# Using studded tyres



## Pale Rider (13 Dec 2015)

Two falls on ice by others in my cycling group earlier today has persuaded me to buy some studded tyres.

My weapons of choice are a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Winters.

The question is what can I expect of them?

I grasp they need to be run in on asphalt, and they give more ice/snow grip at lower pressure.

But presumably I still won't be invincible on the blackest of black ice.

Do I need to adjust my riding style?

All thoughts on using studded tyres welcome.

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/...r-208-spikes-28-x-2,00-wired-67139/wg_id-5113


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## MichaelW2 (13 Dec 2015)

My DIY studded tyres run well on slick, wet ice.
M Winters have a poor reputation for riding through thick, slushy snow, compared to knobblier studded tyres.


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## Supersuperleeds (13 Dec 2015)

I've been over black ice on mine and been fine but they will be no good on snow.

Don't forget you need to bed them in before using them on the ice, 40km I think is what they recommend.

Don't forget when you come to a stop and put your foot down it is icy and your foot can slip


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## DCLane (13 Dec 2015)

I've a pair of 26" Schwalbe Ice Spikers which have been used a few times only. They're already on the GT Timberline retro MTB for bad weather use.


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## Origamist (13 Dec 2015)

Ice tyres will generally grip on "black ice", but I'd still approach twisty descents gingerly and scrub off speed as ice tyres do have limits. That said, I've never fallen on ice with ice tyres - but I have had to catch the front wheel when cornering.


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## potsy (13 Dec 2015)

I find mine rubbish on slushy snowy type conditions, but good for smooth but icy roads/paths.

If I were buying again I would give the Schwalbe Snow Studs a go, probably on the mtb.


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## Erudin (13 Dec 2015)

I find they work great on black ice, just run them at a low enough pressure so all the studs contact the ice.

As for riding style, avoid hard cornering, heavy braking or acceleration.


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## Supersuperleeds (13 Dec 2015)

Oh and be doubly careful with metalwork.


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## winjim (13 Dec 2015)

I find ice to be no problem at all. On loose snow I sometimes need to use a very low gear and spin the rear wheel to clear it as the tread won't really cope. This is on Schwalbe Winters though, which are the 30mm version with not much tread and half the spikes.


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## Pale Rider (13 Dec 2015)

Thanks for the replies, all of which have been instructive in one way or another.

Seems the tyres will perform better on black ice than I was expecting, but will be no great shakes on slushy snow.

Cycling technique appears to be largely a matter of common sense.

@Supersuperleeds point about there being even less grip on drain covers is not something I would have considered.

But if a bloke with 20K miles done this year tells me to be extra careful on metalwork, you can rest assured I will be.


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## Pat "5mph" (13 Dec 2015)

I have got the Winters and the Ice Spikers both.
Having used them for the last 4 winters, I can confirm all the good advice above.
This morning there was sheet ice on most of my commute, got there no bother. Rear wheel slid a bit once, recovered immediately.
If the forecast hovers around zero degrees I have them near max pressure for an easier ride.
If really icy like today, I have them at around 55 PSI.
Top tip given to me on this forum: check for missing studs after a few rides - Schwalbe UK will send you a handful for free if you email them, or you can buy spares.
Refit on fully inflated tyre by pushing the stud in with the aid of a good dollop of washing up liquid and a pair of pliers.


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## Pale Rider (13 Dec 2015)

Pat "5mph" said:


> I have got the Winters and the Ice Spikers both.
> Having used them for the last 4 winters, I can confirm all the good advice above.
> This morning there was sheet ice on most of my commute, got there no bother. Rear wheel slid a bit once, recovered immediately.
> If the forecast hovers around zero degrees I have them near max pressure for an easier ride.
> ...



Thanks Pat.

One of the reasons I went for 208 stud (calm down) version was I thought it wouldn't matter so much if I lose a few.

Handy to know they can be replaced and how to do it.


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## summerdays (13 Dec 2015)

I've had no problem on black ice, though I'm probably riding more cautiously than normal but with far more confidence than if I try without studded tyres.

The main problem I've had with mine is clearance to the mudguard it just scraps slightly. I've not fitted them yet as the temps are so much above normal do far this year.

