Schwalbe Winter Tire 700c (HS 396)

I only have a few miles on them, but will forget if I don't do a preliminary review. Schwalbe recommends a 40km break-in on blacktop before putting them to work.

Although it is supposed to snow for a week, it was balmy in the 40s today, which melted all the ice. I could only find a little snowpack next to a parking lot to ride through. I had excellent traction, though ruts were a bit of a challenge. On dry pavement, the tires make a sizzling sound. I did not find it annoying. The front tire is not quite so confident as an unstudded tire, but not a problem.

These neighborhood streets needed a chip-seal a decade ago, and are covered with loose aggregate. Where the material is thicker, the front tire gets quite squirrely. The material is something to avoid, if possible.

I was looking for a hybrid type semi-aggressive tread for year-round use. I was sold on the GT 365 until I saw pictures of the lugs tearing the outer layer of tread, exposing the puncture protection. I had actually considered that because you cannot vulcanize rubber to dissimilar materials. It is my belief it is the Achilles heel of puncture resistant tires. The moderate lugs of the Winter tire should prevent that problem through much less leverage of the lugs.

I used to live in a warmer climate, and no mitigation, however extreme, could allow me to skip airing up the tires daily. Goatheads profoundly affect choices in some regions. We may have 6 or 7 months of winter, here, but goatheads cannot survive.

I have had 2 flats in 20 years. I have the luxury of using ordinary tires, and did not value the puncture resistance of these tires.

What I considered:

Adequate tread for commuting and recreational riding on light snow, glare ice, black ice, and 2 track roads/trails. Lower psi range for comfortable riding. Reflective strip is a plus. Though only 1 in a thousand want one, I usually only consider tires with a dynamo track. These Winter tires have an almost vestigial mini dynamo track composed of tiny ribs inside a slightly proud border. One thumb up, one down. Fortunately, my bottle dynamos employ rubber rollers, which seems adequate. The real test will require rain. Any dynamo track is better than nothing. Not a deal breaker, not even for a dynamo light freak.

I am unable to test for the actual raison d'etre of these tires for a day or 2, but am confident they will prevent spills and wipeouts if I am cautious. At my age, it is cheap insurance. 2 weeks ago, I barely prevented a slide into oncoming. Naturally, the oncoming car was doing about 40 in a 30 on glare ice. The Winter tires are much like my heavy but beloved 10 year old all terrain tires, but with magnificent sharp studs. If not for the extreme price differential, I would have chosen the fully studded model. I thinker younger and more energetic riders should consider choosing the Winter Plus, but this tire will get the job done. I believe this tire is a good value. I could have avoided 2 spills and scared witless if I had bought them last fall. Buy a set, and buy right here at BTD.

These are my go-to winter tires for Twin Cities riding for light to medium conditions. For example, if the plows have already been out and you are just looking for added stability to get over ice and snowpack, these are perfect.

If it is really snowy, I have a second set of wheels with the Marathon Winter Plus tires (additional rows of studs, added stability on snowy days, less fun on the pavement).

Keeping in mind that riding a bicycle in winter conditions is tough and can lead to wipe outs, and studded tires are not a magic solution that allows you to glide through a foot of fresh snow, these are great light to medium winter commuter tires. I have been through many sets over the years.

Used it in Washington DC for few weeks. Tried on fresh snow and it works perfectly. When no snow, it's an extra work (and sound) to ride with, but it's usable (I have only one commuter bike so I let my studded tires on it for weeks). I haven't tried on black iced but friends told me it doesn't work.

I haven't lost any stud during that period, and I had no flat.

This is the first time I am biking in winter, and I am extremely happy with these tires in Bozeman, Montana! It hasn't started snowing consistently here yet, but I know these tires will get me to school and work with no worries about falling and hurting myself. I would highly recommend them, for something that is both affordable and extremely helpful!

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.

If you haven't tried studded tires for winter riding, yo may not know how effective they are. I've crossed smooth ice numerous times without a bobble, and lumpy, irregular ice similarly.

These Schwalbe tires are considerably quieter on pavement than others I've used, and the rolling resistance is more than typical small-lug/smooth tires but not hugely.

There are other models with more studs (wider spacing) but unless you're racing I don't think they'll make any difference.

Just don't lock up the brakes on dry pavement or you may lose studs.

The price is very reasonable.

I had been thinking about studded tires for my commute to work for quite some time before winter. One morning I left the house, and it was pretty icy. I went on with my daily routine and left to work. At the first circle, I started around the corner, and proceded to slide another 20 feet off my bike. At work that day all I was thinking about was studded tires. I got off work and went to the bike shops around town, and couldnt find a reasonable price. Once I found bike tires direct, I went for the purchace. I recieved the tires a few days later, put them on and went out on the icy roads. I have found that I would rather ride my bike on ice than walk. I have had no problems so far. Thanks bike tires direct!

These tyres performed very well. They tackled ice on the road and made me feel secure. Just remember to ride steady and not make sharp turns and you'll be enjoying winter riding.

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.

These are really slow and very heavy tires. I'd guess they're a 30-40 watt penalty over my usual tubeless Gravelking SK tires, BUT they work great on ice and keep me riding when I otherwise couldn't, that makes them worth it.

I haven't lost any studs, they're not too noisy for studded tires. Surprisingly on glare ice they have more traction than my fat bike with studded Dillinger tires

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.

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

Grips very well and puncture resistance is fantastic. I only wish it came in wider version to give more cushion, but if you need a thin winter tire, this is it.