[Closed] Studded snow tyres (home made)

Didn't the mag advise using nuts and bolts?

Good show that man - they look lethal!

Nuts and bolts. don't know, it was about 15 years ago.

single threaded screws seemed to have enough bite into the tread to hold.

You really don't want to fit them without gardening gloves on! I've got gouges out of my fingers.

using screws meas that they're not that bad on tarmac either, as in they'll not cause you to slide too much.

I was very very surprised how grippy they were. Most of the lanes are sheet ice, these just bit in enough for em to get up a bit of speed in the corners, then I got the fear as I kept on thinking what I would break if I landed on the ice at speed....

The Marin lite tyres I used as a rear just didn't have deep enough tread to support the screws so they flexed meaning the screwheads pinched the tube. If this ice doesn't cease I'll be on the lookout for an old set of cheap tyres to try Mk2.

🙂

Nice one.

I think the article I remember from years back used a fairly narrow slick tyre, with the bead cut off, to protect the tube from the screws.

I think it was used for riding down the Cresta Run.

Matt

suppose those slime tyre liners would do the trick too.

...this I LOVE!!!
(where did I put them crappy MK's?)

Fantastic.
Wish I hadn't binned them old tyres now.

Might have a go with my old cinders tomorrow!

Two mates of mine did this on proper DH tyres, fitted them to their DH bikes and pushed them up to the middle of the ski station last year, then hooned back down to the resort. They said it was a giggle (and surprisingly effective) but utterly terrifying as the steepness of the slope meant moving your ar$e a long way back and getting very close to the spinning carnage behind you...

The ones I've seen done are screwed in from the other way, then smoothed down with a dremel, it makes hitting the centres of the knobbles easier and still give you the decent grip you require.

The articles I've seen before recommend trimming the screws down almost flush with the rubber. Check out Nokian tyres, there's not really a lot of metal sticking outside the tyre. With more snow predicted I'm thinking of doing a pair myself...

I got Schwalbe Snow Studs. They only have outer studs, but they do work. As said above ,you only need itty little spikes not more than 1mm.

On sheet ice they're only useful at low pressures though - you need centre spikes at higher pressures. The Conti Spike Claw 240s are the ones recommended by folks on here with £100 spare...

My tyres & some snowy ride pics:
[img] [/img]
[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/allankelly/sets/72157622937828481/ [/url]

Cheers, al.

Is it north worth using the plastic "anti puncture" strip you can get to sandwich between the tube and tyre?

I think halfords sell them...

What about doing it to tubeless?? Just a thought, no tube to pinch with the screw heads and the sealant should take care of the holes, also could be run at lower pressures

Owwww...they look interesting. I've found my Mountain King 2.4's spot on in the snow and ice - even a bit too grippy in the snow (giving a lot of drag).

Inspired by this thread, here's my take on the home-made snow tyre.

[img] [/img]

Donor tyre was 2007's must-have wheelband, a Kenda Blue Groove. I've screwed from the inside out (oo-er) and cut down the screws using a cable cutter, then tidied the ends up with a dremel. By way of reinforcement I've added a blob of superglue to the end of each screw as I put it in, and a double layer of gaffer tape on the inside.

So far it's had a quick test ride which didn't actually involve very much ice, looking forward to giving it a proper try later this week.

Excellent.

I've just ordered a set of new exceedingly cheap tyres (some Michelin thingamy's) that should do the trick, so should have a set of fully functional ice tyres Mk2 by the weekend.

🙂

I'm off to the garage now!, but whilst I have a brew..Questions
Google has revealed Robertson screw heads have a puncture resistant head.
Most screw from in to out and trim spikes, others use short bolts in to out and some even just screw a sheet metal screw in from the outside and use the screw head as the contact point.

I guess this is the delight of bodge it and co, there is no one way. Might go and see if I can find any of the Robertson headed screws at the local DIY.

Any suggestions?

I made a pair last week and have done about 80km so far with no issues. They're pretty brilliant, even if I do say so myself.

Front tyre, about 150 1/2" No6 sheet metal screws, back tyre about 80 of the same. Screwed them from outside in through a tread block first, then removed them, and reinserted then sharp end out through the perforation.