I've had mine 3 years and I've yet to loose a stud, but I probably use them less often than those further north.


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## Pat "5mph" (13 Dec 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> One of the reasons I went for 208 stud (calm down) version was I thought it wouldn't matter so much if I lose a few.


In theory if you do the embedding of the studs properly you should not lose any, in practice you will.
@fossyant never ever lost any, @potsy lost all his ... I'll let him tell you the story 
@Telemark is also a regular user, maybe she will have tips to add, and so is @Rickshaw Phil, he did 100+ miles on studs


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## Pale Rider (13 Dec 2015)

The bike has Marathon Supremes on at present which are semi-balloon tyres, so I'm hopeful mudguard clearance will be OK.

The tyres will be going on my Rose ebike, so a bit of extra resistance won't matter too much.

The more I read in the thread of riders' experiences, the more I think this could be sixty quid well spent.


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## Pat "5mph" (13 Dec 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> The more I read in the thread of riders' experiences, the more I think this could be sixty quid well spent.


Mine are in their 4th winter, used at least 3 months straight a year, sometimes more: last year it was icy till the end of March.
Still going strong, never a puncture either.
Very good value for money.


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 Dec 2015)

Pat "5mph" said:


> In theory if you do the embedding of the studs properly you should not lose any, in practice you will.
> @fossyant never ever lost any, @potsy lost all his ... I'll let him tell you the story
> @Telemark is also a regular user, maybe she will have tips to add, and* so is* @Rickshaw Phil, *he did 100+ miles on studs*


Yes, I still have nightmares about that. (not really, but that was easily the hardest century I did last year) 

I used Snow Studs last winter which were good on icy tarmac but were a little more skittish on hard-frozen off road routes. Even so they recovered from small slides that plain tyres couldn't have in those conditions. The skittishness with these tyres on lumpy/rutted ice I put down to the lower stud count so I've got some Marathon Winter to try out this time which have double the number so should feel even more secure.

In use the studded tyres are slower and take more effort but this is outweighed by being able to travel at reasonable speed on surfaces you'd have trouble walking on. My most memorable commute last winter was after wet overnight snow had partially melted then refrroze in the morning - something like 8 of the 11 miles to work were sheet ice but the ride only took a few minutes longer than it had the previous day.

Just take care with cornering and braking as already mentioned elsewhere.

Edit: I forgot to add that I lost no studs last winter and the new Marathon Winter have only had the running in ride and one commute so far so too early to tell)


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## summerdays (14 Dec 2015)

I rode on this without a problem


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## Hip Priest (14 Dec 2015)

It's important to run them at low pressure on ice. I've made the mistake of going out in the ice with the pressure high and they're nowhere near as effective. There are two sets of pressures on the sidewall - for normal conditions and ice.


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## mcshroom (14 Dec 2015)

I found out with a singlespeed that standing up to honk up a hill on ice was a bad idea. You need weight on the rear wheel to stop it spinning out.

That was with snow studs. I now have the 30mm Winters which are far less like tractor tyres. They won't be as good in snow, but on Ice last year they were fine.


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## Siclo (14 Dec 2015)

I've got the Snow Studs and they are superb on ice, good enough to cycle a cross a frozen mountain lake, not that I'm advocating such stupidity but I enjoyed it.


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## shouldbeinbed (14 Dec 2015)

M winters on my 26" MTB that I'm running in this week here. I've have the same on my 700c wheel bike for a few years and they're good but you still need to be a bit careful, as others say on, bends and slowing down. I've even more sedate and sat up than usual.

They are not a lot of cop on slush and soft snow (I had some Nokian tyres years ago with a deep tread and studs that did better as all rounders) Also you'll find if you're riding on roads that while you're not slipping and sliding as much the big tin boxes are, so you still have to be extra vigilant for someone fishtailing or silently sliding towards your backside aquaplaning on the slushy sludge or ice.


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## mcshroom (14 Dec 2015)

That's the main advantage of studs for me. My commute is on undulating country back roads. When it gets icy the drivers tend to avoid rat running down the back roads and sit in a big queue on the gritted main road instead. I get the lanes to myself


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## Pale Rider (14 Dec 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> by being able to travel at reasonable speed on surfaces you'd have trouble walking on.



That sounds great, although I wonder if my bike control skills will be up to it.

It would be nice not to be put off the road by conditions like in @summerdays pic - that sort of stuff can hang around for weeks if we get a cold snap.


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## Pat "5mph" (14 Dec 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> That sounds great, although I wonder if my bike control skills will be up to it.
> 
> It would be nice not to be put off the road by conditions like in @summerdays pic - that sort of stuff can hang around for weeks if we get a cold snap.


I can confirm that you will be able to ride roads similar to those, enjoy your winter commuting.
Cycling on studs is actually safer than walking when there's ice: I fell as a pedestrian last year, didn't on the bike


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## mcshroom (14 Dec 2015)

A section of my commute through a farm flooded and then froze in 2011/12. I rode over sheet ice for about 100m every day for about a month. Only time I fell over was when I decided to stop and answer my mobile phone. Foot down and off I slid


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## Pale Rider (14 Dec 2015)

Pat "5mph" said:


> I can confirm that you will be able to ride roads similar to those, enjoy your winter commuting.
> Cycling on studs is actually safer than walking when there's ice: I fell as a pedestrian last year, didn't on the bike



Thanks Pat.

There is a believability hump for me to get over.

In the same vein, before I got back into cycling I thought people of my age couldn't do decent miles on a bike.

I now know that was rubbish.

Lots of non-cyclists think as I did.

When I got a bit lost on my tour to the caravan, I asked a pedestrian for directions to the next town about 15 miles away.

There was a look of disbelief on his face that I planned to cycle the journey.

No point in explaining to him I had already done 25 miles and had a total of another 40 to do.


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 Dec 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> That sounds great, although I wonder if my bike control skills will be up to it.


I'm sure they will be. Take it very gently to start with and you'll get a feel for it. The tyres have their limitations so you'll never be able to go everywhere flat out but the important thing is that the wheels *won't* just go out from under you unexpectedly.

You could think of it as being like riding a country road with a covering of dust or fine gravel on. In a straight line or gentle cornering it'll grip fine but if you lean hard into the corner or brake hard you'll slide



Pale Rider said:


> It would be nice not to be put off the road by conditions like in @summerdays pic - that sort of stuff can hang around for weeks if we get a cold snap.


Those are exactly the sort of conditions where studs prove their worth.


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## summerdays (14 Dec 2015)

The most off putting noise is the sound on Tarmac, you won't be sneaking up on pedestrians or other cyclists!


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## fossyant (15 Dec 2015)

Never lost any studs. Won't lose any this winter either as I wont be riding a bike for 6 months !


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## Supersuperleeds (15 Dec 2015)

summerdays said:


> The most off putting noise is the sound on Tarmac, you won't be sneaking up on pedestrians or other cyclists!



I scared a young lad (early teens) the other year, his reaction was like someone was shooting at him, I thought he was going to dive into someones garden


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## potsy (15 Dec 2015)

Pat "5mph" said:


> fossyant never ever lost any, @potsy lost all his ... I'll let him tell you the story


Oi!
I didn't lose them all, there were still a few attached by the end of the 'gentle' bedding in ride 

I have seen some replacement studs for sale somewhere that even come with a tool for putting them in, or as Pat says a bit of washing up liquid and a pair of pliers, with a lot of patience should do instead.


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## Flying Dodo (15 Dec 2015)

After I got my Marathon winter tyres a few years ago, I emailed Schwalbe for some replacement studs and they sent an envelope with about 150 in!


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## andrew_s (15 Dec 2015)

potsy said:


> I have seen some replacement studs for sale somewhere that even come with a tool for putting them in,


£7.30 for 50, plus p+p 
mind you, if you need a full tyre's worth, a new tyre would be cheaper


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## potsy (15 Dec 2015)

andrew_s said:


> £7.30 for 50, plus p+p
> mind you, if you need a full tyre's worth, a new tyre would be cheaper


Cheaper postage here 

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/50-spare-spikes-for-all-schwalbe-spire-tires-67807

As above, I got some spares direct from Schwalbe, still got loads left.


