Making your own studded tires?

[phantomcow2]

I've heard about people saying that they made their own studded tires. I've got some knobbies I am willing to sacrifice to become studded tires, can somebody explain this procedure?

[oneredstar]

I am sure there are many ways to make them, but here is how I do it. For the studs I use sheet metal screws (not sure how long, but very short). I use the Kenda Smoke tire and screw into the outer knobs of the tire. Since the screws are so short they do not penetrate through the tire casing and there is no need for a tire liner. The problem with this is that the sheet metal screws are not easy to come by, at least for me. They can be purchased at a LBS but the had to purchase 25,000 from there supplier. Maybe I can upload a pic of mine later to give you a better idea of what they look like.

[AndyGrow]

http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/tires.htm

Scroll down towards the bottom...there is a section on making your own studded tires.

[smurfy]

I like to use self-tapping screws instead of sheet-metal (I heard that self-tapping screws have hardened points). Also they are not as "pointy" and have a better shape, almost like a paddle (Kind of hard to explain, I'll have to draw it on MS Paint).

I got 192 screws on my front tire (IRC Mythos) and 128 on the rear (cheap Cheng Shin I found in the woods). I duct-taped the screw heads but I don't know if this is really necessary.

You will also need to sacrifice some narrower tires, beads removed, to fit inside the studded knobbies to protect the screw heads from puncturing the tube. The thick Bell flat-resistant tube you find at the X-marts might work instead of another tire, but I wouldn't bet on it!

I'm assuming you're using a mtn bike 26" knobbie. With the extra tire-inside-of-a-tire setup, a 26 x 1 3/8 EA3 tube seems to be a good size and widely available, but of course Schrader-valve only.

[Oldcastle]

For the studs I use sheet metal screws (not sure how long, but very short). I use the Kenda Smoke tire and screw into the outer knobs of the tire. Since the screws are so short they do not penetrate through the tire casing and there is no need for a tire liner. The problem with this is that the sheet metal screws are not easy to come by, at least for me. They can be purchased at a LBS but they had to purchase 25,000 from there supplier.[/QUOTE]

Our local LBS uses this exact method and yes 25,000 screws were their min'm order. Heard lots of good things about this style of custom made tire.


Waiting for the snow to come back to try them out as a chinook decided to blow its way through and clean things up!

[fleetdreams]

I used roofing nails (1 inch) on my trail bike - year round - dirt/snow. Drill through the knob with a small drill bit - then push the nails through from the inside out - you should see the holes. Trim to 1/8" with a pair of heavy duty side cutters. Line with old tire (beadless) or duct tape. Cost minimal, time about an hour. I was putting about 3 inches apart and stagger on the other edge. Better just to put them on the outer knobs. I am currently running on a 700x38C where I studded between the knobs. Its working out great.