Winter tires?

[BarelyAWake]

No worries bandito, I for one am here to learn other people's opinions While you are prolly right about my bike studs as they'll just be stainless fasteners in the best McGuyver style - the ones for cars and trucks, even in those $80 bicycle tires are actually solid carbide and last a coupla seasons if treated properly (take 'em off come spring, no burnouts etc.)

In some more southern states (like Mass, the deep south lol) they're actually forbidden as they tear up the roads... I think their priorities could use a lil work...

I think the big problem w/studs is the same as with four wheel drives, people expect them to have a night and day difference, yet a four wheel drive only helps you to get going - it doesn't help worth a **** to stop or turn. In a way that's worse - they'll help you right into trouble lol With studs it's similar, they don't give you any traction in slush, light snow, or even packed - but they help ya just a bit with the ice, and I'll take any lil bit of help I can get heh

Yet to be completely honest I'd have to agree with you, if it weren't for slackin' off so many seasons and waiting till after it iced up outside to get my winter tires on various vehicles - my logical reasoning would say the same - how could a handful of lil metal bits have any real effect? Yet the last ice storm we had while I still had my ol' army jeep - I couldn't get out of my driveway at all until I changed my tires (finally) to the studded set I had, then it was back to fun and games and snap 360s

 

[bairdco]

check these out from Kenda:

Kenda USA Bicycle Tires

 

[BarelyAWake]

I like these a lot;

... but $130 for a set of bike tires... ooph... TBH, I'd rather make a set - I'd think about spendin' that on a set of awesome summer tires that I'd get to use more, but I'll prolly wimp out this winter after a while lol

Maybe not - we'll see, if I can deal with riding a bicycle this winter I might get somethin' like those for next *shrug*

Thanks for the link tho!

 

[Blakenstein]

Kendas Nevegal is a lot more like it. hey!! I gots me an avatar now

 

[Blakenstein]

Snow is great to visit - but ya don't wanna live there

Well - as it stands I've two sets of "aggressive" dirt tires, one with large lugs and one with small. I'm gonna stud the ones with large lugs in the best "do it yerself" fashion but ride the ones with lotsa lil lugs till it ices up a lot. I figure I'll get a good comparison that way.

bandito - I know ya didn't wanna start anythin' but I gotta say studs on cars & trucks are just about mandatory 'round these parts, being coastal we tend to get far more ice than snow. It's true studs won't help at all with snow - but they do help some while stopping and turning on ice.

They ofc don't "stick" to the ice, but they do in fact give you marginal traction, which is better than the none at all a wet rubber tire on ice is famed for. It may not be much without those 1in steel spikes ya mentioned - but there's a limit to how much vibration I can take heh


Salty - bfore you think I'm completely insane My commute is a mere 1/4 mile (usually) so this debate is somewhat academic. I could walk/drive/carpool but where's the fun in that? I for one love a good driving challenge, for years every time we'd get the first snow I'd be out in it with any vehicle I could get my hands on, usually motorcycles with regular ol' street tires on 'em.

I drove nothin' but motorcycles as daily drivers year round till I was 24yo, which was when I first moved to Maine. I made it one last winter and got a car lol Although I had lived in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts previously and those places do actually see snow and ice, Maine... well... it's an overachiever

*shrug* mebbe we'll have a mellow one this year, but Murphy is watchin' so we'll prolly have record breakin' lows JUST cause I don't wanna stop playin' with my bike

This is going to be another warm winter at least up to Jan.This means lots of polished ice, also known as black ice I hate that stuff but I'm doing alot less ridding this winter.

 

[BarelyAWake]

"Warm" being a comparative term ofc lol

Nice avatar BTW

 

[jg767]

I put several thousand miles on a pair of Nokian Mount and Ground studded tires last winter here in Ma. They are made from tungsten carbide, the toughest available. They andle icy plowed roads extremely well, are quiet, and I naven't lost a single stud. They're not cheap but you can get at least 2 seasons out of them. If you're serious about winter riding, these are an absolute necessity.

 

[BarelyAWake]

Yar - I've seen those, think someone here linked me to 'em, sweet tires man! Thanks for the review

TBH - this'll be my first winter for riding a motorized bicycle, bet I don't make it the season - depends just how nasty it gets here. As such I'm a touch reluctant to kick $160+ on tires alone when there's so many other toys to get lol

Yet if I don't have too much trouble with the cold (my ride isn't far) I'll prolly pick up a set for next season, mebbe even this spring if I can find a deal - they are real nice!

I'm torn honestly, I really don't wanna cob together something with screws, I haven't gotten word back on their longevity - I wonder if they'll even last a month or so... but fer some labor, a set of tires I already own and like $10 I gotta give it a try.

See, there's this pesky jackshaft kit I wanna get, there's that other frame I'm savin' up for, got another motor that needs bits like an expansion pipe, there's that carb I wanted...

blarg - the list goes on lol - toys, I likes 'em

 

[noco]

i saw an article a few years back about a guy who was attempting to mountain bike the ididerod dog sled race...there was a whole article about his bike mods...dont know how to put a link in here but im sure it can be googled...i dont know if he completed it

 

[Humsuckler]

all you need to do is screw 1/4" sheet metal screws through the side lugs of your tires. and to be truthful you only need to do it to the front tire.

Done it before, ill do it again, it works.

They do wear out, but **** thats why you put them on the sides. going in a straight line is NP, you really only need the studs to turn anyway (therefore only the front tire!)

line your homestudded tire with an old tube and alot of baby powder and you shant get flats.

snowbiking is fun, i cant imagine how much more fun it wil be with a MB! the only downside is getting bodycold, since your not actually moving much.