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## Pat "5mph" (15 Dec 2015)

I did get an envelope full of spares for free from Schwalbe a few years ago, needed about 4, gave some last year to @Telemark, lost 2 under the washing machine, still got a good handful.


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## Pale Rider (16 Dec 2015)

I didn't realise buying a set of tyres could be so much fun.

You can get spare parts, and you even get a little tool to play with (so to speak).

I'm having the tyres sent to my local bike shop for ease of delivery.

Chris the manager there made a good point - he said it's a good idea to get something new for your bike at this time of year because it refreshes your interest, so you are less likely to put the bike away for winter.


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## Telemark (16 Dec 2015)

Supersuperleeds said:


> Oh and be doubly careful with metalwork.


... and cobbles! 



summerdays said:


> The most off putting noise is the sound on Tarmac, you won't be sneaking up on pedestrians or other cyclists!


Dogs are looking very confused, too, when they hear the strange creature approaching - some say it sounds like bacon frying, other think it's more like rice crispies when milk is being added and they crackle & pop  ...

3rd year on ice tyres here, invested in a new pair this year as one of the old tyres was dead, and I decided to get the 200+ stud version with my daily commute which involves quite a lot of hills with ice. 
When there was unexpected heavy snowfall on the higher ground south of Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago (2-3 inches settling very quickly), there was chaos and gridlock on the roads, with cars sliding on all bit the shallowest uphill gradients. The ice tyres were rock solid on a steep-ish wee downhill convered in in snow - on the separated cycle path, but then again I didn't try speeding and took the corner at the bottom of the hill slowly ... 
As somebody said earlier, the worst bit with icy conditions is the potential for big metal objects to slide uncontrollably, and their operators often not driving sensibly and taking account of the conditions.
I've also got a pair of 'granny crampons' in my pannier at this time of year, if I ever need to get off and walk under icy conditions - they weigh next to nothing, just go on over normal shoes. We got ours at LIDL a few years ago, haven't used them very often but lifesavers on rare occasions - pavements in Edinburgh can be lethal .

T


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## Pat "5mph" (16 Dec 2015)

Telemark said:


> I've also got a pair of 'granny crampons' in my pannier at this time of year, if I ever need to get off and walk under icy conditions


Hey, did not really think those did work: will invest in a pair, icy pavements are lethal here too. Sometimes walking is inevitable, cycling across the road to the shops seems somehow ott


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## clid61 (19 Dec 2015)

used em last 3 years shite in snow but ace in ice ! have them on mountain bike , thinking of getting a set for my crossbike


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## ufkacbln (19 Dec 2015)

Carry a decent pump

There is a central tyre ridge and at high pressure this is the main contact point and decreases the amount of stud contact so is fine for Tarmac and normal to light conditions

Any more than that and lower the pressure, as the tyre flattens the grip increases as the number of studs contacting increases

I find that running a Marathon Winter at 40 psi comes with most snow 

However it will always be a compromise


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## ufkacbln (19 Dec 2015)

Also if you have a trike the studs on the rear wheel cope with drive, but you also need studs on the front wheels for braking grip


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## Jon George (19 Dec 2015)

I bought a pair of Marathon Winter 35s as a bit of indulgence last week for Patsy #3, The Hybrid, and it seems I need to run them in. How and why?


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Dec 2015)

Jon George said:


> I bought a pair of Marathon Winter 35s as a bit of indulgence last week for Patsy #3, The Hybrid, and it seems I need to run them in. How and why?


How? A ride of around 25 miles on tarmac. I ran mine at a lowish pressure for this (40psi front and 45 rear if I remember right).

Why? So that all the studs bed in properly and won't pull out when you do get to run them on ice.


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## Bodhbh (19 Dec 2015)

clid61 said:


> used em last 3 years shite in snow but ace in ice ! have them on mountain bike , thinking of getting a set for my crossbike



They're not great with anything more than a dusting. You can always stick a full on snow tyre like an ice-spiker on the front as a comprimise. Generally where the front goes, the back will follow and you're not lumbered with the drag from 2 ice-spikers. But, all academic given the current weather....


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## Jon George (19 Dec 2015)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> How? A ride of around 25 miles on tarmac. I ran mine at a lowish pressure for this (40psi front and 45 rear if I remember right).
> 
> Why? So that all the studs bed in properly and won't pull out when you do get to run them on ice.



Thanks. 
I think I may just pop them on and go for a clatter this afternoon.


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## Jon George (19 Dec 2015)

Well, 8 miles of 'running-in', two puzzled pedestrians and a quizzical dog later, and I am back. It was like the sound of a wood fire being lit.


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## Pale Rider (19 Dec 2015)

Good news and bad news.

Tyres arrived and I was able to fit the rear without tyre levers.

Unfortunately, the tyre scrapes the underside of the mudguard when on the bike.

The wheel was fully home in the dropouts and could still be turned.

So I'm fairly certain I will have enough clearance with the rear mudguard removed.

Problem there is the rear light cable.

The bike has a front dynohub, and the cable for the rear light is routed under the mudguard - you can see it in the pic.

The cable goes through a hole in the mudguard near the chainstay brace, along the mudguard's underside, and pops through again to reach the rear light which is bolted on the carrier.

No connections I can see, so I suspect the bike is built by threading the cable and then connecting it to the rear light.

It might be possible to disconnect and unthread it, but there would still be a roll of cable to tidy away near the chainstay brace.

Seems a shame to snip it both ends, but that would do the job.

Any bright ideas?


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## winjim (19 Dec 2015)

Return them and exchange for a narrower version?


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## Pat "5mph" (20 Dec 2015)

@Pale Rider you should have measured clearance first.
Now what you have to do, is to get a cheap MB to fit the tyres on


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## Pale Rider (20 Dec 2015)

Pat "5mph" said:


> @Pale Rider you should have measured clearance first.
> Now what you have to do, is to get a cheap MB to fit the tyres on



Don't you just love people who are wise after the event?

Clearance did occur to me, but the only way to test that is to get the tyres and offer them up.

I'm not too downhearted - there are plenty worse cycling calamities - and I am formulating a plan...


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## Pat "5mph" (20 Dec 2015)

Let us know your solution.
My ice bike has the wide plastic clip on guards.


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## summerdays (20 Dec 2015)

I must admit I normally live with the occasional scrape of the mudguard as its not continual. I think mine was better when slightly under inflated but I can't remember, I need the forecast of cold weather to get around to putting them on. For ice the lack of mudguard doesn't matter, but for snow it can stop it being flicked up your back, as long as it doesn't jam in the mudguard.


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## potsy (20 Dec 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Don't you just love people who are wise after the event?
> 
> Clearance did occur to me, but the only way to test that is to get the tyres and offer them up.
> 
> I'm not too downhearted - there are plenty worse cycling calamities - and I am formulating a plan...


Maybe if you took all the studs out they would fit a bit better? 

Mine go on my CX bike with full guard, tight but they fit, just.


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## Supersuperleeds (20 Dec 2015)

Take the mudguard off and re route the cable along the rack? Plenty of cable ties should do the trick


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## Pale Rider (20 Dec 2015)

The bike is a Rose trekking bike and I've decided - even ignoring the rear light - I don't want to run without mudguards,

It won't take a rear flinger because the carrier supports are wrapped around the outside of the mudguard, and in any case the carrier itself is in the way.

So it's plan B, which involves putting Marathon Winters on my other Bosch ebike, a 20" wheel AVE MH7.

They really ought to fit, the bike has 2" wide balloon tyres and the 20" Winters are 1.6".

It could make a better ice bike for me because the low crossbar means I can fall off it more tidily.

Lots of toe clearance - a problem on the Rose - and Brompton-like shopping trolley steering makes it a much easier bike on which to make swift turning corrections.

I've also ordered some new Marathon Pluses for the Rose, no point in refitting worn tyres.

Which leaves the 29er Winters.

I could return them, but one never knows what's around the cycling corner.

They would fit my Cannondale MTB, so that might be a possibility for next winter, or someone in my cycling group might want them, or my local bike shop could put them on their Schwalbe display and possibly sell them.


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## Pale Rider (2 Jan 2016)

The first chapter of my winter tyre adventure is now concluded.

