After getting a KH242005 the other day, I had that old MUni in jeopardy of collecting dust. So today I spiked it. I’ll be up at Copper Ski resort for the next two days, (so I won’t be online until Monday night or Tuesday morning.) I used just under 200 Pan head - phillips sheet metal screws, size #6 x 3.8 inch. I posted the pics: HERE
The pics aren’t that great, but I’ll take more in day light. Also, I’ll report on my luck in getting up the lift, (did it twice last year.) If my luck is bad, I’ll be rolling up the slope as far as I can get, if the snow quality is hard packed enough. I haven’t tried in on snow yet because there isn’t any around my town these days… And it’s 3:45 AM.
Looks really nice. Have you ridden with it yet? Can you get away with not having anything solid (and not too flexible) between the tube and screws? I’d have thought they’d tend to push through.
nah the thick casing of the tire will hold them in pretty good. if anything they will lean over to the side. ive done this before too. putting a junk bike tube inside the tire between the good tube and the pin heads will help prevent flats. they might push through if your riding on something like rocks with the small screws. the screws i used were wood screws that i cut down after installing. sorry no pics of it tho. you can take the pins out in the spring and use the tire still. my gazz on the bike was studded 2-3 yrs ago and still goes fine
I’ve made them for my bike before as well as this year. I had one on my muni for a day this year, but I needed the tire for my bike so I took it off for now. I used a 26x2.5 Panaracer Megablaster tire and the same screws you used. Only I place my screws through the middle of the nobs on the tire for more support. I slice up an old tube and use it between the tire and good tube to protect it from the screw heads. We had a really wicked ice storm here last month that I needed the tire for. Maybe I’ll get a picture of the tire today.
I think it is better if you place the studds on the knobbs, that way the studds tutches the ground first, and provied better grip, and that they have more rubber to hold on to, preventing them to be pushed back in the tyre…
That’s how i did it anyway.
Edit: Couple of laywers of duct tape on the inside of the tire works good, but, i use both 2 layyers of ducti and a old tube.
OK, here’s the pic of the tire I studded for my muni, even though it’s on my bike at the moment. I only studded the side nobs, thinking it would be enough. It wasn’t too bad until going down a hill when the tire would slide out from under me. I should take it off and stud the center of it too.
Today I rode at Copper ski resort, one time down from the top of the Super Bee lift. My girlfriend took pics and video clips. I will post them tomorrow or the next day. The studs worked pretty good, best on the icier snow. I was even able to ride up the hill a bit, till I got tired.
I’ll give a more elaborite post later when I have mroe time.
catboy: Yeah, it would have been better to put the studs through the lugs, but it was easier to “find” the point of the screw through the thinner part of the tire. To do it right would have taken more time, and I only had one night before the trip. Maybe I’ll redo it right next year. Thanks for the idea and pics.
If you drill a small hole (smaller than the screw body) from the outside, trough the knobb, if won’t be hard to put the screw in place from the inside.
I studded both tires on my winter b*ke last winter and also studded my old unicycle’s tire. I used aprox. 60 screws sticking out at a 45 angle from the side lugs. I used some of the tips off this site: Ice Biking At the bottom if the page there are detailed instructions and tips on how to stud a tire. I found pre-drilling the holes unnecessary. With the studded tire on the unicycle I found it close to impossible to slip or slide on ice or hard packed snow. However, I could still spin out in loose snow. Here’s a close-up photo of one of the studs after a season’s riding with occasional rides on pavement.
I don’t have any experience with studded tires, and I don’t plan on doing any ice riding, but I was wondering if the screws needed to be pointed outward. Would it work if you used some self-tapping sheetmetal screws with hex heads screwed in from the outside, then used a tubeless conversion kit to prevent air leakage?
If the head is able to grip the ice well enough, it seems that having the heads on the outside would have several advantages:
The screw would be forced in rather then out when in contact with the ground
There would be much less metal sticking out from the tire
It’s easier to screw on the nubs on the outside
