[Joe Gardner]

whats the best way to make winter tires, should i use screws in my older tires, or does sombody make a ice / winter tire?

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[Sergio]

A friend of mine had purchased studed tires for winter use however I do not know where he got them from. If you wish, I'll drop him a line in order to find out where he purchased them. I don' know how well they would work as my main concern is not myself but some of the 'drivers' that are surrounding me on these icy/snow covered roads....

sergio

[The Dude]

Nokia is making some really good winter tires with spikes. Some are pretty cheap and some are really expensive. They greatly better your grip on ice and really hard packed snow.

[Siegfried]

I'm looking for 16" spiked tires; I know this sounds crazy, but I need to make my tires as lightweight as possible, because the place where I'm going is really high and every extra pound counts double there.
Thanks for any information you might have.
Siegfried.

[MadCat]

I got my winter studded tire at Mountain Equipment Co-op http://www.mec.ca . It's a Nokian. It only cost me 35$ Canadian or so. I only bought the one for the front because the rear doesn't need it as badly. I'm told that the tires people make themselves with wood screws or rivets wear down quickly.

[Jean Beetham Smith]

Since the rear wheet is the "power" wheel, I would think that would be the wheel that would need the studded tire the most, just like we always used to put chains on the rear wheels of our tractors. Speaking of chains, does anyone have a source?

[mike]

Jean, you can put studs on your rear tire and you should.

If you have to chose only one tire, then put the studed tire on the front. This is because you need the steering from the front the most to control and avoid sliding.

However, without studs on the rear, the tail can tend to slide out from under you. A rear slide is easier to recover or crash from than the dreaded front slide. Rear slides hurt less than front slides too.

Anyway, if anybody wants to experiment with studded tires before sinking big bucks into the real thing, you can make your own. See http://www.icebike.com for instructions.

[crazyxcboy]

Where can I get some tire chains? I am planning on terrorizing a NorCal ski resort, anyone know of on that allows bikes? Thanks

John

[afelig]

You might want to check out the Icebike site before running out to buy chains...
<http://www.enteract.com/~icebike/Equipment/tirechains.htm>

Especially the part where they talk about what happens when a front tire chain comes off unexpectedly. (Ooops...)

My favorite winter tire is the Avocet Cross. No studs or knobbies, just a goofy inverted zig-zag tread that's always worked well for me in the snow (ice is a different story--you're better off with studs there). I run the 26 x 1.9 at about 20 psi. Great for commuting in the summer too. I'm on my third pair.

Just my .02

-M

[Randy Beach]

I live in Alaska and I and for the most part everyone that I know use Nokia tires. The 296 tire is what I recommend. They are expensive but worth the money. This is my 3rd season on them and they look like new. If you only buy one tire make it the front. The only drawback is the weight on the tires but what can you expect with 295 studs in each tire.

[Randy Beach]

I don't recommend making your own studded tires but rather purchase a set of Nokia 296 tires. They will last for many seasons and are wounderful on the ice. Believe me I live in Alaska and commute every day. If you would still like to make your own I do have plans and would gladly e-mail them to you.

[JimRat]

IMHO - before investing in studded tires, give the 20 psi thing a try. Last year I went all winter (in mid michigan) with a pair of no name mountain bike tires at 20 psi (or less) - I didn't have any problems. But, I do skip glare ice days, not so much cause I'll go down, but more so, the run away cars.

[seer]

I made my own with the woodscrews once.
They wore out way too fast, just turned out to be a waste of time. I'm sure there's better hardware out there to use for this though, I think i'll look into it more this year. Need some better ideas for preventing flats.

[Jean Beetham Smith]

Nokia Mount & Ground 144's get my vote for a great winter commuting tire. They are 26 x 1.9 and run at 30-45 psi. They are narrow enough to not be murder to ride on the clear stretchs of highway but have enough studds to keep you moving straight in 2 inches of slush & ice. They are loud, but not as loud as my home-made ones were. They aren't cheap, but they are worth it if you commute here in the lower 48.