Twenty inch Marathon Winters fitted to my AVE bike.

New ordinary Marathon Pluses fitted to the Rose 29er.

Middle brother - whom I saw at Christmas - has taken the 29er Marathon Winters off me for £50.

All my tyre removal and fitting was done without levers, which rather gives the lie to the notion Marathons are hard to fit.

It could be simply that I'm well hard, but more likely both my sets of wheels have a tiny extra bit of clearance.

Chris in my local bike shop tells me the same tyre can be hard to fit on one wheel, but easier on another, so wheels of the same size do vary a tiny bit.

Just to prove there's always something else when working on a bicycle, the smaller profile of the winters means the bike's prop stand is too long, but happily that was fixed by a simple adjustment.

Most unlike me to go out at this time of night, but I've just returned from a 10 mile running in road test of the winters.

They roll surprisingly well, and I couldn't detect much difference in comfort from the Big Apple balloons they replaced.

You can see from the pic I now have lots of mudguard clearance - probably a good thing for general winter riding.


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## Rickshaw Phil (2 Jan 2016)

That's great. 

Fitting wise, I've found the standard Marathon and the Marathon winter no problem on my bikes. It's mainly the Marathon Plus that has the bad reputation.


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## Pale Rider (2 Jan 2016)

Thanks Phil.

It's always satisfying when even relatively minor bike fettling like this goes to plan.

Lots of people seem to have problems fitting Pluses, but the new ones went on my Rose bike easily enough.

They are 1.75", I wonder if the narrower Pluses have a slightly shallower sidewall - less to compress into the well of the wheel.

The 20" Winters were a bit harder to get on, but I would expect that due to the smaller diameter wheel.


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## Pale Rider (6 Jan 2016)

...update...

I've now done 20+ frost free miles, so the Winters should be nicely bedded in.

Three reasons to be cheerful.

1. The tyres roll better than I was expecting - I couldn't detect much difference between them and the previous balloons.

2. They are more comfortable than I was expecting - the Winters are almost as comfortable as the balloons, although I did run those at fairly high pressure.

3. My now over-size mudguards work much better - my ride on Sunday was in heavy rain and the bike didn't get nearly as dirty as it would have done with the balloon tyres.

No significant downsides so far.

The Winters do track and squirm a tiny bit over minor imperfections, particularly the ridged tiles on some cycle paths around here.

Not a problem now that I'm used to it.

Weather forecast is for some frosty mornings next week, so I may get the chance to try the Winters on ice.


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## Pat "5mph" (6 Jan 2016)

Pale Rider said:


> Weather forecast is for some frosty mornings next week, so I may get the chance to try the Winters on ice.


Hey, you're rearing to go: this guarantees mild temperatures all winter 
But be careful in spring: I fell on iced last year end of March, I had thought that on a beautiful sunny morning the ice bike could stay home


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## potsy (6 Jan 2016)

Still shorts & t-shirt weather here, what's all this talk of ice?


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## Pale Rider (6 Jan 2016)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Hey, you're rearing to go: this guarantees mild temperatures all winter
> But be careful in spring: I fell on iced last year end of March, I had thought that on a beautiful sunny morning the ice bike could stay home



Good point about ice later in the year.

My static caravan has taught me there can be some nasty frosts in March or even April.

Bad news for the 'van if the water is turned on.


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## summerdays (6 Jan 2016)

Pale Rider said:


> ...update...
> 
> I've now done 20+ frost free miles, so the Winters should be nicely bedded in.
> 
> ...


I don't find frost slippy apart from road markings, but if you see a frozen puddle then try cycling over it!


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## Supersuperleeds (6 Jan 2016)

potsy said:


> Still shorts & t-shirt weather here, what's all this talk of ice?



Icy or not it won't hurt your cycling


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## summerdays (9 Jan 2016)

Well @potsy I've put mine on.... And it was so easy this time I did both tyre changes in about 15 mins.... Then it had obviously been too easy so I ended up with atrocious rubbing on the mudguard. Mr Summerdays then did a bit of fettling on the mudguard bridge and now it its all working.

That should delay any forecast snow and ice for the south west!


