Schwalbe Winter Tire (HS 396)

Bought these many years ago at LBS. I put approx 25 miles per week on them Dec-Mar. Treads and studs are still good after at least 5 Northeast winters. No punctures yet for me or my wife. They've saved my butt when I hit an unexpected black ice puddle in the dark. I'd buy another set, but I might not need them for another 5 years.

The tread is pretty mild, so they're not great when the snow gets deep. Not so many studs either, so don't lean too far over. They are slower than what you ride in the summer, but if you want just enough winter traction, these are good compromise. If you want more traction and more studs, get something knobbier, and be prepared to go even slower. These are around the same level as the Nokian A10, which is skinnier with a more square profile.

Great tires, Just like a marathon but with studs and some extra knobs, there are empty holes that you could put in another row of studs if you wanted, but it works well enough on ice without.

I have read the reviews about these tires and expected that maybe these tires may not perform but I figured I'd give them a try. I won't be returning them. On glare ice and packed snow they perform better than I expected. Without saying I got stupid and tried them out in slushy snow... don't even try it bicycle riding in those conditions could be determined to be suicidal as the laws of physics quickly conspire to work against you, gravity being the most pronounced. I live in NW Montana where we have snow for at least 5 months of the year and I was determined to get out on my bike. I have a hybrid that came with 700X32 tires I measured and ordered a set of 700X35. Yes they are a tad slower than a road bike high performance tire but c'mon if your riding in the conditions I do speed is not exactly a high priority. Ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you I am no slouch when it comes to going fast but conditions have to be reasonable. so getting back to these studded tires, I've never had a set prior to getting these babies and I love em.

These have made it possible for me to continue to commute by bike this winter. They handle the frequent icy patches from freezing snowmelt great. They are noticeably slower, though.

Put the studded tires on my commuter bike. I try to ride a few times a week. I took a spill in December so bought these, they really give me confidence on the icy spots of the road.

I've been using these tires for winter commuting in Montana for a couple months. They have generally done a very good job at keeping me upright through snow, ice and slush. The only complaint would be that if the snow has really been packed down and turned to ice chunks and you end up in a tire rut (e.g. on a non-plowed side street or something), and there is built up ice on both sides of the rut, the lack of studs or knobs on the edge of the tire make getting out of the rut a little dicey. But I'm not sure there is much that could be done to really solve that problem anyway. I would definitely buy these again.

I'm a Michigan transplant so frigid winters are relatively new to me. Last winter I was taking my chances with rubber on ice, everything is fine but suddenly I'm on my back, still clipped in, headlight and water bottle skipping off the trail in opposite directions. Time for studded tires!

With these tires I'm confident on solid ice, like frozen lakes or just thin cracking patches of ice. You are only as secure as the ice you are riding on, so I have been on a sheet of ice that slides a bit, even though the tire maintains traction it is possible to slip out a few inches. Frozen earth and gravel are no problem. This is my cross bike, so I've been over every type of terrain with no issues except deep show where only maybe a fat bike can go. Even dry pavement is ok, the zing of the spikes is actually less than I had expected. I'll keep these tires on through winter, ice or not. Co-workers think I'm crazy to commute in conditions they can't even walk in!

I didn't know what to expect but I like them. Good grip on icy pavement. Too thin to provide a lot of benefit in measurable snow. The studs make. Nice humming noise which shouldn't have surprised me but did. I recommend the tires.

these are not light but they are rugged tires for snow and ice. i have been riding dry pavement as well and they have plenty of traction, plus they dont feel akward. i am running on a narrow 700c x 1314mm rim just fine

These things are heavy and slow. The ride is like putting tractor tires on your Maserati. They sound like your favorite jeans are ripping. But if you live in my neighborhood, where the snow truck drivers seem to forget how to use a plow, these are the difference between riding outside and hating life on the train. On ice, you just don't think about it until you go to dismount and eat it. In Winter, they are a dream.

I've been riding with mine for a month now. Just this week we had a couple inches of snow that have compacted to become a serious layer of ice especially on the side streets. These tire have made my commute possible, they are my first pair of studs so I have nothing to compare them, however they were 50% the cost and are doing a great job. The tires have the same feel as other Schwalbe Marathon tires and are just as difficult to install.

