Any other winter riders out there? I started again last year after a few years off. I rode all winter through high school and university, but at the time studded tires were mostly homemade, with screws as studs, and weren't that great. Real studded tires from Nokian were prohibitively expensive for a student. I tried the homemade ones but was unimpressed and went back to regular mountain bike tires. Last fall, I got a pair of Continental Spike Claw 240 tires and I was very impressed with the traction. I doubt I'll ever ride in winter again without studs. I used to ride carefully and still slid out occasionally, but with the studs, I always had plenty of traction and didn't have to even think about being cautious when cornering; though I certainly couldn't corner like it was summer.
My car tires only have 113 studs per tire, compared to 240 per tire on my bike!
Here's a Pinkbike test on the subject:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2340.html
These were my options when I looked for tires:
Continental Spike Claw 240
Local Price: $85
I bought these because they were knobby enough to work well in snow, with studs on every knob, but with small enough gaps at the center of the tread to roll smoothly. The rubber is very soft - softer than any of the other tires I looked at - so I figured it was optimized for cold temperatures. Wire bead. The studs are steel and have no significant wear after a season of use. My only complaint is that I lost or broke a couple of studs off the front tire, and I have a couple of tears in the rubber where I expect future stud loss. I think that was due to pulling wheelies over long puddles at high speeds. The tire gets going fast enough that it skids hard on the landing, and may have damaged those studs. I'll avoid high speed runs through puddles in the future, as I know of no front fender that will keep me dry if I allow my front wheel to go through deep puddles at high speed.
I do have some pretty good fenders on my winter bike, an early 90's Nishiki Expedition (pink stickers removed years ago):
Nokian Hakka 300
Local Price $200
Too expensive for me. Aluminum-housed tungsten carbide studs and a kevlar bead make this a light tire. About 250 grams per tire lighter than the steel stud, wire bead options.
Nokian Extreme 294
Local Price: $150
I also avoided these because of the high cost. Steel studs, wire bead.
Schwalbe Ice Spiker
Local Price: $120, available at MEC for $95
These look like they'd have great traction on ice and snow. The large knob spacing scared me off though, as I felt they'd be a little rough on dry pavement. The rubber was harder than that of the Continentals, so it might hold the studs better. Steel studs, wire bead.
Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro
Local Price: $145
Not featured in the Pinkbike test, these have an aluminum-housed tungsten carbide stud and a kevlar bead, so they're comparable to the Hakka 300 for weight. I didn't buy them because of cost and because I thought the Contis would ride smoother.
My car tires only have 113 studs per tire, compared to 240 per tire on my bike!
Here's a Pinkbike test on the subject:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/article2340.html
These were my options when I looked for tires:
Continental Spike Claw 240
Local Price: $85
I bought these because they were knobby enough to work well in snow, with studs on every knob, but with small enough gaps at the center of the tread to roll smoothly. The rubber is very soft - softer than any of the other tires I looked at - so I figured it was optimized for cold temperatures. Wire bead. The studs are steel and have no significant wear after a season of use. My only complaint is that I lost or broke a couple of studs off the front tire, and I have a couple of tears in the rubber where I expect future stud loss. I think that was due to pulling wheelies over long puddles at high speeds. The tire gets going fast enough that it skids hard on the landing, and may have damaged those studs. I'll avoid high speed runs through puddles in the future, as I know of no front fender that will keep me dry if I allow my front wheel to go through deep puddles at high speed.
I do have some pretty good fenders on my winter bike, an early 90's Nishiki Expedition (pink stickers removed years ago):
Nokian Hakka 300
Local Price $200
Too expensive for me. Aluminum-housed tungsten carbide studs and a kevlar bead make this a light tire. About 250 grams per tire lighter than the steel stud, wire bead options.
Nokian Extreme 294
Local Price: $150
I also avoided these because of the high cost. Steel studs, wire bead.
Schwalbe Ice Spiker
Local Price: $120, available at MEC for $95
These look like they'd have great traction on ice and snow. The large knob spacing scared me off though, as I felt they'd be a little rough on dry pavement. The rubber was harder than that of the Continentals, so it might hold the studs better. Steel studs, wire bead.
Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro
Local Price: $145
Not featured in the Pinkbike test, these have an aluminum-housed tungsten carbide stud and a kevlar bead, so they're comparable to the Hakka 300 for weight. I didn't buy them because of cost and because I thought the Contis would ride smoother.