Studded tires can be purchased commercially, and doing so is wise in most situations. Studding your own tires takes a lot of time, still costs a good bit, and can be rough to handle. The only reasons I see to stud your own tires are if you ride hard and frequently on the ice and are wearing through the commercial studs too quickly (when studding your own tires, you can use much longer studs than seem to be available commercially) or because you're a ‘do it yourself' nut case and just want the experience.

Here is What You'll Need Tires (mountain bike tires with big nubs) Studs (stainless steel Robertson head #8 by 1/2” sheet metal screws - make sure there's enough room for the studs you want in your frame) Liner (Mr. Tuffy, an old inner tube, or duct tape) Drill with phillips-head bit and drill bit Piece of wood (or something else to drill into/against) Standard tire changing tools Welding gloves (not necessary but highly recommended for putting the studded tire on your bike)

Thoughts on How Much and Where to Stud

When it comes to studs and their placement, there are a few things you need to think about. First is the length of the stud. I like them long as I'm not sure what surface I'm actually going to be riding on. Sometimes the ice is half melted, or there may be rocks sticking out, pavement you need to cross, etc., depending on where you're riding and what the exact weather conditions are. Even if you are using stainless steel, you will put wear and tear on the studs. What you're weighing that against is the weight, how friendly the tire will be to handle physically, and how well it will fit in your bike frame and fender. A studded tire, especially studded in stainless, is going to be heavy (stainless being the better choice of metals for it will put up with more wear and tear). The longer the studs, and the more of them there are, the heavier yet it will be. So, choose your length as best you can. Feel free to take your tire into the hardware store and visually examine the stud next to the nub and get a sense of what you'll need, length-wise.

Next you will need to figure out how many studs to use and where to put them. I've read placing studs on the centermost part of the wheel is not important. It's on the side angles where having good traction for turning is more crucial. So I chose to leave the centermost line of the tire stud free. The next outer row of the tire I alternated leaving just the nub in one place and putting stud in the next one. The outermost row of nubs I studded every single nub [Figure I]. I feel this is a good pattern for keeping the weight down, yet having enough grip to go where you want to go. I will add, however, in my practical experience, if the ice is melting even a little bit, studs in the center of the tire will make you a happier camper – that is, if you're the sort of person who feels braking is an important ability to have.

Similarly, I read that only the front tire really needs to be studded for biking on ice/snow. There will be some fishtailing with the rear tire, but many folks do not even notice it. This is, in my humble opinion, completely dependant on the sort of ice you are riding on. If it's “wavy” ice – ice that's seen some melt, wind, and refrozen – your rear tire hits dips that your front tire is not in, and you'll have to use your ass to control the balance of the rear while your chest is balancing your front. That can be very hard to do on ice that is not cooperative, and can make the rear brake completely useless. It can be extremely entertaining, though, if you have the opportunity to watch someone else trying to ride in these conditions (just keep your first aid kit handy). So, yes it's double the work, but I say do it. Stud them both. You can certainly go with fewer studs on the rear tire, but unless you're completely sure of the conditions you're riding on, be prepared and be able to take what comes your way. It's going to be a little heavier that way, but who doesn't want stronger, hot biker legs anyway?

So, plot your course, count the nubs you've decided to stud, buy the right number and length of studs, and start drilling.

Here's What to Do

Start with the drill, one tire, and your piece of wood. I used a 6” diameter log and found that drilling and screwing released much more easily when entering the end of the log, yet still offered adequate support. Your first step is to drill holes in each of the tire nubs that you will be studding. Drill from the outside of the tire to the inside, with the wood in place behind it [Figure II]. I found holding the wood between my legs with the tire around it, drilling down, worked better than using a vise -- as the tire could not loop around the bench below, and the drill shaft was, therefore, more likely to go through straight. Whether or not you want to be drilling with a power tool in your lap, however, is your call.

Once all your holes are drilled, it's time to start putting the studs through. For this, you will be working from the inside of the tire instead. I found holding the tire bead back with my thumb worked well, again, holding the wood between my legs and using my hands to guide the drilling [Figure III].

Try to avoid missing the hole with your stud. This is where a little bit of time using your fingers to get the stud lined up will make it all go much more smoothly. Don't try to just drill your stud in. Take a bit of time with your fingers to first get the stud inserted into the hole, aiming it in the right direction. If your stud will stand up in the rubber without being held in place, it's ready for drilling. Drill slowly to help keep control and ensure that the angle is correct, especially if your shaft is long [Figure IV].

Once you have finished with all the studs, it's time to line the inside of the tire to keep your studs from popping your innertube. Again, there is a balance game between weight and functionality, but really, you don't want to be getting flats when you're out on the ice. Suck up the extra weight, and ride.

There are several ways you can go about protecting the tube from the studs. First, there are tubes that are more resistant to puncture -- those never hurt. You can also use a product like “Mr. Tuffy” to line the space between the studs and the innertube. I've even heard of folks simply using duct tape on the inside of the tire, though, this doesn't sound like a great idea to me. Having had some experience with duct tape, the adhesive isn't overly friendly to dramatic changes in temperature, and the tape is quite heavy. I prefer to glue a cut up old inner tube to the inside of the tire, making a barrier between the stud backs and the tube. I'd recommend using contact cement for this, though what I had at the time was a “rubber” glue, so I used that. It's a bit messy, and it's hard to keep the liner in place within a circular tire as gravity always seems to want to move some portion or another. I found clothes pins worked perfectly to hold the liner while the adhesive is setting [Figure V].

From there, it's just a matter of changing the tires on your bike and hoping it will fit under your fender. There are different types of fenders you can get if you're having trouble with clearance. You can also go without, depending on the exact weather conditions and your preference. Keep an eye on your liner when you're putting the tube in to be sure you're not tearing it off. I wore welding gloves when putting the tire on so I could get a good grip without tearing up my skin. If you're planning on taking your bike somewhere via a car rack, you might want to consider purchasing and installing a “flick stand” to keep your front tire from swinging and scratching up your auto paint, clothes, flesh, etc. (Flick stands of various sizes can be readily purchased on eBay or through Rhode Gear for about $10.) If you don't want to take that step, I'd at least recommend an extra bungie cord or two for front tire management.

Last but not least… go for a ride! A test run somewhere close by is the wisest choice but, regardless, your bike is now very studly and ready for serious action. Go to it!