Review of NOKIAN EXTREME 294 STUDDED MOUNTAIN BIKE TIRE

NOKIAN EXTREME 294 STUDDED MOUNTAIN BIKE TIRE
By: Nokian Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 2
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Great for the crusty hard packed!

On: 2008-01-23

This tire has changed me from a " mostly snowboarding wishing I could ride on the snow with my mt bike" to a " mostly riding on the snow cuz its free and unbelievable" guy. These Nokian tires are animals. Now that the ground is frozen and the crusty ice and snow have laid a perma blamket on the ground, this tire will change your winter singletrack world. The absolute best case scenario is that you have access to snowmobile trails. Cuz these tires like the packed stuff. And if you are surrounded by fressh snow then snowshoe, walk, bike or atv your trails at least once and then get out and aggressilely claw your way thru the single track. In fact you will have better traction on the steeps in snow and ice then you would have on dry dirt. Im telling you, you wont believe how steep you can climb with these tires. I went riding today on frozen snow, ice, and earth and never once did my rear tire slip. I read someone elses review saying that these dont do well on hard packed... nonsense, the hard packed is what you want. Again, if your trails are untracked and crusty - where you break thru the top layer and it is just an insane amount of work - then you need to accept it as a workout for your chicken sticks or you just need someone or something to ride thru and break it in, even just one pass with your hiking boots will do. Trust me, you will be wearing a big ole grin.

A Disruptive Cycling Product

On: 2007-02-19

Despite owning a slightly different Nokian model of tire, I wanted to give my enthusiastic endorsement of the Nokian studded tire range. Without a doubt, these tires are the most game-changing bicycle product I have used. In essence, they allow riders to safely traverse glare ice and slush-covered streets, making riding your Nokian-equipped bicycle across these surfaces safer than walking on them.

The technology behind these tires is steeped in the machine-tool-industry. Instead of using steel for the studs, Nokian employs tungsten-carbide. With 50 times the wear resistance of steel, tungsten carbide provides exception life expectancy.

The hardest metal in existence, tungsten carbide is typically in cutting tools as a replacement for diamonds. It is that hard. Lock the rear brake and you will see a trail of score mark as the studs cut through concrete.

Because the studs are blunted and are only a millimeter in diameter, there isnt an appreciable increase in rolling resistance over conventional tires. Riding on a dry surface will create some additional noise, but it is relatively minor.

If you are commuting in cold climates or merely want to ride wheelies on glare ice, the Nokian studded should be an integral component of your winter cycling arsenal. They will add safety, fun and a sense of security to your cold-weather rides.

Pros
Excellent traction
Low rolling resistance
Reasonable weight

Cons
Hard to get the pressure right for changing surface conditions
Dont work well are hard-packed snow