Winter tires - studded

[Belopsky]

Since my Clem L is my winter/all-weather commuter, I will be swapping tires come winter (which may be tomorrow, #puremichigan)

What's a solid choice for a 650B tire? I have SKS P55 fenders on with decent clearance with the stock Kenda tires currently

[Tim Gavin]

Unfortunately, there are still limited options for 650b studded tires.  

The only one that would fit under a P55 fender is the Nokian A10.  It's a stout commuter tire with reasonable tread and studs on the shoulders.  Seem like they'll get you across the morning re-frozen-meltwater on the bike path.

$59 from Peter White (seems to be the only US source).  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.php

Otherwise, Kenda, Schwalbe, and others make studded MTB tires in 27.5/650b, but they all start at 2.1"/54 cm wide.  Too wide for P55 fenders, maybe too wide for the frame?

I've been riding 4.5" wide studded tires (45 Nrth Dillinger 5) the last three Iowa winters, and now I have a set of 700 x 38 45 Nrth Gravdal tires to try on my 'cross bike.

On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 1:10 PM, Belopsky <belopol...@gmail.com> wrote:

Since my Clem L is my winter/all-weather commuter, I will be swapping tires come winter (which may be tomorrow, #puremichigan)

What's a solid choice for a 650B tire? I have SKS P55 fenders on with decent clearance with the stock Kenda tires currently

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[Peter White]

We have an order in for 40 of the 650b A10s, but we are waiting for confirmation that they have shipped from Finland. I placed the order in May. I will post here as soon as we have confirmation. Some years we wait until early December for our studded tires to arrive, even though we order them in the spring.

Peter J White

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Peter White

[David B]

The Nokian A10s are good for regularly plowed roads. They measure around 35mm, so they'll look tiny on a Clem but would work fine for commuting on plowed roads. I used them for a couple winters in Chicago on a 650b road bike conversion.
They're not ideal for more snowy roads. For that I'd go with a 2.1" option. Those should fit fine with fenders on a Clem, though the P55 are narrower than what most might used for a ~50mm tire, they might actually be nice for snow to be able to get out on the side rather than building up in the fender.
David
not thinking about snow yet in River Grove, IL

[Belopsky]

This is what I was thinking. Time to order a pair of Spiker from Bike24 or similar..

[Belopsky]

This is kind of silly, is it not Peter? Order placed in May but still no confirmation of shipment. 

On Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 7:56:28 AM UTC-5, Peter White wrote:

We have an order in for 40 of the 650b A10s, but we are waiting for confirmation that they have shipped from Finland. I placed the order in May. I will post here as soon as we have confirmation. Some years we wait until early December for our studded tires to arrive, even though we order them in the spring.

Peter J White

On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 2:41 PM, Tim Gavin <tim....@littlevillagemag.com> wrote:

Unfortunately, there are still limited options for 650b studded tires.  

The only one that would fit under a P55 fender is the Nokian A10.  It's a stout commuter tire with reasonable tread and studs on the shoulders.  Seem like they'll get you across the morning re-frozen-meltwater on the bike path.

$59 from Peter White (seems to be the only US source).  http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.php

Otherwise, Kenda, Schwalbe, and others make studded MTB tires in 27.5/650b, but they all start at 2.1"/54 cm wide.  Too wide for P55 fenders, maybe too wide for the frame?

I've been riding 4.5" wide studded tires (45 Nrth Dillinger 5) the last three Iowa winters, and now I have a set of 700 x 38 45 Nrth Gravdal tires to try on my 'cross bike.

On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 1:10 PM, Belopsky <belopol...@gmail.com> wrote:

Since my Clem L is my winter/all-weather commuter, I will be swapping tires come winter (which may be tomorrow, #puremichigan)

What's a solid choice for a 650B tire? I have SKS P55 fenders on with decent clearance with the stock Kenda tires currently

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Peter White

[RonaTD]

On Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 9:02:29 AM UTC-6, David B wrote:

The Nokian A10s are good for regularly plowed roads. They measure around 35mm, so they'll look tiny on a Clem but would work fine for commuting on plowed roads. I used them for a couple winters in Chicago on a 650b road bike conversion.
They're not ideal for more snowy roads. For that I'd go with a 2.1" option. 

That doesn't match my experience. I have A10 650B tires and Schwalbe Winter Marathon 26x2.1". In the typical plowed-but-slushy-with-tire-tracks conditions that we have here, the 2.1" tires on my Riv ATB float too easily, causing abrupt loss of control in an exciting/terrifying way. The A10s on my Cheviot and on my Protovelo(Bleriot) are far more stable. On the Cheviot the long wheelbase really helps, too. The reality is that deep (say, more than 4"), fresh snow is challenging for any bicycle.

Ted Durant

Milwaukee, WI

[Belopsky]

Hey all, I've found a bike shop in Finland that will ship Nokian A10 to the states. I'm thinking about putting an order in. It does not make sense to only order 2 due to the shipping cost so seeing if there is interest for more. If I order 4 tires to myself it comes in at $62 a tire

[Peter White]

Yup, it's silly alright. Frustrating too.

PJW

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Peter White

[Deacon Patrick]

Rona et al,

There are two schools of thought when it comes to snow riding: thinish tires that cut through the snow on top to bite on the “bed rock snow” beneith or wider tires to float on top. Handling is different for each and shifting from one to the other harrowing, but both are very doable, conditions depending, with a lot of overlap. Only experience can tell what works for each of us daft enough to have fun in the slop! Grin.

In my experience the only time studs are needed is ice, not snow or snowpack. If ice is a regular issue for your rides, definately get studs. If not, they are annoying to ride with, even for occational ice.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Peter White]

Forty years ago I was regularly riding through the winter. Some days I was riding a Raleigh 3 speed (full coverage fenders, so great in the rain) but most days I was riding my Bob Jackson racing bike with Michelin Elan 23mm tires. In snow the skinny tires did cut through to pavement and I was generally fine. I was riding in the western suburbs of Boston and the roads were regularly plowed, so I rarely was riding through more than about 3 inches of snow. The only times I crashed was when snow was covering ice in a turn. Then I would crash pretty hard. But when you're 22 years old, you tend to bounce off the pavement, so no big deal. And I was riding back roads, so virtually no traffic to deal with.

But these days, the thought of hitting the pavement sends chills up my arthritic spine, so I ride with studs. The studs are useless most of the time, since the towns spread salt on all of the roads these days. But there are those days, when you're riding home from work after dark, and it's been a bit above freezing with the sun out, and the snow banks on each side of the road were in melt mode for several hours, and now the temperature is 29, it's an hour after sundown, and all of that water has frozen, and your lights don't clearly show the difference between clear pavement and icy pavement, yup, those are the days when your ride home is very slow.

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Peter White

[Ian A]

From my experience, studs are an asset. In my region, there is a freeze thaw cycle at times that leave invisible ice at low points, run-off points. This is when studs are unbelievably useful. I've been surprised a few times when I've stopped for some reason and put my foot down to discover my boot slips out immediately. I can ride across ice that affords no traction underfoot, but the studs and agressive tread of the tires find good purchase. Cornering when surprised by ice can be very tricky, although the tires do help massively there too and I've been saved a few times.

It all depends on local conditions and riding style of course. My tires are slow as molasses, like I'm towing a trailer full of groceries some days, but for the sake of an extra 5 - 7mins on a 6 mile ride to work, it's well worth it for the control the tires offer.

I'm using 26" x 2.1" Schwalbe Marathon winter tires, with agressive lugs and a lot of studs. After five winters they are starting to lose a few studs, but they work perfectly still. Lighter winter studded tires are available, which could be a good compromise.

IanA/The North

[Belopsky]

A quick update:

Schwalbe spiker fit the clem, but not with fenders (could work but a little tight at the crown - did not check the rear at all because I want to use fenders).

Nokian does make a 54mm tire hmm...

[Bob B]

But there are those days, when you're riding home from work after dark, and it's been a bit above freezing with the sun out, and the snow banks on each side of the road were in melt mode for several hours, and now the temperature is 29, it's an hour after sundown, and all of that water has frozen, and your lights don't clearly show the difference between clear pavement and icy pavement, yup, those are the days when your ride home is very slow.

Yep, that's exactly why I ordered a pair of the A10s from you last month, Peter! Too bad about the shipping delay from the manufacturer. Excited to get them. On my Velocity Synergies it looks like they'll measure pretty much the same as my Marathons, which I use otherwise throughout the year on my commuter.

Bob

Brooklyn, NY

[Peter White]

The 650b A10 tires should be here around January 31.

PJW

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Peter White