The optimal length of spikes for a bicycle. How to make studded winter tires for a bike. Camera Puncture Protection

Cycling enthusiasts are often forced to buy expensive winter tires to ride in the cold and frost. One studded tire will cost fabulous money, even if it is made in China, not to mention branded manufacturers. It is much easier to make studded tires yourself and it will be much cheaper. However, it will take a lot of time to create such rubber. Although in words, everything is quite simple.

See this video for step by step instructions

For work you need:
- old tire;
- self-tapping screws with a wide hat;
- awl;
- glue moment;
- gloves;
- screwdriver;
- scissors;
- camera.

Self-tapping screws should be taken not very long, but always with wide hats. So the fastening will be more reliable.

First of all, we need to remove and disassemble the tire from the wheel. Now we take an awl and pierce holes in the places where we will insert the spikes. Please note that punctures should be made in the thickened areas of the tire. Because in thinner ones, the rubber can disperse.

We pierce holes all over the wheel in this way, the work is quite laborious and dreary.

After all the holes are done, we proceed to further work.

Be sure to mark all the holes made from the inside, with a crayon or a pen, the main thing is that you can see them well in order to get into them.

Now we take glue and put a drop on each hole from the inside. Then we take a self-tapping screw and screw it into the hole with a screwdriver or screwdriver. Don't twist them too tightly.

There are about 350 spikes per wheel, but you can do more, or you can do more. Look at your own discretion. The work is quite long and dreary, so be patient in advance, screwing in the screws one by one. Don't forget to apply glue before screwing in the screw. This is important to keep it securely in place.

Do not miss too many points at once, 4-5 will be enough. Otherwise, the glue will dry out and the adhesion of the screw head to the surface of the tire will not be good enough.

Advice: if your tire is dark inside, take a transparent glue moment, this will allow you to see exactly where you made the hole and not make a mistake when screwing in the screw.

After all the screws are in place, we take the camera and cut it along, along the seam. This is necessary in order to put it under the camera, which will help to avoid rubbing against the spikes and rubbing it. We wrap the inflated chamber with a cut chamber. Can also be glued for security. We put studded tires on top and you can test.

Winter came and I had to do something with the bike so as not to fall on the ice. I could buy ready-made studded bike tires - it would cost me 4-5 thousand rubles. Not only because of the desire to save money, but also from the eternal desire to do something with my own hands, I decided to make winter bike tires myself.

It was bought: 2 budget tires for 250 rubles. each; 400 pcs. 13 mm. self-tapping screws (about 100 rubles).

Tires were chosen with large "teeth" so that self-tapping screws could fit comfortably in them. In total, the tire had 80 + 140 + 80 teeth. I didn’t want to screw in 300 screws, so I inserted screws into the side rows through one. As a result, about 190-200 self-tapping screws were inserted into each tire. This made the tires about 200 grams heavier.

So, tires are bought, self-tapping screws - too. We must get to work. First you need to make the guide holes in the tires. Without them, self-tapping screws will often go crooked and come out in the wrong place. It is very important that the self-tapping screws "peep out" from the center of the "tooth" - this will extend the life of the tire. To do this, I took a drill and began to drill holes. It was hard, to say the least, so I came up with a new way: I clamped a nail with pliers, heated it over a fire and made holes in tires with it. It was no longer difficult, but it still took a lot of time. And then a brilliant idea came to my mind - to make holes with an awl! The sewer was not at home, so I had to buy it. Making holes with an awl is the best option.

The holes are ready, it's time to screw in the screws. I bought self-tapping screws for 13 mm with a press washer. It is very important to buy with a press washer, because. only they have a fairly wide "hat". I screwed the screws into the tire with a regular screwdriver. The tire was not turned inside out. The main thing is that the screws are screwed in evenly. You don't need to glue them on. The self-tapping screw must be screwed in so that at the exit it slightly presses the rubber thread under itself.

That's what I did:

The last photo shows that on the side rows the screws are inserted through one. Empty teeth are also sometimes found in the center, the order there is: 1-2-1-1-2-1-1-2-1, etc.

Screws are screwed in, let's move on. Now they need to be sharpened. I didn’t have a sharpener, so I asked a friend to sharpen the spikes. The self-tapping screws were hefty strong and the grindstone was more likely to grind off than they were. But, anyway, they managed to undermine them. On one tire, the studs were slightly longer; I put it on the front wheel, because there is less load on it and the quality of handling depends on it. The side row of self-tapping screws can be turned weaker (the main thing is that they are not sharp), because they will only work when cornering. A tire with turned screws looks like this:

This is the front wheel. On the back, the spikes are one and a half times shorter.

Self-tapping screws are screwed in and turned, but that's not all. So that the caps of the self-tapping screws do not damage the camera, you need to make a lining. To do this, I cruelly cut two cells - one old and one, I'm not afraid of this word, new. Now you can collect the wheel. When laying the camera, be careful not to scratch it on the spikes.

