Introduction: Ski Bike
Take sledding to the next level with this easy to make ski bike using a stripped down bike frame. You can make the mounts for the skis with either metal or wood depending on what you have.
Step 1: Cut Your Metal
To make the metal version of this ski bike you will want to get some steel strips. I used about 1/8th inch thick. You will want to cut your first to pieces how ever high up you want the bike to be. You can cut the metal with whatever you have that can cut metal. I used an angle grinder. I wanted the front to sit 8 inches high and the back to sit 4 inches high so I cut 2 pieces at 8 inches and 2 pieces at 4 inches. You will cut the the third piece later. You will then want to prop your pieces up in a triangle. The angle doesn't matter too much just what ever looks right. you will then want to weld the top part of this triangle connecting the two pieces.
Step 2: Welding
After you have welded the top part you will want to flip it upside down and brace it with something. You then will want to take a bike hub with the bar and bearings out and weld that in the inside of the triangle. To get this bike hub I cut all the spokes on a bike wheel and removed the hub from the center. After you have welded the top of your triangle and hub on the inside you are ready to mount your triangle to another strip of steel. I placed the triangle on the steel and marked two inches from either side of the triangle marked it and then cut it. You will use those two inches to mount it to a ski later. After you have cut your steel line the triangle back up and weld it I place.
Step 3: Mounting the Skis
To mount the skis to your triangle bracket you are going to want to counter sink bolts through the bottom of the skis. If you are using snow blades then you can mount in from the top like a binding would. If you are using normal skis the ski will be too thin where you want to mount and you will have to go in from the bottom. I used a large drill bit the size of my bolt head to carefully counter sink them. The bolts I used were 1/4th inch and had a nut on the top of the ski plate to hold them in place. After your triangle is on the ski you will want to put them on the bike. To do this you will want to use a 3/8th in threaded rod through the wheel hub. The bar may have some play in the hub but to fix this you will want to have a washer and nut on each side snugged up. You tighten the inner bolts how hard you want and this will determine how much the ski will pivot when on the bike. Then to secure to the bike you will use a nut and a washer on the outside of the fork. Attaching the back ski is slightly different but the process is mostly the same. You will want to thread a washer and a nut on just like the front and adjust the pivot. The washer and nut may slide slightly inside the pivot. Then you will want put another washer and nut on and tighten that. This will hold the pivot in place and also act as a spacer for the back since it is wider to make room for the cassette.
Step 4: Add Foot Pegs
To add foot pegs to your bike I used scrap 1 by 1s screwed together. I made my length 11 1/2 inches but you can do less or more depending on your preference. To secure them to the bike I used a 1/2 inch bolt and nut drilled through the kick stand hole.
Step 5: Wood Mounts
You can also make this bike with wood instead of metal If you do not have a welder. To make it with wood you will want to start off with a 4by4 block around 4-6 inches long. You can do the same with 2 by 4s screwed together if you don't have a 4 by 4. Next you will want to drill a 3/8th hole right through the middle of your block of wood. Your axle will go through this. Next screw on a two by four to your block and keep adding blocks till you get your height. I used 2 added blocks in the front and one added block in the back. After you have your height add the skis. To do this I used three, three inch drywall screws countersinked in the bottom of the ski. After you do this you are ready to mount to the bike. The front will not pivot unless you shave down the block so you can just add a washer and a nut to secure it on the bike. The back will pivot so you can use the washer nut washer nut combo we used for the metal mount.
Step 6: Final
Whether you used metal or wood for your ski bike these things can get going fast. On the right conditions you can easily go over 30 mph. If you chose the wood way you can reduce wood length to reduce weight. You can make a bottom base of 8 inches and then reduce to 6 or what combination you want. You can also cut the front at an angle like I have it if you want I used it because it was scrap wood and what I had.