Studded Tires

[Julesmadeofcotton]

Hi, just wondering if sumwone can recommend a studded tire for a road bike. I might just add, that a couple of years ago i fitted studded Schwalbe tires to a mountain bike, and found it really difficult to get them to stay on the rim, and in fact the rear tire came off altogether whilst riding the bike, so was not impressed!

[geomannie]

I fitted Schwale Wiinter HS396 on 700c/40mm a couple of winters ago to absolutely no issues. Very grippy in snow & ice.

https://spacycles.co.uk/m14b6s142p3917/ ... nter-HS396

If you have 26" rims, these seem a bargain https://spacycles.co.uk/m14b6s142p2831/ ... Stud-HS268 at £15.

Why your previous tyres didn't stay on the rim is a mystery. It may be as much to do your rims as the tryes.

[horizon]

If you have 26" rims, these seem a bargain https://spacycles.co.uk/m14b6s142p2831/ ... Stud-HS268 at £15.

+ 1 Great bargain. I have these tyres but do note that they aren't full-on studded. That means they are good to go on a morning when you're unsure whether you might need them or not. I'm guessing that the price slash is due to the fact that they are 26", a less popular wheel size these days.

Why your previous tyres didn't stay on the rim is a mystery. It may be as much to do with your rims as the tryes.

Another +1. They are quite hefty tyres and I wouldn't blame them at this point.

[tenbikes]

My Schwalbe 2.1 26" and 2 .2 29" tyres, studded, are very difficult to fit and remove.
The 29ers are the tightest tyres I've ever had.

Probably the rims are a very significant factor.

[gaz]

Nokian Hakkapeliitta A10, 700x32.

[andrew_s]

Since your previous studded tyres were 26", and you're looking for 700, I wouldn't shy away from Schwalbe (especially as other brands are not readily available in the UK).

Individual tyres of the same model can also vary quite a bit.
I've had Conti GP4S 28 tyres (on the same wheel) that have been both so loose as to be a nuisance whilst fixing a puncture (kept falling off the rim whilst handling the tube), and so tight that I gave up trying to fit it after about an hour (including using tyre levers and bead jacks), when I realised that I'd never manage a puncture away from home.

The difference between Schwalbe Winter, and the Marathon Winter, is that the Marathon has extra rows of studs away from the centre. This isn't for aggessive banked over cornering, but to give you a chance of riding out of a frozen wheel rut. They'll also give a useful amount of extra grip if you run the tyre soft.

The other point is that narrow studded tyres don't exist - 30 mm is your limit, and you don't want to push the clearance as the studs will cut through anything they rub against, including your bike frame.

Personally, I gave up on studs, and switched to Conti Top Contact Winter.
These ride quite a bit better, and are still OK on the relatively short stretches of ice that have been all we get here these days. You've got to be more careful than with studs, but reasonable progress is still possible.

[Cugel]

Since your previous studded tyres were 26", and you're looking for 700, I wouldn't shy away from Schwalbe (especially as other brands are not readily available in the UK).

Individual tyres of the same model can also vary quite a bit.
I've had Conti GP4S 28 tyres (on the same wheel) that have been both so loose as to be a nuisance whilst fixing a puncture (kept falling off the rim whilst handling the tube), and so tight that I gave up trying to fit it after about an hour (including using tyre levers and bead jacks), when I realised that I'd never manage a puncture away from home.

The difference between Schwalbe Winter, and the Marathon Winter, is that the Marathon has extra rows of studs away from the centre. This isn't for aggessive banked over cornering, but to give you a chance of riding out of a frozen wheel rut. They'll also give a useful amount of extra grip if you run the tyre soft.

The other point is that narrow studded tyres don't exist - 30 mm is your limit, and you don't want to push the clearance as the studs will cut through anything they rub against, including your bike frame.

+1 for Schwalbe studders.

The Schwalbe studded tyres have been a very useful addition to my own winter riding - good for those days when there can be black ice, frost in the shadowed parts or frozen field run-offs. I didn't find them any use in snow or thick mud, mind, as the treads clog up quite fast and the studs certainly don't grip snow or mud. On the other hand, I found the studs did greatly improve grip on those wet winter lanes also thick with the green slimy stuff. They dig through and to the tarmac.

I haven't looked lately but when I bought the Schwalbe studders, some years ago, they got the best reviews in part because the studs didn't wear out in a few miles. The Schwalbe studs are TCT-cored within a steel jacket whereas many other studded tyres were steel-only i' their studs. Steel wear quite quickly on tarmac, concrete and stone but the TCT studs of the Schwalbes are still far from worn, after maybe 500- 700 miles (a broad estimate only, that).

I believe you can also buy replacement studs to insert in the tyres should you cast a few - although all mine are still there. In fact, the tyres still look as-new when I wash them, as the studs also seem to reduce the wear on the surrounding rubber.

No issues fitting them to 700C rims but, as other posters have noted, rim-to-tyre fits can vary depending on the precision of the sizings.

I often go for a winter ride on them even when ice isn't possible. Despite their drag, I like the buzzing noise they make.

Cugel

[Valbrona]

Blimey, the 'Studded Tyres' threads have started early ...

What does it say about someone?

I ask: Was there actually any settled snow in most of the UK last winter, like for more than a day or so?

[Cugel]

Blimey, the 'Studded Tyres' threads have started early ...

What does it say about someone?

I ask: Was there actually any settled snow in most of the UK last winter, like for more than a day or so?

Studded tyres aren't for snow, they're for ice and, at a stretch, very hard-packed snow that's gone slushy then refrozen. For snow one needs something more like MTB tyre treads made for deeper muds.

There were plenty of hard-frost and some black ice days last winter, as there have been during every winter I can recall. Frozen field runoffs are the naughtiest slipperoos 'round here, as they not only run and freeze into the road but do so just around the bend on the steep descent!

Cugel

[2_i]

I would suggest looking into non-studded Conti Top Contact Winter https://www.continental-tires.com/bicyc ... r2-premium. These tires take care of most of my winter needs. I turn to studded tires only when there is a heavy build-up of snow an/or long stretches of ice develop.

[horizon]

Blimey, the 'Studded Tyres' threads have started early ...

What does it say about someone?

I ask: Was there actually any settled snow in most of the UK last winter, like for more than a day or so?

Studded tyres aren't for snow, they're for ice and so just around the bend on the steep descent!

Cugel

In fact they're useful when there isn't any ice but there might be, especially the Snow Studs which have studs only on the outside so you can still get a decent ride if the tyres are pumped up well. Peace of mind and all that.

[Vorpal]

Hi, just wondering if sumwone can recommend a studded tire for a road bike. I might just add, that a couple of years ago i fitted studded Schwalbe tires to a mountain bike, and found it really difficult to get them to stay on the rim, and in fact the rear tire came off altogether whilst riding the bike, so was not impressed!

You say road bike. What size rims? Do you have clearance for studded tyres?

[tenbikes]

Blimey, the 'Studded Tyres' threads have started early ...

What does it say about someone?

I ask: Was there actually any settled snow in most of the UK last winter, like for more than a day or so?

Depends on where in the UK you live. I have serious need of studs every winter without fail....

[interestedcp]

It all depends on how wide tyres your bike can accommodate. Last I looked the narrowest proper winter tyre was around *37mm.

For a road bike (assuming it can take wide tyres), the fastest and lightest and most silent winter tyre is the "Continental Top Contact Winter II"
The "Premium" version is the lighter folding version of the tyre (37-622: 470 g).

It doesn't use spikes, but a lammella system, just like modern car winter tyres. It works really well on ice. I have both a pair of "Winter II" tyres, and a old pair of Nokian Suomi Hakkapelitta 108W studded winter tyres. I much prefer the conti "Winter II" tyre; it has almost as good grip on slick ice as studs, but is so much nicer, faster, and silent to ride. So I haven't used the Nokians since I got the Contis.

Some tips about studded tyres. Be sure the spikes are made of carbide steel. Most are these days, but there are probably still some cheap studded tires without. Non-carbide steel studs wears really quickly.

Around 108 spikes is what you need for urban riding. Those +240 spike tyres are for "off road" ice riding, since they have studs that can grip on the side if the tyre enters an ice rut.

As a rule, all studded tyres should be bedded in by riding them +50 km or so on a dry road. The reason being (AFAIK), that the studs are inserted in the tyre using lubrication. Bedding them in on a dry road makes the studs stick better, presumably because the lubrication wears off. There are lots of report of people taking their studded tyre out on ice and then losing +10 studs on their first ride.

While winter tyres are amazing in that you can ride on roads so covered with ice you can't walk there, they are not magical. Especially turning should be done carefully.

*Update, just saw that (Nokian) Suomi Tyres have made a "Skinny Freddie W104" in 30 mm. It is meant for CycloCross bikes, since UCI (AFAIK) limits tyre width to 33 mm.

[Cugel]

Well, that lamella effect is a new one on me. Very interesting.

I found a website that offered a lump of blurb describing the technicalities of tyres of this kind.

https://patents.google.com/patent/RU2494879C2/en

A relevant extract:

"A positive feature of the slit-shaped slots and lamellas formed with their use is that they reduce contact between the tread layer and low friction surfaces such as snow and ice. As a result, under slippery conditions, friction without slipping increases between the surface of the earth and the tread block, and the hysteretic friction of the outer tread layer increases, i.e. the so-called surface rubber. On ice due to frictional heat, when the tire is sliding, a thin film of water is usually formed between the tire and the ground, which also needs to be reduced by removing water through the slit-like slots in order to further improve contact and friction between the tread block and the ice.

The disadvantage of lamelling and slit-like slots is a decrease in the stability of the tread block on surfaces with a high coefficient of friction, such as dry or wet asphalt. In addition, under such conditions, tire performance deteriorates, namely, properties associated with braking, acceleration and maneuvering. As an example of a situation in which there is reason to assume that the tire will lose its stability, we can mention the significant curvature of the tread block when turning, when the block is "under the tire". Usually a situation of this kind is unpleasant for the driver and makes him think that the vehicle is starting to slide. As used herein, the terms "low friction surface" and "high friction surface" are used to describe the frictional properties that occur between the outer surface of the tread layer of a vehicle tire and the surface of the earth. Low friction surfaces include, for example, ice and snow covered surfaces. An example of high friction surfaces is dry or wet asphalt."

Cugel