Schwalbe Marathon Winter (spike) tyres

Bordersroadie

That's really encouraging to read, and a well-written blog. My caution is based on losing quite a few studs early on, but your experience would suggest that the stud anchorage is better than maybe I thought.

Clairep

meanredspider wrote:

Clairep wrote:

First time on them today - brilliant ! vood on thin packed snow, definitely got some odd looks !

That's good. Just noticed your location. I'm in Culbokie (commute to Inverness) - not much THIN packed snow here - deep wet horrible stuff.

Actual commute Muir of Ord to Dingwall, only a little distance..

BTW ..The label on the spike tyres say to do 20 miles on road to bed the spikes in properly .. well unless youre too impatient I guess )

windbreaker

These tyres are fantastic! I’ve only lost one stud at the front and will ask Schwalbe for replacements.
I’ve hit unexpected ice and troughs of frozen slush cycling from Livingston to Portobello and they just grip. Amazing. They feel slightly strange on hard surfaces – like riding on marbles. They are only slightly slower than marathon racer tyre I normally use. The studs seem hardly worn by my 30 miles a day over the last couple of weeks. Even the noise becomes strangely pleasant and reassuring as people hear you coming.
Yes get a set if you haven’t already.

fnegroni

Same here, lost one stud at the front. Not that I could tell by simply riding!

Jono3514

Hi
I have lost 6 in under 10 miles on my Schwalbe 700c snow and stud. Did all the right things according to manual.
How could that be?
Gonna have to send them back, quite disappointed.
Any other makes for my hybrid?

meanredspider

Schwalbe will send you replacement studs if you email the UK organisation. Sure you haven't braked hard?

Bordersroadie

Jono3514 wrote:

Hi
I have lost 6 in under 10 miles on my Schwalbe 700c snow and stud.

That's pretty bad. I'm sure my stud loss (which seems to have stopped for the time being) was bad because the first part of my commute is a stoney farm track. For the bedding-in miles I did take the precaution of taking the bike in the van to the start of the tarmac but in the days after this I rode on the track and probably shed a few there.

The very first time I used the tyres I did a few circuits of the lawn (it was about midnight so I wasn't planning on a proper test run!) and I almost immediately lost three studs, all from the front tyre, just from the soft grass!!

So my conclusion is that rapid steering at slow speeds (or when stationary) is potentially stud-losing, as well as hard braking, as meanredspider said. For the amount you have lost, this seems to be a possible cause, I have to agree.

The Ors

How easy is it to replace the studs?

Do you need to glue them in? (seem to recall reading that you do)

I have lost two so far (About 30 careful tarmac miles); one front, one back but amazingly I noticed one on the floor outside work, at least it looks very much like I imagine a bare stud would look like (careful! :oops: ) & I'm wondering about sticking it back in.

antlaff

Schwalbe sent me a dozen replacement studs and advised to apply glue, then slowly twist in with strong grip pliers. Job for the weekend me thinks.

fossyant

Got Snow Studs here - sit in between Winters and spikers. No stud loss.

Topaxci

Really considering getting a pair of these.
I usually commute on my road bike but do have an MTB which is nominally my winter bike or spare for mechanical failure.
Still on the road bike down here in Norfolk as the weather isn't that bad yet but had a scary moment yesterday morning with a corner (on a filter lane) just being a sheet of ice. Luckily kept it upright by holding my breath and trying to keep it as straight as possible, I was committed at some speed and braking would have been suicide.

After that I really can't see my MTB would really be much of a different prospect.

My only real concern is that we only really get a month or so of really bad icy/snowy weather in the city and the roads are generally well gritted. But if I get them I'll want to fit them now so I have them on when I need them. There is no way I'll be switching tyres at 6am in the dark depending on the weather.
If I switch to spiked tyres now how do they hold up just riding normally on tarmac. I get there is a weight/speed disadvantage but will the tyres survive just regular road riding until the weather warms up again (Feb-March)??

rolf_f

It's probably better to plan to take them on and off as needed - but as long as you keep an eye on the weather forecasts and judge it on a week by week basis (ie no need to be switching tyres at 6am!)you'll probably not need to swap much - I had the winters on for a couple of sessions last winter - about a week each time.