Yesterday I tested my homemade winter bike tires by riding about 25 km on snow and about 35 km on asphalt. When driving on asphalt, a rather loud noise is created, but this cannot be called a big drawback. When driving on snow and ice, the tires proved to be the best - while my friends on ordinary tires constantly fell on ice, I drove absolutely without bothering, as if on asphalt :) If we compare studded tires with ordinary ones, albeit with an evil tread , under emergency braking, the difference is simply monstrous. Heaven and earth! With studded tires, during heavy braking at high speed on ice, it does not skid at all, the studs leave a deep mark on the ice.

There is only one drawback - it is difficult to maintain a high speed of riding and a little more difficult to ride in general. This is felt when driving on asphalt, but driving on ice / snow is a real pleasure.

As I said, about 35 km yesterday I had to drive on bare asphalt. A friend with much more experience said that when I got home I would have to change the tires, as the asphalt spikes would wear off. But it turned out that the screws were practically not worn out. They only turned and became not sharp, but the length remained the same. However, it is worth noting that it doesn’t happen every time - I was just lucky with the purchase of high-quality self-tapping screws. In general, driving on asphalt on such rubber, although not desirable, is possible if you keep a low speed.

And finally, a short video:

When I decided to stud a bike tire for the first time, one of the main reasons was the lack of winter bike tires on sale, or rather a rarity, and therefore without a choice of options. But now there is also on sale, and there is some choice and in online stores you can probably buy any.

But looking at the location of metal and rubber spikes in bicycle tires, and understanding how and where there is a desire to ride in winter, the mood did not improve. It's as if the product-designers of tire manufacturers care about their products from too idealistic positions. Either asphalt and smooth ice, or rolled snow alternately with a snowless road. And the spikes are specially made so that they are lost more quickly on hard surfaces, and it would be necessary to buy the next bike tire.

As a result of reasoning - to spend money on what is or to do what is much cheaper, but exactly as it should be, I chose to do it.

Base selection - tires

First, I decided on the parameters - what should be the tire. And given the previous experience of studding old ones, with a partially worn out tread, I decided that only a new one and not random, which will be given for nothing (or almost for nothing), but selected from catalogs, or from those suitable that are on sale. As a last resort, I decided to wait for the one ordered in the Internet store, but the one that would be more suitable.

1. - it should be folding, since it is much easier to remove and install in the cold than with a wire carcass - tires with an aramid carcass are softer, more obedient. Yes, and piercing with an awl, drilling, holding the direction of puncture and drilling, at the right angle is easier, as well as screwing in a tenon screw. If the tire can be turned flat. It is easy to press it with a clamp to the plane of a workbench or plywood (board).
2. - should be with a Kevlar cord, since puncturing a tire in the cold, and then gluing it is not an easy task due to that very frost. And I already had the experience of a tire rupture in winter - I drove along a broken section of a metal fence with a sticking out bar, which is not visible under the snow. Then he sealed not only the camera, but also the tire - the gap was one and a half centimeters. The procedure in the cold took more than two hours. The fire had to be built in order to glue at a positive temperature.
3. - The main point is the location of the rubber spikes of the tire, because they will have to install metal spikes. So that the height is no more than 4 mm - less than that of branded winter ones by 1.0 - 1.5 mm, and the location and quantity would allow driving on hard surfaces with less loss. And so that when turning and passing inclined ice surfaces, the spikes are in the place of the most advantageous application of forces - holding abilities. And it is imperative that the spikes be located more often along the contact track, for less mechanical losses when driving on ice.
4. - dimensions of the rubber studs of the tire. So that the spike does not have a size, along or across, less than 8 by 8 mm, since it will not be possible to hold the spike under load - the rubber spike will tear in the direction of the load on the metal spike.

On the tire found and liked in all respects, there were 444 spikes measuring 9 by 11 mm and 8 by 11 mm, 4 mm high, located in the best way for the planned winter rides on ice, asphalt and rocky dirt roads.

I had to spend a long time shopping for fasteners, because what they offered alone could turn out to be worse than what could be found somewhere else. Only two sellers had visual stands to choose screws, but for clarity, only one at a time, two sizes, and not everything that can be on sale. Yes, and on the sites I had to look for links to articles by do-it-yourselfers who were ahead of me in such an idea.

In all the articles read, self-tapping screws with sharp ends of screws or washers with curved pointed edges (home-made or furniture with a threaded recess - washer-nut with horns), riveted exhaust or ordinary rivets were used. Both of them have one feature - to tear and tear everything that they touch and pass over - clothes, wallpaper, linoleum, etc. Another reason for refusing washers is that those that are furniture must be fixed with a screw with a flat washer, but even with a thread lock they can be easily lost. But the main thing is that it is impossible not to get hurt when putting on or taking off such a tire, even with gloves or mittens made of strong, thick leather. An attribute that you will definitely need to take with you with other tools if the spikes are so sharp. How to harden them is also a problem. Yes, and the losses during movement with such washers are large. In general, pucks - no.

As a result, the choice was made on self-tapping screws with a washer head, hardened, galvanized with a drill tip.

The drill ends of these screws do not scratch hands, do not cling to fabric, fleece, powder puffs. They do not stick into linoleum, do not tear wooden surfaces under a small load. But since the tips are made for drilling metal, they are harder (harder) than ordinary self-tapping screws. I tested it by trying to scratch the glass with self-tapping drills and sharp ordinary ones. Drills managed to scratch with less pressure and immediately.

They were satisfied with the sizes - 7.5 mm, 9 mm, 13 mm, and 16 mm in length, and the diameters - 3.8 mm and 4.0 mm, which were quite suitable for mounting in tires with different rubber thicknesses.

True, the 2 smallest sizes were with caps with a diameter of 7.75 mm and without puck-shaped extensions. The rest with caps-washers with a diameter of 10.7 mm. For some reason, sellers call them preshaibs.

Since the spikes were found and bought, it was possible to buy out the tires I liked, which were waiting for me in the Trial-Sport store.

Combining theory, conjecture, someone else's and your own experience into a single whole

First I had to think about the installation method - screwing in the spike screws, how to drill and pierce the tire so as not to damage the cord. Trying on a piece cut off from an old tire, cutting off a piece drilled at different angles and with different speeds, with drills of different diameters - from 1.0 mm to 4.0 mm, and changing the sharpening, I came to the conclusion. The drill is needed with a diameter of 2.0 mm - 2.5 mm, sharpening at an angle of 45 degrees or more, with a zero or negative angle of the cutting edge, the attacking part of the drill. The best indicator was when drilling with such a prepared drill, but in the opposite direction, as when unscrewing, the direction of rotation - the cord threads were not damaged at all. But even with the right rotation, the results were not bad - the cord was torn in isolated cases.

The technology is as follows - first pierce the tire with an awl where the spike will be installed. At an angle of installation of a thorn. Pierce from the outside so that the awl sticks out 15-20 mm inside the tire, so that you can see the place and the angle - the direction of the hole. Take a drill with a drill and switched to the opposite, the direction of rotation. The maximum speed is not more than 1000. It is more convenient if it is a cordless drill with speed control with a start trigger. Note the place and direction of drilling, pull out the awl and immediately drill into the resulting hole. Put the drill with a drill aside, take a second drill - an electric screwdriver with a Phillips screwdriver installed in the chuck - a pin that matches the number of the cross for the drill screw. Place the drill screw on the tip of a Phillips screwdriver (pin) and screw it into the hole at an angle of drilling - piercing with an awl. Check that the screw drill - spike comes out exactly in the right place, marked with the awl. And also 443 more times, and then for the second tire the same number - exactly 444 identical procedures - “Chinese labor”. A little "trick", so as not to pierce the tire for each stud separately, pierced as many holes as I intended to install the studs on a given day (working shift). Then he stuck parquet nails into the resulting holes, and took them out only before drilling one at a time. Then he again inserted nails into the holes obtained, but thicker - 3 mm thick, immediately after drilling. And when I drilled the norm of the day, then I took out the three-millimeter-thick nails one at a time before screwing the tenon screw. So the holes did not “disappear” - they did not tighten, and faster and more accurately than repeating all the procedures with each spike.

First, a row of extreme ones, at appropriate angles, pierced and inserted parquet nails (they are inserted easily) - you can immediately see whether the holes are even and correct, according to the protruding row of nails. Then another extreme row, and then along the rows and the rest. But not all in a circle, but a section - a sector into which he divided the tire, as for working days. Observing accuracy and attention, each stage of work is visually easily controlled by evenly placed carnations.

It took about 30 working hours for the listed works - two weeks in the evenings.

It is possible and faster, but after all, I worked out the control technology, it’s already beautiful - the result of the work is visible and predictable.

Attention - you need to pierce the tire with an awl once for one spike, accurately marking the location of the hole according to the drawing, taking into account the angle along the red dotted line - 3-5 degrees from the black dotted line, no more.

The tire is 26 by 2.25 inches, screws with spikes of different sizes are used - the middle row is the smallest, blued, then slightly larger galvanized, and on the outer rows the largest with a preshaiba hat.

Close-up of a 26" x 2.35" tire. It can be seen that in the extreme rows, the screws are screwed in at an angle favorable for holding on to the ice. All thorns are the largest, with a preshayba hat.

I called a familiar trial worker and asked: “Are there any unnecessary, with a torn off nipple, cameras made of thick rubber?” It turned out that there are already 3 pieces. It was from these cameras that I cut out strips. I cut it in the middle of the sidewalls and used the outer part. Two chambers with a wall thickness of 1.5 mm and one with a wall thickness of 3.5 mm - heavy, the whole chamber weighed 600 grams, like a tire.

