Studded tires - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

01-25-2004, 12:36 PM

I ran into this news group while roaming around looking for waterproof
shoe options. There were some postings about studded tires, so I thought
I'd put in a personal experience.
During the winters of 83'and '84 I was a student at the University of
Montana, in Missoula, MT. I owned a stumpjumper sport and a Blue Sky
cycle trailer, that was my only form of transportation. I studded my own
tires at the time, so for those of you who would like to know how,
here's what I did:

What you'll need:
3/8 inch, #10, pan-head sheet metal screws. (buy them by the box as it
will be cheaper.

A Can Barge Cement (available at hardware stores)

A pair of discarded tubular sew-ups, with sewing and tubes removed.

An old pair of 26' knobby tires you are willing to sacrifice; maybe an
extra in case you make a mistake and have to start over.

An electric drill with a set of bits

The knob pattern on my tires had a knob at the center of the tire,
alternating with a pair of knobs on either side of the center line.

Using a drill bit smaller than the size of the screws, drill holes in
the pairs of knobs on either side of the center line going around the
full circumference of the tire. Don't use the single knobs at the center
line of the tire.

Once the tires are drilled, screw the sheet metal screws in from the inside.

To protect your inner tubes use the disassembled sew-ups. Trim the
tubular tire so that it fits around the inside circumference of the
studded tire. Using the Barge Cement brush the cement liberally over the
inside of the tires, over the heads of the screws. Do not put any Barge
Cement on the sew-up casings. You want the cement to hold the liner in
place, but you also want to be able to remove it later to replace studs.
Place the liner inside the tire so that the tread of the sew-up is
adhered to the screw-heads. You may want to inflate an old tube inside
so that it holds everything together as the cement dries. I recall
letting them sit for a couple of hours before mounting them. When
mounted, do not inflate to the recommended pressure. You want them under
inflated.

My experience using these tires for two winters was quite good. As
residential streets became icy, I was able to ride in ice ruts with
remarkably good control; although, at quite a reduced speed. Here's a
disclaimer, you ain't gonna go fast with these and you don't want to.
They weigh a ton, and icy conditions make fast riding stupid. Go slow,
allow plenty of room for braking, and be extra cautious. I enjoyed
riding when it was cold and clear. I did find, however, that if there
was a fresh layer of snow that prevented the studs from reaching the ice
beneith, I didn't have much control. So they work best on packed
surfaces or icy surfaces.

Also, it was a time intensive process to make them. I recall spending
most of an afternoon making the tires. The next year it didn't take so
long to just replace the studs. But drilling and such was quite time
consuming.

Have fun
Royce Christensen

01-26-2004, 02:11 PM

R Christensen wrote:
> I studded my own
> tires at the time, so for those of you who would like to know how,
> here's what I did:

..... uhhhh, ok.

That'll work.

01-27-2004, 08:40 AM

Bill Blum wrote:

> R Christensen wrote:
> > I studded my own
>
>> tires at the time, so for those of you who would like to know how,
>> here's what I did:
>
> .... uhhhh, ok.
>
> That'll work.

Not certain what he did, but if it were simply screwing in
some sheet metal screws into the knobs, that only works if
you stay on ice and snow.

In a commuting situation where you encounter a mix of paved
road and snow/ice, the mild steel of the screws wear down
*really* fast.

A set that I used lasted only a bit over a week! I had to
go to some Nokians with carbide studs, which have lasted now
into their third winter of riding mixed surfaces.

They're expensive (60 bucks for the cheapest knobby ones),
but are holding up well, extended by having two wheel sets
and often using only the front studded tire (2.1" Avocet Cross
tire on the rear).

Got a snow storm on the way later today and tomorrow, so just
put the second studded knobby back on the rear wheel for the
expected snow and ice mix.

They're great tires!

SMH