Colorado Kid

Do studded tires for 700c worth while to put on? I mean, I run 26+20.1 tires on my Winter Beater but should I buy another tire for my road bike for days when I don't need the Winter Beater bike?

noimagination

I've never used studded tires, but I've gone back and forth a few times in my mind. In my area, it doesn't make much sense since there are so few days with snow/ice on the roads. It's easier to just do something else on those days. And if riding on bare roads on studs is anything like driving car tire "chains" on bare roads (I did that for less than a mile once with those "easy" to put on tire chains that are really cables, after I drove out of the snow belt), then that is really, really something to avoid.

If your area is snowy enough, though, I would think that it would be worth it if you were going to ride a significant number of times. If I lived in a snowy area I would probably do it once just for the fun of it, and then I'd decide if it was really something I wanted to do on a regular basis once the first set of studded tires wore out. Also, if you have "retro" tires/rims (IOW, taking a tire off and reinstalling it is the work of a couple of minutes, as opposed to a 10+ min. wrestling match to get the bead on/seated), then I think that it isn't even worth getting a set of wheels specifically for your studded tires - which lowers the bar to getting studded tires a bit. Getting a "spare" set of wheels has other advantages, of course, so maybe getting studded tires would just be the last little push you would need to get them.

There are other factors that only you can judge, of course - whether the difference between a slow/cautious ride on your road bike and your winter beater is significant enough to take the trouble; whether you want the hassle of cleaning your road bike after a snowy ride; whether the handling of your road bike is appropriate for a snow ride (a quick handling race bike is probably not the best choice on snowy roads); whether you want to expose your road bike to the higher risk of a crash; etc.

BobbyG

I put them on my 26" winter bike. This is my 8th year with them. Three years ago I got a 2nd wheel set for my studded tires and I can swap winter tires for smoothies in 5-10 minutes, vs 25-45 minutes for un mounting and mounting tires.

MNBikeCommuter

I run 700x35 Schwalbe Marathon Winter+ (something like that) on my hybrid for winter, with four rows of studs. I wouldn't go back to non-studded like I started with. Minnesota winter mileage has increased greatly, along with confidence to do so. If your routes are snowy, this particular tire won't buy you anything as they don't do well in over an inch of snow. The treads pack up and the studs don't make contact with any ice you may encounter.

They're slower--probably a couple mph slower. But then the colder temps are affecting that too.

Sunday we got under an inch of snow which started out melting and then froze overnight. I put in 42 miles on the hybrid yesterday, and half the ride was on thin ice/snow cover. The conditions were optimal for the studs. No way I could have pulled that off with non-studded tires.

rumrunn6

I have studded tires for 2 bikes (1hybrid & 1 MTB). usually, one of them gets more use (the MTB). I've debated mounting them on both bikes, or just 1 of them. inevitably, I do use them both over icy conditions. also have to move my barmitts from 1 bike to the other. it's a pain, but so what, who cares, I get to ride my bikes. the road bike doesn't get studded tires tho. that bike only goes out if roads & paved trails are assuredly clear

Bluejohn

This is my first year with studs - I've put a set of Suomi w240's onto a spare set of 700c rims rather than leave them on the bike whole time as a kind of insurance policy to keep me going through the winter as much as possible. Our winters can be unpredictable, ranging from soggy and windy to icy and snowy - so they may not even get used this year depending on what the weather chucks our way but I feel ready for it

cuevélo

How wide of tires can you fit on your 700c bike? Do you have fenders on it? I wouldn't bother putting studded tires on a bike without fenders on it. I would hate to ride without fenders in conditions where I wanted the studs.

I have run as narrow as 35mm studded tires, and I like them. I'm now running 50mm studded tires, and I like them even more, but they also have four rows of studs instead of just two.