Review Options:
Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating |
|
Reviews 1 - 15 (16 Reviews Total)
|
| Next 15 |
User Reviews
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
yroundrider
a Racer
from Lebanon, NH, USADate Reviewed: March 2, 2010
Strengths: Tires are light, good for moderate recreational riding, non aggresive cornering, good for commuters who want a little added protection riding on icy sections of road.Weaknesses: Poor traction for higher speeds, cornering and braking. Suck in the woods. Studs aren't pronounced enough to make proper contact with ice. If there is any foliage, dirt, snow etc between ice and tire, forget about the studs doing you any good.Bottom Line: These offer little added benefits to a mountain bike rider in the woods. Perfect for the commuter only. Will probably try and sell these and make a new pair myself. The weight factor during the winter isn't as important for training, only if you're racing. Not worth the money, I've seen Nokian come out with a 300 count studded tire, but would be weary of the same performance. The rubber compound hasn't been all that impressive either. With only the very tips of the studs making contact, you'd be better off running high grip standard tires and know that ice is going to be sketchy.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$90.00
Purchased At: pricepoint
Similar Products Used: Homemade studded tires with secondary tire inside to protect the tube. Very heavy, but worked so much better!
Bike Setup: Easy to mount on rims, same as reg. tire
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matti
a Racer
from HelsinkiDate Reviewed: April 16, 2006
Strengths: Finnish craftsmanship, extreme performance, ability to extend cycling seasonWeaknesses: None, yes heavy but what do you expect?? Not designed for racing in the summer, made to keep your body in tact in the winter.Bottom Line: If used for what it is intended, this tire is unbeatable. If used in proper winter with ice and snow, studs will remain in place. If used on dry pavement with an irresponsible riding style, i.e. sliding rear tire out, of course theres a chance to rip a few studs out. For a skilled and experienced rider these should last many many years. Would not consider any alternative currently available.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Similar Products Used: Home-made studded tires. Worked but durability the issue
Bike Setup: Sinister ridge, rock shox pike 454, hope discs
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from MaineDate Reviewed: March 25, 2003
Strengths: Designed in and for an Icy climate (Finland) and they will "never wear out"Weaknesses: NoneBottom Line: I ride all winter every weekend the temp is above 20 degrees. We have a local recreation area that has plowed roads but no vehicle traffic. Bike paths, singletrack in the summer. Cross country skiing and walking the dog in the winter. These plowed, crowned roads become ribbons of ice under certain conditions. Freezing rain, melt and refreeze etc. I ride these roads when I wouldn't walk on 'em. I can do a stoppy! There is no doubt that these tires provide great piece of mind when ice is encountered. Regular lug tires work just as well, maybe better, on packed snow. I've run these Nokians for 2 winters and they still look like new. If you ride in icy conditions, or want to, buy 'em.
Favorite Trail: Anything technical
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$95.00
Purchased At: SkiRack bike shop
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: Turner 02, Psylo SL, Mavic 317, Stans Notubes, Hayes etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
t
a Cross Country Rider
from courticeDate Reviewed: February 15, 2003
Strengths: width,no flatsWeaknesses: not agressive enough for pure ice,heavy,ExpensiveBottom Line: When the snow is packed all you need is wide tires @ 30psi. when it is icy though they won't do. Screws are great but heavier, flats suck too,I wonder how Tuffy tireliners work or how about STAN,S no tubes!
Favorite Trail: Right now any I can ride!(Feb.)
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At: NORTHERN CYCLE!
Similar Products Used: homemade with screws
Bike Setup: FUEL
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mikie
a Weekend Warrior
from HaverhillDate Reviewed: February 20, 2002
Strengths: Great hookup on snow and ice. Excellent price from Peter White.Weaknesses: A little heavy but can't complain because hookup is so good. Whats up with the break in period Nokian?Bottom Line: Was riding on regular rubber this winter. Treking was great with the packed snow and crunchy conditions. Once the temps started to rise during the day and drop at night the trails turned to ice. The old treads couldn't cut it. I body couldn't take another dab. I tossed on a set of Nokian 296s and life was good again. Sure riding for 31 miles on the street to break them in sucked but hay I figured it was worth doing. At 78 bucks each I want these babies to last. Took them out today for a maiden voyage on the trails and was impressed. These things grabbed onto everything. Never even shuttered when the trails got icy. They definately give you a sense of security on the ice. For some fun I took them out on a frozen pond with no trouble. I can even say I didn't notice the weight increase over my Mythos summer tires. Sure ther heavier but you have to give up a little something for this much frozen fun.
These babies get five chiles just for the added fun.
And Peter White gets five for offering them at a good price, having them in stock, being local and being honest about the Hakka WXC300s
Favorite Trail: ya right
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$78.00
Purchased At: Peter White Cycles, Acton, MA
Similar Products Used: nothing compares
Bike Setup: Intense Uzzi SL, Rohloff, 317, Hayes, and the rest
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matti
a Cross Country Rider
from FinlandDate Reviewed: March 21, 2000
Strengths: Good on snow.Weaknesses: Not so good on ice.Bottom Line: If you ride on snowy conditions, the Extreme 296 is the best choice.
Favorite Trail: any trail
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Similar Products Used: Home made tire with screws.
