I commute to work every day and you never know what the road conditions will be like in winter. Because of climate change I note that I am facing ice more and more frequently. Studded tires are an absolute must. I already had a decent studded tire on the front but my rear tire studs were worn down too much. This tire is the perfect match for me! There are lots of studs so even on icy patches I can still get a grip and accelerate if needed. The tire also works well on bare patches - the studs don't slow me down as much as prior models did. And the main thing is that I feel secure with this tire. In retrospect I should have bought 2 of these - for the front and the back. You can bet that I'll be doing so in the very near future! I strongly recommend this tire to fellow winter bikers.
Good traction on and off road...
Did not have any problems on fresh snow, hard packed ice and snow, smooth as glass lake ice.
I had a rock solid grip on most any wintery surface I came upon.
They run good on dry pavement without too much noise and resistance.
I have been running the poor things for the past month on dry pavement.. they have ejected a
number of studs, I kind of expect this to happen/ I have found cornering to hard will do it. not sure if it is a problem on ice and snow. I will find out next winter for sure.
The studs still have sharp square edges and show no signs of wear.
It's a functional tire and looks good doing it.
A short clip of them on my 1990's Nishiki Citi Sport
https://youtu.be/H6lGhYUTtng
if they allow links here....
Great studded tire with a balance of ice traction and acceptable rolling resistance. Not as noisy on dry pavement as I would have thought. I run these on my long tail cargo bike with electric assist and have ridden through 6 -8 inches of new snow without issue. Lots of confidence on ice.
I was anticipating my commute today so I could try these tires out. I try to commute year round but ice and snow have always sidelined me. I ran the same set up as the previous reviewer because my cyclocross would not take the Gravdal in the rear, it would rub on the front derailleur. These tires are great on smooth ice but you better have a Zamboni out in front of you. They are terrible if there are ruts or any amount of snow on the road. My rear end was fishtailing all over the place and my front was turning where ever the ruts pointed. I cannot count how many times I nearly hit the ground today. The Xerxes barely grab the ice once the tread fills with snow and the Gravdal is not nearly wide enough to make it through most snow deeper than a couple of inches. I found that I loss about a dozen studs in the front and a handful in the rear. Many of the studs still left in the Xerxes seem to already be ground down half way. I bought enough of these tires for three of my bikes and am thankful I waited to mount the other two sets so I can return them. My hopes for these tire were so high and they really let me down. I guess the one set I rode on will look good hanging on my garage wall.
Bought a pair for winter commuting in Minneapolis as well as a single Xerxes. My commute consists of cleared streets, mostly cleared paved paths, and rumble strip-esque sidewalks. Currently, I have a Gravdal up front and the Xerxes in back, which seems like a great combo since you have most of your weight on the lower rolling resistance of the Xerxes and the stability of the Gravdal. Personally, I like the noise. It's a nice reminder that I have hundreds of little carbide-tipped friends helping keep me upright. It sounds like biking through that little bit of syrup that's left on the plate after pancakes. Combine that with dehydration and hunger and there could be issues with delicious mirages - you've been warned.
