The Greasy Wrench
Homemade Studded Tires

Time: about 3 hours Skill Level: easy What you will need: - 300 to 600 3/8 inch stainless steel pan head sheet metal screws - A Drill with phillips or flat head bit (depending on the screw heads) - 2 Old Tires. (Something with some tread still left on it) - Duct Tape or 2 slick tires - 4 beers (or root beer if you are under 21) - Patience

You don't have any studded tires? Well there are two options here, you can either spend a hundred bucks or more on some high quality Nokian Tires or you can make your own for less than half the price of one. In case Christmas has drained your wallet, here is how to make your very own winter tires that even Mel Gibson would be happy to ride to the thunderdome.

Start out by drilling a screw into a knob on from the outside of an old tire and then remove it. This is to pre-drill the inside casing and guarenteeing that your stud will be sticking out of the tire knob. Now take that same screw and drill it back into the tire, but this time from the inside through the knob that you just pre-drilled. Repeat until nearly every knob has a stud sticking out. (sidewall knobs can be tricky to pre-drill) You can put as many studs in the tires as you want. Be creative with your studding patterns, there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Shown with optional 1/2" screws not through knobs

After your tires are loaded with screws, you will need something to protect your tubes from flats caused by the screw heads. There are a couple of options here, one is to apply Duct Tape to the inside of the tire to cover up your screw heads and then use a tire liner such as Mr. Tuffy to keep the screw heads from puncturing your tube. Another way is to use a 26-inch slick tire. Cut out the bead and sidewall to make the tire more flexible and easier to work with. Place the slick tire inside your studded tire. This seems to be the most reliable option for preventing accidental punctures.

Now you are ready to get out there and ride. These homemade jobbies are not good in the early season when the trails still have leaves on them, so be careful, Nothing can turn your leg into swiss cheese faster than these spiked pizza wheels. Good luck and ride safe!