Winter tire for Radcity

[MadManMark]

I know this is greatly a matter of preference and circumstance but would appreciate experiences and ideas all the same.

In the winter I'll pretty much only ride for commute, not pleasure. I'm primarily looking for something to provide grip (security) on plowed but ice packed roads here in urban Wisconsin. I've already slipped once on the cheap stock Kendas -- though it was partially my fault, I was taking a turn too fast on an untreated graveyard road with a light dusting of snow and probably an ice patch underneath (yes, my commute takes me through a graveyard!) I may occasionally ride in a few inches of snow, but if there's a big storm I'll probably just use alternate transportation (I can even leave my bike in my office at work if the storm arise unexpectedly during the day and the snow is too deep to traverse).

I've been reading about the Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro tires ... they sound like great tires, but maybe overkill? They're pretty expensive ($120), and I read pretty loud & high resistance on dry pavement because of all the spikes, and I've read they are very difficult to get on and off for some people

The Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus look like a better fit for my needs, also they feature their highest level ("smartguard") puncture resistance, better than the Ice Spiker Pro. The last things I want to deal with in the cold is a flat! But I see that they come in no wider than 2" for 26" wheels. Would that be an issue on the Radcity?

What other options should I consider? I've never bought winter-specific bike tires before, so err on the side of assuming I know nothing In past years I was very much a "fair weather" winter commuter, only ridding in ideal conditions & would take the bus or drive in other days, but I'm resolved to do my best to rely on the Radcity as my primary mode of transport this year.

My initial inclination, BTW, is to just get one tire and put it on the front, since

1. that's the one more important for maintaining control
2. to see how I like the tire
3. easier to get that tire on and off
4. cost

After doing that I will evaluate whether I need to change rear one as well. Any comments on that approach?

 

[MadManMark]

OK, I've determined the ISO of the stock Kenda tires is 58-559, so regarding the Marathon Winter Plus, which are 50-559, the tire diameter is definitely correct (I've been burned before buying "26" tires that don't fit "26" rims!) but the only question is if there is an issue with it being narrower. Digging around, I've found the specs for RadCity rims, they have a width of 30mm. Now if only I knew what that meant in terms of putting a 50-559 tire on them …

EDIT: OK, looking at Schwalbe's site it seems the Marathon Winter Plus 2" are too narrow? However, I am reading elsewhere that some people don't have much use for the ETRTO recommendations for tire width, some think they overstate how wide the ideal tire could be. But even then there are considerations when running at lower pressures, there are so many different POVs ... sigh, why did I think there would be an easy answer? I'm getting to the point of thinking maybe I should just try it -- though hopefully someone out there has some experience to share with me first.

The Ice Spikers at 60-559 would just work in the 30c rims, but as I said I don't suspect they'll meet my needs as well.

 

[Drew]

I suggest watching this video, and take note at 2m29s the guys says, "The moral is ... two studded tires would have been better".

 

[MadManMark]

Point taken, Drew, but I believe the fully stated moral is actually: two studded tires would have been better than ONE. I'm still working on achieving the "than one" part, aka "better than zero," and I'm pretty sure the that although I'd get benefit from switching the rear too, whatever that might be will be less than the incremental improvement from the first one on the front. As I said in my last sentence I'll evaluate the rear after settling on the right tire. In the meantime if whatever I try doesn't work out for whatever reason, I halve the cost of any mistake.

Do you have any experience or recommendations with studded tires on this or the Radwagon (I think they have the same rims)?

 

[MadManMark]

FYI I did put tow Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus 2" (the ones I posted about earlier) on my Radcity. Still pretty pricey in US, I was seeing around $80-$100 each, but I bought direct from Germany & got them for < $34 Euros each (plus flat shipping, but I was buying a number of things). I've ridden maybe a hundred miles on them in my commutes since the ice first became a constant feature of the side roads here in Wisconsin last month, and they have worked well for that, though snow on top of ice can be treacherous.