studded tyres...how are yours wearing down?

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

i will be ordering some studs for my 26" mtb for next winter. i like the look of winter marathons but they only look any good for the road. there is another option of fully studded knobblies which would (in theory) be perfect for road and the trails. how are you lads who are using studded tyres at the moment finding the wear rate? could i for example say just put them on the bike and commute any weather (dry or wet or icy or snowy) without any problems (apart from being slower)? do you think the studded knobblies would last a full winter of commuting 40 miles a day and a trail or two? the trails round my way are generally clear and firm (which is a great change from the mud baths they normally are) but do have the odd sheet of ice to catch you unawares.


cheers

 

[fossyant]

You are more likely to wear the rubber down. If it's fine, you'll usually pump the tyres up, reducing stud contact, then lower the pressure for ice and snow.

Personally, if you can, get them on a spare set of wheels. Mine are on a 'spare' bike...

 

[threefingerjoe]

+1 to what Fossyant says about spare wheels or spare bike. I've had them on spare wheels, which I could change in a couple minutes if I came out in the morning and found that it had sleeted or snowed overnight. Now, I have a spare "foul-weather" bike, so I've just left them on.

The studs won't wear down, IF you have GOOD studded tyres. The good ones...Nokian, Schwalbe (may be some others) use carbide studs. As Fossyant stated, the rubber will wear out before the studs will. This is...either my 4th or 5th winter on my Nokians.

HOWEVER....there are some cheaper studded tyres that use steel studs. From what I've heard, they wear out rather quickly.

No problem riding on dry pavement, other than that you'll be a little slower...comparable to a mountain bike knobbly. That doesn't bother me. At least it lets me ride when I otherwise couldn't.

 

[trsleigh]

I've got a cunning plan. If we all buy studded tyres ready for next winter then the full power of sod's law will be invoked. Result, no ice all winter.

 

[MacB]

I've got the Marathon Winters and have decided to ride them all Winter, I feel the slight speed penalty on tarmac is worth not having to worry about black ice. But this bike ran 35mm M+, not the quickest tyre, and the 35mm studded ones are actually slightly lighter. These tyres don't give much help in snow though, not enough tread. You could maybe have backup studded knobblies on a MTB for those conditions.

 

[Twenty Inch]

I got on pretty well with ordinary fat old mud pluggers- cheap ones too, I think. They were very soft and I only lost it once, when I was on sheet ice. However I have been thinking about studdies so I'll be watching this thread with interest. Good topic.

 

[fossyant]

I've lost MTB tyres in the past on ice, wasn't pleasant coming off three times on one commute - one at 30 mph down hill, straight as a die.....

If you can, certainly have them on a spare bike/wheels (certainly the knobbly studded tyres) as they are pretty slow....feels like I'm riding a space hopper at 30 psi.

All Schwalbe and Nokian have tungsten carbide studs - just don't, what ever you do, catch them on doors, car paintwork..... they cut right into the paint/surface, oh and they aren't good on ceramic floor tiles...the bike will slide over easily as you prop it up........

 

[MacB]

I've been running mine at 70psi and lose about 1-1.5mph over 20 miles. But there are personal priorities and mine are staying upright and avoiding punctures. My commuting bike weighs in at 35lbs in Winter mode and 35lbs the rest of the time as well, good training

 

[levad]

I too am running my Marathon Winters until Easter time(ish), I have no more desire to eat the road. I have just gone over 600 miles on them since Jan 4th and there is no sign of wear. I have them at 60 psi on my hybrid so I also have plenty of weight training. I find them excellent on ice, compacted snow and snow that is less than 1" - 2" deep, they are OK in deeper snow but deep slush is still a challenge.

I have only come off once with them on, that was a clipless moment on the 10% part of hill on the way home. I fumbled a gear change, the chain came off, momentum was lost almost immediatly and I toppled onto the verge at 0 mph. Nothing to do with the tyres!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

nice one guys, thanks. just so i am clear. i can run studded knobblies of a good brand (carbide) from november to easter and not worry about wear (if they last only 1 winter that'll do), i shouldn't expect to lose the bike on normal surfaces, they will be a tiny bit slower than normal, bit noisy on non icy roads.

excellent. that means i can commute safely in winter. my village is quite high and we do tend to get a lot more icy roads than lower down. i am quite willing to sacrifice a bit of speed to know i will stay upright on the fast descents that i have to do to get anywhere and don't fancy bailing on black ice. the bonus of the knobblies is i can go in the trails at weekends on winter and not worry about ice sheets (tho that would take some balls!!).

thanks guys.

 

[MacB]

I would only add to take it easy on cornering, I do anyway coz I'm a chicken, but others have reported that they don't like to fly round corners.

 

[monkeypony]

i will be ordering some studs for my 26" mtb for next winter.

Don't forget, were still only in February! We may not have seen the back of this winter yet

 

[fossyant]

Don't forget, were still only in February! We may not have seen the back of this winter yet

Cheers.... stack of snow for last nights ride home..

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

this winter i'm not doing any all out full time commuting (tho i have been riding nearly everyday in training for the big commutes). my course starts in march and then i have my placements(which could be anywhere between bury and wythenshawe). i won't have the luxury of just saying f**k it today it's dodgy. i sold my beloved land rover last jan (yippee one less car for a year and according to the aa site pus the finance, a saving of £14K) and from this year using the wifes won't be an option either. so i am just in the prepping stages at mo. i was using the brommie, with the idea of just chuck it on the bus but it just can't cut it on the hills daily, things just keep wearing out at an alarming rate. plus the buses have been stranded quite a lot the last 2 winters up here.