Cyclists who want to continue to ride comfortably even in cold weather should think about changing their steel horse's regular tires to studded ones. Special protectors for winter are sold, which are equipped with steel spikes. However, they are expensive, about 1000–2500 rubles, do-it-yourself tire studding will be much cheaper. This is not as difficult as it might seem right away, and you will only need to buy self-tapping screws, good glue. Naturally, regular tires will also be needed.
Choice of spikes
For the modernization of tires, self-tapping screws are selected, which are designed to be screwed into metal holes. The optimal length is 14 mm, and their hat should be wide and with rounded edges. Such self-tapping screws are also good because they have a wide tip, so they will wear out more slowly.
Choosing a studded tread
To make do-it-yourself studded bicycle tires, it is better to choose tires with the thickest rubber that is designed for snow and ice. This will allow you to convert the tire so that it is universal: for snow, ice and asph alt. Rubber should not be too hard to better cling to the surface. You should not equip the protector with self-tapping screws too thickly, because they will not hold on smooth stones or tiles. And if you insert too few spikes, their tenacity will not be enough on the ice, so it's worth finding a middle ground. It is necessary that the protrusions on the tread alternate: one with a metal spike, the other without it. Do-it-yourself tire studding should not be carried out only in the center of the tire, it is very important that there are self-tapping screws on the sides. After all, cornering stability is much more difficult to maintain. For this reason, the side parts must be equipped with metal spikes thicker than the center. This symmetry will allow you to ride comfortably on any surface. About 140 screws are needed per tread to ensure good grip on any surface.
Method of installing screws on the tread
So, preparations are underway for winter, we hiss rubber with our own hands. To begin with, the tread pattern is inspected. It is necessary to decide in which protrusions the screws will need to be screwed so that their location is symmetrical. This is very important, because if you place somewhere more, and somewhere less spikes, then the clutchwill be uneven, which will significantly impair movement.
After it is decided which protrusions need to be equipped with spikes, they are marked so as not to make a mistake in the sequence, after which they are drilled. It is convenient to do this with an electric drill, and it is better to choose a drill twice as thin as self-tapping screws.
Tread drilling
The tire is drilled from the outside, laying it for convenience on a wooden board. When all the holes are made, do-it-yourself bicycle tire studding begins. The spikes must be screwed in from the inside of the tread. Before that, we take pliers with which it will be convenient to take self-tapping screws. Then we dip them in glue to the cap, insert them into the hole and screw them in with a screwdriver. Many people use screwdrivers, but for starters it is better to use a regular screwdriver until all the actions start to work automatically. As for the glue, any rubber, for sticking the camera, or the usual "Moment" will do just fine.
The self-tapping screw must be mounted carefully, although it is screwed into the pilot hole, it can still come out not where expected. In this case, it is unscrewed and installed correctly. After all, the grip with the surface depends on the angles at which the spikes will be located in relation to the ground. Thus, tire studding passes around the entire circumference, with your own hands, at home, without any special tools. The central spikes should protrude 2 mm above the rubber, this is the optimal size forquality adhesion to the surface. If any exceed this size, then they need to be shortened with wire cutters. The side studs can protrude up to 4mm because they don't touch the ground when riding in straights, but only when cornering.
Camera Puncture Protection
After all the metal components are installed and securely tightened, you can begin to protect the camera from the caps of the self-tapping screws. To do this, you can use a nylon tape or any other, as long as it is as stiff as possible. Or cut the old camera into strips of the desired width. The main thing is that all hats are closed to avoid contact with the camera.
Glue protective pad between tube and studded tire
In principle, some do not stick a protective tape, but for reliability it is better to do this so that the studding of the wheels with your own hands turns out to be of high quality, and during the ride the self-tapping screws do not pierce the camera. If the glue is quick-drying, then it is better to cut the tape into pieces and stick them in turn. In a word, you need to glue the caps of the screws from the inside.
Many for a better bonding of all parts, when they are connected, lay the inside with polyethylene and insert the chamber, and then pump it up. Thus, everything fits snugly and is leveled. In this form, the protector is allowed to dry, and the polyethylene prevents the camera from sticking. The next day, when everything is dry, you can collect the wheel.
What changes occur when driving, afterafter how to install a studded bicycle tire with your own hands?
First of all, this is the weight of the tire. It can be calculated based on the fact that one screw weighs around 2 grams (plus glue). Weight becomes more by about 400-600 grams, but again, everything is individual. For this reason, the speed drops by 2-3 km / h. A little more tire noise, but it depends more on the surface that is under the wheels. And, of course, the appearance of the tread is more toothy and predatory.
However, all the shortcomings are nothing compared to the advantages that do-it-yourself wheel studding gives. The first is the price, this option is much cheaper than branded rubber. The second is that the size of the metal spikes and their location can be clearly tailored to your needs. And do not hope that the purchased tire will meet the necessary requirements.
Well, now about the skating itself
Even when riding on open ice, the bike rolls like it's on asph alt. No skidding occurs, even when cornering. You can easily go up the hill, where the children made themselves a skating rink, filling it with water, the adhesion occurs, as in the summer. It also goes great in the snow. As for asph alt and slippery stones, it all depends on how the spikes are located. Many, knowing that they will ride in the winter mainly around the city, do not put screws on the middle row at all. But if there is still such a need, then they should not stick out of the rubber by more than 2 millimeters. In general, do-it-yourself studding of winter tiresjustified, and its pros outweigh the cons.
Do both wheels need to be studded?
When winter is very changeable, and snowfalls are replaced by slush, you can only spike the front wheel. It is responsible for handling, but the load on it is much less. Therefore, the spikes will not wear out very much if you drive, for example, on bare asph alt. When the rear wheel skids on ice, it is not as dangerous as the front wheel. In general, do-it-yourself studding of winter tires provides more opportunities than a finished product. However, if there is money for branded protectors, and they meet all the requirements, then, of course, it is more convenient to purchase them.
By covering tires with metal spikes once, the cyclist will know exactly what to change in the next models. The whole difficulty of the first choice lies in the fact that there is no unequivocal answer to the question of what spikes should be and how many to screw them in. It all depends on the specific terrain. However, as practice shows, if such wheels are needed not for a highly specialized sports discipline, then it is better to make universal ones.
So, the article describes how do-it-yourself tire studding is done, and what you should pay attention to. This method is the most versatile, and is suitable for any coating. Having made the tread studding in this way, it will be possible to understand more clearly in the future what to change for better grip in a particular riding area. One thing can be said for sure: that rubber, in which metal spikes are installed, will always be better in frost than one that is not equipped with them.
