Hello, fellow bike commuters. Gearing up for winter in a city that experiences quick and frequent freeze/thaw cycles. Mixed riding conditions abound.
I bought these Schwalbe Marathon winter (studded) tires for cheap at a local co-op. I am, however, aware that these don’t thrive on tarmac and can even be dangerous. Nice gents at my LBS kinda steered me towards no studs, instead favoring a “file” tread pattern that has blocks with purchase perpendicular to travel (makes sense to me).
All that said, I’m hoping to get some input/suggestions on favorite rubbers for these kinds of conditions, or if running varying pressures on the studded Marathons might be worth the effort.
3rd pic is original Maxxis with some life left. Rode them last year but was never super confident in their grip.
Thanks a bunch and safe riding to all!
by Vegetable-Lie-8969
4 Comments
Are you running tubes or tubeless? Tubed tires are easy enough to swap. I’d give the studded Schwalbes a try and see how I like them.
Studded marathon works magic on ice. They’re not that bad on pavement either. I’ve used them for three winters without issue, except the extra drag.
I have the studded schwalbes. I use them from mid-December until April in Toronto. I don’t find them dangerous on pavement, but they are slow. That said, I commute in all sorts of icy and slippery conditions and have never (knock on wood) had a slip and fall due to ice. I wouldn’t want to commute when it’s icy without them.
The studded marathons aren’t dangerous on pavement, just painfully slow. The only time I’ve fallen on them is when I was going downhill on a bike path that was extremely poorly plowed and turned into a sheet of ice that you could’ve skated on.