[LittleBigMan]

Originally posted by Jean Beetham Smith
...but have enough studds to keep you moving straight in 2 inches of slush & ice.

Jean (tongue planted in cheek), what is "slush" and "ice?" (Is that like "snow?") :eek:

[capkos]

Siegfried... Tires with 16" spikes will be quite heavy, and though they may be good on ice, they'll play havoc on blacktop.:p

[fastRfastR]

Additional sources of information and Nokian tires:
www.allweathersports.com
www.peterwhitecycles.com
Recently I saw a reference to Nokians having been on sale at Peter White. Sorry I missed that, but the regular prices look very good.
More advice I've seen but have yet to experience: use wide rims (Mavic T519/F519, Sun Rhyno or Rhyno Lite, etc) and low pressures, both help to make a bigger footprint.
If you plan to commute in traffice on snow and ice, consider insurance: disability income, long term care and/or life. The car/bus/truck behind you may not have studded tires, may not even have much tread; may not have a driver who knows how to drive in winter weather, etc.
Finally, note that even a tire with 296 studs may have four or fewer in contact with the ground at any moment, and if you hit the brakes on black ice on pavement, the wheel may lock with NO studs in contact!
So maybe budget for a few key pieces of downhill body armor and a motorcycle helmet, too! I think I'll take the bus.

[ViciousCycle]

If you're concerned about traction on icy/snowy/slushy roads, get a bike that's too small for you.

I own a used Shogun mountain bike that is too short for me, even when the seat post is at its maximum safe height. If I start to fall one way or the other, it's easy to step my foot onto the pavement to balance myself. And if I'm going through a intersection with deep slush criss-crossing car tire tracks, I can put both feet on the ground and coax my bike along without having to dismount my bike.

This bike is difficult to use when the pavement is dry. Pedalling fast on a short bike is hard on one's legs. But on snow, ice, and slush, one isn't going to be going that fast anyway.

In winter condition, what seems to be the wrong bike may actually be the perfect bike.

[manderax]

I live in Missoula and have found lots of good stuff on www.icebike.com.

Good Luck!

Gavin


I ride, I fall down, I get up.
Meanwhile I keep dancing.

[threadend]

Previous winters I've ridden WTB Velociraptors, great tires at 40 - 45 PSI for snow, I still run them on my MTB winter and summer.

This year I switched the commuter bike to Nokian Hakepelita W106 26 x 1.75/1.9 studded tires at 60 - 65 PSI on the front and rear. These tires have an awesome tread for snow and 106 tungsten studs each plus they're skinny enough to cut through deep (6 inches more or less) snow. You should see what the studs do to dry cement or pavement, it's impressive!

My biggest fear is I'm getting overconfident because of the performance of these tires in snow and on ice and I am going to get served my just deserts. I commute and am out there nearly everyday, I'm not ever going back to unstudded in the winter.

[KleinMp99]

I would suggest making your own....get a tire with some knobs and drill screws through the knobs. And for the tire liner use duct tape. Dont but manufactured tires because their too expensive. I just got in from rippin up the snow and my home made tires work great!

[JimRat]

OK - I did respond earlier that I did OK with low pressure mountain bike tires, well this year I wanted to keep riding my fixed gear road bike, so I invested in the Nokian tires (Through MEC.CA as mentioned before). They are GREAT on snow and Ice. I had very few slips and I ride pretty hard. I put them on front and back. Through a winter of riding with them there seems to be very little wear - the studs are made of some tough stuff. The added benifit is the rolling resistance gives you some awsome winter training.

[MeHT]

Here in Ottawa the Rideau canal is used as a skating rink in winter(the world's largest, afaik). Now I have this crazy idea: why not bike there? Will Nokia 106 be enough for bare ice?

[Tom_The_Bikeman]

Joe,

I've had a really good ride using the Nokian tires. (see http://www.nokiantyres.fi/bike/winter/index.html)

Let me know if you'd like more info!

ride carelessly,
tt

[tchazzard]

Hi; I played around on frozen lakes last year with Nokian Mount and Ground 160's. I was able to ride in figure 8's without a problem. So biking on a frozen canal should work great. Also, I like these tires as the studs do not come into contact with the road when riding straight, so less rolling resistence than other studded tires.

