On 2/12/2019 8:21 AM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 8:00:55 AM UTC-5, duane wrote:
On 11/02/2019 9:16 p.m., Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Monday, February 11, 2019 at 7:27:02 PM UTC-5, Duane wrote:
Snipped
Need spikes on my shoes to walk up my driveway. Actually the first ones
I’ve owned.

Was sunny and cold today so the ice is still around. Tomorrow we’re
supposed to get 40cm of snow with winds gusting to 55k/h.

Good news is it was still light when I drove home today. With luck I
might be out on the road in 4-6 weeks.

--
duane

A number of years back it was really icy here and my sister who was ill at the time wanted something from the local dohnut shop. Here husband would not attempt to drive down the hill from their place to get to the shop. I took a couple of pieces of 1/4" plywood and drove a bunch of carbide screws through them. Then I attached a couple of toe-straps to each one and strapped them onto my boots and away I went. I had no problem walking even on the black ice. My BinL thought it was ingenious. The neatthing was they took up so little room that I could take them with me just about anywhere. They lasted me a number of years.

I think we get more snow and ice in Quebec. These are readily available
everywhe

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

I read that some people take old tires and put carbide screws through them from the inside and then wrapp duct tape or Gorrila tape over the screw heads and use the tires as studded tires.


You really have to be dedicated to do that. lol

You sure do get more snow and ice than we do here. Thanks for that link. I might get a pair of those for my niece. I also might get myself that windproof balaclava shown at the bottom of the page.

Those people who put carbide screws through an old pair of tires are desperate rather than dedicated. Besides it's a LOT cheaper than factory made studded tires.

I made my first set of studded tires this way in 1984 or 1985. At the
time, I was not aware of any studded bicycle tire manufacturers, and
there may have been none available in the US. And the DIY studs /were/
cheap. PS - cutting open a shot inner tube to line the tire seems to
work far better than tape to protect the main inner tube from the screw
heads.

By the way, I just used sheet metal screws, which (I think) are
hardened, though not carbide, which I didn't know existed. Sheet metal
screws wear a lot faster than carbide, though I got two full seasons out
of them, and sporadic use since then.

No question, though, purpose-made (carbide) studded bike tires are
dramatically superior; I got a set of Nokians somewhere around ?2000?
2005? and they are great, though very expensive. They only get used a
few weeks a year here in temperate Western Oregon, mostly for black ice;
I built a spare pair of wheels so installation/removal is a five minute
operation.

Since then, many more mfr's are distributing carbide-studded tires in
the US, and I think prices have dropped.

Mark J.