Ice tyres for a mountain bike

We have had some bad weather recently and all the cycle paths round my part of the world are covered in several inches of ice which makes cycling a pain. So I decided I needed a pair of ice tyres for the once a week trip into the office.

 

After researching how ice tyres worked, what a couple of the manufacturers offer and the DIY versions on here, I went down my workshop and found some self-drilling carbon tipped pan head screws used for fixing flat surfaced hardware to reinforced PVCU windows and a couple of spare tyres that came with a bike ages ago.

Step 1: Parts List

The parts list for this project was really simple and whatever I had on the shelves:

2 Tyres (Tires)

200 Screws

Glue

Old inner tube

 

Tools

Bradawl (or other hole making device - yes I used a scribe)

Screwdriver

Comments

[Tommi Potx]

I made some of these in 1998, using a recipe from our local outdoor store and they were absolutely awesome; I could brake to a standstill from 20kmh on sheer ice in 3 bike lengths.

[capkin-velet]

Did you make it yourself lamps. No What is the brand?

[bpfh]

Great :)

[aristide202]

Nice scribe you you have . I'm going to bend and grind one out of a nice carbon steel scrap bar right now. What about using modified golf shoes steel nails, quite expensive but really nice stuff. Not so easy to find.

[oud25]

where i am studded tires arent legal for cars so are studded tires legal for bikes everywhere?

[u_r_teh_svck]

are there any laws anywhere saying what you can and can't put on a bike?

[knexinventer]

wast of bike tires but it is still awesome 4* sub

[imadeone]

Thank you, they are totally awesome as as you have the grip to ride in any conditions. This year they were used in anger for nearly three weeks and on compacted ice I could brake so hard the rear could endo, I have been asked to make sets for some of the guys at work but at the moment I am experimenting with different designs.
The tires I used were those cheap disposable ones that puncture or wear out so quickly that no one wants them so I gave them a much better life :)

[The nerdling]

like my tires theyr'e the wors i rearly ride on hard surfaces i ride ussually grass and theyr'e nealy have no grip

[knexinventer]

cool now i under stand maby i will try it

[anonymouse197]

This is wonderful - thanks. A really helpful thing to be able to leave in the shed for the winter months when the car won't make it but you are beginning to die of starvation, lack of exercise, or boredom. Thank you very much :) for a 5 star instructable!

[anonymouse197]

sorry - I did rate it five stars but it says 3.09 average from 1 rating !!??!!

[mr.incredible]

 You could also use the style of tube that is just a big foam ring. Forgive me, I don't know what it's actually called. No air involved but it's not a solid rubber tire either.

[imadeone]

Sounds like an interesting idea, can you find a name for the tubes?
I looked into the solid tyres at http://greentyre.co.uk/bike.html after getting 4 glass punctures in 5 rides last year but haven't tried them yet.

[mr.incredible]

Sorry so late a reply. I was just going through comments to my old post and found your question. I did a Google search and they seem to be called "Airless inner-tubes". I've seen them at Walmart. You are in the UK so I don't know if you have "Wally-World" there. It is a very firm almost solid inner-tube-like foam that goes inside of the tire (or as you say "tyre")

[Fred82664]

One could put little and thin nut on the threads to help prevent the screw head from puncturing the inner tube. I would not tighten them vary tight as to dent the treed but snug to prevent it from working in word making a puncture. Perhaps giving the spike more of a base could make a better bite on those rutted paths.

Dose look cool !      

[Torchy the battery boy]

very cool looking tyres, have you tried using shorter screws? the long screws may be tucking under/folding over as they hit the ice. I have alot of ice racing knowledge (Andros Trophy) and we spent days and weeks trying different stud lengths, regular findings where short was better on hard ice.

[nathan43081]

Does the length of the "studs" cause a problem. On car tires the metal studs only come out a little bit (maybe a quarter inch). I wonder if you would get less tire flex if the studs were only a quarter inch out of the tire, still giving you traction, but requriing less tire bending to still provide adequate contact. Nice instructable though.

[imadeone]

Thank you.
The length is definitely excessive and no doubt increases the slippery feeling on normal ground. Using 1/4" shorter screws would probably be just as efficient but far more stable.

[HorseMan1990]

nice headlights 

[lemonie]

Yes I'm impressed - good job there.

L

[Jayefuu]

They look great.

[Doctor What]

 What a great idea!  We've been having spats of bad road conditions, and it makes riding a bike impractical.  Thanks for the tip!