I don't see the point in cutting the protruding point down. They'll wear with use, and replacing them once worn is tedious work. I put up with the rolling resistance.

Lined with an old pair of Continental Avenue slicks with the bead cut off.

[img] [/img]

How about using a pop riveter instead of screws with some small rivets?

My LBS has some of those Schwalbe Snow Stud tyres in, he's had them lying around for years but has brought them out again given the current conditions. £40 the pair for 700 x 38c cyclocross ones. I was very tempted...

They said it was a giggle (and surprisingly effective) but utterly terrifying as the steepness of the slope meant moving your ar$e a long way back and getting very close to the spinning carnage behind you...

Reminds me of an article in MBUK a couple of years ago when Rob Jarman (I think) did similar and ended up with ripped shorts (amongst other things . . . ouch!!).

Cool post lads, going to give it a go tomorrow with an old pair of conti explorers 😉

Crazy legs, which LBS is that mate?

Waderider, excellent job. Wearing down the points with use was my theory too. The ice is pretty thick up here so there's no problem with the extra bits sticking out.

Think I may drill through the tyre with a thin drill bit to use as a guide hole before trying to guess where to stick the screws for the next pair.

Still think a couple of layers of gaffer will be enough to stop the screws from pinching the tyre, though I'm looking in the shed for other bits to use too...so far I'm eyeing up the big strips of helicopter tape...

Decathlon 2 tyres £7.50 michelin trail 1.95
puncture resistant plastic tape £8.50
400 6*12mm screws £3.50
contact glue£4
will post up results tomorrow.
Really tried hard to keep it cheap.

Tested in the woods yesterday and it seems to work! There were another few inches of snow here last night, hope they hold together for a few more days!

Waderider, those look like they would do you some serious damage if you took a fall... 😐

But I won't fall, I have full length man studs......not going to die with a 1/4 inch deep wound anyhow! Head injury from lack of grip would be more likely I'd say......off out again, this time with a studless pal. Shall be an interesting comparison, though I think I'll lead him clear of the areas that I know are actually icy rather than just snowy. Studs are for ice or old hard snow, plain tyres work well in the softer stuff.

Ingredients ready
[IMG] [/IMG]

Is it possible to use small screws from out side into large nobbles without anything protruding far enough to pop the inner tube?

i did this to my wheels, and it is very very good
[img] [/img]

i pumped my tire up to 45psi...then the little rubber things press into the snow and work well...has a lack of grip on frozen water tho...

risky I would have thought. Here is my attempt so far.
[IMG] [/IMG]
[IMG] [/IMG]
I will clip the closest couple a little more too.

pulls up chair and gets out notepad

just 1 thing...........
to ride uphill on ice or compressed snow you need grip in the center.
rubber alone does not work.
put a line in the center.

my friends pair of studded endomorphs..time to get serious!

[img] [/img]

could you use gaffer tape as tube protection?

When compared to the tread blocks of a fairly blocky tyre, studs are tiny and in snow look making little difference

If you're in snow, as the tyre compresses into and around the snow, the blocks will produce your grip/traction?

For ice, the studs/screws look brilliant

ton: what happens if you get a puncture? 🙂

I'm loving this thread, and the diy ethic
really tempted to have a go
but I reckon by the time I get around to doing it all the snow will be gone 🙂

this guys idea is good for [url= http://mplsmtb.blogspot.com/2008/12/diy-studded-tires.html ]DIY studs[/url]
alot of folk have copied his idea with success..
me? ive just orderd 29er nokian W240s from the states..maybe too late for this year but at least have them.. at £90 a pair & possible import duty there not cheap but in relation to cost of bikes and continuing riding its a small price 🙂

****! Those DIY'ers are proper. He even made a jig for them!

ton: what happens if you get a puncture?

nigel, i put the bike on my shoulder and run to work/home... 😉

Wally, I have a set of those coming, but I reckon I'll fit screws to one centre block in 4 so I can climb.

Liking teh use of latex in that link to cover over the studs on the inside of the tyre.

I'll still be trying out the trusty gaffer/duct tape.