Enjoy!

[Michel Gagnon]

Originally posted by Jean Beetham Smith
Since the rear wheet is the "power" wheel, I would think that would be the wheel that would need the studded tire the most, just like we always used to put chains on the rear wheels of our tractors. Speaking of chains, does anyone have a source?

It depends a lot where you cycle and how many bikes you have. I cycle on streets with 2 cyclocross tires (700x37 knobbies), and quite frankly, I don't need anything more. However, our streets are well cleared and de-iced. If I had to cycle in ruts, I would prefer to have a studded tire in front, because crossing ruts sideways is about as easy as crossing a wet railroad at a shallow angle...

For on-street riding, I haven't slipped unless I really wanted to. Slippages on the rear wheel are easily avoided by spinning very regularly. Because most of my weight falls on the rear wheel, I have yet to find a hill I can't climb because of rear wheel slippage. It's either too steep and/or too snowed in, and I have to walk, or it's ok and I can cycle it.

A rear studded tire would be useful, however, for off-road cycling or trail cycling, because then on could face a steep bare-ice trail.

For on-road cycling (incl. commuting), I see two problems with using a rear studded tire:
1. because there is more weight on it, it means more vibrations, more resistance, etc. for the many occasions one cycle on pavement or softer snow.
2. it's not easy to swap a studded rear wheel with a non-studded rear wheel.

By comparison, one could have 2 front wheels (one with studded tire and one with studd-less tire), and swap them according to the morning's weather.

Regards,

[nathank]

i had been thinking about buying studded tires for a few years. then last December on my commute home from work i the dark, the road was covered with black ice (car traffic had melted the snow which had good grip and after dark it re-froze into a nice layer of blakc ice). anyway, suddenly my front tire slipped and i had notime to react and landed hard on the ice-covered pavement on my shoulder and wrist. my wrist was sprained for a good 4 weeks or more. anyhow, that was the motivation to buy the studs.

i love mine! i don't know the number, but they are the Nokian's that have studds only on the outside of the tread, so maybe the same as what tchazzard was saying, or the Nokian 160s. Nokian also makes a really agressive ice tire with studs all over it but this one is not good for riding on dry pavement and is very loud and has a lot of rolling resistance.

with mine, with normal high pressure (40-50psi) the studs do not touch when riding in a straight line and only touch on uneven surfaces or when cornering. this way i can mount the tires and commute on them all winter even if there's only snow/ice half or less of the time (Munich has snow on the ground some but not all winter). there is virtually no difference riding on regular roads and trails in a straight line. then when you corner you can hear the studs contacting the ground.

then, when there is ice or snow and you need the studs, just let some air pressure out of the tires and the tire contact patch increases and the studs touch. doing this i was surprised at how well they worked. in snow totally stable doing sharp corners. on ice also pretty safe and works well enough that it's similar to riding on wet streets with normal tires -- good enough for commuting.

i bought a set of both front and rear as they weren't much more expensive than regular tires and i think they should last 2-3 seasons... even if the studs wear out you could still use them as regular tires, but my studs are still OK.

if you only do one wheel, i definitely think the FRONT. needing traction for acceleration isn't really a problem. so what is you slip a little pedalling and can't go as fast. the danger is slipping and falling, especially when braking or cornering and here the FRONT wheel does more for both braking and corning AND you can recover from a back-tire skip but it is almost impossible to recover from a front-wheel slide (as in my accident last year)

i'll mount mine with the first real snow here in a month or so and leave them on until March/April when it's all gone. if you ride more than a few days a year in snow or particularly ICE, i REALLY recommend them. if not, then try reducing the air pressure as that helps a lot although not nearly as much as studs.

[Tom_The_Bikeman]

Great post, NathanK,

Couldn't have put it any better. Basically exactly what happened to me, and pretty much exactly what I do down here in Schweiz-land.

take care,
tt