I went down three times on my way home yesterday, but I'm too damn stubborn to give up commuting. So I'm looking for advice on a studded front tire that'll fit a road fork and low-clearance brakes (on a 27" rim if it matters). Or, anybody that has experience in making thier own out of a road tire and can give me some hints. I was thinking of pushing thumbtacks (the flat-headed metal kind) through the tire from the inside, but something tells me this would just not work and ruin a tire.

wow. this really makes me thankful that i'll still be able to wear short sleeves for the next couple of weeks...

I think your hunch is right. You need nobbies to put in studs and it sounds like you do not have enough clearance.
Move to Victoria. We only have to contend with +5 and driving rain.

It´s hard just before the real snow comes, snow I can handle but the icy street before snow I just hate. Studded tires is probably the best but I never heard of anybody making them self.

I've heard of people using small screws with nuts on the other side. It seems pretty dogdy given the heads could rip up your tube.

www.icebike.com lists a bunch of studded tires you can buy with actual money.

You've probably already checked these out... if not here's a link to some 700 x 38c studded tires from MEC. (I guess they may be a little wide though)Scwalbe Snow Stud 700 x 38c at MEC

BIG BALLS points to you.

The Nokian Hakkapelita tires are studded road tires designed for use in cities that plow their roads. It has the studs placed along the outside so that they do not contact the road unless you need them. They're really pricey, but don't buy cheap studded tires, they will wear out in no time and cause lots of flats.

The other option is to make your own. The guy who owns the LBS keeps telling me he is world ice biking champion.. not sure if its true or not but he is a hard as nailks ex messenger... anyways, he makes all his own studded tires. He told me he put so many screws into his tires once that his wheel weighed 7kg! I've never done it myself, but the dude says they are better than ready made studded tires, albeit less durable and more dangerous to your legs and the fork, and rear triangle.

Interesting, the Nokian Hakkapelita and the Schwalbe studded tire and MEC referred to above are identical. Curious. Both just a bit too fat to fit my rig (considering brake, snow shedding clearance, and fender...). It might fit if I ditch the brake and front fender. Hmmm... We'll see.

Edit. Oops, no-go at all. 700c tyre on my 27" rim is an excercise in futility.

So how much would a used front 700C wheel cost?

If you can make it work, it's well worth sorting out the tires to ride on ice -- it's a heap of fun. First off, it's a lot easier to lock the back wheel and slide, so even I (with no skills to speak of) can get 20,30,40' slides no problem; secondly, it's a lot easier to get enough power down to slide the back wheel out when accelerating, which isn't good for much but makes me feel like I have studlier legs than I really do..

Thirdly, fixie on ice is the way to go anyway, because you can tell just when things are starting to lose traction at the back and deal with it. A studded tire on the front is a very good idea, and the back'll help, but it's not as necessary.

The main problem I have with riding on ice isn't that my wheels don't grip, it's that when the wheels go it's usually because it's so icy that putting a foot down won't help, because my feet just slide as well. One time I tried to stop at an intersection where a lot of cars had been trying and failing to stop, so it was just a bit 20x20 foot sheet of ice they'd polished up; slowed down gently, just as I was stopping a wheel slid, my foot went down, foot slid, I went over, and it was so icy I ended up literally having to crawl out of the road and pull my bike after me. No fun, and that's when I realised I definitely wanted studs..

Once it's been frozen for long enough, go hit the lakes -- if you can find one with pressure ridges to get air off, so much the better. A less painful alternative but still with the sliding-around fun is fresh snowfall over grass..