On Feb 20, 2008, at 2:43 PM, Martin Lund wrote:
I'd avoid the Innova studded tires, as they have a mild steel
stud that wears out very quickly.
For what it's worth, This is my fourth winter on my Innovas (daily
commutes each year being 6 miles, 3 miles, 14 miles, and 5 miles)
and the studs are only just now in need of replacement. These tires
were roughly half the cost of the Nokian model of the same size/
number of studs. It should also be noted that Innova sells a stud
replacement kit, which includes 20 studs and a small tool and will
run you about $12. Additional studs available in increments of 20
will run you about $6 to $8. The act of replacement isn't exactly
fun, but neither is it difficult.
Glad to hear someone has had good luck with Innovas. This differs
from what I've read on the Icebike list and from talking to the one
other person I know who's used them, which is that for commuting they
rarely last much more than a season if snow and ice coverage is
light. I was thinking in particular of this article from a rider in
Anchorage:
<http://dwb.adn.com/outdoors/story/5972994p-5874186c.html>
The only reason I brought up the difference in stud material is that
there is an order of magnitude difference in durability. The IRC
Blizzard 112 studded tires (carbide studs) I've been commuting on for
the last 5 or 6 winters have been replaced by Nokians only because
the sidewall failed on one of the Blizzards. My commute is 14 miles
round-trip, and even though the roads were pretty clear for the last
3 winters, the studs aren't visibly worn beyond being somewhat
rounded over.
Anyway, the point of this response is not to take a poke at Innova, a
fine company that makes good products (the Surly Endomorph, for
example.) Their studded tires work just fine if used exclusively on
snow and ice, but are likely be a disappointment to commuters who
spend any significant portion of their time on dry pavement. As for
cost, are $30 tires that last 3 seasons a better deal than $60 that
are likely to last 5 or more?
Classic YMMV.
Michael Lemberger
Madison
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