Thick-walled chamber, cut off in the middle of the sidewalls. For insertion into the rear studded tire - protects the cycle tube from the heads of the stud screws. It is also more loaded in the middle rows of stud screws, caps of small diameter are more embossed.

I installed a thick-walled strip under the rear tire, and thinner under the front. One thinner - spare. Inflatable bicycle tubes, used by Schwalbe, at a price of 240 rubles - ordinary, but made of high quality rubber. Bought in "Leader-Sport", on the street. K. Marx.

front tire from within

rear tire from within

The rear tire from the inside, the chamber-gasket with traces from the heads of the spike screws is visible. There were no breaks, there was not even a hint of wear - the “gaskets” can be thin.

Tests

This most exciting and interesting thing happened from the Temnaya Pad station and when crossing Lake Baikal on ice.

At first, of course, I was driving to the central passenger station along the asphalt.

The first impression is the sound, like from a dog running on linoleum or parquet with its claws extended, but stronger. We are traveling with a friend who has no spikes on the wheels. But since there is no ice, we drive quickly and as if without tension, although we are careful not to slip and away from the cars.

The trials of skating on the rink were surprising, but only for a moment - the usual skating, turns and braking without problems. But there were no cars with pedestrians on the rink.

So there were no unusual impressions. Tried to brake sharply, turn around - it's normal. It seemed that without spikes, the friend is less confident, but this did not seem like a certain indicator. We go by train to the Dark Pad. How will it be there?

We arrived, looked down the trail and … drove. At first slowly, and then somehow inexplicably confident and risking more and more. Braking with the rear wheel, helping and sometimes dragging with one foot through the snow like motocrossers, and even accelerating and bouncing in some areas. Horror. Suicide slope.

I look around - my friend is gone, his bike too. I had to hurry up and search. It turns out that he, braking with the rear wheel and finding that this does not work on the steep slopes of the track, began to slow down with the front, but this did not help on the snowy trail. He began to accelerate and ran into a piece of soil bare from snow. The front wheel, braked and he had rims, stopped them both and threw one over the handlebars of the other down the slope. But somehow silently - did not have time to get scared and scream. And then the bike flew away. One lies below, in deep snow, silently, and the other, turning its wheels in an inexplicable position, ten meters away. The one without wheels responds with some phrase from a joke and unprintable about a close relative. Snowdrifts took both flawlessly - they flew next to huge stones and lying tree trunks.

Looking at the action described above, for the first time I became proud of my cycling. After all, he never slipped, although he was afraid a lot.

Further down, on the Angasolka river, there was a super test. I go down the path to the bridge, and from it to the hilly ice - snow on top, under it a layer of wet sludge, and ice at a depth of 5-10 cm. I reached the tree, looked around, and my friend was walking around this ice mess on the slope with a bicycle on his shoulder. She screams that it is impossible not only to drive, but even to walk - it is slippery and wet. Once you fall and you have to go wet.

I let go of the tree and food, no sensations, ordinary driving, only splashes of sludge to the sides. I even liked it, I rode in different directions, because the ice on the river is bumpy and sloping, like the slope. Amazingly, no uncertainty, easy to ride, like dry and hard gravel. I didn’t want to go further, an absolutely unusual feeling from ordinary confident skiing - you go easy, switch, accelerate, brake, and this is a very slippery and uneven place, more slippery than just ice. I haven’t even gone to such places yet, but on the contrary, I avoided it.

While driving to Baikal, out of interest, I chose the opportunity to drive exactly on the ice of the river, where it is under the sludge, wet, bumpy and whatever - the ride is absolutely normal, there is no stress, so as not to slip. It is easy to move out onto the ice and drive back to the shore, where the trail passes.

On the shore of the lake, several skiers took their skis with poles in their hands and went to the snow drift to get on skis to Slyudyanka along it.

Looking at the absolutely even and smooth ice, I was a little confused - how will it go? But having moved onto it, I heard the noise from the thorns and that's it ... no other feelings - like on a flat road. I accelerate, I brake, I make such turns that I almost fell several times, jumped - bucked as best I could and ... NOTHING. It’s even strange, because just like that you can ride on smooth asphalt. He began to mock himself and the bike, but no maneuvers or braking failed to slip or skid either on ice or on thin crust. True, he rolled over the steering wheel several times, both straight and sideways. On that day, only a friend had problems - he was driving no faster than 6-9 km / h, and then on lowered tires. On normally inflated even 3 km / h, the problem is that it fell, slipped every 5-10 meters. I can't imagine how many bruises and bumps I brought home. True, I also brought it - from flying over the steering wheel. One of the flights was from the fact that he braked sharply with one rear wheel.

The main impression is the same - NO IMPRESSIONS - ordinary skating without problems and uncertainty. Self-studded tires "hold" on ice or a dense snowy road much better than new tires on clean summer asphalt.

Another time, to the Angasolka River, I drove along the highway and gravel road for almost 20 km - I didn’t lag behind, sometimes even went ahead on the slopes, although everyone with whom they drove in a small “gang”, except me, rode branded spikes.

