SchwalbeWinter Tire 700c (HS 396)(Return to Product Page)

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

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 are great tires for riding on ice and snow packed roads. I'm a commuter so I have to get to the grocery store no matter what the weather conditions are.

Affordable winter road tire that takes the scare out of riding in light snow or potentially icy road conditions. Increased rolling resistance as expected. Studs have stayed in place and grip road well. Certainly not a fast road tire but keeps you riding during winter months . Very satisfied with the purchase

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.

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.

Here in Wyoming we get lots of packed snow and ice. These tires grip well in those conditions. I commute by bike and I haven't crashed yet.

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.