Schwalbe Winter Kevlar Guard Spiked Road Tire
Product link: www.chainreactioncycles.com/s...
I finally pulled the trigger on a pair of studded tires for my old road bike. I have been hesitant in the past because I found it hard to pay more for bike tires than for tires to put on my car. Last I had a few icy and dicey slips on the roads around Calgary, so I thought it would be wise to try to find a shoestring deal for studded tires. After all, it was for my safety and my health. So I stated looking for people who were selling them online second hand. Too many of those included the words ‘missing some studs’. I want to save money, but I also want to have decent tires. I then went to Chain Reaction Cycles and found a great shoestring deal… the Schwalbe Winter Spike Road Tyre (find the link below - I love how the British spell tyre).
I was looking for a tire slightly wider than what I usually run on my old steel road bike, which recently have been 700C X 25. The Schwalbe’s I purchased were available in 30’s, which is about the limit for my bike frame. Schwalbe does have these tires in 35 and 40’s, but those sizes are not available at CRC, they do have tires for 16”, 18”, 26”, 28” with a variety of widths. The price was GREAT!!! $38.99 per tire… about 50% off. That’s a shoestring deal. I paid a little extra ($11.70) for shipping, but it paid the taxes and duties and the tires flew through customs. Total cost to my door… $89.68. I also got the tires in record time. I ordered them on Sunday and got them early Wednesday afternoon. That’s from England to Calgary, Alberta in Western Canada in 3 and a half days. That’s fast!
Upon opening the box I was taken by the burliness of these tires. They are solid and thick to accommodate the studs. These Schwalbe’s have 118 sharp pointy studs alternately spaced from side to side in the middle of the tread. You can get more studs on the Schwalbe Marathon tire, it has 200 with the additional studs nearer the edge of the tire. The tread is robust with an aggressive chevron pattern. These are directional treads, so be sure to put them on correctly with the chevron pointing down the road. They are not foldable tires and have a very stiff bead. If I had one bit of advice for Schwalbe, I would suggest making the printing on the side of the tire with the pressure information a bit more legible. It is hard to read. It’s not a big thing, a quick search online told me these tires can be pumped up between 50 and 95 psi. I chose 80 psi for a smoother ride and to ensure the studs were getting full contact with the road surface. Putting them on the rim was fairly easy. Your experience might be different because some rims can be a bit tighter, depending on the brand.
Riding them was a thrill. The word confidence comes to mind when describing the experience. Going from pavement, to ice, to snow and back was easy and didn’t concern me at all. Doing the same on my other road tires I would be dismounting my bike and walking… not with these. They certainly have more rolling resistance, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Considering my rides when using these tires will be far shorter than my summer rides, the resistance will just get me on the road to better fitness faster. If you want to lean a bit on the ice you might consider the Schwalbe Marathon’s or another brand of tire with more studs. If you’re fine going in a straight line, these will be perfect. The chevron tread pattern also sheds the snow and ice fast. I have had mountain bike tires that packed up quickly causing more slipping.
My final thoughts on these tires? The price was right, the quality excellent, the ride was wonderful and the delivery was super-fast. Time will tell how long the studs will last. For my first pair of studded tires these get a 5 out of 5 on the shoestring scale.