They are fine on roads - I can never work out why people worry about the hard metal studs wearing down given that they are a lot harder than the rubber they are encased in! The main downside of using them in normal conditions is that you tend to lose studs

fossyant

If you can, worth fitting the tyres to spare wheels or indeed spare bike. Mine are on the MTB, and I take an 'off road' route to work (just for the change).

MTB out this morning as we had a little snow, arrived at work covered in mud !

fnegroni

fnegroni wrote:

Same here, lost one stud at the front. Not that I could tell by simply riding!

I think I know how I managed to lose one: the front studs were slightly touching the mudguard stays (at the top). It was making some noise initially, louser and louder until I could feel the rattle in my hands.

I moved the mudguard further away from the tyre now.

The studs in the Marathon Winter certainly have less tread depth to seat into than the Ice Spiker.

windbreaker

Update to my previous post. I lost 5 today - all on the front left outer treads. The tyres were used in anger on ice and snow on an unexpectedly icy climb. I managed to retrieve 2 which I've refitted (without glue). I'm wondering if the outer ones had not bedded in properly as I run at 85psi so they seldom touch the ground. So I've decided to run them at 40 psi for the next 20 miles to see if this helps bed in the outer studs. It was very easy to refit them even at 85psi. I emailed schwalbe a few days ago but have had no response.

Even if I lost all the studs the soft tread pattern would be great for snow although obviously not as good on ice as with the studs. Funny that the back tyre seems fine?

bails87

The front would have harsher braking and cornering forces, I expect.

windbreaker

windbreaker wrote:

Update to my previous post. I lost 5 today - all on the front left outer treads. The tyres were used in anger on ice and snow on an unexpectedly icy climb. I managed to retrieve 2 which I've refitted (without glue). I'm wondering if the outer ones had not bedded in properly as I run at 85psi so they seldom touch the ground. So I've decided to run them at 40 psi for the next 20 miles to see if this helps bed in the outer studs. It was very easy to refit them even at 85psi. I emailed schwalbe a few days ago but have had no response.

Even if I lost all the studs the soft tread pattern would be great for snow although obviously not as good on ice as with the studs. Funny that the back tyre seems fine?

The studs fell out of the front tyre on a steep climb. my helmet mounted searchlight flashed on them glistening as they fell out. Hence I could stop find them (and refit them at home). I was not honking. Because it was an icy climb I was focusing on keeping the momentum going throughout the whole rotation. I use the front brake very lightly anyway on this bike which has effective discs tending to favour the back brake. I was aware of the possible extra dual forces on the studs so I at least think I brake much more gently on the front than with my other bikes.

I'm still puzzled.

Bordersroadie

Rolf F wrote:

I can never work out why people worry about the hard metal studs wearing down given that they are a lot harder than the rubber they are encased in!

Agree, and when you think that they're made of tungsten carbide, which is the same material as the end of a masonry drill bit, which you can use to drill holes in roads if you want, we really needn't worry!

windbreaker

windbreaker wrote:

windbreaker wrote:

Update to my previous post. I lost 5 today - all on the front left outer treads. The tyres were used in anger on ice and snow on an unexpectedly icy climb. I managed to retrieve 2 which I've refitted (without glue). I'm wondering if the outer ones had not bedded in properly as I run at 85psi so they seldom touch the ground. So I've decided to run them at 40 psi for the next 20 miles to see if this helps bed in the outer studs. It was very easy to refit them even at 85psi. I emailed schwalbe a few days ago but have had no response.

Even if I lost all the studs the soft tread pattern would be great for snow although obviously not as good on ice as with the studs. Funny that the back tyre seems fine?