Word of warning , it has taken 2 hours to drill and then screw 120 screws and my hands hurt. Glued them in and now applying punture proof tape. Ok that's not working tape/glue/tyre will not bond. So I will let glue dry and insert with the tube - as normal.

cut down the screws using a cable cutter

you did WHAT!

God just killed a kitten for you.

I used
2 cheapest nobbly tyres I could find in town. £16.99 each
2 boxes of 2.5x16mm turbodrive screws. £1.50 each
electric drill with 1mm drill bit
electric screwdriver with PZ1 bit

I've not used any protective strip between the tyre and the innertube and after a short test ride they're still holding air.

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[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2692/4253159571_8631d023d5_m.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2692/4253159571_8631d023d5_m.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

clicky

Cool, it's a homebrew tyre frenzy!

Ballsof cottonwool, I'd at least bung some duck tape in there, given all the problems the OP had with punctures.

Had a proper thrash round the woods last night, and they seemed to be working lovely, although it has to be said the people I was riding with didn't have any studs and they were doing fine too.

I still managed to fall off a couple of times, once after my front wheel dug into a concealed hole... and I landed in some yellow snow. 🙁

What kind of tyre preasure is everyone running? After inspiration from this thread, just made some from some old Tioga DH's. At the moment running them pretty firm but just wondering how low i can go before it all goes wrong!!!!

ant, i reckon that the woods isn't the place that they'll show there best qualities. i definitely could have done with a set on my ride home last night - came off twice on polished ice on roads and now have a massive bruise on my thigh to show for it...

Anyone have any bright ideas about converting tubeless tyres without having to re-fit new ones. I have been wondering whether it would be possible to fit some king of carpet-strip-type thing to the existing tyre. Can anyone think of anything else that might work as a spikey strip which can be secured to the exisiting tyre?

I think ballsofcottonwool has used the same Halfrauds tyres that I have used. They even have an "insert screw here" type mark in the tread block. Mine have been going with no problems - or offs (yet...) all this week.

About 35 psi here, for a 12 stone bloke with 5" forks. I wouldn't want them to squirm around too much though.

I'm running at 35psi. Tyre pressure seems to be a fine balancing act with grip varying greatly at different pressures. Because my screws are outside the central rolling strip, changing the pressure affects the amount of contact they are making with the ground.

Cycling with non studded pals has demonstrated there is little or no difference in grip for a studded versus non studded tyre in snow; it's on the ice and compacted stuff where the difference is.

My diy spiked tyres held air without any protection between the tyre and tube over a 2 hour ride in the woods last night. They studs didn't make any difference as the snow was soft and a foot deep. They were reassuringly sure footed on the very hardpacked snow on the roads. I think I'll switch back to my regular wheels while the snow is still soft as they are 600g lighter each due to being having lightweight tubeless tyres as opposed to Halfords puncture resistant monsters.

All done
[IMG] [/IMG]
gone for many tiny tips. Getting tape to stick inside was a nightmare. In the end rubber glued in old tube and held in place for an hour or two with an inflated tube to dry and hold.

This took too much time really. I do not recommend it.
Still - I did spend only about £20.

I'm with Ton on this one. I'd been thinking along the lines of chains rather than studs - the studs things looks like far too much work to me! Ton's solution of short chain lengths and zip ties should be quick and easy. Chances of getting a puncture on these frozen ice n snow roads are really very low.

This is my effort. Approx 54 3.5mm x 20mm diameter screws. These add approx 30-40g per tyre, if anyone cares about that.
[img] [/img]
I've aimed for about 1-2mm above tread level for them when cut down.
[img] [/img]
Since I run tubeless, I'm going to let the tubeless solution do any sealing that might be needed.
I'll fit them later and give some feedback along our 5day compacted ice road that has had cars sliding quite happily.

Well, here's my hurried attempt, about 10 mins work for a doubling of traction on hardpacked snow and ice.
[IMG] [/IMG]
[IMG] [/IMG]
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i have just been out for a spin on the stiffee with a pair of newly SPIKED 2.1 advantages.
they look like ice speedway tyres.......lethal.
fantastic in deep snow and on ice and compressed snow.
a bit sketchy on the road bits.
the chains on the 29r are better on the road but spikes are better offroad.

