Bikewolf

Think city bike and Marathon Winter tires.

My winter usually has little snow. However, not every day but often ice spots do make it dangerous... Is it OK to ride my bike with Marathon Winter tires for about 3 months (winter)?

So I wouldn’t switch bikes or even tires, only play with tire pressure; e.g. increase tire pressure on days that are not slippery.

I only have one bike ;-)

I ask this question because I’m unsure it’s OK to ride with spikes even when the weather doesn’t always demands it; every winter day is different you know.

Thanks!

dabac

The bike will be perfectly fine.
The tires will wear a near unmeasurable amount faster/more.
The maximum available traction during the bare roads days will be a tad less with the studded tires. IMO not a problem for casual/utility riding.

DaveQ24

I live where we usually have abundant snow and ice, and I just put the winter tires on and leave then on, even in those winters when we have unusually mild periods - like today, high predicted to be 56. I would rather be safe than sorry.

The "cost" of leaving them on is tire wear and tear - I am inclined to believe that it will be somewhat greater on dry pavement, but quantifying it is impossible for me, and I could just be wrong. The other "cost" is ride quality and comfort, which is completely subjective anyway.

One option some do in lieu of a separate bike is to buy a second set of wheels and mount "regular" tires on them - fast and easy to switch wheels as weather dictates.

FrankHudson

No, it's not harmful to the tires in my experience, other that the wear that all tires undergo in using them. There's the noise and maybe they are a little less efficient, but it's winter and ice sucks and studs make it better.

ammarolli

It's ok to ride studded tires on a clear dry pavement. The studs will wear out faster though.

Bikewolf

Thank you all for your very very kind input!

I see a lot of advantages in the long run to a ‘2 bikes’ strategy, yeah that may work best for me afterall. Because a secondary bike can act as a winter bike for those extreme days. But too as a backup, shopping/short distance bike ... and switching bikes now and then breaks routine (fun)!

Must admit I did visit a bike fair this weekend ;-)

Daniel4

I have studded tires on my fat bike that I leave on all season. This winter, it's been quite warm and the snow and ice doesn't stay as long as it should.

But my suggestion to you based on a lot of past threads is to have a second front wheel with unstudded winter tires. Leave the rear wheel unstudded for all the conditions. So depending upon ice or fresh snow, just switch the front wheel.

Bike Gremlin

What I do is run a studded tyre just up front. If you don't have any (steep) hills, it should work fine, with a bit of common sense and caution (no sharp cornering, or hard acceleration when it's icy, since there are no studs at the back).

Increase the pressure when it's dry.

Banzai

It's fine.

I bet you aren't putting in the kind of miles you do in the summer.

Good studs are very durable.

Leebo

Easy to get 5-10 years out of good studded tires. The tungsten carbide used on the studs are what they use to cut steel, FYI.

wildvellum

On my Nokians, the tire rubber wears out before the studs do.

Gresp15C

I've been riding through the winter for a few years now. I have a dedicated winter bike, an old rigid steel MTB with Nokian 160's. I certainly have no intention of upgrading the winter bike until those tires wear out, which they're not threatening to do any time soon. The tires are worth more than the bike.

My habit is to ride the winter bike during salt season, i.e., when they're salting the roads. Half of the reason is just to keep the brine off my other bikes, and I've realized that my concern about keeping my bikes clean is mainly aesthetic.

The studs run fine on pavement, but with that said, it's always a pleasure to break out one of the summer bikes in the spring, or if everything melts temporarily as it did this year.

Bikewolf

Thanks again for all your input.