We went down to Baikal past the village of Angasolka on a frozen dirt road. I, along the crooked and wet ice on the Angasolka River, and those on branded spikes, along the path. The owners of the "company" tried, one even fell, and stopped taking risks - driving on wet ice, and on Baikal they did not risk sharp maneuvers, but in a straight line it was possible to race with the firms on an equal footing. True, in the “firm”, they could afford to press the rear brake sharply and strongly - the rear wheel skidded a little to the side, and I could fly through the steering wheel.

It is a pity that I did not take a camera and there are no pictures of those tests. I traveled twice in company with Diagran (who knows) on his spikes and on the highway and on the snow and on the ice of Lake Baikal - you can’t keep up with him and on highways on asphalt, he drives on ordinary branded spikes on ice at 35 km / h - a monster.

In the train, when setting up the bike, there were no fears that clothes or fleece gloves could be torn on home-made spikes, it was specially taken.

By spring, it became noticeable how dull they become - the drills of the spike screws become semicircular, but this did not affect the force of holding on ice and rolled snow. True, due to the fact that the spikes have become a little shorter, it seems to feel better to ride on asphalt and ice. And yet - the more blunt the drill spikes, the slower their abrasion occurs - the contact surface area increases. It becomes approximately equal to the area of ​​hardened spikes, like branded bicycle tires, without victorious inserts. I ran into about 700 km in the first winter with spikes, I don’t know for sure, since the bike speedometer “died” after 600 km. On asphalt and concrete with ice, it turned out about 100 km, about 250 more km on gravel and dirt roads, the rest about 400 km on ice and dense snow.

I think that during my operation, it will be enough to drive until some spikes are replaced, at least 1500 km.

Theory confirmed by practice

The proposed stud angle was derived from the consideration that the greatest shear load on the stud is during braking. And in order for the spike to “bite” into the ice in the best possible way, it must be installed at a negative angle to the support plane when moving forward.

The side spikes are also at a negative angle to the support plane from the corresponding side, as when driving on a slope or when turning at speed. And since under shear load, the studs will deviate in the elastic rubber of the tire, this deviation will be less due to the greater thickness of the rubber behind the stud and the greater elasticity of the thicker rubber layer.

I did not glue the gasket between the cycle chamber and the caps of the self-tapping spikes, since the gluing will not be tight, and water and dust will get into the leak - dirt in it, and inserting and removing this gasket is not difficult.

How will water get there?

Let's say you had to ride in wet places, and then remove the tire and chamber in the heat - water from the internal volume of the rim will flow into the tire.

Yes, and you need a lot of glue - 2-3 full tubes per wheel. With a mediocre result - poor quality gluing. After all, embossed hats will interfere with the ability to stick the rubber of the cut chamber to the inside of the tire. And with a thick layer of glue, “chewing” sounds will be made, which happened when I glued the bike tubes to road bike wheels on an excessively thick layer of glue - not a quality gluing. And since high-quality gluing cannot be achieved, then why do it badly? After all, if you have to replace any spike, you still have to tear off the gluing.

I hope what happened in the end, and what gave me the opportunity to verify the correctness of my guesses and the applied work, will help those who are not afraid to spend labor, accuracy and attention for the final result - cycling where it was impossible before, but with such tires are safe and pleasant.

So, it's winter in the yard ... (although, now, in the winter of 2006/07, sometimes it doesn't seem so). Sooner or later, every cyclist actively (and not occasionally) riding in the winter will have a thought: why not get hold of studded tires? And the more painful and unpleasant the reasons that gave rise to this thought, the sooner it will reign supreme in the head of a cyclist ... The cycling culture is slowly moving from the West to our dense steppes, and after it the merchants have followed, driven by the truth well known since school times - “demand creates supply” – in pursuit of our hard-earned banknotes. Now it is no longer a problem to buy factory-made studded tires in Kazan, unlike the winters of six or seven years ago - you just need to hurry up in time. In sports shops in Kazan, one could even see a certain variety of studded tires: as many as 3-4 different models from 2-3 manufacturers. However, at the moment, there remains some incompleteness of the problem of providing everyone with studded bicycle tires ...

First, studded tires were imported just a little. What was in stores quickly sold out by the season - and some of those who wanted to buy this rubber failed to do this ... Secondly, the choice of models is still small - mainly budget models were brought in, with a small number of spikes, it seems to me, due to the still insufficient development of the winter cycling subculture. And finally - about the despicable metal. The cost of a set of factory tires for both wheels could easily have been on the order of the monthly salary of a university teacher or other state employees. Se la vie...

So, studded tires are needed - but not everyone gets them. Conclusion - let's do it ourselves. The method of tire studding presented here is not my invention, in addition, on the net you can find a number of descriptions of studding both by the presented method (using screws) and some others. However, it seems useful to describe the whole procedure in detail again, with a sufficient number of illustrations to accompany the text.

