Anyone tried both in the area and have an opinion? Last year I just ran my summer terra speeds. I had a couple slams on icy stuff, but overall it was not too bad, I am just curious about trying studs.
Thanks for responses in advance, Owen.
Hi Owen,
I think you could get several different opinions on this topic and there would be some truth in all of them. After over 20 years of winter riding I do not use studded tires only because them roll poorly which is a buzz kill. You strike me like a excellent bike handler which is the key to successful winter riding. I run tires with good/heavier tread with 35ish psi.
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If you are riding around town for commuting I’d say 100% studded tires. If you are on the open road then they are a soul sucker. But you are fit and young so studs are less impactful.
I run studded tires on all the bikes, fat, mtb and gravel. I’ve tried a couple different studded gravel tires, the best I’ve found are the Terrene Griswolds, they’re the only studded 700c tire with an aramid bead, so they’re ever so slightly slighter than wire bead studded tires. They are still much heavier than non-studded, but like Mr. Daniells said, if you’re riding around town, you’ll definitely want studded, but out on the gravel rides, they’re prolly overkill. The schwalbe marathons are good, but very heavy and roll like hot garbage. I tried a set of Vitoria Tereno Wet last winter and they were pretty decent, but I didn’t find they rolled any better than the studs. Continental also makes a winter specific non-studded 700c that is supposed to be decent on icy/snow, but I don’t have experience with those. Maybe this winter will be different and we won’t get the shitty freeze/thaw cycle we usually do, lol. But also, get a fat bike =).
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+1 to “get a fatbike” 
For gravel riding, I haven’t ever used studded tires. Typically, the gravel roads (especially out in the country) are better than paved roads in winter, since the surface is rougher and it’s harder for a smooth ice surface to form Yup, I’ve crashed a handful of times over ~10 years, but not that much all things considered. And I know for sure a few of those crashes were on paved roads while “getting to the gravel”.
For in the city, there’s a lot more surface variation and turning involved, so there studs are much more important.
As Rob H mentioned, Conti makes a non-studded winter-specific tire. I’ve got a set of Michelin Stargrip tires that are also non-studded but meant for winter. They seem to work reasonably well, though I haven’t put a ton of kilometers on them. (but they do require tubes as they are not tubeless-ready) Now that I have a fatbike with studded tires, any icy conditions riding is on that bike, though.
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If you’re committed to riding consistently every day all winter, there will be a few days where studs would come in handy, which I think is what you found last winter 
.
For ~7 years I bike commuted to Guelph year round. My “deep winter” setup was a studded schwalbe marathon tire on the front and a normal one on the back, single speed with fenders. I found that if you felt the back wheel slipping it was fine/save-able, especially running lower pressure, but hitting black ice in the dark without front-studs there was nothing you could do and it was a bad time. I looked at front studs as an insurance policy. Since most of your weight is on the back wheel, you minimize the soul-sucking rolling resistance added too.
That said, IMO if the conditions are crappy enough to make studs preferable, conditions aren’t really favourable for actual group riding anyway so who cares if you go a little slower riding by yourself. So to that end, I’d run the beater single speed w front studs for riding by myself and getting to/from the office in crap conditions, and run my cx bike (this was in the time before gravel bikes) when conditions were decent enough, including winter group rides. Hope that makes sense.
I actually have a spare studded tire (700x35) if you wanna borrow it this winter. Just promise to use it
EDIT: final thing, studs don’t really help in powdery snow. They help a bit in the sticky wet stuff that compresses down to that greasy ice, but really they only help give you purchase when you hit patches of sheer/solid ice.
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I have ridden studded Marathon Winter Plus (the ones with the most studs) and I absolutely love and vouches for them. They are super reliable, super durable, ride well in many many conditions, including dry pavement and gravel.
Personally, considering all of the winter nuances (clothing, wind, air density, mobility, motivation, etc) I never felt like they were a drag of that they slowed me down. In fact, I have been very much surprised by how well they carry momentum and how easy it is to keep them going. I have ridden the 700x35 and would get them again any day you ask. After a few split second wipeouts on black ice, I find it a no brainer.
Kev has a very good point here.
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