Getting set up for ice riding

[Paul_E_D]

On the iceeeee mother fucker!!!!!! For everyone dissing the gold screws, I sure hope you are wrong. I plan to have some fun on these...

[JettaJayGLS]

I may be interested in giving this a shot this year...now would my 450 or 250 be better set up for ice? 450 has road suspension.

[Rada]

I'm hitting the ice this year too. Well. On the big bike.. not the 80

[Paul_E_D]

Aunt Fannie???!!! LOL

[nhbubba]

Gixxer on ice? Sweet.

I know my new 4-stroke dual-sport toy will be horrible compared to anything serious. But I am still kind of interested.

Some of you guys spam'ed facebook with a shit-ton of photos last year. That looked like epic fun.

[Paul_E_D]

I may be interested in giving this a shot this year...now would my 450 or 250 be better set up for ice? 450 has road suspension.

250. We go in small circles...

[gregp]

IMO - Pretty much *any bike* is fun on the ice. It is a very unique experience. A high performance MX bike is really not required to have some fun. The first bike I ever rode on the ice in 1975, on a Honda MR-175. After that, I screwed up my DT-250, a Rokon RT-II 340, a DT-175, a TS-185, then on to an XR-600. All were fun, in their own way.

[nhbubba]

I have a pair of Pirelli MT21's that are pretty badly worn on the bike I just bought. Are these of any value for this ice tom-foolery. Can I just buy a couple thousand of those ice screws, grab the cordless driver and go at it? Or do I really need to start with a certain type of healthy tire?

I also have a couple badly worn 19" fronts off my street/adventure bike that I have been meaning to throw out, but haven't yet. I hear I can cut these up to use as liners?

My expectations are almost as low as my skill level. For how cheap can I give this a whirl?

There is a nice river a few miles from here that the snow-mobile guys go for miles on. I used to skate it for miles when I was a kid.

[Paul_E_D]

You don't want worn knobbies. The screws will punch through and give you flats. You want fresh knobbies...

[nhbubba]

Even if you cut up liners? I have some duct-tape, JB weld, and mechanics wire. Surely there is a way to half ass this!




I want to use fresh knobbies, don't I?

[gregp]

Using relatively new tires will make the job easier. You can half-ass it (if you can call it that), with short knobs and liners, but it will be much more labor intensive. I usually spoon on new tires, insert the screws, and ride out the winter. In the Spring, you can just zip the screws out, and ride the bike with the tires as is, or you can take them off and save them for the following winter.
Professional racers often use new, ice-racing specific tires, and install liners that enable them to run screws of 1" or more in length, thus ensuring that no screws get pulled out at all (threading a screw through the cord of the carcass gives them incredible staying power).

[jasnmar]

[nhbubba]

Would popping screws in a barely used pair of Dunlop D606's be worthwhile?

[TripleTaco]

You can certainly throw some 1/2" or 5/8" kold kutters in regular dirt knobbies, just don't try a bike with proper ice tires. The difference is amazing. I spent one season on half-ass tires and had a load of fun. Then I built my own fredette racing copies, purpose ice tires, liners and 1 1/4" screws. All I can say is WOW, the real tires were a game changer.

I think if you just want to try it out, go the quick cheap route. Jam some short screws in a set of knobbies and go.

[nhbubba]

Meh. Too much dough I think. Maybe I just want to lurk around and see if I can pinch a ride around a pond on someone else's setup sometime.

Although GregP's tapcon trick on the used throw-away tires sounds like fun.

[gregp]

The Tapcon set-up is for trail riding. It will not work very well on frozen ponds or lakes.
For recreational use - The standard length of screws for normal, un-reinforced tires are 1/2" for the front, and 5/8-3/4" for the rear. If you have to use 1/2" screws for the rear (to prevent poking through), you will probably lose most of them pretty quickly.
I suggest trying a 5/8" long screw, and seeing if it protrudes on the inside of a center knob of the tires you have. If it does, I would try to get another tire, with more meat on it.

[nhbubba]

I am almost certain a 5/8" screw will protrude on these tires I have. They are very spent, more so than I even originally realized.

[wheelieman14]

On the iceeeee mother fucker!!!!!! For everyone dissing the gold screws, I sure hope you are wrong. I plan to have some fun on these...

Those tires look like a cheap easy way to get out there on a pond with some snow covering the ice. If someone shows up with 19" Front & 18" Rear Kenda Ice Tires with Canadian screws on a scraped clean pond, they will dust you...

[gregp]

The information in this thread is for *recreational* riding only. Racers get very serious about this sport, and many have very elaborate and expensive tire, suspension, and chassis configurations. However, even just setting your bike up for recreational ice riding will get you leaned over plenty far enough to have some good fun, and practice feet-up, mile long, rear wheel power slides.
At the end of every day, just take a look at the screws. Some of them may need to be screwed back in a bit.

[Paul_E_D]

I'm OK being dusted. I just want to back it in leaned all the way over. LOL

[OreoGaborio]

[Paul_E_D]

Like this...

[Paul_E_D]

LOL, That was Jakes 125 with a set of very used up Canadian tires... I think he ditched em after this day.

I scored the set in my other pic for 200 bucks all done and near new. We'll see. I prolly shoulda sprung for the canadians after riding Jakes bike, but for 1/4 the money, I figured I'd try these out. I might only ride a few days a season...

[Paul_E_D]

Did Gaborio unlike and unpost??? Wah...

[R7]

Those tires look like a cheap easy way to get out there on a pond with some snow covering the ice. If someone shows up with 19" Front & 18" Rear Kenda Ice Tires with Canadian screws on a scraped clean pond, they will dust you...

I've seen plenty of riders on home made tires with screws in them, dust the guys with bought tires.
Knowing Paul, he's going to be just fine hanging with the big boys on those tires..probably even pass or lap them...until the knobs rip off..haha
From what I've seen, the special built tires need cleaner ice, the mx knobs with studs seem to be better later in the day when the track gets some shreaded ice built up on it.