Nokian Suomi Mount & Ground W160 Studded Tire (26 Inch)

I bought these tires so that I would feel safe biking my 2.5 mile commute during the winter months.

I basically put these on as soon as the temperature drops below 33 degrees, and I keep them on the bike until the freezing weather ends. In MarylandDC, this is usually mid November till late March 4 to 5 months.

I prefer to bike on the sidewalks and avoid the streets whenever possible. Since pedestrians have the right of way, I just ride around them, which usually puts me on grass during the detour.

So, how do these tires do? In my opinion

Regular Pavement Wet or Dry

They are fine. There is a greater rolling resistance due to the lower pressure and the metal studs, so you do get more of a workout. You will also hear a mild hum from the studs as they contact the pavement 160 times per tire per revolution. I like to think of this as the sound as the sound of security and stability.

Icy Pavement

This is where these tires shine. They are awesome on ice! Smooth ice, rough ice, that wavy ice from un-plowed-walked on-snow melting-during-the-day-freezing-over-at-night, these tires tear it up! I feel more stable ridding on ice with these than I do walking on those same icy paths. You do need to watch out for ruts though, like other frozen bicycle tracks as gravity will want your wheels to slide into and follow them. However, the studs fight that resistance very well, but it can feel a little unnerving. These tires are awesome for ice.

Snow Covered PavementFresh 4 inches

These tires are wonderful for a fresh light un-plowed snow. Can you say WeeeeeeeeEEE! When perfectly upright, you may feel a little sliding, but then you will feel the studs which are slightly to the sides gripping and returning stability. It is so much fun ridding in the fresh snow.

Snow Covered Pavement Fresh 4 to 8 inches

Very challenging, as in the rolling resistance is very high and you will be working for pedal rotations. The deeper it gets, the tougher it will be. I still have fun under these conditions!

Snow Covered Pavement un-Plowed, and heavily traveled 3 inches

Can be difficult ridding. You need to watch out for ruts as these make steering true somewhat difficult. If you are thrill junkie, you will probably enjoy this. Me, I tolerate it.

Snow Covered PavementPlowed 3 inches

I am referring to the side walk next to the main street with has a lot of plowed snow on top of it. This is near impossible to peddle through. I usually get on the road at this point, and pray that all the cars all see me.

IcyCrunch Top, Creamy in the Middle Snow

Very difficult to ride through. Very difficult. Again, here I move to the plow road.

In review, I have used these tires for 4 winters in the MarylandDC area I know, mild wi

These are my first studded tires, and after more than one winter season I rely on them every day. They are good.

The reviewer above who gave comments for different types of snow riding is correct basically they are excellent in fresh snow or on flat ice. The studs are great for my 3 mile commute to the Boston Alewife MBTA station and back.

Biking on these after my old 27 'summer' bike feels like driving a slow tank. Your legs will get stronger! Be careful on tight turns - even on dry surfaces, as there is a certain point in a tight turn after which the tires just let go. Do all studded tires do this? Probably. Maybe someone can comment? Anyway, mine make winter biking possible and I like them. After paying $100 for 'em I hope to get 10 years out them!

1.9 is what I would call the narrowest mountain bike tire I care to ride on. That being said, the 2.1 tire costs 50% more so, for roughly $100, these tires can't be beat. If you're on the fence, or strapped for cash, try just one in the FRONT. I rode for the past several years with just one and have been just fine. This mild 2011-12 winter in Minnesota has gotten me out riding much more so I ordered another one for the rear. Know that with this model you can't lean into a turn completely on edge because there are no studs on the outer knobs. For me 95% of my winter (cautious) riding doesn't allow big bank turns anyway.

My first pair of these still looked good after three winters of use, not much weathering and all studs still in place. I took the bike out for the fourth winter and the bike and tires were stolen.

I immediately ordered another pair. Even new, they looked a little ratty, like a bad rubber cure, and one of them threw a couple studs after just a few weeks use. Performance was fine, but they did seem to wear a little more than the first pair. At the end of the third winter, the rear tire blew due to a separation between some of the blocks. I replaced the rear tire with a non-studded tire and decided to wait for a sale or a burst of winter weather (Global Warming, or at least the symptoms of it, have hit Southern Idaho recently).

The remaining studded tire blew today after a couple of months of use due to a separation along the sidewall.

I ride the bike most days for about 10 miles per day through snow, packed snow, and black ice. I like the performance, control, and safety factor. I inflate the tires to max pressure (45 psi) since I am heavier than average. I usually tow a trailer.