1. The first task to be solved is finding the right tire. Requirements for a potential victim of vivisection:

Hard rubber, since when braking on ice, depending on the tread pattern, usually no more than 8-10 spikes work - respectively, and the load will fall on 8-10 tread elements (hereinafter referred to as "buns").

The "buns" themselves should be as large as possible so that there is enough rubber around the screw to hold it.

The tread pattern should satisfy your ideas about the optimal placement of the studs.

To illustrate the studding process, the following tire was chosen when writing this text (original appearance):

The tire was produced by an unnamed Chinese company world famous for its level of quality, producing its products under the trademark "SUPERDIAMOND":

The tread pattern of the purchased tire is as follows:

It has the following comments:

the "buns" are somewhat small and, as it will become clear later, for screws with a diameter of 4.2 mm, selected for studding, with careless studding, a rather small rubber "side" holding them will remain;

The tread is not symmetrical relative to the plane of the tire, which can lead to wheel “yaw” during braking, however, a test drive is yet to be.

Relatively close to the axis of the tire in a "zigzag" are only 108 "buns" - and 108 more closer to the sides. They, perhaps, will work only in corners ... Total - the spikes may not be enough.

2 . The next task is choice of screws. There are a lot of screws in local markets and shops, and finding something suitable is usually not difficult. Screw Requirements:

Flat on the outside (or at least without sharp edges) and as large a hat as possible (to better distribute the load on the camera).

The length, on the one hand, exceeding the thickness of the "buns" is enough to stick out, and, on the other hand, not too long, since the excess will have to be cut off / bit off / grind off - an additional difficult operation.

Hardness - the studs should not grind down on the pavement in one day. "Metal screws" will do.

In our case, the choice fell on "universal screws with a press washer" size 4.2x20. The length is too big, but I did not want to look for others. Clawed that the first liked. But the hats are a sight to behold! They look like this:

It should be noted that there are the same screws only 11 mm long, but they were not available where I took them. This option would be better.

3. Let's start the stitching. To do this, we need an awl and a Phillips screwdriver. The process is obvious - we pierce a hole in the "bun" - if possible in the center:

If you prick from the side of the protector, it is more convenient to aim, the holes are more precisely located. Then we screw the screw into the tire from the inside. To do this, you can turn it inside out a little. It turns out something like this:

"Wah-wah-wah! And so 216 times in a row." (With).

A little about how you can speed up this tedious process. It is clear that there is no escape from piercing holes and tightening screws. But the constant turning of the tire back and forth takes quite a lot of time. This can be avoided by turning the tire inside out immediately. At the same time, since the thickness of the rubber in different places differs significantly (where the "buns" are located - it is noticeably thicker), then when turned inside out it looks heterogeneous. Where there are "buns" on the reverse side - there the wrong side of the rubber has small concavities. The following picture illustrates this point:

The desired concavities are shown by arrows (although the photo still shows quite poorly - turn your tire inside out and see what it is about). With some practice, it is possible to pierce the holes for the screws directly from the inside, focusing on these concavities. After some practice, it turns out to prick quite accurately, while the tire does not need to be constantly turned back and forth, which saves time, and the sharp ends of the screws are directed inward, which reduces the likelihood of scratching them. However, those who wish can perform this operation with gloves. It will look like this:

After a certain time, sufficient to tighten all the screws (in our case, 216 screws), the tire from the wrong side will look like this:

From the tread side at this stage, it resembles a gutted hedgehog turned inside out:

Turn the tire back to normal. The relationship with hedgehogs is becoming more and more noticeable:

Side view:

Now it's time to put the studded tire on the wheel for the first time. Naturally, the chamber must be protected from contact with the heads of the screws in order to avoid its rupture. To do this, it is easiest to use the old, cut along, with the nipple removed, the camera. As practice shows, for the front wheel, which has a relatively small load, this is quite enough. for the rear, most likely, some more powerful protection may be required. There was a mention of the use of a highway tube cut along for this purpose.

So, we take the old camera, which will work as a gasket:

Let's inflate the main chamber, which is to be inflated, a little - so that it keeps its shape, but not so much that the wheel with it then could not be beaded:

We dress the camera-laying on the camera slightly pumped up in this way:

Then, as usual, we put a studded tire on the wheel rim with one bead, insert a "chamber" sandwich, fold the tire completely and inflate the wheel. It turns out something like this:

Quite a vicious hedgehog...

4. And now it has come - the second part of the Marlezon ballet. The screws must be shortened to the required length. The following options are available here:

The screws were taken quite short, and the protector, on the contrary, is thick enough - in this case, you won’t need to bite off anything.

Too long ends can be ground on an emery wheel. But not everyone in the household has this item, it is also noisy and dusty. But it does work well...

Finally, the ends of the screws can simply be bitten off with a simple hand tool - all kinds of wire cutters, pliers, and so on.

