cynergy

Hi Folks,

It's been about a month now since I've been regularly commuting. I'm planning on buying studded tires for the cold weather commute. I live in NH and we get our share of cold and icy days.

I have a Trek FX hybrid that currently has 700x35c tires. I am considering Schwalbe Marathon Winter or Winter tires. The Schwalbe website says that the Winter tires have half the number of spikes as the Marathon Winter tires do.

Which tire do you think would be better? I am not a speedy commuter (I ride at leisurely speeds on my hybrid) and during the bad weather, i plan on taking an 8 mile route that's on paved roads. Although I ride on an MUP in the warm weather (which has a large unpaved, sandy portion) I think that for the cold days, I'll stick to the paved roads. Also, although I plan to ride in the colder months, if the forecast is for snow, I might avoid commuting on that day and only bike commute when the towns have had a chance to plow the streets.

Do you think the Winter tires have sufficient grip or should I just get the Marathon Winters?

Thanks in advance.

Cynergyou

alias5000

Best summary of studded tires I'm aware ofhttps://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.php

Marathon winters give you grip on ice while leaning, and more grip on blank ice if you run with low pressure such that ask for rows contact the ground. Both tires run pretty easily for studded tires when fully inflated. The marathons are heavier because of having more studs - Adams studded tires are not fast tires.
I find that deeper snow handling isn't good with them unless I let a lot of air out. For that reason I will consider Nokians when my current studded tires are done.

PaulRivers

I live in Minnesota where ice is a consistent factor in winter riding.
I have schwable marathon winter tires. If you run them at low pressure you get 4 rows of studs in contact with the ground, if you run them at high pressure you get 2 rows of studs in contact with the ground.

2 rows of studs is sufficient for keeping you upright on occassional ice. This is what I ride on nicer days on plowed trails (which always still have ice on them until spring). It's faster.

4 rows of studs handles more extended ice much better. I've ridden across ice skating rinks at lower psi and 4 rows of studs in contact with the ground and it worked well.

They handle a few inches of fresh snowfall well, they cut right through the snow to the road surface.

Neither arrangement handles roads with rutted permaice on them. The kind of stuff that builds up on roads in a minnesota winter. It's much easier to ride over that stuff with a wider tire than the 35c I have.

I'd say between the two there's no real drawback other than a little more cost to going with the full size schwalbe marathon winters. If you run them at higher pressure (like 65psi if I remember right) you end up with only 2 rows of studs in contact with the road.

cynergy

Thanks for the info.

Do you have any recommendations on where to buy them online? should i try and order them directly from Scwalbe?

srestrepo

i bought mine last year in 700x35 from an ebay vendor... my only regret was not having waited a bit more. i would have gotten them essentially brand new for $50.00 off of craigslist from someone who gave it a try and didn't like winter commuting.

my recommendation is to scour the internet and it's likely you'll find a great deal. i paid just over $70.00 for two tries shipped.

good luck!

alias5000

Bike-compinents.de
Bike-discount.de
Bike24.com
Et al.

rumrunn6

I can only attest to the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Studded tires which I bought from BikeTiresDirect

if you have fenders the 40mm version get more difficult to fit. I got them for the bigger footprint on unpaved rail trails & they suit me for that plus on paved & plowed roads


they are great on hard ice over gravel & frozen dirt


they are great on hard flat glare ice covered with water


they are also good up to 3" of fresh snow. but the fender situation was a challenge. I got it done, but I remember the 35mm version (my previous two sets) wasn't as hard to fit w fenders. I use the widest fender available & cut the front fender into two halves mounting them separately (see post #15 here)




the 35mm version is harder to find, don't know why

regarding more or fewer rows of studs, several BF members have said they were happy w fewer but I prefer more. when ppl talk about lowering pressure to get all rows of studs to make contact it doesn't take much to soften them up, just a quick, short burst from max pressure will do it

you can get them to break loose & slide under very specific conditions. if the snow is fresh, just the right depth & just the right consistency on top of hard flat glare ice (rare) the blocks will fill with compacted snow thick enough to ride on the compacted snow instead of the tread & studs. it doesn't last long & it's quite rare






they have a wire bead & are a little tough to mount. I use toe straps to keep one side down in the channel on one side to get them mounted on the opposite side


they are fine on dry pavement just pump them up to max pressure

definitely good for commuting in blizzards

they really like a thin layer of crusty snow & ice

they say you should set the studs on dry pavement but I found I had no trouble where my 1st ride was on a freshly plowed paved rail trail. meaning I haven't lost any studs even over a lot of rough terrain

cynergy

thanks all for the great and very helpful info!

