Studded winter tyres

flester
flester Posts: 464
edited December 2010 in Commuting general
Anyone tried these http://smtp.schwalbetires.com/node/1788 or similar ?

Would they be suitable for general cycling where you encounter icy patches here and there?
'I do not believe in the three-speed gear at all', the sergeant was saying. 'It is a newfangled instrument, it crucificies the legs, the half of the accidents are due to it.' (From 'The Third Policeman')

Comments

  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    I bought these last week from Bike 24 (in Germany). There hasn't been significant snow here since I got them, but they have helped on black ice on the roads. They are fine for general riding, they are a bit noisy, and of course they weigh nearly 1kg each, but on my commuter bike I don't care. I will be using them until the snow and ice threat passes.

    I think you may have trouble finding them in stock somewhere (thats why I bought from Germany, but they are out of stock now).
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    the LBS's main seller. but be aware studs are for ICE not snow, compacted snow yes slush not really.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • flester
    flester Posts: 464
    thanks - not much snow here,mainly ice but have just stayed off the bike so far
    'I do not believe in the three-speed gear at all', the sergeant was saying. 'It is a newfangled instrument, it crucificies the legs, the half of the accidents are due to it.' (From 'The Third Policeman')
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    I've got the marathon winter 200 stud 26 inchers on order from starbike.com (germany) and wiggle to see who can actually get stock first.


    Sound perfect for your use and you can add some PSI on days when you expect no ice.
  • mercurykev
    mercurykev Posts: 264
    we've had loads of snow up here for the past 10 days and I've been running 26" Marathon Winters on my MTB which has allowed me to cycle to work through the worst of it. They provide no advantage over normal mtb tyres in the deeper snow and slush but on the hard pack snow and the ice they are a life saver - just run them at lower pressure to allow maximum stud bite.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    I use them - so far they haven't really been necessary but they instill confidence and there is always the possibility of ice. I think they are supposed to be pretty long lasting on normal roads.....
    Faster than a tent.......
  • squired
    squired Posts: 1,153
    The biggest issue I've had with my snow studs is getting them on the wheels! Last year was bad, but I was hoping they'd be better this year - I was wrong!

    My ride to work takes in country lanes. At the moment there are stretches of a few hundred metres that are pretty much solid ice. I'm certainly not a fearless cyclist, so took it carefully. At one point when I was making a turn I put my foot down and realised how slippery it actually was. It would be fair to say that without the studded tyres I'd have struggled to stay upright. Having said that, I'll be on the train with my bike tonight. I'm not keen on cycling over long iced stretches at night.

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