How-To Make A Tire Belt With Ryan Fudger

Super Waffle

• December 27 2006
• 3,290 views
• 1 comment

First off, I have to say that I’m not the first person to do this.I copied it from San Diego Local, Sam Townsley, who said he copied it from another local by the name of John Fudge (no relation). So, as far as I know, John gets credit. Second, please don’t go mass-producing these things and try to sell them under some random BMX company’s name. Consider this stuff free knowledge and just spread the word. Alright, with that said, let’s get down to what you need to make a tire belt.

1. A tire. Used or new, it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that the tire should be symmetrical. For example, I used a Demolition tire. Other good tires to use are Primo V-Monsters and Tioga FS100s. Tires like the Primo Wall and any random knobby tire won’t work all that well because any jagged edges or raised knobs will catch in your belt loops and make it a pain in the ass to put your belt on. You also don’t want your tire to be too thick, as it makes it hard to clamp the chain link together.

2. A single chain link to fix the tire to itself. It’s easier to use a master link or a half-link, but I prefer the real deal, so it looks complete.
3. Tools, such as wire cutters, pliers, really good scissors, a chain breaker, a vice grip, a punch or drill, and maybe even a file.
4. A buckle, of course.
5. About a half hour to an hour of time, depending on how quickly you work.

Now that you have all that stuff gathered together, start by cutting the metal wire around your tire in a few random spots. Use your scissors to start cutting along the tire; make sure you have a good pair to be able to get through the rubber, otherwise you’ll be there for awhile and will end up with some sore fingers. Cutting the tire is pretty much the most time-consuming portion of the job, assuming you don’t have any problems getting the chain link together. After you’re done cutting away the sides of the tire, grab one of the ends, fold it over around the buckle and line up the male of the chain link to see where you’re going to put your holes through the tire.

To cut the holes, I used the tip of a file, but if you have a drill it’ll definitely go faster. If you have neither, use a screw driver or a razor blade—it won’t take too long. Make sure you get the holes large enough so the chain link pushes through rather easily and set everything up to take to the vice. If you don’t have a vice, a mean set of pliers will do the job, but the vice is the easiest and quickest way to go. Line up the male and female portions of the chain link and clamp together one side at a time. Getting them to be perfect is somewhat of a pain and is rather easy to mess up.

On this belt I sort of messed up, but it’ll do the job—no one will know the difference anyway. After you get it all clamped together, cut the belt to your proper waist size and punch a few holes to attach the buckle to. I only added two in this one, but that’s only because I was in a rush. So, there you have it. This particular belt was for Transworld BMX’s Kevin McAvoy, and the look on his face when I gave it to him was reward enough.

So, there you have it. Go out there and make yourself a belt, and while you’re at it, make a wristband, a headband…heck, make a full tire body suit. Indulge yourself, because you deserve it.