Put Studs in Fat Bike Tires

Fat bike tires may look cool, but the real benefit they provide is superior traction and grip in muddy or wintry conditions. This advantage is further multiplied if you add metal studs to your fat bike tires. Some tires come pre-pocketed so you can press in the studs, or you may need to use screw-in studs. Alternatively, you can buy pre-studded tires or try DIY options that might work out fine.

Steps

Pressing Studs into a Pocketed Tire

1. Load a stud into the tip of the T-shaped studding tool. Use your fingertips to pick up one of the studs by its head—in other words, its wider end. Hold the studding tool in your other hand with the bottom—the base of the T-shape—pointing upward. Stick the stud into the opening in the bottom of the tool so that only its head is showing.
   • Fat bike studs and studding tools are available at brick-and-mortar and online bicycle shops.
   • This method describes adding studs to a tire that already has pockets made to accept them. Use your tire model to pick out studs that will fit correctly.
2. Dip the stud and tool tip in water for lubrication. Place your finger over the head of the stud so it doesn’t slip out of the tool. Dip the loaded stud (along with your fingertip) into a cup or bowl of water.
   • Lubricating the stud with a bit of water makes it easier to work the stud into the tire pocket.
   • Stick with plain water as a lubricant. Other types of lubricants may cause the stud to slip back out of the pocket more easily, especially while you’re riding!
3. Hold the loaded stud at a 45-degree angle to a tire pocket. The stud pockets are located on the tire’s knobs—the parts of the tread that stick out. Find a pocket and touch the head of the loaded stud to the knob so that it’s right at the edge of the pocket.
   • Don’t try to press the stud straight down and into the pocket. The job is much easier if you attack it from an angle!
4. Press the stud into the pocket with a lever motion. Use the handle of the tool to start pushing the head of the loaded stud down into the pocket, maintaining the 45-degree angle at first. While continuing to press down, shift the angle of the tool so that it’s at a 90-degree angle to the knob and stud pocket. Keep pressing down firmly.
   • It takes a decent effort to force the head of the stud into the pocket, which is a bit smaller in diameter. It has to be a tight fit so the studs don’t fall out!
   • The shape of the tool works to your advantage by creating a lever action as you press down and adjust the angle from 45 to 90 degrees.
5. Rotate the stud tool in a circular motion, then lift it away. Keep the tip of the tool pressed firmly down on the pocket. Use your wrist to rotate the top of the tool in a circular motion, making 2 or 3 clockwise or counterclockwise circles. Lift straight up on the tool and take a look at the stud in the pocket.
   • If the stud’s head is completely buried into the pocket so that you can’t see it at all, the stud is properly seated. If you can still see some of the head, press the tool back down onto the stud, rotate the tool a few more times, and check the stud again.

Screwing Studs into a Pocketless Tire

1. Confirm your tire’s tread depth before starting installation. The tread knobs—the sections of tread that protrude from the tire—must be thicker than the length of the corkscrew section of the screw-in studs. Otherwise, the corkscrew end will bore all the way through your tire and likely puncture the tire tube beneath.
   • With a new tire, check the product guide to confirm the depth of the tread knobs. Alternatively, use calipers or a ruler to measure the tread knob depth.
   • Screw-in studs are available in different sizes, so buy accordingly.
2. Tighten the installation tool bit into place in a power drill. Your screw-in stud kit should come with a specialty installation tool that’s intended to fit into any common power drill. Simply loosen the drill’s bit collar, insert the hexagonal-shaped side of the tool, and tighten the collar to lock the tool in place.
   • If you’ve misplaced the installation tool, or if your kit didn’t come with one for some reason, contact the manufacturer of the screw-in studs.
   • Your kit may also come with an optional hand tool that you can use instead of a power drill—simply snap the installation tool bit into place at the end of the shaft. Your wrist will be a lot less sore if you use a power drill to install all the studs, though!
   • Use only a power drill or a hand tool for this job, not an impact driver.
3. Insert a stud, corkscrew end facing out, into the installation tool. Line up the 2 notches on the slightly cone-shaped end of the stud with the 2 prongs on the end of the installation tool, then press lightly. The stud should easily snap into place.
   • Your particular screw-in stud kit may use a different setup than the 2-notch, 2-prong connection. Always read the product instructions carefully.
4. Center the tip of the stud’s corkscrew end over a tread knob. Position your drill so that the stud is perpendicular to the surface of the tread knob. Touch the tip of the stud to the spot where you intend to screw it in.
   • Instead of adding studs to every tread knob, create a repeating pattern—like V-shapes or zig-zags—on the tread. Check the product manuals for the studs and the tires for placement advice, and talk to other fat bike enthusiasts and retailers about their pattern preferences.
5. Drive the corkscrew end completely into the knob with the drill. Confirm that the drill is at a low speed setting so it’s easier to control. Squeeze the trigger and hold firmly so the stud is driven straight down into the tread knob. Stop once the collar—which separates the corkscrew and cone-shaped parts of the stud—is flush against the surface of the tread knob.
   • If you’re screwing in the stud by hand, use a firm, steady, even twisting motion to complete the task in the same manner.
   • If you don’t drive the corkscrew in the whole way, the stud may fall out while you’re riding. If you drive it in too far, it may puncture the tire.
6. Repeat the process with the remaining studs. Follow your chosen pattern and drive in the other studs the same way. After that, you’re ready to hit the ice and snow with your fat bike!
   • If a stud falls out, don’t try to install a replacement in the same spot. The pocket left behind by the old stud will be too big to grip and hold a new stud.

