Studded tires open up snowless frozen lakes to fun adventures during low snow winters like the last two we have experienced here in northern Wisconsin. With few groomed trails to ride, I and many of my fellow fat bikers have enjoyed day-long excursions exploring chains of lakes and island hopping on flowages. Studded tires inspire confidence riding glare ice, but putting your feet down can be sketchy. Without studded boots, it is easy to hit the deck.
The products in this overview are all things I have tried over the last decade or so. If you have a different ice-walking product you recommend, leave a comment below and we may add it to this list. For now, this list covers everything from DIY solutions and budget purchases to more significant investments for dedicated ice bikers like me.
Scroll to the bottom for my new favorite ice biking solution from Nexgrip. These Canadian boots hit the sweet spot of providing enough stability to work on frozen lakes when I get off the bike and the rear cleat folds out of the way with a flick of the finger when you want to go indoors without marring wood or tile floors. The model I bought is also extremely warm. Stay tuned for a full in-depth review soon.
Cheapest DIY Solution: Sheet Metal Screws, $8 for a box of screws
Already have winter clipless or flat pedal boots you love? You can inexpensively convert them to ice boots with some small hex-head sheet metal screws and a drill or manual driver. I ride flat pedals all year, and for years after I got my first Schlick Northpaw back in 2013, I swore by Keen Summit County boots for fat biking. They are warm, reasonably light, and easy to walk in off the bike. Summit County boots are longer available, but Keen, Columbia and others have similar models that accept sheet metal screws.
I remember the first time a bunch of us rode up the Milwaukee River around 2013 and I made quite a production of falling at our mid-ride break. We stopped for a beer break on a hockey rink maintained by Nick Ginster of Fyxation at his Glendale house on the river. I felt so confident riding my 45Nrth Dillinger-equipped Northpaw, that I totally forgot that my warm and comfy Keens were pretty slippery on bare ice. Nothing hurt by my pride, I resolved to fix the problem.
Later that day after I got home, I went to my basement workshop and pulled a box of #6 x 1/2″ hex head sheet metal screws off the shelf. I used a cordless drill to screw a half dozen into the bottom of my boots for the next ride. This super cheap DIY option works great, but you do have to take off your boots when you go inside anywhere with wood or tile flooring. Installation and removal are so easy, that I started carrying a small cordless driver in my car so I could remove them after a ride if we stopped for a post-ride beer somewhere.
Best Budget Removable Option: Pull-on rubber cleats, $25+
For those who only occasionally ice ride and want something removable that they can also wea when walking icy sidewalks to grab a coffee or something, we suggest picking up a relatively inexpensive pair of rubber pull-on cleats. If you get the proper size, they fit over your regular winter boots and are good enough to keep you from falling on bare ice when you get off the bike.
I have an old pair of Gription cleats that I think I bought at Blain’s Farm & Fleet when I first started ice riding. There are a number of other pull-on cleats like Sidas Tracktion Walk, YakTrax, Stabilicer, Icebug, Kahtoola, etc. While these all work OK, they are not great on sloped glare ice and I found them annoying to pull on and off.
More problematic, a few of the studs fell out of my Gription cleats while bushwhacking up steep lake banks or twisting my boot on flat pedals, as they are just held into the rubber with tension. I see that Stabilicer sells replacement cleats for their pull-ons. I haven’t investigated if Gription does since I rarely use these anymore.
Best DIY Option: Grip Studs Ice Cleats kit with installation tool, $50
Fat-Bike.com’s Sven Hammer, has also been a fan of Keen Summit County boots. As our in-house pro roll model, he frowns on compromises like sheet metal screws, so he converted his Keens with tungsten carbide studs from Grip Stud. You can read more about that installation in his original post on Fat-Bike.com. These would also be a great addition to dedicated fat bike boots that work with clipless pedals like 45Nrth Wolvhammers.
