Last year I made some studded tyres, worked well, once the tube protection is in place. Not so good on tarmac, forced the studs inward, even when worn down, therefore more punctures from the heads of the studs.
Now, I could line with something more robust (i.e. an old slick) but that'd probably push the conversion up to about 2kg per wheel, which is a bit excessive.
I've got a bit of roady stuff on my morning rides and while weekends will take me offroad and into the realms of spikes is better, how do the snow chains fair?
At present there is a mix of hard frozen snow and compacted snow/sheet ice, with more emphasis on the ice.
I'm thinking that if I knock up some snow chains to my existing setup (negating the hassle of changing tyres and bloody hands of studded tyres) It'd be better for the odd bit off road too, less puncture prone etc etc..
Anyone tried both?
Getting fed up of not being out now. Light powder yesterday thwarted my idea of getting out on the road....
had snow chain on rear wheel in the last lot of snow a few weeks ago (and home made spike on front) - it worked great in snow, lots of traction on compacted snow and ice which made riding in the snow fun/great BUT it's extremely draggy and noisy on the road and after a few days could see where the chain was wearing through. i ended up commuting a snow only route avoiding roads and popped it off when the snow had pretty much gone due to the drag/potential catastrophic failure if it snapped! might not be the best solution for roads with patches of ice/black ice
for info i just used a 4m length of 2.5mm chain from b&q (about 8quid) wrapped round the rim/tyre every 3 spokes with a zip tie to hold the ends tight together - it was an old disc wheel so i'm not too attached to the cosmetics of the rim after wrapping the chain round it
btw took 5mins to put on (and can be taken off in less than a minute) as opposed to the 4hours or so it took to make my front spiked tyre!
I've just added more screws to the ones I made last year. I'm up in Scotland and have done hundreds of miles with no punctures, and haven't lost one screw in spite of some 'aggressive' riding. These are for ice and snow, but I find them perfectly manageble on the short bits of tarmac I use to join up local off road trails.
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The tyre is lined with an old used set of [url= http://www.phattire.com/congranprixs.html ]these[/url] with the bead cut off. The tyres are Conti Vert Pro's, but I'd rate a mud tyre as the tread is good for snow. The [url= http://www.wickes.co.uk/Self-Tapping-Pozi-Screw/invt/510791 ]screws[/url] are from Wickes.
Those zip ties wouldn't work on the trails round here. Sheets of ice everywhere.
Yeah, I'm thinking zip ties not working very well here either, it's pretty solid on the trails.
Normal route goes something like this: 6 miles trail, 2 miles back lane (icy) and a bit of clear road, 4 miles trail then 2 miles clear road and 1 mile trail back to the house.
can cope with a bit of drag, it's whether they'll hold me up on sheet ice nearly as well as the spikes. (spikes drag like a bitch too....)
btw took 5mins to put on (and can be taken off in less than a minute) as opposed to the 4hours or so it took to make my front spiked tyre!
see that's the appeal.
May well spend a tenner on some chain in any case and start tinkering...
The thing about spikes and drag though is that the drag is only an issue on tarmac. On most surfaces that the tyres are actually meant for the fact the screws bite in lowers the rolling resistance.
It's a funny thing as you roll along, you can sense the 500 different types of snow and ice that Eskimos have words for. Some is really smooth and grippy, a real pleasure to ride.
It is a popular urban legend that the Inuit or Eskimos have an unusually large number of words for snow. In reality, the Eskimo-Aleut languages have about the same number of distinct word roots referring to snow as English does.
I don't know how many words they have for home made snow tyres...
Thanks MrSparkle, a little education is a good thing.
Thank god you found the time to look on [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskimo_words_for_snow ]wikipedia. [/url]
Certainly saved me the bother and left me more time to use my tyres.
I suspect you can use much shorter 'spikes', spiked tyres only have about 1mm protruding. Although the construction is completely different I suspect that shorter spikes would cause less punctures as well as the screw heads won't get pushed back into the tyre so much, I also saw a guy putting a blob of hot glue on the end of each screw to increase it's size and therefore the pressure the tube exerts on it
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I think DIY chains are a better bet than spikes, but that real spiked tyres are mindbendingly good on ice.
The problem I think with home made tyres and shorter spikes is the fact screws are no were near as hard as those spikes on the Nokians. So the DIY screws wear quickly. Cutting them short, or starting with shorter screws would mean needing to change them frequently.
My back tyre needs new screws, I had a fail on a trail today, as they say. Spinning out the back wheel on an icy climb is a bad idea, especially when having to put a spikeless foot down. 😀
I think DIY chains are a better bet than spikes,
And I am convinced spikes are better than chains. You're only fooling yourself because you can't face either a) the cost of the shop bought examples or b) the painful time it takes to make your own 😉
I'm just trying to make my first set of spikes. Only using 10mm screws so got a 2mm projection, if they're rubbish ten I can take them out and try a 12mm instead. Only doing one tyre too (spesh enduro) and depending how this goes I've got a bonty acx waiting too.
