All I know is, a friend of mine who commutes daily from Middleton to campus all winter has used these tires for many years, and recommends them. I tried his bike once and was satisfied with their performance, but I'll keep what you've said in mind.
On 09/29/10, "STRAWSER, Charles" <[email protected]> wrote: > I have a pair of Nokian Extremes, and I can't really recommend them for > commuting on mostly streets and paths that are mostly plowed. They have too > many studs too far out from the centerline (contact patch) of the tire, so > leaning the bike over even a bit on pavement that is dry (or even dusted with > a bit of snow) actually gives you considerably LESS traction, since even > carbide studs don't bite into concrete or asphalt much. Trust me on this. I > ruined the sleeve/shoulder of a Carhart jacket testing this, and I was lucky > that's all I ruined. > > They're really designed for racing on ice and/or packed snow. > > This is not to say that I don't recommend studded tires for winter commuting; > I do. I just don't think this particular model is will suited for commuting. > > The Nokian brand studded tires do last a very long time, even when ridden six > months of the year, and are generally far superior to the other brands, which > often use studs that are not carbide, and wear down much faster. > > For commuting, the models you want are the Mount and Ground (160 stud) for > bikes that fit 26x1.75" tires and bigger, and the Hakkapelliitta (106 stud) > tires for bikes that fit 700x38 (they're marked 700x35, but they're actually > bigger). > > Nokian's website also lists a Hakkapelita that fits 26" wheels, and Hakka and > other models with more studs, or similar studs , but in practice I've never > seen it available in the states. http://www.suomityres.com/winter.html > > Beware of the IRC and Nashbar brands. Nokian's are actually cheaper in the > long run since you can use them so much longer. I acquired a pair of > Hakkapelita's USED, and still rode them for more than a decade's worth of > winters, and in the end I quit using them not because I wore the studs down, > but installing and removing them so many times eventually wore through the > rubber securing the steel bead to the tire, and I had problems with the > exposed steel bead abrading the tube inside. > > > -----Original Message----- > > FYI: An online seller, Tree Fort Bikes, has a good deal on Nokian Extreme > studded tires 294 26 x 2.1 (66 apiece, free shipping); however, they are > back-ordered until Oct 15. I've ordered a pair, in anticipation of winter. > -- > Harry Read > _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