Grip Stud is probably the industry leader in aftermarket studs and has applications for everything from bike tires to skid loaders, including various options for footwear. One of the least aggressive options they have is the 1100 Grip Studs. These install easily with the tool that comes in the 28 stud kit and have the following specs.
- Dimensions: 7.9 x 9.8 mm
- Prominence(from tire or tread surface): 1.9 mm
- Stud Penetration(into tire or tread surface): 7.9 mm
- Minimum Tread Depth: 5.9 mm
- Carbide Tip Width: 2.2 mm
- Corresponding Tool: #3200 Install Tool
Best Stylish Traction: Icebugs Metro2 Bugrip, $220
The gravel driveway area outside our little Northwoods homestead compound is bowl-shaped. It doesn’t take long for the snow to get so packed down from our vehicles and delivery vehicles to turn that snow into ice. So stepping off our front porch to walk to the garage, our rental cabin or down to the mailbox requires studded footwear most of the winter.
Initially, I used my pull-on Gription cleats and my wife Liz used her Yaktrax. But our ice bowl gets so slippery in the spring that those were not cutting it. We noticed that New Moon Ski & Bike in Hayward sold Icebugs. After a few falls, we both ponied up the cash for their zip-side Metro2 Bugrip winter boots.
These insulated water-resistant Paddock/Chelsea style boots have 16 carbide studs. Of all the studded footwear options I have tried, the Icebugs grip the best and are extremely stable, even on our sloped icy driveway. Icebug has other styles of boots, including warmer options, studded GTX running shoes and even less expensive pull-on cleats.
I’m sure it would be possible to install the more aggressive Grip Studs or perhaps sheet metal screws into the bottom of a pair of boots to get similar traction for a lot less money, but Liz and I both really like our Icebugs. The studs do stick out quite a bit, so we have to take these off to walk in our house. The original log cabin office entrance to our Northwoods Hogwarts home of additions is carpeted, so we can take them off inside, but we have wood and tile after that.
Most Convenient: Nexgrip Icestone Light, $259
As often as I go in and out of our house, with an ice bowl just one step off our front steps, I need to put on studded boots a dozen times a day. Despite the quick side-zip, changing out of my Icebugs became an annoyance. I know, a very First World problem of the privileged class. But if I went outside, and forgot something (happens all the time), I might try to walk softly back in the house rather than take my boots off and put them on again.
Then one day when Liz and I stopped for lunch at Howl Adventure Center in Bayfield. I saw they sold Nexgrip boots that have a flick-out cleat on the heel and extra grippy rubber lugs under the ball of the foot. I know the owners at Howl only stock products they like, so I found a pair in my size and made the purchase.
These do not provide the same level of stability on slippery off-camber ice as the Icebugs, but they are grippy enough for me to walk to the garage and back. And on flat lake ice, these work just fine. I was surprised by how grippy the front center blue-flecked lugs are. But the main reason the Nexgrip boots have become my go-to winter footwear is their convenience. It is so easy to flick that heal cleat over when needed, that I find myself putting these on as soon as I start my day.
The boots are also quite comfy, a little lighter than my old Keens and just as warm if not warmer. I plan to do a more in-depth review of these Nexgrip boots after I use them a bit longer, so watch for that here in the near future.
There are some other boots out there that I am curious about. I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has a pair of Korkers. I am super interested in how easy it is to attach and remove their snap on soles. They might be almost as convenient as the Nexgrip, and offer better traction on really slippery surfaces. I aware of any of the Korker dealers in my area to try them on. I hesitate to buy any footwear online, particularly something funky like these. Anyone who has a pair or knows somewhere that stocks them, let us know in the comments below.
That is it for my studded boot overview for now. If you have another solution I should add to the list, let me know in the comments below. And watch for my longer-term review of the Nexgrips later this winter.
Nice overview of several great options, Seeley Dave! I still have those Keens and will be studding them up with the new iNVRS studs to go with their pedals soon!