Quite interested in the chains although not really got much in the way of snow left here. Have you guys got any photos you can put up of some successful examples?
Cutting them short, or starting with shorter screws would mean needing to change them frequently.
Can you quantify this? What is your definition of 'frequently' and do you have any direct experience of the rate of wear?
Tungsten studs are undoubtedly harder than steel screws, but given the frequency of use, (i.e. - not very much), the fact that they're rather cheap for rather alot and they're easy to get hold of and easy to replace, the DIY screw route wins for me.
I meant to make a start on my diy ice tyres tonight. But didn't. Maybe tomorrow...
Schwalbe studded tyres used steel spikes until recently when they changed to tungsten carbide, some people refused to sell them as wear over a full season in places where that means 4 months daily use was a problem, given the usage a pair is likely to see in the UK I wouldn't expect stud life expectancy to be a great issue, but if the studs simply get folded flat because they are too long, they are not going to work well no matter how long they last. Learn from those that have made them work 😉 I am fortunate enough to run a pair of Nokian 300 spikers and they work stunningly well on ice and in mixed conditions, but I've also made chains, and they work better in deeper snow where spikes offer no real benefit.
[url= http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-353398.html ]Example no. 1 - Good linking[/url]
[url= http://wvcycling.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/snow-tire-chain-bike/ ]Option 2[/url]
Can you quantify this? What is your definition of 'frequently' and do you have any direct experience of the rate of wear?
Crikey, is this why you're called science officer? First having to change them at all is too frequently for me. I mean, it's not fun. The rate of wear is higher on screws closer to the treads centre. The screws closest to the centre strip have just been replaced after maybe 200 miles. I keep a cycling journal but I can't pull out how many miles the spikes [i]exactly[/i] have done easily, so the estimate shall do. Bear in mind I join my off road up by tarmac, increasing the rate of wear.
Its part of the reason I carry that name. Lets just say it was given rather than me making it up. 8)
Thanks for the response, its handy to have actual information.
Made up a front spike Tyre yeterday with wickes zinc coated wafer head screws. Broad head is good for load distribution, but I couldn't get through them with anything to trim them down. What length protrusion are people running?
Got a 2mm protrusion but that's including the point. That'll probably wear to 1mm after first ride I reckon. Used serrated edge woodscrews having seen a few how-to's but think that broad heads would be better in terms of pressure distribution. Lining the tyre with inner tube rather than just taping the tyre.
sniggletrack - Member
"I couldn't get through them with anything to trim them down."
I've heard people say to use cable cutters but mine barely dented them. So I just used an angle grinder. Therefore my screws vary wildly in length 
But they don't need to be long at all to do the job, I understand why people tend to go with huge long spiky deathtyres but it's not needed and probably counterproductive.
i've been using large/long handled side cutters to cut my spikes down to around 2-3mm protuding from the tyre. front spikes have worn very little but the rear ones are rounding off after about 100miles mixed road/off road and some of that with chains too! i've lined both my tyres with split inner tubes held in place with gaffer tape, no issues with puncturing yet but my mate who only used gaffer tape has punctured (looked more like a pinch than the screws fault mind) - took them off for last week but will be putting them back on tonight for more night riding antics 🙂
Mine are tubeless to do away with all that faff!
I used a dremel cutting disc to cut them down to approx 2mm.
I've just made a pair of Panracer Cinder Ice tyres with 1/2" screws
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5281074493_8dc6c7c151.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ir_bandito/5281074493/ ]DSC_0486[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ir_bandito/ ]ir_bandito[/url], on Flickr
Approx 160 screws per tyre. Ground the tips off with a drill-bit grinding tool, but I suspect I could do with taking a bit more off. Lined the tyres with 3 layers of duck tape. First test on the ice-rink up the road from the bust water-main and they're superb! We'll see how they cope with Tanners Yard tomorrow...
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[/img] Its a bit icy at the moment.
Dug out the ice spikers Mk2 last night. out for a mile or so to try them out.
Forgot just how good it is to have grip, though tarmac is a bit sketchy. Shall have to see how that goes or just ride on pavements when I need to.
May knock up some chains for the daughters bike though, ready to ride back to school in the new year.
🙂
Just spent half and hour putting together some chains for my bike. Actually used some Maxxis semi slicks and the short section of chains and zip-tie method. More fun than I ever imagined. Just took a run down to the shops and back (2.5km) and the traction, cornering and general handling were brilliant. Have put then on my spare wheels for ease of changing.
Dogsby