I was reading the link to nokian and schwalbe stud tires and it said that people seem to think having just the front studded is good enough. It also states why it is not. Keeping in mind they are biased but it made good sense too. I have seen a stud tires tool too if anyone is still into it but PNW does not really warrant it except for this freaky weather we just had.
I have not read the links but personal experience suggests that only one studded tire sounds scarey. In really icy conditions you don't want the back tire skidding out from under you which is likely to happen as it did last December on the road bike. 🙁 . Also you lose drive power since you don't have the rear traction you need. You really don't want the back wheel spinning out on you as you're ridding along.
> I was reading the link to nokian and schwalbe stud tires and it said > that > people seem to think having just the front studded is good enough. It > also > states why it is not.
That's something I've casually wondered about, myself. Could a studded front + non-studded knobby rear be a workable compromise while saving $$$ that would otherwise be spent on a studded rear tire? I guess that depends on how rough and how firm the surface ice is.
My answer is no. Knobby or not, without studs that rear wheel will slip on ice. You'll still go down, and you won't be able to go forward even if you stay up.
I've tried it both ways -- I used to have an extra wheel set for the studded tires, but now I only have an extra front. The front stud is clearly more important --for the same reason as it's better to have your "best" tire on the front. If you lose traction on the back, you will go down right there. If you lose traction on the front, you lose steering and may go anywhere. Studded tires are also slower, for obvious reasons. So, for some, a front studded tire might be a good compromise.
But let's put it this way -- I already own two studded tires, and I've ended the experiment with one tire. Part of the problem is that riding with one makes you think you can ride like you have two and that can mean you go down MORE often.
1.A front studded will not get you out of ruts. That is the main reason. And that front slippage is more dangerous as you said. 2. I saw tires made for just getting out those ruts. Screw spacing more to the outside. 106 works as good as 160 in the right place and is lighter.
