Winter Riding

Since the new Moots is my utilitarian travel/commuter/offroader/onroader/everything bike, I've been itching to ride it to work, but the snow on the streets has packed down to that glaze of slippery ice that's tricky to ride on without winter studs. I did put on a set of cross tires with studs, but at 38mm, they don't feel balanced with the bike. When I commute in the morning, I want brain to be on traffic issues, not maintaining traction, and 38mm is narrow enough to wiggle, slip and slide around while riding.

The market for 29er (700c) tires is a little slim, and a specialty item like a winter studded tire has an even narrower market still. I prefer a winter tire that doesn't just "get me there". I want something that helps "conquer the winter". I don't care about rolling resistance or weight, I just want traction. I checked out MTBR.com and found the following comments steering me to a set of Nokian Extremes:

• After 3 rides, I understand now why Nokians are the gold standard for studded tires. On hardpack snow or ice, they simply grip like nothing else.
• You will be able to ride fast with confidence. UP, DOWN, and all ROUND cranking turns, the tires grip ice in a stunning, staggering, jaw-dropping manner. Don't mess around with half way solutions, because one trip to the emergency room costs more that a pair of Nokians.
• These tires manhandle frozen ground, snow & ice. If you can stomach the price, go for it!

So there's a set in the mail right now on it's way. My prior experience with studded tires is a set of 2.3" Chinese manufactured knock offs that seemed to work ok, they have a lot of studs. We'll see how these turn out, I hope they live up to expectation. 294 tungsten carbide studs just sounds cool.