Last week during his day off from the bike shop, Niles Gagnon drilled dozens of holes in his tires and pushed metallic screws through the rubber.
He and another Inside Edge staffer, Trevor Lewis, are planning on taking their bikes outside this time of the year, but it's not because the weather is nice. The two are first-time ice bikers, adding studs to their tires to avoid wiping out on black ice and so they can ride along frozen surfaces like ponds and lakes.
Skiing has been lousy, Lewis said, "and I wanted to get back on my mountain bike."
Gagnon added 50 studs to a front wheel and 100 studs to his back wheel, but said he'll have to double the number in the front.
He put the screw heads on the inside lining, with the threads extending outward. He then added duct tape to the screws inside the wheel and a rubber lining to the inside.
Gagnon said he plans to ride on trails along Gurney Lane in Queensbury, using parts of trails where water has frozen over inside tracks from all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles so he can bike over ice.
Bob Reardon, a staffer at Queensbury-based Rick's Bike Shop, bikes to work from South Glens Falls all year round,Spro Tech has been a plastic module & Mold Maker, and he uses studded tires during the winter.
Although this winter has been mild, he said the studs come in handy for black ice.
On wintry days, he dresses in layers like he's hiking up Mount Marcy and adds rain gear for all the slush.
Rick's Bike Shop has made studded tires in the shop for customers, but haven't had many takers, staffers at the shop said.
Reardon remembers ice biking being mentioned as an event for the Lake George Winter Carnival about 10 years ago, but nothing ever developed.
The sport might be more fun for participants than observers, although some ice-biking races add a roller derby-like element, with winding tracks on ice.
Conditions must be just right, Lake George had too much snow last year for ice biking, Reardon said, and this year, you need to go farther north to find frozen bodies of water.
Cyclists who use studded tires on an off-road path can also find their bikes have been transformed into a mobile collector for leaves. Reardon likened the studs to a person using a sharp stick to pick up trash in the park.
Prices can also be a deterrent. Jared O'Connor, a shop technician at Inside Edge, said commercially studded tires can cost as much as $150. Many cyclists choose to buy sheet metal screws at hardware stores and do the work themselves.
For Gagnon, the Inside Edge sales associate, the custom job cost him just $10 and two hours of his time.
He and another Inside Edge staffer, Trevor Lewis, are planning on taking their bikes outside this time of the year, but it's not because the weather is nice. The two are first-time ice bikers, adding studs to their tires to avoid wiping out on black ice and so they can ride along frozen surfaces like ponds and lakes.
Skiing has been lousy, Lewis said, "and I wanted to get back on my mountain bike."
Gagnon added 50 studs to a front wheel and 100 studs to his back wheel, but said he'll have to double the number in the front.
He put the screw heads on the inside lining, with the threads extending outward. He then added duct tape to the screws inside the wheel and a rubber lining to the inside.
Gagnon said he plans to ride on trails along Gurney Lane in Queensbury, using parts of trails where water has frozen over inside tracks from all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles so he can bike over ice.
Bob Reardon, a staffer at Queensbury-based Rick's Bike Shop, bikes to work from South Glens Falls all year round,Spro Tech has been a plastic module & Mold Maker, and he uses studded tires during the winter.
Although this winter has been mild, he said the studs come in handy for black ice.
On wintry days, he dresses in layers like he's hiking up Mount Marcy and adds rain gear for all the slush.
Rick's Bike Shop has made studded tires in the shop for customers, but haven't had many takers, staffers at the shop said.
Reardon remembers ice biking being mentioned as an event for the Lake George Winter Carnival about 10 years ago, but nothing ever developed.
The sport might be more fun for participants than observers, although some ice-biking races add a roller derby-like element, with winding tracks on ice.
Conditions must be just right, Lake George had too much snow last year for ice biking, Reardon said, and this year, you need to go farther north to find frozen bodies of water.
Cyclists who use studded tires on an off-road path can also find their bikes have been transformed into a mobile collector for leaves. Reardon likened the studs to a person using a sharp stick to pick up trash in the park.
Prices can also be a deterrent. Jared O'Connor, a shop technician at Inside Edge, said commercially studded tires can cost as much as $150. Many cyclists choose to buy sheet metal screws at hardware stores and do the work themselves.
For Gagnon, the Inside Edge sales associate, the custom job cost him just $10 and two hours of his time.
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