CrowSeph

I saw a lot of photos around the web of a normal tyre with an huuuge amount of screws on it.
Anyone has tried this cheap solution for snow?

Since the snow is located around 40km from my house , do you think i'll have troubles on climbing or discend in the road with those tyres?

cheers

dabac

You can't just start with any tire, you need one with fairly chunky knobs.
Then some sheet-metal screws with wide, flat heads. And a cordless drill to run them in. And a good set of pliers to nip off excess protrusion. And some meters of duct tape to line the tire with and protect the tube.
Expect sore hands and considerable boredom.
It is possible to get a wicked grip on ice and hardpack, but they wear real fast on dry ground. Leaving them long leaves a really wobbly ride.
Works OK for a dedicated trail bike, but I wouldn't go through the effort for a bike that gets ridden on roads - unless the roads are ALL ice.

Leebo

Just buy a studded mt bike tire, they will last for 5-10 years.

FrozenK

You don't need studs to ride on snow. They really do nothing for you. On ice, yes you need them. Snow? No.

If you want to do your own, there are comercial available options like Gripstud (https://www.gripstuds.com) that are more convenient than the sheet metal screw/ drill method. But they will cost you as much as buying a studded tire. Which again you won't need in snow.

If you are dealing with snow, not ice, use the widest tire you can fit on the the widest rim you can.

fietsbob

my Finnish made Nokians are on their 25th year..

Leebo

Studs help with packed snow. In MA where I ride, snow = ice in a week. YRMV.

FrozenK

I've been living in Anchorage, Alaska for over a decade. I ride on snow for five months of the year -if we are lucky and have a decent winter. Studs don't do anything for you on snow.
If you deal with mixed conditions or ice patches, studded tires are a good idea. A lot of people are riding Dillingers because a)we've had very little snow the last few years; b)they perform well as an all around tire; and c)the studs on that tire don't add a lot of weight or rolling resistance. But on snow there is no performance advantage.

Leebo

I'm guessing your snow is not my snow. Here in MA, lots of wet snow, mixed precip and freeze thaw. Every week. So there is usually ice under that snow. Do you get weeks or months( ugg) of no melting? Yikes. Our snow is sometimes wet and while not ice, gets very hard packed. Enjoy that Alaskan Smoked Porter, 5 months? You will need some to get by. Cheers.

fietsbob

OP wants to send me a round trip ticket to Naples , I can have a better Idea of the conditions in Southern Italy, currently..

FrozenK

If we are lucky we get weeks or months without melting. It makes winter a lot of fun. I enjoy riding on snow as much as I enjoy riding on dirt.

But frequent freeze thaw?Slush every other week? **** that.

Leebo

It's really a mixed bag. You never know what the winter will bring. Last year saw just a few storms. 2 years ago saw 110 inches. Fleece, wool, studded tires and a big cup of HTFU. Welcome to New England.

LesterOfPuppets

I've done homemade studded tires. Just took some olde tires, 3/8" wood screws (IIRC) and wide Mr. Tuffies to line the tires.

Work great in packed snow and ice.

Terrible on rainy or dry roads, so I wouldn't do it unless I had two wheelsets (or multiple bikes), so you can easily switch to meet the day's conditions.

justin70

Are there less expensive commercial alternatives to grip studs? Expensive as printer ink.

fcormier

Homemade studded tires are good for ice racing. For icy roads like we have in Montréal, Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires (or just plain Winter) are great.