I can't help but think that the second pair were from a bad batch.

Oh, yes, I'll be buying another pair, although I must remark that having just one studded tire, in front, is a pretty good setup.

Jim

We live in the mountains in Colorado where the weather changes tremendously from day to day. We were going to buy another brand of tire but talked with one of the staff at Bike Tires Direct and he recommended these. AWESOME ice performance! Not sure why they recommend dry pavement break-in but we were also surprised that the dry traction and cornering stability is pretty good too. A little pricey but well worth it..... you don't even flinch when you round a corner and are faced with a sheet of ice!

While riding year round for enjoyment in Minnesota one can not avoid some very wintery conditions. These Nokian tires at 1.9 width ride easy on bare pavement and mixed snow up to a couple inches. Cutting through deeper snow requires more effort. On a smooth ice lake I found a whole new realm of enjoyment. Could barely walk on the slick surface, but the Nokian spikes held in the corners at safe pedaling speeds. Bought another set of rims just for these tires and plan much more ice riding. I recommend taking along ice-fisherman safety hand spikes with the tips covered (falls are more likely than a dip in the lake). Oddly enough I have known about Nokian studded tires since the early 1990s having visited the Finland plant regarding reflective tire stripes.

Last year I bought one of these tires and mounted it on the rear of my HybridMTB for winter riding. It worked great, I did not plan on using the front brake and didn't. No slipping and gripped very well, no spin outs on hills. This winter I remounted the rear tire and then read a bicycling in winter article that said you should put the studded tire in the front. So, BTD had a daily special for the very same tire and I bought my second one. Now I have them on front and back. This winter I have ridden in snow and ice numerous times and they are great! I can ride with confidence in lousy conditions with no worries about skidding or slipping. The first tire probably has at least 500 miles on it and no sign of any loosened or missing studs. Great tires for winter!!

Rides well on all surfaces (I expected rougher.) They really shine on ice, and I was amazed with the stopping power I had, even on glare Ice.

I got these on a Black Friday deal so that was sweet. I have used them in icy conditions quite a few times now and they work great. I can now commute even when the trail is a solid sheet of ice. I'm happy.

I live about a mile from rail trail that leads to single track, so maybe 20% of my time is on paved surface. Many friends have the extreme that is perfect for single track, but poor rolling resistance on paved. I opted for this to get a decent ride for the conditions that occur 90% of the time.

Plus the price was not much more than I paid for some steel studded tires.

These tires are fantastic - even better than advertised! Great traction on ice and pretty good even in loose snow. Have lost only one stud in three winters of daily commuting.

I used them on both the front and rear wheel of a Trek, although only the front may be necessary. Grabbed on the icy patches well with those studs, and due to its larger size and treads it handled a reasonable amount of snow as well.

It was also compatible with the clear, surfaced road. Other tires with larger studs affected normal riding stronger, but with this tire I only could hear the studs hitting the surface, they didn't affect the quality of the ride. It looked like the studs were shaped after they were implanted to better accommodate that.

This has been the mildest winter in recent memory (Wisconsin) but we've gotten enough snow and ice buildup for me to finally be able to offer an opinion on this tire. It definitely makes a difference on ice. I feel much more confident while riding on ice I can see and hard snow pack where there's likely ice lurking beneath. In deeper snow, I don't know that it has the same impact to be able to power through, but I don't think that's necessarily a feature of the studs. Overall, I'm pretty pleased and feel like I have a better chance at emerging from my winter commutes with fewer wipe outs.

I have had the tires out on glare ice and snow and many conditions in between. Sometimes all conditions occur on one ride. On ice and ice covered with water or snow, the traction is very good. Of course I am not changing speed a lot or cornering hard in these situations. The bike does not slip. I can ride up onto compacted snow banks too. With slush on ice, the bike gets a little loose, but no worse than soft sand. As another reviewer said, deep or crusted snow is a problem. The tires are not magic. I give up riding and start walking the bike when the snow gets to a foot deep.

On dry pavement the studs do make some noise. However, the traction is about the same as regular knobby tires. Have not tried them on rock or mud.

Maximum pressure is 45 psi, and there is a recommended break in for the tire of no large fores on the tire for 30 miles or so. I have not lost any studs yet.

Not bad. I think they fudged the size though. They seem small for 1.95s. Didn't like the studs and tread being right down the gender of the tire either. Not bad if your ice isn't bad. Better for soft snow.