I'll upload some pictures and post later, but thought I would provide an update on testing so far. I have been working with the company to enhance the documentation on installation and other issues, but here are the results from the first ride.
Last Saturday, 3 of us went to Canfield OHV, just north of Post Falls, Idaho. The terrain is rocks, rocks, and more rocks, and I was hoping to get to the snow rather quickly. Unfortunately, the snow was much higher than we imagined, so I had to ride about 17 miles of jagged rocky hills to get to the snow. The rocks provided a great test as to the durability of the studs, and how well they stay in the tire.
To my surprise, I lost one stud, but that's only because I ripped the entire knob off the new tire. The rest of the studs stayed in place. In a nut shell, once these things are installed, they WILL NOT come out of the tire, even in nasty jagged rocks. So, riding in snow will never get these little guys to come out.
Once we hit the ice and snow, riding was effortless. Of the three of us, I had the studs, another rider had screws from the hardware store installed from the inside out, and third rider did not have any type of gripping installed in the tires.
As we approached the first long section of ice covered road that had been driven on, making the road a solid sheet, I was able to maintain speeds between 40-50 mph, standing the entire time, and held my speed through every corner. The studs kept a firm grip on the ice, and I never felt the tires slip.
The rider with hardware screws was the second fastest, but was unable to maintain the kind of control that allowed the same speeds as was possible with the studs.
The rider with just tires was all over the ice, and the corners were SCARY! He was able to ride the ice, but not without a lot of risk, a lot of close calls, and a very slow pace.
Next up were trails, and here again, the studs made snow covered hill climbs effortless. It was like riding in normal condition. As a result, while the other riders struggled to get their bikes through the snow covered terrain, I didn't struggle at all, and was able to maintain a standing position the entire day.
I have 100 studs installed in the rear tire, so about every other knob has a stud. However, I think the hot ticket is going to be studs on every center knob in the rear, and then every other knob on the outside. This will reduce the total number of studs required for the initial purchase.
Up front, I used 125 studs, as these are smaller studs so you get more in a package. I used a V pattern which seemed to work well, without any slipping. However, I think the hot ticket up front is to concentrate on the outside knobs rather than the inside knobs, as the outside will keep you from losing the the front tire in a slide, which uses the outside knobs.
The reason for all of the pattern testing is to test the effectiveness of less than 100% coverage of the tire. Right now, it appears this is possible with little impact on traction, so will save folks money on the purchase. I have also recommended that the company reduce their package quantity, as this will ensure folks don't waste money on purchasing studs they do not need.
I will have a full writeup after testing is complete, but having run screws before, and now studs, I'm sold. The good thing about these studs is that since they will not come out unless you rip the knob off the tire, your studded tires should last years and years, as snow riding will wear the rubber down very slowly. I'm thinking a set of studded tires with these studs will have a lifespan of about 10 years as long as the tires are not stored outside during the summer.
Hope this helps.