The studs fell out of the front tyre on a steep climb. my helmet mounted searchlight flashed on them glistening as they fell out. Hence I could stop find them (and refit them at home). I was not honking. Because it was an icy climb I was focusing on keeping the momentum going throughout the whole rotation. I use the front brake very lightly anyway on this bike which has effective discs tending to favour the back brake. I was aware of the possible extra dual forces on the studs so I at least think I brake much more gently on the front than with my other bikes.

I'm still puzzled.

Just received a lifetime supply of studs from Schwalbe. So no problems anticipated this winter!

bendertherobot

My commute is 20 miles each way. Mostly road, I can take in a bit of track/trail if I want to. But it's mostly tarmac or similar.

Currently running Marathon Plus 28C.

So, a good investement for me? Should I try one at the front first?

rolf_f

They would be a good investment and I'd get a pair. There are maybe times where you might get away with just the front but the following day you'd probably want the rear on as well!

As long as you don't mind the initial expense, there is no point not getting them. They don't really cost anything extra in the long term as, whilst you are using the winters, your normal tyres are not being used. You aren't wearing your tyres out more rapidly mile for mile by owning a pair of winters!

Topaxci

Decided to bite the bullet. Pair of marathon winters ordered. After reading the advice decided to go the MTB ones rather than road. That way I can leave them on till spring.
Chafes a little that the tyres cost nearly as much as the bike but I suppose they'll last plenty of years and if they save me breaking my neck out on the ice then their worth it.
Just have ti wait for them to get here now.

fossyant

When I ordered mine just after New Year 2010, the day I ordered them the roads were solid ice - forecast said ice for about two weeks, so bit the bullet. Next day, 1 foot of snow - fortunately as it was fresh, the normal MTB tyres were fine.

BUT the studded tyres were stuck in the courier's depot. So drove there, only just got the car there, waited ages as a poor lass was in and out of vans finding folk's parcels. She eventually found them. Great tyres. The studs don't wear or blunt !

PK1

I use Snow Stud on the back and Marathon Winter on the front. This has worked for me so far. The Winter has more spikes and I thought I made a mistake on the Snow Stud, but is OK with low pressure. With high pressure, the studs don't come into contact, so can be used when no ice about.

Found them heavy and slow, but felt safe.

p.s. Came off my road bike yesterday on black ice. (700 X 23 slicks) OUCH

fossyant

I run the Snow Studs at 30 PSI so they are in road contact all the time, as that's the only time I'm using the tyres (use a fixed road bike usually).

Needed them this morning to get off the Estate roads to the main roads.

CraigTheBiker

I'm a big fan of Schwalbe tyres since putting a set on my road bike last year. They were a nightmare to get on in the first place but they've been great ever since.

Definitely need to get myself a set of winter tyres for my commuter bike. Still using slicks and ended up on my backside last week after hitting an icy patch!

pdw

I've got Nokian A10s, as they're a bit narrower than the Schwalbes. I've not really had to use them in anger, but had a play on the driveway one evening when it iced over and they seemed to do the job.

Instructions say inflate to 57psi - I've been running 40psi front / 60 psi rear which seems to keep the studs in contact with the ground. When there's no ice around, inflating to 80 psi significantly reduces the drag, but they're still noticeably harder work than my usual 25mm gatorskins, so I only keep them on if there's a risk of ice.

pizzaboyEdinburgh

Windbreaker,
I also had several studs fall out and Schwalbe have sent me a couple of dozen to refit but I can't fligure how to get them in the holes. How did you fit them? Brute strength? What is the trick to this?

nicklouse

pizzaboyEdinburgh wrote:

Windbreaker,
I also had several studs fall out and Schwalbe have sent me a couple of dozen to refit but I can't fligure how to get them in the holes. How did you fit them? Brute strength? What is the trick to this?

Lots of force.

windbreaker

Twist them in with a mole grip or pliers. No it won't damage the rubber. I also superglued some as an experiment but fon't think this really necessary. Enjoy the winter!