I had an MEC gift certificate, and used it to buy some studded tires.
I think the first thing I noticed as I switched them over, when I held my old tire in one hand, and the new one in the other, is just how much heavier they are! I'd estimate they're 2.5x the mass. I didn't expect that, for how small (and sparse) the pins are, but I suppose there's a lot of extra meat in there to support the backside of the studs.
Riding is noisy! It's dry out now, so of course this was probably the worst time to switch over.
The icy spots I'm used to are a breeze now and I have full confidence there... and on dry pavement I almost went down twice when my back tire skidded out... but I would have done the same in 10 other places with my old tires. So I've traded a LOT of slipping around on non-clear sections, for full confidence in those sections, and a little bit of sliding around on dry pavement, which I am guessing is just going to be a learning curve.
I don't take corners hard or fast so I think this was a good move for me.
I think the first thing I noticed as I switched them over, when I held my old tire in one hand, and the new one in the other, is just how much heavier they are! I'd estimate they're 2.5x the mass. I didn't expect that, for how small (and sparse) the pins are, but I suppose there's a lot of extra meat in there to support the backside of the studs.
Riding is noisy! It's dry out now, so of course this was probably the worst time to switch over.
The icy spots I'm used to are a breeze now and I have full confidence there... and on dry pavement I almost went down twice when my back tire skidded out... but I would have done the same in 10 other places with my old tires. So I've traded a LOT of slipping around on non-clear sections, for full confidence in those sections, and a little bit of sliding around on dry pavement, which I am guessing is just going to be a learning curve.
I don't take corners hard or fast so I think this was a good move for me.