tire advice

[drmrboyalex]

Ok i have done some forum searching and I am kinda confused:confused: ...What is the best thing for winter? DIY or store bought? And...Are there any companies that make studded tires aside from Nokian?

Answers to these and any other info on winter tires would be great
thanks

[mara]

I prefer DIY -- you can stud the tire exactly as you want, from super - aggressive ice riding to calmer semi - plowed road riding. They're kind of fun to make ( no, really! ) and a lot cheaper than store bought, especially if you have old knobbies laying around.

[Magic]

The store bought ones work great for commuting. Homemade ones work great for trail riding. The homemade ones have longer studs in them (length is by the person building them). I like the homemade ones myself. They are easy to build but a little time consuming to finish. I will be building another set this winter. Great way to pass the evening away, watching hockey and building studded tires. Just have bandage's close at hand, because you will need them at some point.:etard:

[drmrboyalex]

couldnt you make commuting ones too and just use shorter screws?

[Magic]

Yes you can. But the downfall is the weight. The screws add some heft to the tire.

[drmrboyalex]

Yes you can. But the downfall is the weight. The screws add some heft to the tire.

im not racing...some weight is fine

[MisterClaw]

couldnt you make commuting ones too and just use shorter screws?
The better store bought ones (Nokian, some other brands too) use a tungsten carbide pin held in place by a steel or aluminum plug. The tungsten is so hard that I saw no wear on my studs after 200+ miles of on road commuting.
Steel screws are much softer than tungsten carbide, and they would probably wear out rather quickly.
The home-made ones are probably better offroad, because you can have longer studs than the store bought ones.

http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/tires.htm
Has more info about winter tires.

[drmrboyalex]

http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/tires.htm
Has more info about winter tires.

so out of those have you tried the kenda/nashbar ones? those seemed to be pretty good altho the hardness rating wasnt as good.

[manual63]

I just lower my tire pressure, hold on tight.......and 1 foot motocross it around turns.......:)

I might try the "Build your own tire." Thing this winter...it will be interesting how well they work. I think heat treated, the black colored ones, screws might last a little longer.

[drmrboyalex]

I might try the "Build your own tire." Thing this winter...it will be interesting how well they work. I think heat treated, the black colored ones, screws might last a little longer.

yea i think i will go that route. i plan on askin for the strongest screws they have. Plus....just before i really got into biking i got a crappy $100 FS bike from target so im gunna try that as a winter bike so if somethin goes wrong its not a huge loss:D

[homebrewbiker]

yea i think i will go that route. i plan on askin for the strongest screws they have. Plus....just before i really got into biking i got a crappy $100 FS bike from target so im gunna try that as a winter bike so if somethin goes wrong its not a huge loss:D

Well it may not be a huge loss, but do you really want to have the POS break down in the middle of the ride in winter and have to walk back somewhere (after your clothes may already be wet from riding hard)?? For a winter bike you want something simple, like a fully rigid SS. Actually I was talking to a bike messenger last year, and he was all about riding a fixed gear in the winter, said that was the only reliable way to slow down in icy conditions. I have an SS that I'm thinking about using for some winter riding (when I'm not skiing).

[drmrboyalex]

Well it may not be a huge loss, but do you really want to have the POS break down in the middle of the ride in winter and have to walk back somewhere (after your clothes may already be wet from riding hard)?? For a winter bike you want something simple, like a fully rigid SS. Actually I was talking to a bike messenger last year, and he was all about riding a fixed gear in the winter, said that was the only reliable way to slow down in icy conditions. I have an SS that I'm thinking about using for some winter riding (when I'm not skiing).

I dont plan on doin any hardcore trails like that, i just planned on buildin some snow jumps in my yard(if there is enuf of the white stuff) and ridin on the road and maybe the snowmobile trails...otherwise ...just kinda goofin around with it

[steef]

If I had a bike with disc brakes, I'd probably try wrapping chains around my rims and tires just for fun.

[JayT]

Has anybody tried a DIY studded tire with Stan's NoTube system? Seems like that would be and interesting set-up. Done right you could have a studded tire and run low PSI's. The cost would be less than a set of Nokias.

[mara]

Has anybody tried a DIY studded tire with Stan's NoTube system? Seems like that would be and interesting set-up. Done right you could have a studded tire and run low PSI's.

Last winter I was running under 10 psi with homemade studs lined with heavy duty weatherstripping foam and an occasional duct tape patch where I put a screw through weird. I had no flats all winter -- setting me up for a gazillion flats on my normal spring tires, of course.

[KleinCrazy]

Self Tapping Pan Head Sheet Metal Screws.

The Self Tap points on the screew dig in very nice and hold up much better than normal screws since there is about 3 times the metal at the tip.

The Pan heads keeps there from being any sharp edges inside the tire. I actually ran with just normal tubes for a while without puncture problems, but I did rip a stem out when I had so much traction that a spun the tire on the rim and ripped the stem right out.

Pattern and length of screws all depends on the type of tire your starting with and the stud pattern you want to run and what you want to do with the tires. My Front tire does not have any studs touch when riding straight as there is no need, I just have a good set down both sides so as soon as I start to lean the bike, they dig in.

The rear is set up very similar, mostly cornering studs, but have very light hardly touch set of drive studs offset of the centerline.

[manual63]

I will plan on running studs down the middle of my front tire. You are not always leaning when you steer with the front wheel, especially at slower speeds. I would think it would be important to have good traction on the top too.

[tedsti]

I put a row of studs down the center of my front tire for braking.

[manual63]

I put a row of studs down the center of my front tire for braking.

Oh yeah, stopping is a little important too....I forgot about that one...:)

[KleinCrazy]

I put a row of studs down the center of my front tire for braking.

Bah, Stopping is overated.

If I need to stop I just throw the bike sideways and "Hockey Stop" it. :crazy2: