Studded Tires - Very Nice!

Since I began commuting by bike, I've been making do with non-studded tires. For the most part, this led to only a few nervous moments while approaching icy patches. I've used studded tires on my mountain bikes and know how well they work on ice, so I didn't hesitate to order some for my commuter bike.

As I've mentioned in the past, I decided to buy a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. Even though I received the tires a few weeks back, I waited until the conditions were appropriate to put them to the test.

After a few weeks of relatively dry weather, the weather turned ugly - multiple days with snow changing to freezing rain, changing to rain then freezing solid. The time was right.

I had read about people having difficulty mount these tires on the wheels, so I was prepared for a wrestling match. This didn't happen since I was able to mount the tires without even using a tire lever.

After using the tires on five commutes with varying snow, ice and dry conditions, I have to say I am very happy with the tires. They held tight through all conditions and I was able to ride confidently on some roads I would be nervous walking on. The downside is that the tires are heavier than what I am used to and they are louder on dry pavement that my other tires. A small price to pay for being able to keep riding.