Originally Posted by
electrik
Black ice will get you... studded tires that is the main reason i have them.
What do you do when it's freezing but really sunny all day and snowmelt is everywhere? baby the bicycle all the time? You'll cross an area that was in the shade 30 minutes ago and eat ****.
I also recommend against clipless, it can makes the difference between landing on your head and shoulder or getting a leg out in time. That is a big difference.
Using studded tires depends, largely, on where you live. Been winter commuting for 30+ years and I've never used studs. Never had the need. I have crashed on ice but that's so infrequent that using studs along the Colorado Front Range just isn't worth the hassle. That includes the mini Ice Age of 2006/2007 when there was 10' of packed snow and ice for a mile around my house.
As for clipless, there are disadvantages to 'getting a leg out'. I did a number on my hamstring because I did unclip and got my foot down. My leg went one way and my bike when another. If I'd stayed in the clips, I might have had a bruise but that's a lot easier to endure than a hamstring injury.
But getting out of clipless isn't all that difficult. Talk to any one who mountain bikes with them. We pop out of them instantaneously without thinking about it.