Here a stud there a stud

For once I'm ahead of the curve when preparing for winter cycling.  And that means |I already have a winter bike and have studded tires for it.  I even have "BarMitts" ready that I wrote about earlier this year.



The setup

To stud the tires, I clamp a short piece of 2X4 into a vice which is mounted on a step stool.  This means that I don't have to bend very far to install a couple of hundred studs and since I screw them in backwards first, this means there are several hundred bends involved.

The view from the top

I screw the studs (5/8 inch sheetmetal screws) into the tire from the outside for a couple of reasons.  One - doing so creates a nice hole all the way through.  Two - the hole is placed at the correct angle.  Three - when I turn the tire inside out for the final installation, I can see the holes where the studs are supposed to go.

Too bad they couldn't be used this way



Now that I've taken the winter beast for a ride, I think the 5/8 inch studs are overkill and I'll either grind them down at "Bikeworks" or replace them with 1/2 inch screws.