For example, here is a photo of a tire with short screws that did not bite at all:

Now suppose that biting the ends is still necessary (as in our case). Let's talk about the tool. It is quite clear that the tool is different, as, indeed, screws too. The simplest option available in every home and promising hard work is ordinary pliers or wire cutters with one axis. The mechanical gain in strength is small, so they can only bite thin screws (or only the ends of thicker ones). The screws should be relatively soft - otherwise the wire cutters will deteriorate quickly enough - and there will be little sense from them. A more convenient option is wire cutters with additional levers (in the figure below; above, for comparison, ordinary pliers):

Such wire cutters are less common in stores, but I managed to find them from a friend of a motorist. Since in this case the screws are thick and hard, even such powerful wire cutters were not particularly enough. Screws should be bitten so that the ends are about 1.5-2.5 mm long. However, it seems that special accuracy is not needed here. As a result, I still managed to bite off all 216 screws - but in 5 evenings, that is, after 40 screws on average, I was pretty tired of this activity, and my fingers were no longer able to press on the handles of the nippers. When working, it is useful to use safety glasses (I wore the most common ones that I ride a bicycle) - since the bitten ends of the screws tend to scatter vigorously in all directions. Gloves also do not interfere - the screws are now sticking out. As a result, we have the desired studded tire. 216 spikes arranged in two "curved" rows. She still does not pull on a four-row.

Project costs:

Tire - 160r.

Screws - 216pcs x 35kop - 76r.

Russian-made chamber gasket (the rubber is thicker and cheaper) - 60 rubles.

Total 296r. Whether it is worth contacting this option - everyone decides for himself. Possible alternatives are either riding without studs (which can be crazily), or buying factory tires (which may not be possible either for financial reasons - or simply due to the lack of such rubber in stores).

Top view of the finished product:

When cycling through mud and snow, you often have to overcome places where it is difficult even to walk. It is for crossing impassable off-road that studded tires are needed on a bicycle.

By the number of studs, bicycle tires should be chosen depending on where you will ride most often. If in the city, where the roads are more or less cleared, then a minimum of spikes on a bicycle tire, located in two rows, is enough. The choice is simple: the more mud and ice on the road, the more spikes should be.

It is important to know that after changing summer tires to studded tires, the overall weight of the bike increases. This is not surprising, because the spikes are made of metal and there are many of them, although they are small.

Steel spikes

Studded bike tires are primarily distinguished by the presence of steel hooks. On one tire, from 100 to 400 spikes are installed. They are assembled from two parts: a cup with a flange and a carbide pin. Glasses are stamped from mild steel or aluminum. They are needed to secure the pin in soft rubber. The pins are made from an iron alloy with tungsten carbide (WC) and an admixture of niobium and titanium carbides (NbC, TiC). Such an alloy is known as "win". It will take at least 4 winters on cleared roads to completely wear out the Pobedite spikes.

The pins are wedge-shaped for installation in cups with a fit. They can be flat topped for mud riding or pointed for good grip on ice.

Over time, flat and pointed pins acquire the same rounded shape. When driving on paved roads, there is practically no difference in wear rate between the two types of studs. A large difference in wear rate between different studs is observed when traveling on the ground. Sharp spikes wear out faster when driving on the ground, due to greater penetration into the ground. But they hold better on ice and packed snow.

Low temperature compound

Real winter tires for a bicycle are not made of rubber at all, as it hardens in the cold to the elasticity of plastic. And the tire must have good grip on frozen ground or rolled snow and ice. Tires for winter are made of a compound - a material that retains elasticity and elasticity at sub-zero temperatures. They are marked "W" or "Winter". Like all soft rubber tires, they tend to self-clean.

On products, the presence of the compound is indicated by the marking "Winter". The Nokian company, which changed its name to Suomityre, adopted the marking "Winter rubber 58A", where 58 is the hardness index of the compound. The manufacturer uses a base compound labeled "SBC".

Double row and multi-row

Studded tires are divided into two types: double-row, multi-row. The style of cycling depends on the number of rows of spikes on the tire.

On two-row ice, you need to drive at a lower speed. Especially if the rows of spikes on them are spaced far apart. These tires are designed for fast skiing in winter on the road surface. Their side studs work best when cornering. And before leaving on the ice, you need to dismount and reduce the pressure in the chambers so that the spikes installed far from each other can bite into the ice layer.

Double-row tires with studs close to the center line are universal for driving on asphalt roads and ice. But they cannot move as fast along the road as on a two-row with far-spaced spikes. There are reviews that say that during sudden braking, obviously on asphalt, pins break out of them along with glasses.

Two-row tires are cheaper than multi-row tires and a little lighter, because they have less iron installed on them. Of course, you need to ride on ice on these bike tires more carefully than on multi-row spikes. Without making sharp turns and without sudden braking.

