Comments on: DIY bike tire chains

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 00:44:54 +0000

Schwalbe has a studded tire line that is used at lowered pressure when studs are needed, and then pumped to maximum pressure when they are not.

I am testing them soon, and a testimonial reported that they run quieter than expected on pavement.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/studded

By: Rik

Rik — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:33:22 +0000

Looks us up at: http://www.maxigripstore.com/ for great tire studs. You’ll be amazed how easy to install and are great they are!

By: ted

ted — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:41:38 +0000

I liked that how-to, too! He had a very creative answer to stock tire chains which is cool. How do tire studs work- how do they not hurt the tire and leak pressure?

By: knochgoon24

knochgoon24 — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:01:42 +0000

I actually use a set of tire chains very similar to this. Dry pavement riding isn’t the greatest but it’s doable. I can live with it for the day or two the sidewalks are clear in the winter. It’s night and day with the chains.

I modified his plan a bit and I can get mine on and off in 10 min.

By: jeff

jeff — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:51:10 +0000

Disc brakes required.

By: Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:26:02 +0000

Fritz, thanks…I forgot about the offset nature of the studs, which probably helps keep wear to a minimum.

I’ll have to keep all this in mind if I ever move to more icy climes…having a spare wheelset (or even a spare bike) is never a problem for me!!!

By: jamesmallon

jamesmallon — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:08:02 +0000

Where I live (Toronto) winter conditions are not consistent year to year, or day to day: anything from hardpack to slush to wet to dry pavement. Excess use of salt is consistent.

Here you want a studded-tire bike and a slick-tire bike; or you want one bike and two wheelsets: studs and slicks. Fritz is right about riding the studs on pavement, but they grip well on ice! They are slow and noisy enough that you’ll avoid riding them when you don’t have to.

This year I have a gearless fendered touring bike for winter: studs on a singlespeed wheelset, and slicks on a fixed wheelset. My wife won’t let me buy the fourth bike that would help me avoid switching wheels.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:51:33 +0000

Ghost -- they just kind of go "bzzzz." High quality carbide studs don't wear as quickly on pavement as low quality studded tires. On my studded tire the studs are offset to the side so they grip more when you're turning and when the tire is sunk into a soft surface (like snow and softer ice or when the tire pressure is down).

By: Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:44:28 +0000

This may be a touch “off topic”, but how do studded tires (Nokian and the like) handle on dry pavement when there is no ice? I mean, the streets aren’t icy ALL winter long, are they? I would imagine that dry pavement use would accelerate wear on the individual studs, but we can’t be expected to swap tires every few days, right?

Living in Florida, I’ve never had the joy of experiencing studded tires, but I have ridden in snow and ice as a teenager. That was a l-o-n-g time ago…

By: Javier

Javier — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:02:57 +0000

Man this must be hell to ride on pavement too.