Bike Setup: Tunturi Matrixx Kayapó, RS Indy XC LT, STX-RC-parts
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lee Crowell
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bartonsville PADate Reviewed: December 12, 1999
Strengths:
unknownWeaknesses:
unknownBottom Line: I never tried these tires but want to let you know you can make your own. I recycled some wornout Velociraptor tires (just about any brand of knobby mountain bike tires should work). Drill some pilot holes with a small diameter bit, then screw number 6 or number 8 sheet metal screws through the knobs. Don't scrimp on the amount of screws because you'll need them for good traction. Before you mount them buy some Tuffy tire liners for about $8 each to protect tubes from flats. When you're done you've got a set of tires that can ride over ice and frozen snow with so much control you won't believe it. Last January I went out at midnight on top of Camelback mountain in the frozen snow and floated over the trails on the smoothest ride ever. It's awesome because you're the only idiot out there, no human tracks to be seen for miles. When you stop for a break shut off your light and howl at the moon because you're the one out there having fun while others are sitting by their heaters. I can't wait to upgrade to disc brakes. No more loss of brakes due to iced up wheel rims.
Favorite Trail:
camelback
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Similar Products Used:
homemade studded tires, see info below
Bike Setup:
97 Stumpjumper hardtail, Manitou Spyder fork
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim Coffman
a Weekend Warrior
from South Lyon,MIDate Reviewed: November 7, 1999
Strengths:
Traction and More TractionWeaknesses:
weight and noise on pavementBottom Line: I love these tires! Traction and more traction. You will not fall with these tires on your bike. Great on hard ice and less that a couple of inches of snow. On the pavement you will not need a horn to signal people, they will hear you comming from 100 feet away. I have not lost any studs after rining on these 50 miles a week all winter long. I would recomend them to anyone riding in the winter in northern places like Michigan.
Favorite Trail:
Island Lake
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Zigurat
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Piotr
a Cross-Country Rider
from Zakopane - POLANDDate Reviewed: August 19, 1999
Strengths:
works great
not too expensive (50$
in Poland)Weaknesses:
weight (but I think
it is normal for that
type of tire)Bottom Line: Works great on ice, and hard snow, you can climb
any hill in winter, and (best thing) you can use
your brakes on ice. I made few hundred km in winter, and I noticed no problems with taht tire.
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Similar Products Used:
Duster II
Nokian X-track
Fire XC Pro
Bike Setup:
Trek Y, XTR , SID rear
and SID front
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rich
a cross-country rider
from Philadelphia and BostonDate Reviewed: January 30, 1999
Bottom Line:
These tires are awesome. I went riding on a frozen lake and i could control my bike very easily. Excellent performance in ice and snow no deeper than about 4 inches. they shed snow really well and i haven't lost any studs yet. after three months of riding them, they are still looking almost new. the only drawbacks are that they're expensive and heavy. Definately worth it though!!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Thomas Mattsson
a weekend warrior
from Östersund, SwedenDate Reviewed: January 29, 1999
Bottom Line:
As mentioned in earlier reviews we have fairly long winters here in Sweden so if you want to keep going out for some real training rides you need a pair of studded tires. The best ones I´ve tried so far are the Nokian Extreme 296. They are simply outstanding on ice and work quite well in snow as well, as long as the snow isn´t too deep. Of course they are a bit heavy but you can´t have it all. I haven´t had any problems with losing any studs, in fact I haven´t lost a single one. I believe that the importance of running the tires in properly can´t be overestimated. Running them in properly means about 80 kms on paved/hard road without locking up your wheels, wheelspin or hard cornering. So if you want to stop worrying about falling, and have some money to spend, these tires are the best winter tires on the market, at least in my opinion.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rich Bindler
a weekend warrior
from Umeå, SwedenDate Reviewed: December 2, 1998
Bottom Line:
A recent warm spell turned Umeå's extensive bike paths into veritable skating rinks, which are only lightly gravelled. Walking, never mind riding a bike, is a life endangering prospect. This spurred me finally, after three winters here, to invest in studded tires. It's too bad I didn't buy these three years ago. Like the previous reviewer, we have six months of winter so the investment is well made. Instead of survival riding I can actually put in real training rides. Since only just bought and mounted the tires I don't know about their longevity yet.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tuke
a racer
from FinlandDate Reviewed: December 1, 1998
Bottom Line:
The Nokian 256(X-treme) is the best winter riding tire around. OK, it weights a lot, but think about it, IT IS A STUDDED TIRE HEAVENS SAKE. You´re not supposed to ride it in sand on pavement. In Finland, almost half of the year is riding on snow, so you really need studded tires, if you wanna ride.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lee Norton
a cross-country rider
from St. Catharines, CanadaDate Reviewed: February 22, 1998
Bottom Line:
The Nolkian 256 studded tire really works on ice, and also snow up to a few inches deep. Good all around winter tire. It works well enough that you can wheelie on ice. It takes away the worry about slipping/falling on an unseen ice patch.Yes you feel the extra weight of these tires, but what does that matter considering the conditions they are used in. Steel studs are bound to weigh something. I couldn't afford a titanium studded tire, could you?All is not perfect though. I have lost 6 studs in my rear tire despite running them in on roads for abouth 50 miles/80 km. 5 of the 6 studs were lost from side knobs, only one from a center knob. I have been trying through my dealer to find out if one can replace any studs. So far silence. If anyone knows if the studs can be replaced I would surely like to know. (No studs have been lost from the front.)If it wasn't for the lost studs the rating would be 5, now I feel it's between 3 and 4 depending on how long the remaining studs last.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tero Lindberg
a cross-country rider
from ORDate Reviewed: December 22, 1997
Bottom Line:
I have ridden with these tires only one winter. After installing them I was amazed how well they stick on ice. That expanded my biking season through winter. It feels almost like riding in the summer (ALMOST!!!), of course it's not the same!! But anyway good tire!! I can really recommend to buy these babys, not the cheaper ones!
|
Reviews 1 - 15 (16 Reviews Total)
|
| Next 15 |
Review Options:
Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating |
