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Step 8Finished ski bike!
You're done! Go test ride it if you've got any snow. Make adjustments to the seat and handlebars until it feels right.
To all who may be skeptical of the ski attachment system: I test rode mine the day after I built it on some steep lumpy cross country ski trails and it rode fabulously. The skis did not loosen up or dislodge from their clamped position around a couple fast corners and one fairly good double-up crash. But, if you'd like more security, you can easily cut grooves into the blocks that the axles can rest in and be held more securely.
Afterthoughts:
I might have liked to have cut the skis a little longer, especially after looking at a few commercial ski bikes, all of which seem to run the skis a bit longer and set up so that the tail or the front ski almost touches the tip of the rear.
I did end up raising my blocks from a 3 stack to 4 and I like the change. It handled more predictably and the crankarms didn't hit the ground if you tried to rotate the pedals around, as they did with 3 blocks. My old bike had short kids-length crankarms and it was great, these big ones are a bit awkward.
Things I might change:
I will probably toy with the location of the rear ski, try moving it forward to get a shorter skibase.
It may be a good idea to use threadlocker, lockwashers, or locknuts to hold the axle to the frame, plain nuts and washers have a tendency to come loose, so keep wrenches nearby and check often otherwise.
It's probably a good idea to seal the cut ends of the skis somehow. A layer of silicone or epoxy or something similar should do it, you just want to keep water out so that it doesn't freeze and de-laminate your skis.
I may try replacing the crankset with some form of foot pegs through the bottom bracket. Its what commercial ski bikes are doing and it would probably be easier to kick the bike along or hop on after a running start. The big pedals and cranks just kind of get in the way sometimes.
I would like to make a large padded snowmobile style seat. Allows for more comfortable seated riding, adjustable weight distribution, and will probably look cooler. Many commercial ski bikes do this as well.
I'm considering putting a 26" fork on it to chill out the handling and reduce doubling-up crashes. I'll also undoubtedly monkey with different stems and handlebars.
Other Thoughts:
If you'd like to make one of these to take to a ski area, you might want to make the mounting hardware out of steel or aluminum or something that'll more easily pass safety inspections. Modern kits have torsion springs built into the axles to keep the skis in tip-up position in the air. You'll probably need a leash for the chairlift too.
I'm probably going to make another one of these soon (for experimentation and to have one for friends) using a cheapo full suspension "mountain bike" and longer skis. I'll update on how that works out.
Good luck and happy ski biking!
To all who may be skeptical of the ski attachment system: I test rode mine the day after I built it on some steep lumpy cross country ski trails and it rode fabulously. The skis did not loosen up or dislodge from their clamped position around a couple fast corners and one fairly good double-up crash. But, if you'd like more security, you can easily cut grooves into the blocks that the axles can rest in and be held more securely.
Afterthoughts:
I might have liked to have cut the skis a little longer, especially after looking at a few commercial ski bikes, all of which seem to run the skis a bit longer and set up so that the tail or the front ski almost touches the tip of the rear.
I did end up raising my blocks from a 3 stack to 4 and I like the change. It handled more predictably and the crankarms didn't hit the ground if you tried to rotate the pedals around, as they did with 3 blocks. My old bike had short kids-length crankarms and it was great, these big ones are a bit awkward.
Things I might change:
I will probably toy with the location of the rear ski, try moving it forward to get a shorter skibase.
It may be a good idea to use threadlocker, lockwashers, or locknuts to hold the axle to the frame, plain nuts and washers have a tendency to come loose, so keep wrenches nearby and check often otherwise.
It's probably a good idea to seal the cut ends of the skis somehow. A layer of silicone or epoxy or something similar should do it, you just want to keep water out so that it doesn't freeze and de-laminate your skis.
I may try replacing the crankset with some form of foot pegs through the bottom bracket. Its what commercial ski bikes are doing and it would probably be easier to kick the bike along or hop on after a running start. The big pedals and cranks just kind of get in the way sometimes.
I would like to make a large padded snowmobile style seat. Allows for more comfortable seated riding, adjustable weight distribution, and will probably look cooler. Many commercial ski bikes do this as well.
I'm considering putting a 26" fork on it to chill out the handling and reduce doubling-up crashes. I'll also undoubtedly monkey with different stems and handlebars.
Other Thoughts:
If you'd like to make one of these to take to a ski area, you might want to make the mounting hardware out of steel or aluminum or something that'll more easily pass safety inspections. Modern kits have torsion springs built into the axles to keep the skis in tip-up position in the air. You'll probably need a leash for the chairlift too.
I'm probably going to make another one of these soon (for experimentation and to have one for friends) using a cheapo full suspension "mountain bike" and longer skis. I'll update on how that works out.
Good luck and happy ski biking!
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Still, this is so awesome I may have to give it a shot anyway. I'm not crazy about the pedals though. What if I just put a bar through there to rest my feet on? Do you think that would work?
When I was a kid I strapped a cheap little plastic ski called a Fun Ski, on the front of my Schwinn. I just peddled it on the street. It actually worked pretty well.
with big mountain back country skibiking. On Mt. Hood OR and multiple resorts for lift access shreddin..
Duane