New Winter Tires for ST2?

[Alex_C]

Hello,

I’m interested in getting some MTB tires for my ST2 for winter riding here in Minnesota. I commute year round but usually switch to the fat bike when there is deep snow.

Looking for something aggressive that will roll well on those days that there is 1-2” of snow and the pavement is partially visible.
I don’t want to go full studded, have those on my 29er and most of the time the bike path is plowed right away.

What would you recommend?

Thanks.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

45NRTH makes some top quality products.
Here is a great winter tire for Stromer ST2: https://45nrth.com/products/gravdal-26

 

[Alex_C]

Those are studded though Ravi, looking for non-studded.

They make a lot of great cold weather gear, I have practically a whole 45Nrth outfit - boots, jacket and Lung Cookie. And they are great tires, I have a pair.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Those are studded though Ravi, looking for non-studded.

They make a lot of great cold weather gear, I have practically a whole 45Nrth outfit - boots, jacket and Lung Cookie. And they are great tires, I have a pair.

There are very few options.

Schwalbe Marathon Winter or GT 365 (GT 365 has a compound that is suitable for all-weather riding).
or 45NRTH.
I think you should also consider battery sleeve because you are going to lose quite a bit of range riding in cold temp.

 

[Stromer2work]

I think you should also consider battery sleeve because you are going to lose quite a bit of range riding in cold temp.

Ravi, I'm skeptical about a sleeve, but can you provide a link just in case?

OP, also no way would I ride here in Michigan without the studs. I commuted for several years and that thin, slick black ice that happens from the thaw/refreeze is a killer. I'm going to start off with the 1.9" wide Nokian W106's. I've run those tires before on my naturally aspirated commuters in the winter and they work good. My commute might be different than yours, I'm riding on concrete and a mix of street and sidewalk.

 

[PDX_Commuter]

First rainfall since summer here in Portland and the roads were pretty slick today as well as in the low 50s this morning . I was coming to a stop to make a turn and backend of my ST2 slid out from under me. Luckily was able to catch myself and prevent the bike from making hard contact with the pavement. I’ve read somewhere previously that the stock Big Ben balloons didn’t do well in the rain and experienced it first hand. Went online and found that a local shop (universal cycle) carried some continental top contact winter that had good reviews and recommended by Stomer for wet and cold winter. Plan on installing them this weekend. Hope they perform significantly better than the Big Bens in the rain and cold.

 

[Chuck E. Cheese]

First rainfall since summer here in Portland and the roads were pretty slick today as well as in the low 50s this morning . I was coming to a stop to make a turn and backend of my ST2 slid out from under me. Luckily was able to catch myself and prevent the bike from making hard contact with the pavement. I’ve read somewhere previously that the stock Big Ben balloons didn’t do well in the rain and experienced it first hand. Went online and found that a local shop (universal cycle) carried some continental top contact winter that had good reviews and recommended by Stomer for wet and cold winter. Plan on installing them this weekend. Hope they perform significantly better than the Big Bens in the rain and cold.

I've had similar experiences with the Big Bens on my ST2 as well. I am waffling between buying studded and non-studded tires for this winter. It will be the first winter that I plan to commute by ebike. I went to the Continental website and noticed the 26" Top Contact Winter tires come in 1.9" and 2.2". Any idea which of those would make more sense for commuting in Vermont in the winter? I don't plan to ride in heavy snow or when it's particularly icy, but the route I take can be pretty sketchy on the edges where bikes ride. I also want a tire with good wet traction- hopefully much better than the Big Bens.

The OEM Big Bens are 2.15, so the Top Contact Winter 2.2 are more similar in that respect, but I don't know which would offer better cold weather/ slick road performance. I'm also wondering whether studded tires like the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires are a liability on dry pavement.

 

[Stromer2work]

I'm also wondering whether studded tires like the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires are a liability on dry pavement.

My guess is after your first spill on a patch of ice using non-studded tires, you'll be wondering why you didn't ignore the physics. I plan to use the 1.9 Nokian W106 mount and ground to start. I've used those tires before, very good ice biking commuting tires. I bought a pair of Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro 361 Spikes 26x2,35" TL-Easy folding, which may not fit in the fenders, as the profile looks squarish.

The Nokian W106 on dry pavement were not a liability, but they did make noise and added rolling resistance, and wore down the carbide studs faster, but that's a necessary evil to safety. The freeze-thaw patches of ice are the worst at the beginning and end of the season as they're the slickest.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Ravi, I'm skeptical about a sleeve, but can you provide a link just in case?

https://www.fahrer-berlin.de/en/e-bike/akku-cover/akku-cover-tube-unterrohr/a-243/

I got mine through Lenny's. It worked out fine but you can also build your own for cheaper by ordering neoprene sheets off Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-W1322-Anti-Vibration-24-Inch/dp/B000OQTV2I/

Battery sleeves does help. I ride 365 in Chicago. I particularly remember one brutal winter evening along the lakeshore trail. Wihtout the sleeves, my range would have sucked. I know this works. Check this thread.

https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-cover-flir-one-measurements.3457/#post-40993

 

[Stromer2work]

https://www.fahrer-berlin.de/en/e-bike/akku-cover/akku-cover-tube-unterrohr/a-243/

I got mine through Lenny's. It worked out fine but you can also build your own for cheaper by ordering neoprene sheets off Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-W1322-Anti-Vibration-24-Inch/dp/B000OQTV2I/

Battery sleeves does help. I ride 365 in Chicago. I particularly remember one brutal winter evening along the lakeshore trail. Wihtout the sleeves, my range would have sucked. I know this works. Check this thread.

https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-cover-flir-one-measurements.3457/#post-40993

thanks, your an asset to the community. My commute is short-ish, 35 min in the summer. Will be longer in the winter. Perhaps the sleeve will make a diff after all, and how expense can it be, compared to my overall bicycle budget ?

 

[PDX_Commuter]

I went with Continental top contact winter 2.2 inch. Road in the rain again on Friday and have to say that the traction felt 10x better than the Big Bens. I don’t plan to commute if there is ice or heavy snow but wanted something less scary than the Big Bens in the rain and have to say from it’s a world of difference. A couple of things to note though - you may have to adjust your rear fender/rack to prevent tire rub. The conti have tiny rubber fingers all over the tire and rubbed a bit on the back half of the rear fender. I had to make the mount holes of the rear rack a little bigger to be able to shift the rear fender a bit to prevent rub. Also the Continentals rides a little harsher with less bounce and suspension compared to the Big Ben balloons - noticeable but not unbearable. I do have a red shift shock stop stem on one of my old bikes that I plan on moving over but waiting to do that once red shift ships their new shock stop seat post.

 

[jendas1]

My guess is after your first spill on a patch of ice using non-studded tires, you'll be wondering why you didn't ignore the physics. I plan to use the 1.9 Nokian W106 mount and ground to start. I've used those tires before, very good ice biking commuting tires. I bought a pair of Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro 361 Spikes 26x2,35" TL-Easy folding, which may not fit in the fenders, as the profile looks squarish.

The Nokian W106 on dry pavement were not a liability, but they did make noise and added rolling resistance, and wore down the carbide studs faster, but that's a necessary evil to safety. The freeze-thaw patches of ice are the worst at the beginning and end of the season as they're the slickest.

If anyone is wondering whether the Ice Spiker Pro fits onto a stromer bike (I have ST1x), then here is the proof that no modifications are necessary.