I have just fitted the new 50-559 Conti Topcontact Winter II (model 2011) tyres to two of our bikes. These are not studded tyres, but they use car winter tyre technology with low temperature compounds and a tread pattern optimized for winter use. So far I am very impressed, as I have not yet been able to make them slide on compacted and icy snow. Of course, they probably have limitations in more extreme weather than we have here (daytime temperature a few degrees below freezing and a couple of inches of snow that is renewed periodically), but the good news is that these ride very well, with rollling resistance comparable to an ordinary medium tread touring tyre. They are also fairly light and zippy compared to studded ones. If you are faced with heavy snow accumulation you will need a courser tread, and on ice you will need studs, but if your conditions are rarely that extreme, these may be the perfect compromise. As with my car winter tyres, from now on I will put these on in Novemer and exchange them for summer tyres sometime around April. I will see what kind of more extreme conditions these will cope with, and I may get a heavily studded front Nokian tyre with big knobs to put on when the going gets really rough. However, for now these are a big improvement, and probably all that I need. The only real downside is that these are expensive. I got them much cheaper from http://www.bike-components.de/shop/cat/c571_Spike-Tire.html
Willem
Willem
