Studded Bike Tire for Ice

So you accidentally bought 10 lbs of sheet metal screws on eBay when you thought you were buying sheep meal stew... What to do? You could make a trap door in your car and spread them all over the road when the cops are chasing you like James Bond. Or you could do something productive and potentially awesome. Make studded bike tyres for your winter commuter!!

Step 1: What You Need

So you've decided to use your screws for good rather than evil. Good for you. There are a few things you'll need: A tyre (tire for us Americans) Screws A screw gun machine thingie The correct bit for your screws A milk crate An assistant to hold the tire open

Step 2: Spread the Tire Open

Kinda plan out where you will put the screws. It's best to put them through thick rubber parts. This is where a thickish heavy tire works best to stabilize the screws. Your assistant should spread the tire so you can put the screws In easily

Step 3: The Milk Crate Secret

Use the holes! So um. If you just screwed through the tyre with a hunk of wood underneath your tyre would be stuck to the wood. Less than ideal for most applications. The milk crate lets you spread the tire and not screw the tire to anything.

Step 4: Keep Vladmir Putin Screws In

You can kinda do it my yourself but it's harder

Step 5: Spread Em

I also put screws on outside nubbins so I have cornering ability on the icy streets of flagstaff az.

Step 6: Trim Em Shorter

So my screws were long as they were intended to puncture the tires of my evil enemies when I got in car chases. So I trimmed them short and now there are screw nubbins all over my shop

Step 7: Done!

And the world is a better place! Now remember. Don't sit down on your tire while going down hill!!!

Comments

[xwania]

Thank you for this instructables. If you use normal screws they are zinc quoted, they will rust over time. If you use stainless steel, it will be very expensive. Maybe deck screws?
Screws made for metal will probably do better in this application than wood screws as the spacing between the threads in metal screws is closer and will grip the tire better. Just my 2 cents

[Hammerhead46]

What are the STATE LAWS on studded tires?

[bo88y]

Those laws are probably written for motor vehicles, and wouldn't apply.

[Hammerhead46]

From what I have seen of MI laws if it has wheels and power of any type (Even Human) it has a law on the books !
That is why I asked, I lived in AZ for 54 years where most anything could be done but not here in MI.

[bo88y]

I suppose the boilerplate advice "check with local laws and regulations" applies. Awww. I gotta do some research to find out if these are legal? Damn.

[josh]

In Arizona it's October first through May 1 It varies depending on the state. It would probably take a real Jerk of a police officer to enforce it for bicycles...

[BuddahJones]

Great if you live in Michigan..

[rauthier]

amazing! I live in port Huron Michigan and do a lot of ice fishing. I'm going to try this to pull my shanty sled out onto the lake! I can walk several miles on the ice on a good day. with this I can pull my sled to canada:)!!!

[hjensen4]

or just use duct tape on the inside of the tire after the screws are in place

[josh]

Just a quick note: it is probably a good idea to use a tire liner so your tube doesn't pop.

[quickie817]

Or you can install No-Mor-Flats innertubes.

[huskerland3]

Excellent!

[josh]

1) Yes I will remove the tires for summer riding. Otis probably best to use a thick tire. Not one completely worn out.
2) I just used screws I had lying around. This is the reason I had to trim the screws to be a bit shorter. The ones I used were aluminum sheet metal screws with 1.25x 1/4" hex heads and coarse thread.

[Moneer81]

Nice tutorial! Two quick questions:

1. Will this make your tires obsolete for summer riding? do you take them out in the summer or what? Should I be using an old tire that I don't want to keep?

2. Can you specify which screws work best (exact specs of the screw) as far as length, thickness, and type of thread?

[camping crazy]

I did this to my bicycle tires but use pop rivets and backers... This looks like a cheaper and a lot less labor intensive way of doing it!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[josh]

Rubber cement sounds like a good idea. I'll try it!

[LownIgnitus]

flagstaff eh? bit cold right now I guess, since its in 60s here in Phoenix valley. and I was gonna suggest using a tube liner or rubber cement on inside of the tyre to keep from getting flats.

[wayne216]

Great idea! You should see if you can market this!!!