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When to Ditch the Studded Snow Tires

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When to Ditch the Studded Snow Tires

Old 04-19-18, 06:31 PM
  #26  
rumrunn6
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
Rode in with studs today. Glad I did. All that melting snow during the day produced a nice glaze on many parts of the road and trail this morning. In fact, I had to dismount and walk on a few sections. Studded tires are no match against frozen puddles. I almost went down one time, even with one foot planted on the ground. The ride home was horrendous, not only because of the wind (30-40 kph sustained winds) in my face, but the studs didn't help matters. So frustrated with these conditions!
hmmm wonder if there was enough snow to close up the tread blocks lifting the bike off the studs. I've had that happen. guess that would be a good reason for a more open/aggressive tread. or was it just ice? cuz then I'm surprised cuz I remember very clearly sticking well to some ice this winter
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Old 04-19-18, 06:52 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
hmmm wonder if there was enough snow to close up the tread blocks lifting the bike off the studs. I've had that happen. guess that would be a good reason for a more open/aggressive tread. or was it just ice? cuz then I'm surprised cuz I remember very clearly sticking well to some ice this winter
Yep. Crystal clear ice all right. My tires are four years old now with extensive use during the winter, so perhaps they have worn down. Not sure.

It was similar to this situation on my way home, except the puddly parts were frozen.
IMG025.jpg

I'd already erased this morning's footage.

Last edited by mcours2006; 04-19-18 at 06:58 PM.
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Old 04-19-18, 08:37 PM
  #28  
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I’m declaring it over here in SE MI. First morning in a week I didn’t wake up to overcast and frozen precip. It hit 55 today with all-day sun. Instead of sitting under cover with feathers puffed out for warmth, the robins were busy gathering twigs and dried grasses this morning. It can only get better from here.
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Old 04-20-18, 04:01 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
Yep. Crystal clear ice all right. My tires are four years old now with extensive use during the winter, so perhaps they have worn down.
yeah that can be tricky especially cuz it appears to be an off-camber incline. time to shop? n+1 applies to tires too. oh wait that's n+2? here's what new studs look like



these are the used tires they replaced due to a broken wire bead. I think the studs still had life in them tho

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Old 04-20-18, 05:31 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
time to shop? n+1 applies to tires too. oh wait that's n+2? here's what new studs look like
I've got a couple of different sets already. One is the same as what I have currently, but mounted on a different bike. Another set I bought that was slightly too big but could be made to work.
$_59.JPG

Originally Posted by rumrunn6
these are the used tires they replaced due to a broken wire bead. I think the studs still had life in them tho
These are the ones I have on the bike I rode. Still some life left in them, I think.
IMG_0282.jpg
IMG_0280.jpg
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Old 04-20-18, 07:11 AM
  #31  
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Are you keeping the pressure high? I have the 4-row Schwalbes in 26x2, so maybe it's a different situation.
But I do get significantly better ice performance when I run a significantly lower pressure (say in the middle of the recommended range or below).
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Old 04-20-18, 07:45 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by alias5000
Are you keeping the pressure high? I have the 4-row Schwalbes in 26x2, so maybe it's a different situation.
But I do get significantly better ice performance when I run a significantly lower pressure (say in the middle of the recommended range or below).
If I'm honest I'm probably running them at a higher pressure than is optimal for ice. They are probably optimized for riding on dry bare pavement.
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Old 04-20-18, 06:14 PM
  #33  
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Well, at least warmer weather is coming!
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Old 04-23-18, 06:20 AM
  #34  
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OP, the answer is today!

Last Friday was, hopefully the last time this season that I will need to have studs on my tires. Rode in on my road bike with 23/25 mm tires. Sooo nice!
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Old 06-30-18, 02:53 PM
  #35  
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Thanks everyone for the reply. Yes, I agree with mcours, I took them off roughly April 23, because it was threatening to snow the entire month of April, and then I didn't have time to take them off.

I ALWAYS find an excuse to patronize my local bike store, he gave me some gear for next winter at 75% off. Can't beat that. And my mechanic said he also bikes to work in the winter. So we bonded a bit.

I guess my original concern was in terms of wearing down the studs before the next winter, but you're right, it's not worth getting a stupid injury if I took them off too soon

Not sure if this was directed at me ... I DO ride them with the recommended pressure setting because I'm biking on pavement all winter. Actually, they were blowing tubes when they were getting too low, the mechanic thought that the studs were getting pressed into the tubes and causing a blow out. That's what actually prompted me to break down and finally buy that electric air pump for bicycles. Haven't had any problems since.

Last edited by parkbrav; 06-30-18 at 02:57 PM.
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Old 03-07-19, 03:37 PM
  #36  
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tic toc
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Old 03-07-19, 04:16 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
tic toc
You think this year will be a month earlier than last year? (Parkbrav posted in April 2018, now March just started) We still had a light dusting this morning and yesterday was way below 0C...
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Old 03-07-19, 06:01 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
tic toc
hahahaha that was my very first post here, I think
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Old 03-07-19, 06:20 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by alias5000
You think this year will be a month earlier than last year? (Parkbrav posted in April 2018, now March just started) We still had a light dusting this morning and yesterday was way below 0C...
um no, I meant, "OK I'm counting the days"

even tho honestly, I had more rides on studs without snow & ice than with. so a cpl more with conditions that aren't deep will be OK
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Old 03-07-19, 06:21 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by parkbrav
hahahaha that was my very first post here, I think
ha that's funny. but only 77 posts in over a year. come on man kick it up a notch. the forum needs you ;-)
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Old 03-07-19, 06:41 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
um no, I meant, "OK I'm counting the days"
I missed the smiley, sorry! In the same boat here...
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Old 03-08-19, 05:26 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by alias5000
You think this year will be a month earlier than last year? (Parkbrav posted in April 2018, now March just started) We still had a light dusting this morning and yesterday was way below 0C...
True, but I think we're getting a different weather pattern this year, at least in Boston. As of tomorrow we're getting a nice warm SW breeze which means warmer weather. The weather man says to expect precip but not necessarily frozen precip.

I am still going by the "Masters" - April 11 this year - as a guidepost. If it hasn't snowed by then, the studs are likely coming off
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Old 03-08-19, 08:56 AM
  #43  
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I ditched them this morning. That's only because we've had no precipitation for a week and the road has been clear and dry. The lower than normal temperature is keep the snow and ice solid, so no melting during the day and frozen puddles in the morning. Sooo nice to not ride on studs. I even gained back the 3-4 minutes it took to swap them this morning, and more.

I don't expect this to last though. It'll be another month, at least, until the studs are put away for the season.
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Old 03-08-19, 09:48 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
I ditched them this morning. That's only because we've had no precipitation for a week and the road has been clear and dry. The lower than normal temperature is keep the snow and ice solid, so no melting during the day and frozen puddles in the morning. Sooo nice to not ride on studs. I even gained back the 3-4 minutes it took to swap them this morning, and more.

I don't expect this to last though. It'll be another month, at least, until the studs are put away for the season.
Gotcha, I can only speak for myself here, I don't have the time or skill to switch them according to the daily conditions, so I just leave them on until the seasons change
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Old 03-08-19, 11:25 AM
  #45  
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I pulled them off of the winter wheelset of my cross bike this morning. If I’m so inclined I’ll put them back on. I mounted a fresh set of 32mm Panarscer Gravel Kings. Inaugural ride tomorrow morning. I’ll wait another month or so before mounting my summer wheelset.
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Old 03-18-19, 04:34 PM
  #46  
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I wait for a time when no ice or snow are forecast for 10 days and the average lows beyond the forecast period are well above freezing. This method has one drawback -- I always leave them on too long or take them off too soon. This year, I took them off two weeks ago, and my timing was perfect. I love the feeling of smooth rolling.
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Old 03-18-19, 07:25 PM
  #47  
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I actually got a few rides in without studs over the weekend and only encountered one little patch of ice on the road. Woohoo!

The studs are staying on my winter bike for a while, though. Sometimes we get blasted again in April. I'm not too motivated to do anything much until the ice melts off the driveway.
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Old 03-20-19, 08:14 AM
  #48  
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planning 1st non studded ride on Sunday. but contemplating a last ride with studs, tonight, in search of lingering ice, on shady dirt trails, down by the river. or maybe I'll just be lazy & swap the tires tonight ... wondering if I'm sad, or glad to be moving on ...
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Old 03-20-19, 03:39 PM
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Last three days have been without studs but I don't expect to put them away for good yet. I'd been contemplating using my non-winter road bike the last three days but did not on account of the tires not having an puncture-proofness. The road surface condition has deteriorated greatly due to potholes and ruts in the asphalt, so not sure I want to be riding with skinny tires just yet, especially in the morning when I can't see a damn thing.
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Old 03-20-19, 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
potholes
this week Wifey wrecked two tires on her new car. cost her $500 for them & an alignment
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