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## Supersuperleeds (9 Jan 2016)

summerdays said:


> Well @potsy I've put mine on.... And it was so easy this time I did both tyre changes in about 15 mins.... Then it had obviously been too easy so I ended up with atrocious rubbing on the mudguard. Mr Summerdays then did a bit of fettling on the mudguard bridge and now it its all working.
> 
> That should delay any forecast snow and ice for the south west!



and I should have kept it away from Leicester for a while as I also put my studded tyres on the hybrid this morning, and also like you was surprised how quickly I got them on, again took me about 15 minutes. No mudguard issues though as I only have one of those useless dirtmonkey things on the back.


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## potsy (9 Jan 2016)

summerdays said:


> Well @potsy I've put mine on.... And it was so easy this time I did both tyre changes in about 15 mins.... Then it had obviously been too easy so I ended up with atrocious rubbing on the mudguard. Mr Summerdays then did a bit of fettling on the mudguard bridge and now it its all working.
> 
> That should delay any forecast snow and ice for the south west!


I only adjusted my guards back to fit the 28's last week, hopefully won't need to put the studs on just yet.


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## summerdays (9 Jan 2016)

potsy said:


> I only adjusted my guards back to fit the 28's last week, hopefully won't need to put the studs on just yet.


 Have you looked at the temperatures for next week....


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## potsy (9 Jan 2016)

summerdays said:


> Have you looked at the temperatures for next week....



2c as the minimum from what I can see, plus I only cycle commute 1 day nowadays


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## Rickshaw Phil (9 Jan 2016)

The latest updates of the forecast have toned the cold snap right down for here. My new tyres have been ready and waiting on the spare rims since July but I don't know when they'll next get used.


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## Pat "5mph" (9 Jan 2016)

Mine could have been used from yesterday - ice and snow here - but I'm off work 
Yes @potsy I'm still painting before you ask


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## Supersuperleeds (13 Jan 2016)

First ride of the year on the ice tyres this morning. I didn't really need to use it but the first ride of the year is always really slow as I get used to them again, so with a shortened commute planned today it was a good way to get that first ride pain out of the way, looks like I will be on them for the rest of the week.


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## Pat "5mph" (13 Jan 2016)

I've used mine for the first time this year.
Did a day back in November, when it suddenly froze, but ice did not come back till briefly on new year's day.
Guess it's here to stay!


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## Rickshaw Phil (13 Jan 2016)

It was really wet last night then froze so the ice tyres went on this morning and got a bit of a workout. Only thing is I've lost my first stud on just the second slippy ride.


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## Telemark (13 Jan 2016)

I had a fun ride on icy roads today(deepest darkest Midlothian).
There was one point where I had to put a foot down to stop at a junction and nearly slipped, even though I had deliberately stopped on a not obviously icy bit . At the end of an offroad bit I met a fellow cyclist going the other way, and mentioned the icy conditions - he was very interested to see the tyres, possibly another convert.  He decided to turn round and head along the main road instead...
In the meantime the first proper flurry of snow of the evening arrived  - it's supposed to snow all night, amber MetOffice warning!

T


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## Jon George (14 Jan 2016)

Finished bedding in my set of Schwable Winter Marathons, but I'm curious as to whether I've been short-changed or whether Schwable have altered the design: I only have an inner ring of studs on each tyre, while every image I've seen recently suggests there's usually two. Any ideas anyone?


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## winjim (14 Jan 2016)

Jon George said:


> Finished bedding in my set of Schwable Winter Marathons, but I'm curious as to whether I've been short-changed or whether Schwable have altered the design: I only have an inner ring of studs on each tyre, while every image I've seen recently suggests there's usually two. Any ideas anyone?


Are they Marathon Winters, or just plain Winters? The plain Winters only have half the number of studs.


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## potsy (14 Jan 2016)

Jon George said:


> Finished bedding in my set of Schwable Winter Marathons, but I'm curious as to whether I've been short-changed or whether Schwable have altered the design: I only have an inner ring of studs on each tyre, while every image I've seen recently suggests there's usually two. Any ideas anyone?


