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Studs Page Winter Biking is a must in the North East. That's why we go to any length to keep riding during these conditions. Below is a detailed description of construction of studded tires | |
 We use what ever we can get but #8 sheet metal screws that are no more that 1/4" long are preferred. You can use longer screws but will probably need to trim them off with pliers. We cut these off. This approach produces some nasty edges. Each one of our tires took 200 screws but that is your call. 200 put a screw in every lug pattern on the middle of this tire. There is really no need to deviate much from the center since, on ice, you don't want to lean much for obvious reasons. | |
 We use most any tire, but one that has good lugs is our preferred. Used tires are fine but you might be able to find foldable ones (not necessary but easier to use) on sale in the fall. I used new foldable ones that were on sale for about 10 bucks each. You want the stud to appear in the middle of the lug and the only way to accomplish this is to drill from the outside in first. | |
 The inside will look like this once you get the screws in place. It is important to use as flat a head as possible. Usually Phillips head is best. | |
 The next procedure is to protect the tube from the screw heads. We have used old tubes taped with duct tape on the inside and even they can wear through. An old tire provides the best protection. Here is both an mountain tire and a road tire with the beads removed by using a razor blade. The weight difference is quite significant so if available we use old road tires. You will have to cut out a few inches to make it fit tight and tape the ends with duct tape to form the hoop. | |
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If you keep it tight it will stay in place and give you a chance to install the tube and inflate. With a little caution it should be fairly centered in the tire.
The result is a rig you can ride on frozen lakes. Depending on the aggressiveness of the studs you want to keep off the hard top as much as possible. Don't expect to climb up ice falls because it is still dicey but you can ride across flat ice.