Recently I have been reminded that over 25 years ago, when I was closer to being a boy than I am now, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I lived in a house on the West side of Lake Nokomis. Because of this proximity to a frozen lake in the winter, somehow sheet metal screws found their way through some mountain bike tires that I had. Remember, this was years ahead of studded bicycle tires being commercially available.
Back then you were screwed if you tried to ice ride on only under inflated knobby tires. It was fun if you didn’t lean the bike even 1/2° off of vertical to try and turn. If you did, you would go down. If you even slightly turned your head to look back to see if someone was getting close behind you, you would go down. If you wanted to ride on frozen water and be able to go home with all of your bones intact you needed to put the screws into your knobbies.
Welcome to 2015. There are now a plethora of studded winter bicycle tires available from Vee Rubber, Continental, Innova, Kenda, Schwalbe, Nokian Suomi, and 45Nrth. These studded tires are made in a variety of sizes from 700c x 30, to five inch wide footwear for Fat Bikes.
Now you may have heard the saying: “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” Well, even though there are lots of great studded tires available, I decided I needed to go old school.
The rational is that in the City of Lakes Loppett Ice Bike Race, the corners start out polished ice that some sadist melts smooth with a Bernzomatic torch. Then, as the race goes on these corners acquire a snow cone like texture. Meaning that unless you have very soft knobby studded tires, your little studs will not hook up and you will go down. Or like me you can be part of the problem and put some screws in your tires and have grip. I do love snowcones.
Being the consummate non racer that I am, I chose to build a winning front tire full of 9/16 inch sheet metal screws. My rear tire is a more pedestrian 26 x 2.1 Nokian Suomi Extreme, with 294 steel studs with carbide pins. I am more comfortable being able to steer and don’t need the massive acceleration serious racers enjoy. Honestly, I would prefer not to fall on the ice. The embarrassment would be nothing compared to the bruising or broken bones.
My current Ice bike is another Franken-bike. It is an old steel Bianchi that once had a 3×7 drivetrain, with crappy cantilever brakes and single wall rims. Now it weighs 28 pounds and sports a 1×10 drivetrain with a Shimano Zee shifter and Microshift rear derailleur. I am using the old original rim up front with my screwed tire and have reserved the new Double wall rims with Deore hubs for a pair of 26 x 2.1 Nokian Suomi Extremes. The reason for 3 rims is just in case the homemade tire decides to attack and destroy it’s tube. Believe me when I say much care has been taken to avoid an internal puncture from the screw heads. I will not bore you with the details of said booting as they are too painful for me to relate at this time. Suffice to say another rim and tire were in the ready should the need arise.
Loppet day found us, not at the usual venue on the lagoon between Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, but on a pond at some hidden location near Regency Hospital in Golden Valley. I guess the organizers thought the open water under the Lake Street bridge might be a problem.
We were told to park in the SE corner of the hospital lot which we did.
It was a great spot and course, but there was no chairlift to get us up or down from the “Skijump Pond”
She Who Must Be Obeyed came with me on this frolic to document the event photographically and to drive me to the hospital if needed. Being so close to Regency Hospital was a bonus but if anyone did get hurt they would have to get a helicopter to bring them up the hill.
Being such speedy racer indicated that I should sign up for the beginner race. The intermediate race is too competitive for this fat old guy, as are the women’s and the expert men’s categories.
Prior to the beginners race, I checked out the course on my steed. The selection of screws and their placement in the front tire was perfection itself. Behind, the Nokian Suomi Extreme, with 294 steel studs with carbide pins gripped as advertised. The ancient Bianchi cornered with aplomb. I was impressed. Really.
With a blank bang the beginners race started. I rode as hard as I could for fifteen minutes, never crashed and finished in third place. I was on the podium!
I thanked all of my sponsors: Ray, for this old bicycle: Nic Nic, for the Zee shifter, cassette and chain: Therm IC, for my heated socks: Helly Hansen for my underwear: Lazer for creating the Dissent helmet, and last but not least, She Who Must Be Obeyed, for never doubting me. Oh, did I neglect to mention that there were only four beginner riders in our race? I accidentally passed this much younger guy when he crashed, and he never caught up no matter how slow I rode.
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