[testtech]

I hit the trails in 5" of snow. My X5 had a hard time going straight and my Kenda Nevegals didn't grip too well. Any of you have better luck with other tires?

 

[tscheezy]

Kenda sticky rubber is the WORST stuff for snow/ice, EVER! Add to that the ramped knobs and you may as well be on slicks.

These are my favorite winter tires:

 

[nwmtb]

looks like a Nokian WXC300 to me. Yeah, that tire will take care of you. Still though, riding in snow requires a different type of finesse a soft pedal stroke and also a light grip at the controls.


good luck, Chad

 

[testtech]

What is that tire?

Tscheezy, you pretty much described my experience. What is the time you have in the photograph? Have you come across a non-studded tiree that performs well? Thanks for your comments.

 

[PaMtnBkr]

Depends on conditions

I hit the trails in 5" of snow. My X5 had a hard time going straight and my Kenda Nevegals didn't grip too well. Any of you have better luck with other tires?

Here is what I have found here in western Pa. In snow w/out ice, I run 2.4 MotoRaptors on my El Chamuco w/the air pressure dropped down to around 20 Lbs or so. In snow w/ice most of the folks here run studded tires. I found that w/a light touch and not using the brakes too much you can get by w/out studs in all but the iciest conditions. Your riding style will change to cope w/the slippery conditions, light grip, light pedal stroke not leaning into turns etc. It just takes some practice which is why I landed on my head yesterday!

 

[tscheezy]

Those are the new Nokian Freddies Revenz 2.3s. They are a lot lighter for 06. Down to about 940g each. They are a bit bigger in the casing than the 296/294 and waaaay bigger than the Hakka 300s (but heavier). I don't like the squirmy knobs and tiny size of the 300s much.

The "best" non-studded tire totally depends on conditions. Sometimes you want something huge with minimal tread to float, sometimes you want something small with aggressive knobs to reach down through the snow. Highly variable. I just put my studded tires on for the winter and call it good. I don't mess around with non-studded tires for snow/ice.

 

[bunnyhiphopper]

If you don't want to commit to spikes, my conti gravity 2.3s worked awesome for a ride I did in 3-6" of fresh powder. The little triangles seemed to grip really well in everything Ive tried.

 

[jk99]

Around here (New England) a typical winter ride will include a mix of snow, ice, frozen (or not so frozen) mud, and bare rock. The 294s work great in these conditions -- even on rock you can hear the studs scraping but you get enough rubber contact to hold you. The Freddies Revenz spikes are longer than the 294s -- that's great for snow or ice but I would be concerned it might become a liability on bare rock.

 

[tscheezy]

Your stud depth comparison is incorrect. The Freds don't stick out like that old pic shows. They are the same as the Hakka 300s.

 

[testtech]

Update

I took PaMtnBkr's suggestion and purchased Motoraptors. Today's ride was hard packed snow and ice with lots of climbs. The Motoraptors performed very well. I completed most climbs. However, on this type surface, I expect a studded tire would perform even better. On Friday, I will get a pair of Nokian WXC300 studded tires. Since these weigh considerably less than the Freddies, I thought I would try them first.

By the way, I have been using and enjoying Frog pedals. On Sunday's ride, I found that riders with SPDs as well as my Frogs could not clip in after putting a foot down--the deep snow cloggged the cleats. I switched to Crank Brother pedals for today's ride. These pedals were completely uneffected by the snow.

 

[kosmo]

Nothing beats the studs.

Short of that, I have pretty good luck with an old pair of Panaracer Fire DHs.

My absolute favorite winter tires are the Nokians on the car -- to get me up to the ski hill!

 

[testtech]

Nothing beats the studs.

Short of that, I have pretty good luck with an old pair of Panaracer Fire DHs.

My absolute favorite winter tires are the Nokians on the car -- to get me up to the ski hill!

I was thinking along the same lines as I passed the now open ski area on the way to the bike ride. I think Saturday will be a ski day rather than a pedal day.

 

[TIGMAN]

Winter tires !

I usually xc ski in the winter but occasionally take a bike out to ride in the winter and have found that most nonstudded tires or only poor to fair for performance on icy stuff ! I want to try the Nokian extreme 294's studded tires for more confidence on ice and hard pack snow , why not enjoy it with tires that are designed for it ! TIG.

 

[testtech]

Tire Report

I installed a set of Nokian Hakka XCW300's. On my DT Swiss XR4.1d rims, the 1.9" tires measure to be 1.75" On ice, hardpack and crust, they grip well. I have done two rides and have been satisfied with their performance except for one problem. When riding in crusty snow, when the tires break through to the soft underlying snow, they become difficult to steer straight. I wonder if a wider tire, such as the Nokian Freddie would float and track better?

The tire comes with a warning to ride 30 miles on pavement to properly seat the studs. I rode less than one mile on pavement. So far, I have lost 12 studs on the rear tire, 3 studs on the front.

 

[tscheezy]

The tire comes with a warning to ride 30 miles on pavement to properly seat the studs. I rode less than one mile on pavement. So far, I have lost 12 studs on the rear tire, 3 studs on the front.

Oh dear. I would actually recommend the 30 mile thing for all Nokians OTHER than the Hakka 300. Those need more like 300 miles to really get seated. I have a set with hundreds of miles on them and they no longer lose studs unless the knob gets ripped in half (which is not unheard of). I have replaced most of the lost studs other than on the torn knobs. My GF rides them mostly.