 

[BarelyAWake]

Yarp - that's pretty much what I'm plannin' for this season, this was Spunout's thread;
http://motorbicycling.com/f3/made-my-own-studded-snow-tires-5439.html

Figure I'll line em like you suggested and use these 'No-Mor Flats Solid Inner Tube' as I've been meanin' to try them anyway;
Walmart.com: No-Mor Flats Solid Inner Tube: Bikes, Scooters & Skates

My thing is I'm not worried about the fasteners wearing down, stainless can take a beating and it's cheap and easy to do it this way in any case - I'm kinda wondering about how the tire holds up, if the screws tear it up at speed on pavement, how long it'll last.

I'm gonna give it a try fo'sho


This was Spunout's tire;

 

[Humsuckler]

perfect stud job! (but the center ones wont last long)

 

[Blakenstein]

all you need to do is screw 1/4" sheet metal screws through the side lugs of your tires. and to be truthful you only need to do it to the front tire.

Done it before, ill do it again, it works.

They do wear out, but **** thats why you put them on the sides. going in a straight line is NP, you really only need the studs to turn anyway (therefore only the front tire!)

line your homestudded tire with an old tube and alot of baby powder and you shant get flats.

snowbiking is fun, i cant imagine how much more fun it wil be with a MB! the only downside is getting bodycold, since your not actually moving much.

Yes,I saw someone do that a long time ago, and I was very impressed with his genius .The ice racing motorcycle dudes also so that.I was going to mention it-don't know why I did not.

 

[Humsuckler]

hows the man look at your bike out west anyway blake?

 

[Blakenstein]

hows the man look at your bike out west anyway blake?

They've seen me lots of times and every time they have, all they saw was some one pedaling his but off really strenuously. I usually see them first and when I do, I start pedaling very vigorously so they don't even give me a second thought.Once I was bomin down the street heading south and while I crossed the intersection there was one on a bike heading east.I have centrifugal clutch so I throttled down to idle, and started pedaling like crazy.He turned onto the street to come after me and he looked like was killing himself trying to catch up. I then had to turn east to where I was going;two blocks down,I had to stop at a four way;looked behind me and sure enough there he was just killing himself trying to catch up. 1/2 block past the four way,I had to turn into the alley.Once I was out of his sight I gunned it and took off like a rocket.When he got to the alley,I had simply vanished. I don't know what he would have said if he would have caught me. hahahahahahah lol

 

[george_n_texas]

I can just hear the all points bulletin now: BE ON THE ALERT FOR A GUY WITH A BIG FAT GRIN ON HIS FACE RIDING A MOTORIZED BIKE!

 

[Blakenstein]

Last thursday they got me with a J -walking ticket,250 dollars is really gonna set me back. Not all cops know the real rules to these bikes,so I don't take chances. I heard that the rules where I live, are based on weight and that the pedals must be in working order. Scooters must be insured and registered but motorized bikes are okay.

 

[Spunout]

perfect stud job! (but the center ones wont last long)

on ice and snow, they did very well. i was doing 30mph on sheer ice, passing cars that were stuck doing 15mph in blizzard conditions. i'm stoopid and dont know when to quit.

after the snow and ice started to disappear, yes, the center studs wore down fairly quickly. BUT even with tons of asphalt miles, ive discovered there is still always going to be a little bit of the stud poking out, at least from the weight of bike/rider pressing it down. the things you need to consider are:

it feels WEIRD until you get the hang of it.

if you're not running some type of airless or guaranteed-not-to-deflate system, use a good tire liner. the lath screw heads will tear up a tube without them your first time out.

i had trouble keeping my engines running in severe cold. HEET didnt work. wrapping the motor/carb in foil, to keep them warm didnt work. the high humidity and microscopic ice crystals in the air stalled the motor usually within 5 miles. often. pulled the plug and it was wet with water every time that happened.

 

[BarelyAWake]

i had trouble keeping my engines running in severe cold. HEET didnt work. wrapping the motor/carb in foil, to keep them warm didnt work. the high humidity and microscopic ice crystals in the air stalled the motor usually within 5 miles. often. pulled the plug and it was wet with water every time that happened.[/B]

Awesome Spunout, thanks for the feedback on your studded tires!

It sounds a lot like you were suffering carb ice from the Venturi effect, a common problem with ultralights too. There's no real cure for it other than to supply heat to the carb/intake manifold by providing warmer air to the carb or an electric heating element.

It was actually the humidity that got ya, ambient temperature alone had little to do with it other than it's a relative formula - the air temp, the speed of the air going into the carb, and the humidity level. The Weber carbs on my ultralight were most prone to ice at 60°F & %70+ humidity - variable throttle settings would help some to prevent it - but not much.

My crazy ol' filght instructor mentioned that "in an emergency due to ice forming in your carburetor, enrich the mix slightly, increase rpm, shut down magnetos, wait a second, turn mags back on again" Not really applicable to our bikes, this would make the Cessna "backfire" through the carburetor - dislodging some of the ice (emergency technique only, Cessnas have carb heaters).

Fortunately I never had to try it with the Cessna or my plane lol and I dunno if I'd try it with these HTs, prolly blow the carby right off the manifold heh

 

[chrisme]

I live in Maine too. I'm just gonna put my bike away for the winter ...
Had some snow already, but there are a few warm days left to ride, hopefully.