winter newbie questions

[rodcad]

So I haven't tried winter riding thru snow or ice here in CO, only thru chilly temps.

Are studded tires needed and do they work really well or ???

Do 26" studded tires work better than 700c? seems like studded 700c tires are at least 35c in size so maybe this is a non issue?

What about fenders? Do they do much or really just get clogged up with snow?


thanks!!

[A1CKot]

I just picked up my first studded tires for my 29er this week. I road to the shop on Racing Ralphs and barely made it there. Swapped the tires and it was a world difference. Deep snow is still very squirrely but anything packed is very ridable. You still have to ride carefully keeping the bike upright and your weight back. Very much worth it if you intend on ride more than a handful of time and your winter is long.

My riding buddy had cheap clip on fenders and didn't have a problem in the 6" deep snow. He did ask me if the rear was rubbing because it felt like we were going slow but it wasn't because of the fender;).

I picked up the Nokian Extreme 294's in 29x2.1 and they look very small. @~$90 a tire its a bit expensive but I was told they would last a few seasons and loose very free studs. I've heard negative thing about the cheaper one so I went with what my LBS recommended.

Hope this helps and ride safe this winter.

[akmonkey]

I ride the Nokians and they work REALLY well. I've ridden across glare ice lakes that I wouldn't want to walk across. They're expensive, but far less expensive than a trip to the ER .... Well worth it, IMO. They don't help much in deep snow, of course.