After a little trial and error down my road, theres definitely more grip down the road than without studs. I think I need a denser pattern though. I feel there could still be more grip.

Air losses seem to be no greater than doing a normal tubeless setup so far!

I spent two hours this morning putting 60 3.5 x 20mm screws into a pair of old Nobby Nics. I cropped the exposed part back to about 3mm and covered the heads of the screws with three layers of gaffer tape.

I had a two hour spin this afternoon and everything held up OK. There is definitely loads more grip. It will be interesting to see how long they last.

If anyone has a couple of old tyres and some screws I recommend they give it a go.

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

111 screws in the rear Crossmark, 3 layers of Duct tape and the front Surley Endomorph dropped down to 6psi.

Wish me luck for tomorrow mornings local ice ride.

Here's mine. Grip brilliantly on ice. Rolling resistance and noise levels are somewhat high!

[IMG] [/IMG]

ScienceOfficer: I was pretty smug running Schwalbe Snow Studs tubeless, but they don't have holes through them! Are you saying you're successfully ghetto tubeless with [b]screws through your tyres[/b] !?!?!?

Wow, how did you get them up? Do you have a compressor? How much fluid did you put in? I'm impressed!

Cheers, al.

Allan,

Yes I have a compressor for first inflate - it makes things much easier.

I'm not running ghetto really - Stans flow rims which hold tyre beads very nicely, but the tyres are non-tubeless, and I don't need a rimstrip for this particular pair.

Also, I only took them to about 22 psi, at which point I could see solution around a couple of the screws. If I'd have pumped them up too high, there would probably have been latex spewing everywhere, but since there was only enough pressure to force it to migrate down the hole it was fine.

Tubeless solution is, after all, exactly for this purpose.

They're off the bike again now, since I felt they needed more studs, which I'm part way through, but I'll post up about keeping air when they're back on.

I ran mine with an inner tube at 30psi without any problems on this mornings 2 to 3 hour flat towpath and cyclepath ride.

[img] [/img]

The Surley Endomorph up front at 6psi helped as well.

just done 2 hours on mine.
no problems at all, even ok on tarmac.
spiketastic 😉

Just popped into the local diy store and brought a load of 6 x 5/8's screws. However have screwed a few in place and they're looking a tad on the thick side...Anyone else used 6 or should I be better going for 3.5's???

No punctures today. Painfully slow to make but confidence inspiring on compacted snow, ice and wet roots.
[IMG] [/IMG]
[IMG] [/IMG]
Loads of tiny studs off centre made tarmac roads no problem and lesson danger of real damage to flesh. I had one brown trouser moment as I realised I was whizzing 80 yet to be filed down screws very close to my face whilst adjusting SS alignment last night - Wally.
200 3.5x12

Managed another two hours on mine today. Fine on everything except deep, loose, powder snow. The 'off-centre' studs make road-work not [i]too[/i] noisy, but it does compromise the grip on ice a bit.

That might be it for this year, as it's raining outside and 2 degrees

JohnClimber - Member
That might be it for this year, as it's raining outside and 2 degrees

john, winter does not end the second week in january......
most of the snow we get in the uk is in feb/march. 😉

OOh, now where did I put those old tyres ?

Right, I'm going to spike some Conti Twisters for the Pompino. I'll cut the bead off some slick things lying in the tyre pile for a liner. Should be a laugh, and it might get an outing at Puffer.

Cheers, al.

#

ton - Member

[i] JohnClimber - Member
That might be it for this year, as it's raining outside and 2 degrees[/i]

[b]john, winter does not end the second week in january......
most of the snow we get in the uk is in feb/march.[/b]

Ton,
John & I live in the Merseyside area. This was the worst they had seen in 30 years, it usually misses us.

will try and post a piccie after I'm done mine - 2x conti vert pro with 200 12mm screws! Wife going out shopping so perfect opportunity! 😈

Tried mine out on Sunday Night (puffer training) and worked a treat, No,6 1/2" wood screws on the outer knobs of an old conti vert,used an old inner tube glued to the inside as a liner.

Superb grip on ice, puffer should be intresting with these jolly jobbers 😉