Oh man is it ever! The front tire has a mind of its own and the bike jogs to the left or right kinda randomly. Putting weight to the back and twisting the throttle seems to be the way to cut through but a few near misses and you back off the throttle and it gets harder lol.
Yup. The rear tire is an IRC M5B that must be at least 6 years old. The studs in it were put in with a stud gun and it has proven to be very durable. The front was also an IRC and also studs put in with a stud gun but after 6 years or so the smaller knobs were taking a beating and I was losing some studs so I made a new front tire using the Mitas Winterforce and 1/2" ice studs which seem to be working well. Studded tires are usually pricey if you're buying new ones that someone has made but 24MX had a good deal for a set using carbide studs (stud gun vs. screw in type) for about $450 CAD taxa and shipping included. Not sure if that deal is still on or not.