If you don't skid or slide, or ride really hard off road, you won't lose any studs. I use dental pliers with a concave jaw that grabs the stud diameter very nicely. I got my studs on line at All Weather Sports. They may be closed. You can switch studs around if you lose one. The studs don't get any shorter, the tire behind the stud eventualy allows the stud to go too far into the tire to grab well.