How to Convert Bicycle Tires Into Studded Snow Tires

Unless you want to spend some serious money on production studded snow tires for your bike, the only option is to deal with riding in snow and ice without the tires or make studded tires yourself. Since riding your bike on un-studded tires in the snow is next to impossible, you should follow a few steps to make your own studded snow tires.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bike tire with thick tread
• 1/8 inch drill bit
• 50 Robertson head number 8 1/2 sheet metal screws with square head
• Wrench
• Dremel or file
• Mr. Tuffy bike tube liner
• Duct tape
• Baby powder
• Inner tube

1. Take a pair of tires, or just a front tire if you don't want to do both (though doing both will make your snow rides better), and count the number of nobs, or raised up shapes of rubber, that form the grooves of the tires.

2. Drill or punch holes with a 1/8 inch bit into the tires so that you have enough evenly spaced holes to place between 25 and 50 screws into the holes. Insert Robertson head type number 8 half-inch screws into the holes you made. Use a wrench to tighten the screws so they are firmly placed in their holes.

3. Check the inside of the tire to see if any of the screws' pointy tips are sticking through. Take a Dremel tool or file to the screw tips and grind them down to a flat end that just barely poke out of the back of the tire.

4. Place a Mr. Tuffy bike tire liner in the inside of the tire and make sure that the liner covers each of the screw end that stick through into the inside of the tire. Apply some duct tape to the edges of the tire liner and then dust baby powder on the outside of the tire liner.

5. Insert your tire tube and then place the tire back on the wheel. Inflate the tube and spin the tire to make sure everything works and moves freely on the bike.

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