I’ve thought about purchasing a studded tire for my winter-time unicycle, a 26" Semcycle, but (1) I was reluctant to spend the money because (2) my 2.6" Nokian Gazzaloddi handled most North Dakota winter road conditions quite well.
Still, I’ve looked at three different brands of studded tires over the past two years, and was only tempted by the very expensive Nokian Extreme. All other brands/makes of studded tires seemed either too thin or had too few studs. But a few weeks ago I was made aware of a studded tire made by Kenda, the Klondike XT. The local bike store had one on the shelf, and persuaded my spouse that the 2.1" Klondike XT would make a wonderful Christmas present. Happily, she bought it for me!
Now we’ve had some very icy conditions up this way o’er the past several weeks, and so many of our residential roads and bike paths are actually slick enough for skating. Still, I’ve been getting out to unicycle my 6-mile loop a couple of times a week, when the wind isn’t too gusty, but I’ve been quite careful to avoid the lumpy and ridged portions of the icy streets whilst getting some much-needed exercise. Thankfully, I’ve not taken a tumble yet this winter (touch wood). At age 54, UPDs are terrifying.
Anyway, yesterday I removed the 2.6" Gazz and installed the 2.1" studded Klondike XT, then went for a one-hour spin. WONDERFUL! The studded tire (at 23-25 pounds pressure) worked really well! Fifteen minutes into my route, I finally summoned the courage to deliberately pedal o’er the slickest and lumpiest portions of the ice-covered residental roads, which is something I’ve never had the mind to do with the Gazz. Honestly, I was amazed! The Klondike XT never slipped! The grip was amazing! My confidence increased with each passing minute, and, candidly, during the last couple miles of my hour-long loop I found myself preferring the ice to pavement!
The upshot? The Gazz is going to go! The Klondike XT is the ice tire for me! I’m very impressed! – Carl (Grand Forks, North Dakota)