There are two versions of the tyre Jon, one has double the amount of studs, you must have the version with fewer studs.


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## Supersuperleeds (14 Jan 2016)

No ice this morning so back on the normal commuter - still slow though


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## Jon George (14 Jan 2016)

Ah, thanks for the input. I'll maybe take a wander back down the LBS and have a chat.


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## winjim (14 Jan 2016)

potsy said:


> There are two versions of the tyre Jon, one has double the amount of studs, you must have the version with fewer studs.


It's half, not double silly.


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## summerdays (14 Jan 2016)

There are Winters and then snow studs, I know I've got one and Mr Summerdays has the other type.

I wish I had used them this morning, as I needed them!


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 Jan 2016)

Jon George said:


> Finished bedding in my set of Schwable Winter Marathons, but I'm curious as to whether I've been short-changed or whether Schwable have altered the design: I only have an inner ring of studs on each tyre, while every image I've seen recently suggests there's usually two. Any ideas anyone?


The current range from Schwalbes website: http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/spikes.html

As others have already said, sounds like you've got the basic Winter tyre not Marathon Winter.


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## winjim (14 Jan 2016)

The benefit of regular Winters is that you can get them in 30mm width, so they fit on my CdF even with guards.


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## hennbell (14 Jan 2016)

Fat bikes works best for deep snow. 
Studded work best on ice.
*Never* lean into a icy turn.
On ice never grab a fist full of front brake.
If the ice has any water on top of it even studs will have a hard time finding grip.


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## potsy (15 Jan 2016)

summerdays said:


> I wish I had used them this morning, as I needed them!


And I should have listened to you, just came off on the mtb, luckily it was a slow-ish fall as I made a turn in the park.

Winters are going on now!!


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## fossyant (15 Jan 2016)

potsy said:


> And I should have listened to you, just came off on the mtb, luckily it was a slow-ish fall as I made a turn in the park.
> 
> Winters are going on now!!



Ouch !


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## summerdays (15 Jan 2016)

potsy said:


> And I should have listened to you, just came off on the mtb, luckily it was a slow-ish fall as I made a turn in the park.
> 
> Winters are going on now!!


Yes you should have .... I was right


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## summerdays (15 Jan 2016)

I hope the bike is OK


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## potsy (15 Jan 2016)

summerdays said:


> I hope the bike is OK




They are on now, will give them a try out ride tomorrow and see how many studs I can lose


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## Pat "5mph" (15 Jan 2016)

potsy said:


> They are on now, will give them a try out ride tomorrow and see how many studs I can lose


You got any studs left on them tyres? 
Hope the bike is ok ... you should be bouncing back  so you're fine


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## Telemark (15 Jan 2016)

I had a proper wee adventure this morning , diverting away from the roads for a few miles on my commute, for some ice tyre play time .
The Straiton-Roslin cycle path (along an old railway route) was fully covered in snow (about 1-2 inches) with ice in places, where it had recently flooded. The only bare bits of tarmac were under bridges ... 
It was just starting to get light, with a beautiful dawn breaking and the Pentland Hills white to one side ... for the most part, the only noise was the different sounds my tyres were making, depending on the surface, and some crows squawking in the bushes at some point .

T


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## mcshroom (15 Jan 2016)

My winters have been on since Wednesday, but used for the first time on ice today. Need to remember that standing up on climbs leads to wheel spin!


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## Jon George (17 Jan 2016)

Frist ride of any length with the studs and low pressures - about 28 miles. While I don't think there was actually enough ice to have really warranted them, on the few occasions where it looked tricky, I felt more than confident.


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## Pale Rider (17 Jan 2016)

Telemark said:


> I had a proper wee adventure this morning , diverting away from the roads for a few miles on my commute, for some ice tyre play time .



I've just completed a sterner test of my studded tyres.

Lots of horrid frozen slush/snow/black ice around here at 9am this morning.

I avoided most of it, but on the bits I did have to ride on the studs gripped nicely.

Some lateral movement, but as users on this thread told me, the bike doesn't whip out from under you.

The conditions would have been unridable for me on ordinary tyres.

Better riders than me could have had some skiddy fun, but I lack the bike handling skills of people such as @Telemark.


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