Trelleborg
Winter Friction Studded Tires
During a recent rain- and snow-filled trip to Oregon, I took a set of Trelleborg's Winter Friction studdded dirt bike tires along for a wintry-weather test ride. They don't have to be strictly used on ice; some riders back home have been swearing by them in the red clay mud of the Southwestern Oregon woods for years. Just as I geared up for the ride, the skies let loose with a rain-snow mix, making for perfect sloppy-snow conditions.
The clay at lower altitudes was pretty slick when it rained, but the studs gripped the soggy ground better than any standard tire with fresh knobs on a perfect day. Places where I normally had to be very careful with the throttle to not spin out were blasted through like I was on a rail. On hillclimbs that would have otherwise required a run, I could stop and start again without spinning the wheel. And those treacherous logs-the ones that have the bark stripped off and are nearly impossible to ride over when they are wet-were no problem at all.
It was almost as if I had spiked tires. Wait a second, I did have spiked tires.As I climbed 3000 feet into the mountains, the rain turned to snow and the soil was frozen in spots. The ground was loamier and rockier higher up, too, but the studded dirt bike tires worked just as well there, especially on frozen ground and packed snow that has melted down a bit and refroze. The only place they didn't work extremely well was on the big, imbedded slabs of rock. There they slid unexpectedly under braking, and they did kick more than standard tires when impacting a stone of decent size.
Mounting was a little more difficult than with a standard tire because the sidewall is stiffer and you have to be careful not to tear yourself up on the studs. I wore gloves and still had a few scratches when I was done. I was impressed with how well they wear; I put about 80 miles on the set in snow, ice, rocks, mud and even a few unplanned miles on asphalt without a sign of wear, not even a rounded knob. Some of my rider friends get about three winters (November through April) out of the Trelleborgs. Remember, these guys are economically minded and take it easy when riding over roads and rocks-and rightfully so. At $259.95 for a front, $336.95 for an 18-inch rear and $359.95 for a 19-inch, you'll want to get as much time out of the studs as you can, too! -Derek Steahly
