Studly question

[consularrider]

Probably more related to the turns and the likelihood of sliding out. In five winters of riding Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus studded tires, I have only lost a coupe of the studs. Of course, those are on a 35+ pound old rigid mtb that I can’t get to go very fast in the first place.

[mstone]

I should clarify, I mean on dry pavement.

[OneEighth]

Cornering traction is an issue with studs on dry pavement.

[consularrider]

@OneEighth 71420 wrote:

Cornering traction is an issue with studs on dry pavement.

Yep, that’s what I meant to say.

[Riley Casey]

Just out of curiosity, what are merits of having studded tyres for pavement riding in DC ?

http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/washington-dc-snowfall-totals-snow-accumulation-averages.php

[mstone]

@Riley Casey 71438 wrote:

Just out of curiosity, what are merits of having studded tyres for pavement riding in DC ?

Well, the reason I keep toying with the idea is that I worry about the shady/cold spots on trails halfway along a 20 mile route. The conditions on either end don’t tell me much, and the on road parts are likely different than the off road parts. My current approach is to simply err on the side of caution.

[DismalScientist]

@Riley Casey 71438 wrote:

Just out of curiosity, what are merits of having studded tyres for pavement riding in DC ?

They make a nice noise to warn inattentive jaywalkers.:rolleyes:

[jabberwocky]

@Riley Casey 71438 wrote:

Just out of curiosity, what are merits of having studded tyres for pavement riding in DC ?

http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/washington-dc-snowfall-totals-snow-accumulation-averages.php

If you’re someone who likes to commute every day possible, they allow you to commute on those days when you’d otherwise have to drive. Especially if you ride untreated MUPs, where ice can linger for days or weeks after roads have cleared.

[cyclingfool]

@jabberwocky 71447 wrote:

If you’re someone who likes to commute every day possible, they allow you to commute on those days when you’d otherwise have to drive. Especially if you ride untreated MUPs, where ice can linger for days or weeks after roads have cleared.

Yep. And if you’re like me, and the alternative mode, Metro, runs about $8/day, they can pay for themselves over the course of a few years, even in warm and balmy DC, if you take good care of them and use them sparingly.

[peterw_diy]

@mstone 71408 wrote:

Peter White recommends not riding “too aggressively” on studded tires? What does that mean?

You want to avoid excessive lateral stress on the studs, as when braking suddenly. Or, as I discovered, riding along the side of a concrete slope (even just a 6″ curb). Or, I guess, sprinting too fast. Speed isn’t a problem, it’s acceleration, deceleration, and lateral force.

A few times in the 2 winters that I’ve ridden studded tires I’ve noticed studs halfway out after the sorts of maneuvers I described. I carry one of those tiny Swiss Army knives, and the screwdriver blade is perfect for poking the studs back in place. Last weekend I mounted the tires for this winter. I only lost one stud last winter. My first winter was the worst, I think I lost 6 that year. (A few companies sell replacement studs, and the good carbide-tipped ones are apparently all about the same size. I use the inexpensive set from 45Nrth, and use Nokian’s tool for inserting them; I see that Universal has an inexpensive 45Nrth tool now. Here’s the blog post mentioned in the Universal replacement stud comment: http://thegoldenwrench.blogspot.com/2010/11/replacement-studs-for-studded-tires.html) Riding with 6 studs gone was no problem, I just prefer keeping the tire full.

I run these all winter so I can ride every day without worry or the effort of keeping up with the forecast & swapping tires/wheels the night before. I know it’s likely overkill (I used to ride Chicago winter streets on plain 28c touring tires), but running the studded tires is nicely reassuring.

[mstone]

@peterw_diy 71460 wrote:

You want to avoid excessive lateral stress on the studs, as when braking suddenly. Or, as I discovered, riding along the side of a concrete slope (even just a 6″ curb). Or, I guess, sprinting too fast. Speed isn’t a problem, it’s acceleration, deceleration, and lateral force.

Ok, cool, that makes sense. I can deal with that.

[hozn]

Out-of-focus photo from a couple days ago that illustrates what apparently can happen to the studs (getting pried out). I took this before trying to fix it; I lost the stud when I managed to propel it out of the tire somewhere onto the patio. Oh well.

[invisiblehand]

@Riley Casey 71438 wrote:

Just out of curiosity, what are merits of having studded tyres for pavement riding in DC ?

http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/washington-dc-snowfall-totals-snow-accumulation-averages.php

It’s all about icy roads/trails, in my experience, which can form without much or any natural precipitation. Deep snow/slush still warrants wide/stubby MTB tires.

http://washingtonwheelman.blogspot.com/2011/01/schwalbe-winter-tires.html
http://washingtonwheelman.blogspot.com/2011/01/schwalbe-winter-tire-follow-up.html
http://washingtonwheelman.blogspot.com/2011/02/replacement-studs-for-winter-tires.html

[KelOnWheels]

So I’m thinking of turning the MTB into a snow bike, as I haven’t touched the poor thing since getting the Space Horse.

Schwalbe Marathon Winters or Nokian Hakreiwrewjihewihrisadjksppslslslslslslssttts?

[mstone]

@KelOnWheels 72332 wrote:

So I’m thinking of turning the MTB into a snow bike, as I haven’t touched the poor thing since getting the Space Horse.

Schwalbe Marathon Winters or Nokian Hakreiwrewjihewihrisadjksppslslslslslslssttts?

Ask the russians: who does better in snow, the germans or the finns? ‘Nuf said.

[Author]

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