Studs on dirt bikes

Trials

Trials

Well-known member
Serious fun, you guys with dirt bikes, stud up a set of tires and extend your riding season. You won't believe how great studs are on frozen ground, wet roots at any angle, slimy green moss covered logs at almost any angle, huge hillclimbs, ice! Wicked traction, better then summertime traction (y)
Just be careful on rock, studied tires do suck on rock, but most of you guys don't ride rock anyway ;)

If you want to practice riding over big logs and gain confidence at that, riding on studded tires is the way to do it.
 
Out of curiosity - what kind of studs do you use for your tires?
No air leak issues when installing them?

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I went dirt biking with Clinton's team 2 years ago at the Horseshoe resort / SMART adventure day trip.
Was an absolute blast and I'd like to go back again sometime.
www.smartadventures.ca

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Havent tried anything during winter - save for the one time where I barely lasted 20 mins on a snowmobile trip by Blue mountain at 40+ km/hr lol.
 
POWERMAN said:
Out of curiosity - what kind of studs do you use for your tires?
No air leak issues when installing them?
...
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Three riders and we are all using different types of studs; I'm running the cheapest option on trials tires, hex head sheet metal screws which is super cheap but you can lose some on rocks, particularly off the rear outside lugs & 20$ buys you enough to do about 3 or 4 tires. One other rider is running trials tires and Fournier ice screws that cost more but stay in the rubber way better, third rider has the really expensive ones like the #4714 on a KTM with full knobby tires, expensive ones don't pull out and rip into softer rock pretty good. They are super expensive and I would not recommend them on a soft rubber compound tire because that would limit your ability to ride in extreme cold (>-15 degrees)

Studs only screw into the rubber and not through the tire cord so flats should never be a problem, If you did make a leak around one somehow, I imagine you could hit it with some crazy glue and be good to go if the tire is tubeless. The proper ice studs come with a special tool to insert them, cost is about a buck per stud give or take.

I'm going with better ones next time, for me the metal screws demonstrated their worth. We're going to ride again today and it's totally nasty out there right now, even for walking, but if you keep your feet on the pegs with the stud tires she will go almost anywhere you aim it, big logs and root covered hillclimbs that you can't even walk up right now are an absolute blast ?
 
Studs that have a pointed end like a screw do not make a lot of sense in rubber, you don't need the point to make them cut into the rubber and the shape of the thread is not efficient for staying in. When I use sheet metal screws I buy chisel point head screws and cut the chisel part off


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I use sheet metal screws to make winter running shoes for my wife. By the end of the winter she has worn most of the heads down to the bottom of the slot. A few maintain their cutting edge to the end of the year. Obviously those ones are in locations that contact less often. I cant imagine they would last long on the rear tire of a motorcycle.
 
Wow - a lot of good info and some new brands to look up - Thank you, Trials!
I tried using one of those Stop & Go plug kits from Fortnine in the past - but wasn't too happy with how it performed when the tire was punctured.
Patch or glue like you stated might be the best way to go.

Have a safe ride out there!
 
We rode hard all day today and I lost only a dozen screws out of the front tire, the rear is down to about half, but we were riding some serious terrain today and powering up some stupid big hills. Need to make a trip to Brafasco soon, I think I might try putting a drop of crazy glue on them to see if that makes them stay in better next time.
Unbelievable fun :cool: you absolutely need to try it.
 
Trials said:
We rode hard all day today and I lost only a dozen screws out of the front tire, the rear is down to about half, but we were riding some serious terrain today and powering up some stupid big hills. Need to make a trip to Brafasco soon, I think I might try putting a drop of crazy glue on them to see if that makes them stay in better next time.
Unbelievable fun :cool: you absolutely need to try it.
Click to expand...
I ran those 1/4" hex head screws for years, they work the charm. Really hook up in frozen dirt lol.
Yes, the Krazy glue works. I always put a drop on then drove the screw into it, they stay in alot longer.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
I've tried Gripstuds, they work well, but honestly so do the other brands, especially if you use Permatex to set them in. I now use only ColdKutter #8 based on performance, ease of install and cost.

 
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Crazy glue sure makes a mess of your fingers I can tell you that.
Lake is freezing fast, you can already ride the shallow ponds in the woods :cool:
 
Trials said:
Crazy glue sure makes a mess of your fingers I can tell you that.
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I would be surprised if crazy glue helps much. You have a lot of surface area, but in my experience it cracks easily. Something like permatex is more flexible and I would expect it is a better choice. I have tried either though so maybe im wrong and crazy glue works.
 
I'll let you know after this weekend ? I think we will be doing some destructive testing

Weird stuff, you can buy a little tiny tube that does nothing for 7 bucks or you can buy 10 bucks work and have enough to glue 30 people together
 
Trials said:
I'll let you know after this weekend ? I think we will be doing some destructive testing

Weird stuff, you can buy a little tiny tube that does nothing for 7 bucks or you can buy 10 bucks work and have enough to glue 30 people together
Click to expand...
I used to use black RTV, dipping sheet metal screws in before shooting them into the tires. The worked on my 6 wheel Jigger and 15hp dirt bikes, not sure how well they would hold with a lot of power
 
Holy I think the ice is ready I'm going to go chop some test holes in the lake if I don't come back, well
I guess you know it isn't ready :unsure:
 
5 inches ? that will hold me, not sure about the rest of you
 
Trials said:
5 inches ? that will hold me, not sure about the rest of you
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Remember that it's not just you.. it's you and your bike..... My last ride of last year was cancelled because the guy that clears the 'oval' with his ATV + plow attachment fell though the lake ice en-route to plowing the oval.... Not something to joke around with.

PS: for all the crazy glue discussion, I've used both over the years and PERMATEX is better as it remains semi-pliable and flexes with the knobs... at 2:25 in the above video you can see the application process. With the Permatex tube it honestly is dead simple and really not messy (except for the crap that gets on the drill bit).

In fact the hold is so good that after taking these out to re-start riding in the spring, I've had times when one or 2 rides in I'd still find a stud or 2 forgotten in the tire, still sitting there all ground up from stretches of tarmac, etc...
 
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Bathroom scales says my gross vehicle weight is 299 pounds.
... that's me and the bike total :LOL: I should maybe strap a long 2 by 4 across my a** for safety
 
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:unsure: am I required to carry a bailing bucket and a whistle etc.
or is riding on water classed as an act of god?
 
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