pavement (obviously) and fresh snow. With fresh snow (as long as it isn't too deep), normal tires will generally "cut" down to the pavement and give decent traction.

If you can afford only one, put it on the front. Unlike automobiles, the purpose of studded snow tires on a bike isn't to get you moving (although that's a nice added benefit), the purpose is to keep the bike from sliding sideways out from under you on ice. It's fairly easy to recover (meaning not fall down) when the rear wheel slides out. When the front one does, you're going down fast and hard.

I like nice light wheels and tires in the three-seasons, so I really notice the extra weight of the studded snows. Generic MTB tires (as opposed to racing ones) tend to run heavier so MTB riders notice this less. For me, my three season tires are less than a third of the weight of my studs. Pushing those damned things is a workout all winter long. OTOH, when they come off in spring and everyone else has legs like sandbags from not cycling all winter, I have considerable spring in my step, so to speak.

I've done that. It's workable, but here anyway, I could be changing back and forth daily. I also tried a separate wheelset. That was better, but still more daily messing around than I really want to do. For me, multiple bikes works best. I just look out the window, check the forecast and decide which bike to pull down off its hook.

But for a single bike owner, putting them on a leaving them for the season is probably the best bet.

You seem to be a beginning cyclist. Cycling changes people in dozens of ways. One of which is summarized best…

They may not be into the same style of cycling as you or I, but there's no denying the dudes at RKP feel it.

Never used chains. Going back to the top, studs aren't to get you going, but to keep you from falling. I don't see how chains can help that.

i just picked up a set of the Nokian Hakkapelitta w240 after doing a bit of research and have been breaking them in.

First impressions if your use to riding slicks, especially 23c-28c's you will feel the drag. Its not terrible, but you wont be able to keep speed while coasting, its more of a continuous pedal. There not too far off from knobby cross tires though and id imagine close to the feel/weight of mtb tires.

If you only have 1 bike and 1 wheelset id throw the studded tires on and leave them on. Not that changing out tires during the week is that much effort but it gets to be a pain after a while.

+1 to all of this.
I'll add for the OP's benefit that good quality studs are made of carbide, and will not wear down like the cheaper studs, so dry pavement is not an issue.

Same here, except no hooks. My winter bike has a pair of Hakkapeliitta W106s permanently installed and ready to go.

Studded tyres will not help in snow. They help on ice, hard packed snow and such. Of course, there's no telling what's beneath a fresh layer of snow, so I like to err on the safe side.

Good quality studded tyres (carbide studs) don't mind the occasional patch of pavement, or even a longer stretch. You'll wear yourself out long before the studs go!

I've never tried chains on bike tyres, but the idea doesn't sound too good to me. Quite a bit of hassle, and like mentioned, not sure if they actually help any. Around here, cars too must have specific winter tyres, not chains.

--J

Oh, and I'm moving this to Winter Cycling (from Commuting). Carry on...

--Juha, a Forum Mod

thanks all! Any recomendations on studded tires? Where to buy, etc?

tsl: I am new, yes. I have been riding since July and love it but now I want to continue getting the miles and buring the cals which means commuting and I am totally stoked about it.

When I was younger, I was able to commute to work and school all the time but I was in an area where there was no/little snow and ice. So since I moved to NJ, things are a little different.

id read through this and search on here for recommendations.

I have a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Winters that I used last winter. They are a great tire if you mostly ride on plowed roads, deeper stuff will be a bit challenging. They roll well and I leave them on all winter...until about march. I have rode them on and off road in various snowy conditions, while not off road tires they made it through a lot of snow. I just bought a set of Hakka W240's for the single speed that's going to be fun, they are a bit more mountain bikey. Here are the Marathon Winters in action.