I've used studded tires for my winter commuting for a while. They are definitely slower than your regular tires but when they are necessary speed matters less. As others have pointed out, winter weather and precipitation are like craft cocktails, there's endless variety and combinations to which no tire (or bike) will be the best answer.
I have sets of both Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 700c x 40mm and Nokian Hakkepelitas, 700 x 35 for my commuter which is the given, I'm not building a winter commuter. Both roll slowly on pavement but the Nokians more so because of rubber compounding (they smell) and more aggressive tread for churning through deeper snow or slush. The Schwalbes are a much more refined tire that would be satisfactory if left installed over a few weeks of on and off conditions of need since they are less of a pig when the pavement clears. The Nokians are definitely a more primitive product for better use in more specifically primitive conditions. Both are studded equally from the perspective of gained control over slick surfaces. Stud counts are not an equal comparison. Someone pointed out studs near the sidewalls...probably for marketing and retail point of sale impact. Studs work best when in near vertical line with your riding alignment to gravity on a surface that they can make a scratch or press into. You're not going to gain lean angles on your bicycle because of studs. Like Josiah pointed out, even going in a straight line (on studs) it is possible to lose bite and have a wheel slip out from under you. The best choice in wintery conditions is still your head and riding skill. Studded tires won't make 8" of fresh snow bow to your ability, nor will packed frozen or icy surfaces be crossed like you are on a cog railway . Every pedal stroke in declining conditions becomes what could upend you so your proprioception becomes more relevant to keeping moving. Winter riding reminds me that the worst part of any speed of bike wreck is the distance your head travels before meeting the ground. The fun of it is the mastery of the tools you have and to be able to ride in conditions and places that make others abandon the idea instantly. Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 8:34:32 PM UTC-5 John Rinker wrote: > Went for a ride in snow today and had a blast! I also slipped around a > little bit as I tried to follow the packed snow of tire tracks. Got me > thinking about studded tires. I've never ridden them before and know > nothing about them. > > Do any of you fine folks with more experience in such matters than me have > any recommendations for studded tires for my Hunq? > > Cheers, John > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5ce0a412-deaf-40b6-9e2e-10b94c9a15can%40googlegroups.com.