noglider 

I have a pair of Schwalbe studded tires that I have ridden twice and might never need. I'm mulling over the idea of selling them. They have a terrific reputation for ice.

fietsbob

just know fresh , the rubber is softer.. so then is when you might lose studs.

the other company in Finland , is where I got my Studded tires from...

rubber started out harder .. 30 years on, when the roads ice up here ,
I get out that bike..

still fine, all studs in place .. just 2 rows , which is good..
where its icy patches and bare pavement are mixed..

got street crampons , for off the bike .. frozen fog/drizzle ar 1600 feet
lays down black ice ,
on the pass over the coast range.. just looks wet.. but its frozen.

but 20 years on it may be warmer in the winter .
last year clear, dry and 27f for a week.. the rest ... rain..





..

Gresp15C

Now that everybody in the family wants to ride during the winter, I've equipped 4 bikes with studded tires. My only advice is, don't wait too long. Dealers don't stock an unlimited quantity, and they can run out. You have a better chance of getting the tires you want at a decent price if you buy now.

rumrunn6

you do realize, of course, that if you sell them, instead of getting 4 nor'easters in March, we'll get them in February, & instead of getting wet sloppy conditions, you'll be slip sliding away w/o them

noglider 

You're right. I'll keep them.

I had a horrific time with ice in the winter of 2014/2015, so I bought ice tires for the next winter. But of course, we rarely have ice storms or icy surfaces. We had a heavy snow fall that winter, and I tried riding in it with the ice tires, and they didn't help at all. The best thing I've found for riding in our winter conditions is the Citi Bike bikes. They are heavy and have wide tires, and the riding position is upright. One common challenge we have is a constantly varying surface cover, with patches of slush. I can plow over those patches fairly well on Citi Bike. And luckily, I can now take Citi Bike between home and work when I want to. I don't think I will want to ride one of my bikes when we have lots of slush.

alan s 

captronk

I swear by Schalbe Marathon 365 in 38's for the mess pictured above. Do try putting plastic zip ties around you wheels every 3 inches too.

fietsbob

After falling on black Ice, I got 'street crampons' for my shoes..
so when I put my foot down on the bike,
in conditions warranting the studded tire bike.

my feet will stay under me.. then as well..





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noglider 

That's an idea I've never heard of. Interesting.

acidfast7

Saw this quite a bit in Stockholm on shear ice. Or when riding on ice. That lane is kept clear (60km loop or so) and people will also cycle on it.

People would commute in from the suburbs on the lake.


(the people in the video are doing "long distance tour skating" or Långfärdsskridskoåkning.)

lax

I ran 26x1.75 marathon winters last winter, and they worked great. If you are on the fence between the marathon vs normal winter model, I would say at least get the full marathon for the front, as it is less serious to lose traction on the rear. Just make sure you drop the pressure on days when there might be ice.

crazyravr

I am also thinking of getting proper winter tires but I wonder how much more benefit / use will I have over my existing stock FX2 Bontrager tires or my soon to be mounted Schwalbe CX Comp cross 700-38 tires.

52telecaster

I use 30mm studded tires so I only get 2 rows of studs. Tires this narrow are not great in deep snow but they are terrific on ice. I put them on a seperate bike specifically for winter, usually with a sturmey archer 3 speed hub. Anyway, studs are great when u need em.

Archwhorides 

I wouldn't want microspikes with metal pedals (too harsh), do you use rubber pedals?

Archwhorides 

That is cool, but it would be more fun with a hockey stick and puck to handle along the way.

*

Viich

I have the winters with 2 rows of studs 622×35, bought them used for $25. Found a set on trash day this spring, 559×50. Might have to look for a bike to put them on. 🤔

any tire with studs is going to do fairly well on ice. Lots of people are ambitious in their plans for winter biking. Look for what you can find cheap.

Bike Gremlin

It sounds like a commercial, but happened to me - riding 10+ km to work, early morning, on icy road with studded tyres. They grip so well I had forgotten that everything was covered in ice from frozen rain of the previous evening. So when I got to work and started climbing off my bike - it was funny.

Schwalbe Marathon Winters are great tyres for roads that are ploughed - no deep snow, but relatively shallow snow, hard packed snow and ice - for those conditions they are great.

For deep snow - some model with bigger knobs, wider tyres (2" + ) and studs in case you run into an icy patch.