Considering Other Options

1. Purchase winter fat tires with studs already implanted in them. If your fat bike budget can handle multiple sets of tires, this is probably the easiest option. Just like switching to snow tires for a car or truck, Remove-a-Fat-Bike-Tire your stud-free “summer” wheels and put on your “winter” studded wheels to deal with snow, ice, and slushy muck.
   • Studded fat bike tires start at around $150 USD and quickly go up in price from there, depending on the particular features, the brand’s reputation, and other factors.
2. Create your own stud pockets with a drill or soldering iron. While there are DIY videos online demonstrating how to turn a stud-free (and pocket-free) fat bike tire into a studded tire, it is a time-consuming process that might ruin your tire. If you’re dead-set on attempting this method, seek out tips and advice from other fat bike enthusiasts who have tried this.
   • Some DIYers use a power drill with a very short drill bit to create pockets in the tire’s knobs, then install the studs in much the same process as with pre-existing pockets.
   • Others, alternatively, work with a soldering iron to melt open the pockets in the tire, which means the cooling and hardening rubber helps hold the studs in place. A soldering iron isn’t a tool for a novice, though!
3. Drill through the tire and use screws as studs. As with making stud pockets with a drill or soldering iron, this DIY method carries the risk of ruining your tire. It involves removing the tire from the wheel, drilling all the way through the tire (from the outside) at various knobs, driving short screws through the holes (from the inside) to serve as makeshift studs, and adding nuts to the screws (from the outside) to help hold them in place.
   • To reduce (but not eliminate) the likelihood of popping the inflatable tube that’s underneath the installed tire, run layers of duct tape or deflated bike tubes around the entire underside of the tire.
   • Not surprisingly, screws don’t last as long or work as well as real studs!
   • This method can save you a fair amount of money—if you don’t ruin the tire—but it’s very time-consuming.
4. Add chains to the tire instead of using studs. A properly-installed set of chains can provide similar performance to studs, and some fat bike enthusiasts even prefer them. You can look up DIY chain setups online or buy chains that are made to be installed over typical fat bike tires.
   • Fat bike tire chains are typically installed by removing the wheel, deflating the tire partway, putting the chains in place, and reinflating the tire to secure the chains.
   • Chains do have downsides. They aren’t compatible with all types of bikes, especially because they may interfere with the brakes. Chains also make it more difficult to access the tire for repairs or replacement, especially while you’re out on the trail.

Things You’ll Need

Pressing Studs into a Pocketed Tire

• T-shaped studding tool
• Fat bike tire studs
• Cup of water

Screwing Studs into a Pocketless Tire

• Screw-in studs
• Installation tool bit
• Power drill or hand tool

References

See also

• Use Clipless Pedals
• Switch Your Bike from Fixed Gear to Single Speed
• Endo a Pedal Bike
• Unlock an oBike
• Get Back on a Bicycle As an Adult
• Choose an E Bike
• Carry Cargo on a Bike
• Keep a Bike Safe
• Make a Rear Bike Mount
• Increase the Mileage of a 200 Cc Bike to Around 40 45 Kmpl

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