Four-row winter tire Schwalbe Ice Spiker HS 333. Available in one size - 26×2.10 inches. It has 304 spikes, weighs 1 kg. Price - $118

Schwalbe Snow Stud HS 264 double-row tire with wide-spaced studs. Available in one size - 26×1.90 inches. Has 102 spikes, weighs 980 grams. Price - $78

Two-row Suomityres (Nokian) Stud A10 with widely spaced studs. Available in four sizes: 26x1 1/2x2 - 62 studs, 26x1.5 - 100 studs, 28x1.5 - 76 studs, 28x1 5/8x1.5 - 74 studs

Tire for city and touring bikes Suomityres Hakkapeliitta W106 with narrowly mounted studs. Available in 26" and 28" diameters, 26×1.9, 28×700×45C, 700×35C. It has 106 spikes, as indicated by the marking. Relatively inexpensive - $50

A two-row Schwalbe Winter city tyre, with narrowly spaced studs. Available in four sizes: 26×1.75, 700×30C, 700×35C, 700×40C. Depending on the size, it has from 100 to 120 spikes. Weighs about 1 kg. Price - $59

Folding, tubeless tires

Now the technology of manufacturing folding tires (folding) is used, in which the cord is wound not with metal wire, but is woven from Kevlar thread.

On sale there are two "cool" studded tires and the only folding ones in their structure. They can be installed on a rim without a tube using a special adhesive.

Four-row folding spike Suomityres WXC300. Has a size of 26×2.2. The lightest tire in its class - weighs 750 grams. It has 304 spikes

Five-row tire Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro HS 379. Available in several versions: 26 × 2.10 - 361 spikes, 26 × 2.35 - 361 spikes, 29 × 2.10 - 402 spikes. Depending on the size, it weighs only 695, 850, 890 grams. The highest price is $168

Tread design

If you carefully compare the tread patterns of many tires, you can see a pattern. There are two types of protectors:

1. positive - the total area of ​​the lugs is equal to or greater than the area of ​​the furrows;
2. negative - the lugs are high and occupy a smaller area compared to the total area of ​​the furrows.

Road tires have a positive tread. In addition, it forms a smooth treadmill along the longitudinal axis. For example: the Continental Nordic Spike cross tire, with a tread pattern characteristic of mountain bikes, has an additional chain of lugs along the axis of the treadmill.

Cross studded tire Continental Nordic Spike. Has a size of 28×1.6. It is supplied in two or four rows with 120 or 240 spikes. Weighs 850 or 900 grams. Cost - $75

Urban four-row spike Schwalbe Marathon Winter HS 396. Available in sizes: 20×1.60, 24×1.75, 26×1.75, 26×2.00, 700×35C, 700×40C, 28×2.00. Depending on the size, it weighs from 900 to 1300 grams. Price - $87

For rough terrain with deep snow or mud, tires should have a negative tread so they don't get clogged with mud and can dig into hard ground.

Tire for off-road Nokian Extreme. Available in two sizes: 26×2.1 and 29×2.1. It has 294 spikes in six rows.

Off-road tire Continental Spike Claw. Produced in size 26×2.1. May have two or four rows with 120 or 240 spikes. Can weigh 840 or 900 grams. Price - $70

Universal studded tire Innova 26 IA. Has a size of 26 × 2.10, equipped with 268 spikes in four rows

The Innova 26 IA bike tire is versatile because it has a negative tread structure, but the angled lugs form a straight treadmill.

Tire width

A narrower tire is more profitable to put on movement in deep snow. It will quickly cut through the layer of snow to a dense base. A wide tire, when driving through snow, will hang in the thickness, not having time to rest against the base, the wheel will begin to crawl around.

Narrow tires allow you to move on a higher layer of snow. In reality, on snow cover above 10-15 cm it is impossible to ride a bicycle with any tires. A person gets tired very quickly during prolonged work with increased load. Turning in deep snow will be another impossible task.

The widest possible tire is needed for driving on snowy crust, trodden paths and winter roads, as well as for overcoming deep mud.

Homemade spike

You can stud any tire, but one made of soft rubber is much more preferable - in it, home-made hooks will hold on tighter. Everyone can make studded tires at home, but it will be much heavier and more unreliable than a factory product.

1. It is necessary to buy self-tapping screws for metal: hardened with a flat, low head.
2. Self-tapping screws must be screwed into the lugs. It is convenient to screw in the self-tapping screw immediately after the hole is made.
3. Holes are best drilled with a small drill with a diameter of 2 mm, at high speeds of the drill. In a cut hole, rubber does not experience overstress when stretched with a self-tapping screw, as in a hole pierced with an awl.
4. The ends of all self-tapping screws sticking out must be cut to a height of 4 mm above the rubber surface.
5. It is important to make a gasket to protect the camera from rubbing. It can be cut from the old chamber, spread along the inner radius. And you can close the heads of the self-tapping screws with protective Kevlar or insulating lavsan adhesive tape.

Do not forget that any, even homemade, studded tire needs to be run in so that the studs take up a working position in the rubber. You just need to drive a distance of 40-50 km on a hard road surface, with reduced pressure in the chamber. After that, you can storm the winter roads and mud swamps.