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Winter studded tires

Old 01-22-22, 04:28 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by dabac
Over here, experiences with SMWs have been varied. ...
Studs wearing through the cord to chafe at the tubes after less than a season has been a fairly common complaint. (I had that).
Heh... "SMW" are my initials! So I was confused for a couple seconds.
I have experienced the wear-through issue. The rear tire has a shorter lifespan, in my experience, but never less than 2 winter seasons. I have successfully extended the life of my SMWs (heh) by using Mr. Tuffy tire liners.

This SMW is past its useful life span.
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Old 01-22-22, 04:33 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by sweeks
This SMW is past its useful life span.
wow, mine look so not like that. thank you! I was getting worried
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Old 01-22-22, 04:37 PM
  #28  
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I like their aggressive tread in addition to the studs


trying the be more mindful when the tread gets compacted, rendering the tread & studs nullified






Last edited by rumrunn6; 01-22-22 at 04:42 PM.
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Old 01-22-22, 04:54 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
wow, mine look so not like that. thank you! I was getting worried
Yeah, I wouldn't commute with that one even with a tire liner!

Here are a couple other stages of wear:

The wear here is probably acceptable with a tire liner, and especially on the front wheel where wear occurs more slowly.



Wear is just becoming apparent here. The tire liner is being installed for peace of mind. This tire is good for at least one more winter... probably two, especially on the front. I tend to change the tire sooner on the rear because of the PITA factor.
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Old 01-22-22, 06:05 PM
  #30  
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I have 2 sets. 1 set is already on the MTB. this is what the hybrid's set looks like. just some traces of powder. bought these new & only use them a few rides per year. probably don't need 2 bikes w/ studded tires but I usually find several rides for each, each winter. more so, on the MTB

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Old 01-22-22, 06:39 PM
  #31  
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When people started posting about this for the Schwalbe Marathon Winters, I checked mine. They've only been through one season and they look fine.

Conditions here right now are definitely requiring studs, but I was liking riding the 43 mm gravel tires (no studs) at low pressure before the serious ice came through. That was working pretty great.

A bunch of my winter riding pals compromise and ride studs only on the front. I was thinking about maybe getting myself a single 45North Gravdal (38 mm) for intermediate conditions. Maybe.....
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Old 01-23-22, 08:50 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
When people started posting about this for the Schwalbe Marathon Winters, I checked mine. They've only been through one season and they look fine.
I believe the wear is due to abrasive corrosion products (rust) formed from the steel "hats" that hold the carbide studs in the tire. Corrosion is accelerated by salt used to melt snow, so if your riding is more on un-salted trails than streets, your tires may last a much longer time.
Another sign that the studs are wearing the tire is when the studs are getting "cock-eyed" in the tire. Here's an example:


This Marathon Winter has seen two winters on salted Chicago streets. Missing, corroded and cock-eyed studs are signs that the inside of the tire should be inspected. This tire was on the rear wheel, which carries more weight and (of course!) has to transmit the rider's enormous power. LoL!
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Old 01-23-22, 07:01 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by sweeks
I believe the wear is due to abrasive corrosion products (rust) formed from the steel "hats" that hold the carbide studs in the tire. Corrosion is accelerated by salt used to melt snow, so if your riding is more on un-salted trails than streets, your tires may last a much longer time.
Another sign that the studs are wearing the tire is when the studs are getting "cock-eyed" in the tire. Here's an example:


This Marathon Winter has seen two winters on salted Chicago streets. Missing, corroded and cock-eyed studs are signs that the inside of the tire should be inspected. This tire was on the rear wheel, which carries more weight and (of course!) has to transmit the rider's enormous power. LoL!
That's interesting. It makes me think I should pay more attention to the studs during post-ride winter wash-downs.
I've been riding studded tires of different sorts for more than a decade (more Nokians than Schwalbes) and studs punching or wearing through the tread has never been a problem.
Something to keep an eye on, that's all.
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Old 01-23-22, 07:21 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by MinnMan
I've been riding studded tires of different sorts for more than a decade (more Nokians than Schwalbes) and studs punching or wearing through the tread has never been a problem.
I have a set of Nokians ("Extreme 294") that I've had for about 10 years, and there's no sign of stud loss, corrosion or damage. Of course, I only ride on trails and frozen lakes with these tires and, to be fair, I have not used them every year.
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Old 01-26-22, 08:35 AM
  #35  
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I would not buy those Schwalbe Winters again. Even though I rode with Tuffys, the pan head of the stud still caused chaffe flats. After the 3rd inconvenient flat, I pliered out all the studs and rode them for the rest of the season (thankfully only 1.5 months or so). After that, the tires went into the trash... fast. I wrote a lengthy post on these tires someplace on BF.

The lugs on the Schwalbe Winter tires just aren't deep enough, and the studs re-orient themselves in their seats, to keep them from wearing through the tire casing. This is a fundamental design flaw in my opinion. I now ride Nokian and Continental studs with no stud chaffing whatsoever and without liners.

Compare the lug thickness on the Ice Spiker to the Marathon types. I doubt Ice Spiker users are experiencing chaffe flats.
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Old 01-26-22, 10:16 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by prairiepedaler
The lugs on the Schwalbe Winter tires just aren't deep enough, and the studs re-orient themselves in their seats, to keep them from wearing through the tire casing. This is a fundamental design flaw in my opinion. I now ride Nokian and Continental studs with no stud chaffing whatsoever and without liners.
I already have some of these Schwalbe tires. After reading the previous posts I was planning on hosing them down after every ride. But it sounds like the rust is not the main issue - ?? Anyone had long life on these either keeping them cleaned or on unsalted roads?
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Old 02-14-22, 07:58 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by prairiepedaler
I now ride Nokian and Continental studs with no stud chaffing whatsoever and without liners.
Sadly, to my best knowledge, Nokian does not make 20" (406) studded tires.
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Old 02-14-22, 08:16 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by sweeks
Sadly, to my best knowledge, Nokian does not make 20" (406) studded tires.

20 inch studded tire

But Schwalbe does.
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Old 02-14-22, 09:14 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by hotbike
But Schwalbe does.
Check out posts #26, 29, 32 ^^.
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Old 02-15-22, 07:38 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by scottfsmith
I already have some of these Schwalbe tires. After reading the previous posts I was planning on hosing them down after every ride. But it sounds like the rust is not the main issue - ?? Anyone had long life on these either keeping them cleaned or on unsalted roads?
Mine still look fine and its pretty much all salted road riding. I hose off at work usually but dont really clean anything. From my past experience it seems like the studs are fine until you hang them up then they rust.
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Old 02-16-22, 07:53 AM
  #41  
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I ride Marathon Winters in 16" and 20" size for several winters now, this because Schwalbe is the only winter tire manufacturer in these sizes. I have not had a problem with the studs, maybe because of the tighter tire curvature that makes the studs sit better or because I have not used the tires enough, using the studded tires only when I absolutely have to.
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Old 02-16-22, 07:58 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by 2_i
I ride Marathon Winters in 16" and 20" size for several winters now, this because Schwalbe is the only winter tire manufacturer in these sizes. I have not had a problem with the studs, maybe because of the tighter tire curvature that makes the studs sit better or because I have not used the tires enough, using the studded tires only when I absolutely have to.
Maybe the studs will pull out if the rider goes ripping around curves, on dry asphalt.
I don’t know what happened to those studs in those photos, but I’ve been using studs for a long time and I’ve never seen anything like that.
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