Got Studs?
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So its winter time and for much of the country that means snow and ice. Bicycles don’t always do very well in these conditions but you do have some choices to increase traction and decreasing slippage. They all revolve around studded tires.
When it comes to studded tires you can either buy off the shelf studded tires or you can add the studs your self. It doesn’t end their though. There seems to be a few different methods to studding the tires your self.
Off The Shelf Studs
These might set you back a little bit but their engineered for this and I’m sure they work quite nice. There are a lot of models to choose from so you should be able to find something you like and they should be available to most bike shops.
- Schwalbe Marathon Winter and Ice Spiker Pro
- Innova Snow tires (you have to scroll down a bit)
- Nokian Winter Tires (Finland based company available in the U.S.)
- Kenda Klondike tires
Do-It-Yourself Studs
Now if you are a bit adventurous or just cheap and you want to make your own, these sites give some instructions and explanation of the way they did it. Each one is a little bit different.
- Stud Your Own Tires by Byron Kuster
- MORC How-to: Build Your Own Studded Tires
- Tricks of the Trade: Make your own studded ice tires
I’ve not tried any of these options my self. So if you have, please share your experiences by leaving a comment. Did you make your own or did you buy them? What model? Did they work? What problems did you have? You know stuff like that.
The photo is from Mark Hohengasser of the IMBA and ORTA. Thanks Mark.
My name is Bradly Fletchall. I am the guy behind most of what you see here. I am a bicycle enthusiest and advocate. I'm a founding member of a local bicycle club. I also compete in road and moutain bike races. You can learn more about this blog and me on the 
December 20th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
I’ve made a set of studded snows years ago and they worked amazingly well on icy conditions. If you do a lot riding on the road, you may want to have a spare set of rims/tires for the days that you don’t need the studs. They tend to wear out fast on the asphalt. I had several flats through my trial and error designs but with all the information Brad has provided, you shouldn’t have issues. It’s actually quite a bit of fun to make studded snows and when you’re riding on them, they add a bit of excitement knowing that you have something razor sharp spinning at a high RPM right next to your body waiting to tear you apart. I plan to make a set with some old tires next week and hope for more ice.
If you don’t have the time and have some extra cash lying around, the carbide tip studded snow tires you can buy pre-made work just as well and last longer. The studs are smaller so you don’t have as much of the floating feeling that you do with larger studs.
Whatever you decide to do, studded snow tires will, without a doubt, help you out with your traction needs this winter and are simple to make.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:03 am
Mark- Thanks for sharing that bit of experience. I’ve got some free time next week so I might see if I can scrounge up some old tires and give it a try.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I just bought some Kenda Klondikes, after riding all last winter without. I LOVE THEM. [http://professionaljackass.com/2007/12/rolling-and-not-sliding-with-kenda.html]