Have you been able to get some studded tyres?

[jig-sore]

i see it as a long term investment that will hopefully save me from a few off's that could potentually put me off work for a while. only gotta miss half a days work and i'd have lost the money anyway.


prevention is better than cure

 

[Bodhbh]

I have to say that for most of us, we are lucky to get one weeks worth of snow per year. I don't see why everyone is rushing out to buy studded tyres at £50+ per pair. They are certainly not going to be much use once the snow melts. I can understand it more up north and in Scotland where snow is more frequent. Unless snow suddenly becomes a regular feature of the winter months I'll be saving my cash thanks!

Well off on holiday to Finland in a couple of weeks, bringing the bike and taking the train up north, so at least hoping they'll see their proper use. But tbh was plenty of sheet ice on the way home tonight, perhaps black ice i never knew about - it was a very nice ride not having to worry about a spill. In fact alot of fun, normally I'd be s***ing myself. I think they are great as long as you get some appropriate to what your using them for (i.e. not Icespikers for a London commute etc).

 

[andrew-the-tortoise]

I got some Ice Spikers a few days back, and they do not handle very well at all on tarmac. I often ride knobblies on the road, and thought if getting a winter tyre I might as well go the whole hog - but these are something else. The cornering is terrible and the rolling resistance is higher than anything I've ridden before. Not sure if it's the tread (the lugs are thinly spaced and a good 2-3mm longer than the ones on my regular knobblies), the compound (winter tyres on cars at least are softer than regular tyres?) or the studs.

I'm only stating the obvious as they're not supposed to be a road tyre, but just a warning to anyone thinking along the same lines as me. The tempation is to leave the bike with the Spikers on at home even when there's a risk of ice, thus defeating the point.

Just hoping we get some really terrible weather that justifies their existance.

Used mine on three icy/snowy commutes so far and would agree with the above, but feel very safe riding with them [probably too safe

].

Anyway - they certainly give you a good workout & provide a suitable audio warning to anyone in your path...

 

[Bodhbh]

Used mine on three icy/snowy commutes so far and would agree with the above, but feel very safe riding with them [probably too safe

].

Anyway - they certainly give you a good workout & provide a suitable audio warning to anyone in your path...

Actually, I had them pumped too high, I dropped the pressure down from 45 to 35psi and they corner and handle a lot better, although they still take some pushing.

 

[Jezston]

just order them from a Finnish bike shop

Know of any with english-language websites?

...

WAIT A MINUTE!

*facepalms*

One of my best friends is in Finland right now ... and I have another Finnish friend who's coming to visit me in a weeks time. Doh!

I'm going to see if I can get them to buy me some

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

I have to say that for most of us, we are lucky to get one weeks worth of snow per year. I don't see why everyone is rushing out to buy studded tyres at £50+ per pair. They are certainly not going to be much use once the snow melts. I can understand it more up north and in Scotland where snow is more frequent. Unless snow suddenly becomes a regular feature of the winter months I'll be saving my cash thanks!

Although having said that; due to the high demand right now, lots of shop are going to have supplus stock and be selling these tyres off cheap in June and July next year - might pick some up then.

If it snows then I'm pretty much forced to take the train which costs just shy of a fiver each time and takes me longer than biking it. So, 10 days of adverse weather will pay for my tyres, seems reasonable to me (and I can go out in the silly weather and have a laugh on the bike at the weekends). Also, I'll be leaving mine on the hybrid and using the road bike/fixie usually so no messing around changingb the tyres over unnecessarily.

 

[Amheirchion]

Had the email from Allterrain saying my snow stud tyres are being picked up and should be with me by tomorrow! I wimped out on riding to Uni today as it was getting fairly treacherous with ice on the way home last night, and I also fancied staying home anyway and having breakfast in bed.

 

[threefingerjoe]

... I'm not convinced that studded tyres would help in typical icy conditions where the ice thickness is less than 1mm thick.

Welllllll....I've been using Nokian W106 tyres for several years. I don't know how to convince you, but this is EXACTLY what these tyres were designed to do. This tyre is not as agressive as some, and is actually designed for ploughed roads with black ice. They are excellent. Not great for deep rutted snow, but in my area, deep rutted snow is not nearly as common as ice. What will really amaze you, is how well you will be able to climb a hill with glazed ice! You can steer...you can climb a hill...very good control. HOWEVER...don't get stupid! Just remember, you are still riding on ice, and plan accordingly. Avoid steep leans...mind your speed... If used sensibly, they will allow you to ride to work on days when you otherwise couldn't.

 

[szygy]

I have just ordered some W106's for my cross bike, so hope to be able to cycle on all but the worst days.
From what I have read the Nokians seem to be the best designed winter studded tyre, and this is what you pay for.
I know they are expensive, but I am going to put them on some new wheels and change the rear mech so I am running a shimergo set up with the studs.
I see it as getting a lot more bike for not that much cash.

 

[Noodley]

Planet X have Conti Nordic Spikes 120;

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/TYCONSPK/continental-nordic-spike-120-winter-tyre

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Planet X have Conti Nordic Spikes 120;

http://www.planet-x-...120-winter-tyre

Blimey - not cheap though if that's the price per tyre... also not Carbide studs which, I gather, are much better/hard wearing.

 

[Amheirchion]

Got my snow studs today (while I was at uni typically) and installed them as soon as I got back.
They were easier to install than I expected and went on a lot easier than my current tyres came off. ^^ Pumped them up to about 45psi (sidewall max for dry roads is 50) and then had to wait to set off while I made my girlfriend some semolina pudding. Suitably fed at last I went on a short ride to the retail park, rolling resistance was a bit higher than my old tyres, but not overly so, so I had a decent ride down there.
On the way back I decided I would head through the park and see how they handled on snow and ice (completely ignoring the 25mile seating part.. ^^) so I lowered the pressure to about 30, and boy did the pedalling get harder. I ended up breaking a real sweat on the way home, however in the park they performed admirably, keeping me on the straight and narrow even traversing a snow covered grass slope. I also failed in spinning the wheel on the snow/ice on the pavement in the park. So far I'm happy with them, time will tell though.

 

[MacB]

This is my second year on Marathon Winters and I consider them to have been a great investment, it really does depend on your requirements. I looked at the various options, considered another bike, spare wheelset, type of tread, presence of spikes and what I actually wanted to achieve. My main priority is commuting/utility in all weathers, so I wanted something that would perform best in the majority of conditions. My biggest fear was coming off on ice and I considered my requirements for thick snow/slush riding to be minimal. Hence I went for the M Winters and use them, on the main utility bike, from the first frost until the Spring. I accept that they don't do well on deeper snow and melting packed ice/snow, and they have limitations with frozen rutted conditions. But they out perform anything else in our prevailing Winter conditions while offering protection against coming off on ice.

 

[Sore Thumb]

Mine have just arrived in the country. I should have them just in time for the second big freeze.

 

[Sore Thumb]

My studded tyres have now arrived from Germany even though it took 3 days to get from the courier companys depot 10 miles from my house.

Anyway they have arrived in time for the mild weather. It was still -8 on the way to work, but not a bit of ice on the roads. Can someone book some bad weather for me to try my new tires out.