Studded Bike Tires Are Worth Every Penny
Schwalbe Winter HS 396 Review
These are serious tires without serious cost. The Schwalbe winter HS 396 tires are the perfect pick for a winter bike commuter.
You’re riding along in November. It didn’t snow but the temperature dipped below freezing last night. You make a turn- suddenly feel like you’ve lost control. Your wheels slip out from under you as you crash toward the pavement. In the blink of an eye you feel the intense pain in your joints; your winter clothes barely softening the blow as they shred between your skin and the ground.
After muttering a few expletives you peel yourself off the road and assess the damage. You look back to the culprit and see a small patch of ice. It’s not even winter yet but mother nature has ruined your day.
It’s time to invest in winter tires.
I ride a single speed bike through the Chicago streets every winter. My standard 700c rims leave me with limited studded tire choices.
I’ve been riding the Schwalbe Winter HS 396 tires for three winters and I have no plans to jump ship. These tires have saved my butt (literally) on countless occasions.
Specs:
700c Widths: 30 mm, 35 mm, and 42 mm.
Cost: Retail for $51 off Schwalbe’s website, but you can find them other places online for as little as $30 depending on the time of year.
Tread: Standard Schwalbe marathon diamond tread pattern with 240 studs staggered along the middle 1/3 of the tire
Sidewall: Wire bead with reflective strip
Weight: 805g per tire
The Experience:
The first thing you’ll notice is these tires are hard to mount. Not because the wire bead is too tight, but rather because the tread is thick and stiff. It can be hard to keep the wire bead in place as you work your way around the tire.
Once the tire is fully on, it may appear “out of true” at first. You’ll need to tediously work around the tire to align it in the center of the rim. With some patience and sore thumbs, it eventually gets there.
The first time you stay upright over a patch of ice you’ll forget all about the issues with mounting these tires.
Winter Riding:
The 240 little cylindrical studs stand out right away. The hockey puck shape of the studs gives the impression they are dull- this is not the case. They have a sharp edge. It’s not enough to cut the skin, but it’s uncomfortable to grip.
The road in the photo above looks scary, but it’s perfect for studded tires. Lower the PSI and cruise across the ice with no fear.
These tires are exceptional in icy conditions. I can’t overstate how well these tires perform on slick roads. I can literally ride these tires across a sheet of ice with no fear of falling.
There are icy sections of road where I’d be afraid to walk, but can ride across like its pavement. The Schwalbe HS 396’s provide extreme traction in slippery conditions.
This becomes especially helpful when riding in a city where you can’t always avoid the glassy spots. Sometimes you need to choose between avoiding a car door or riding onto a patch of ice.
You never have to make that choice with the HS 396 tires.
Snowfall
The HS 396’s are great in some- but not all types- of snow.
Hard packed powder- ‘sno problem. The schwalbe HS 396s “dig in” to the hard packed snow and make for a stress-free riding experience. The traction is excellent, especially on sections where standard tires would slip.
1–2 inches of light fluffy snow is another area where these tires impress. When the snow cover is light, the metal studs can cut through the snow and contact the pavement below. The traction is excellent as long as the studs can touch the pavement.
Ice under snow becomes much less terrifying. As long as the studs can cut through to the ice, the traction is excellent. If the snow is so deep that the tires can’t directly contact the ice, then the tires behave as if you are riding across loose deep snow.
Deep, loose, uneven snow is problematic. These tires like to cut through the snow rather than over it. When the snow is deep and loose it becomes like riding through sand. Sometimes the bike fishtails and other times it just seems to get stuck.
Frozen slush is treacherous even with these tires. When the ice is flat, the chances of the studs gripping the ice is nearly 100%. As the surface becomes more irregular, the ability for the studs to grip the ice decreases. Frozen slush is still dangerous even with these tires.
Overall these tires are fantastic in winter conditions. The only time I run into trouble is on frozen slush. If we get snow that turns slushy, it can turn into an icy mess if the temps dip below 0. This rarely happens in Chicago.
Riding on Pavement:
These tires are heavy. 805g per tire is no joke. Lifting the bike up to a rack is noticeably harder. The weight is most apparent with acceleration. With all the extra mass at the edge of the tire, it takes more power to gain momentum. The spikes add to the rolling resistance which doesn’t help the problem.
Turning on pavement feels abnormal. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but turning with these tires is unnerving at first. It feels like turning on 4-wheel drive on dry pavement- the tires seem to almost have too much grip.
The studs are LOUD! Don’t try to sneak up on anyone with these tires. They’ll hear you coming. This video from one of my favorite cycling YouTube channels- bikeblogger shows just how loud these tires are. He captures the noise pretty well in his video, they really do make that much noise.
Fortunately, these tires don’t specialize in pavement riding
Durability
The Schwalbe HS 396 tires are very durable. The studs don’t seem to wear down at all. All photos on this page have been taking after about 1000 miles of winter riding. I’ve also never had a flat tire in the winter.
Tire Pressure
My final note on these tires is the pressure. You need to vary the tire pressure depending on the situation. Icy riding requires a lower PSI so the studs have more contact with the ice. You’ll trade safety for speed, but it’s worth it.
For dry conditions pump the PSI to the max. The studs will still have some contact for ice patches, but rolling resistance will decrease significantly.
TLDR:
- Studded tires are worth the money
- A sacrifice in speed significantly increases safety
- Studded tires are loud on pavement
- Studded tires provide extreme traction in winter weather
- I recommend every winter cyclist invest in a pair of studded tires