Ride with confidence on wintery surfaces. These tires keep your ride stable on snow and ice. But this traction comes at a cost. On dry pavement, the rolling resistance of these tires is substantially more then my Continental gatorskins.

We had a pretty gruesome winter last year in Boston, and these saved my ass on a number of occasions. Important to note that if you corner too hard, the spikes can't save you. Rode about 2000km without a puncture, and lost only 4 spikes, so I guess these will survive a few more winters.

I put this on touring bike rims (Cannondale T2000), and headed out along my usual trail. There was glare ice, rough ice patches, and some crunchy snow along the way. The tire performed perfectly in all cases. Smooth, no slip on the rear while accelerating a bit on the glare ice, stable tracking through the rough patches, and like the snow wasn't there for the crunchy stuff.

It did take more effort to pedal at my usual pace, but not overly so. The rubber part of the tread is fairly aggressive, so I would suspect it to be decent in dirt, but not mud. The noise of the studs was noticeable, but not overly so. I was careful turning sharply, as the studs do make the front wheel a bit more skittish. I wouldn't take these tires down my CO mountain road at 35 MPH, but I would at 20 MPH, and slowing on the icy turns, just like one does in the car with studded tires.

I've run studded tire on my cars for 30 years, and these tires are as well built as I've seen. At almost 200 lbs, I put a lot of stress on these tires with no missing studs and no noticeable wear. If I were commuting, I would suspect I could easily get 1000-1500 miles of use riding bike trails.

I live in Ontario, Canada and ordered these for my winter riding needs which includes mostly gravel or chip-seal country roads that are snowice packed from Dec through March. In addition to traction issues we have quite a few steep hills here, putting a premium on traction for ascents and descents. I ride throughout the year and average about 100kmweek in winter. Before trying these tires I had successfully used Trigger Pro and Sammy Slick in winter. Both are file tread tires with side knobs. The file tread allows them to clear quickly while the side knobs, when they kick in, provide a chance at staying upright. Suffice it to say that it's a white knuckle ride! FYI, I have never flatted in winter (I use Conti butyl tubes with Stans's compound inside them).

Having read various reviews of spiked tires I thought I would trade up in traction and safety.

For my first ride with these tires I chose a 35km route that included pack snowice and some clear asphalt, basically anything I would encounter in a typical winter ride.

Given the weight of these tires compared with 300-325g for the aforementioned semi-slicks, I was expecting a slower ride. Even so I was surprised by the increase in rolling resistance. At 50psi, these tires were hard to keep rolling on every surface I encountered. Plus, they hey were noisy to the point of being annoying, and after 35km I felt like I had ridden 75km. But even more surprisingly they offered little, if any, upgrade in traction over my usual rubber.

Perhaps tires these aren't meant to go fast and the resistance curve bends sharply up past a certain speed (likely) or perhaps I could lose several watts of resistance by tweaking tire pressure. And perhaps they get better after a break-in period.

I'm wiling to give them another try, but boy, given how noisy they are, this might not happen for a while!

Conclusion some upgrade on snow and ice, although surprisingly little in my experience, vastly increased resistance and noise.

I bought 2 tires, installed them on the bike, inflated them to about 80 psi (sidewall recommends 50-95), and made sure they were both seated properly. I rode a short distance, and everything seemed fine. The next day I was surprised to find the rear tire had blown out and the bead was separated from the rest of the tire in 2 places. The front tire seems fine, but I don't trust it anymore, so I replaced both with a pair of Nokian Hakkapelittas.

Have used these all winter and rode blacktop and gravel with packed snow and ice with no issues. They rail and give you great confidence on ice for traction in both power and braking

Since I've only had one ride with these tires in the snow, and they are my first experience w studded tires, my review is limited.

I really like this tire. They don't help much in deep snow but on ice they are great! I take them out on a frozen lake by my house to check out the ice fishermen. They are great on shear ice!

These tires have been great! I commute to work everyday in northern Vermont, where weather can vary from day to day. These tire have served me well during snowy rides and the nutty thaw freeze cycles of VT.