Lets see your winter bike.
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I ran this Rolling Rock Schwinn years ago out on Lake Winnipesaukee. Home made studded tires work great.
Swapped the tires onto a ratty Hawthorne last winter and rode on Squam Lake.. will have to look for those photos.
Still have the tires but there is too much snow for good ice this year.
Swapped the tires onto a ratty Hawthorne last winter and rode on Squam Lake.. will have to look for those photos.
Still have the tires but there is too much snow for good ice this year.
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OK what is it? Looks like the first snow bike. Homemade? Real cool but I would put a sail on the handlebars and use ice skates on my feet for outriggers. In gale force winds I bet you could get up a real head of steam. A gravity siphon beer can crash helmet would add a lot of class out on the frozen lake. Give them snowmobilers a run for the money. I wish I had it, I would sail it around my lake at the cabin. Coming back down the lake would be a problem, you would have to skate and drag it.works better on down hills...
The old ski bike is truly vintage. I have yet to run it. I would have to pull it from the shed to get the brand. My kids have been sledding down the driveway to catch the bus, and we broke out an old 5 man toboggan last weekend (yes, its that steep) so maybe I will break this rig out and give it a whirl. Without footpegs I can image holding your feet up would be tiresome. I have some of those short snow blades I might try.
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Local grooming of the fat tire snow bike trail. I hope to get enough $ to get one before the winter is over. Lots of groomed trails here for fat tires. About 24 hours after grooming they set up hard enough for the fat tires. I just don't know if I have the balance, you have to stay in the middle, even on the hills, where everyone is riding or you go into the soft snow. From illegally riding my cruisers on these it seems quite a bit different than riding trails. The one advantage is that all the rocks and roots are smoothed out.
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You have to keep the snowmobiles of them as they keep the trails too soft. Snow bike trails are set and the not ridden on for a day so they can set up. They post the trails with please stay off until the next day after they groom.
Good luck on that one.
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They are problems in some areas but our trails are designed with a lot of very narrow areas, too narrow for a snowmobile or motorcycles. We have to cut down our handlebars to get threw and then it is like a go, no go gauge. This helps.
Who owns the trails and what are they designated as? For what specific use? What is allowed and what is not? Who Enforces it?
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The Range Mountain Bike Club in Ishpeming and Negaunee Michigan hand cut the trails and grooms them for winter riding (see their Facebook page www.facebook.com/rangemountainbikeclub ). This club started out about 20 years ago with a bunch of couples riding from house to house and having a barbecue hosted by a a different couple each week. It slowly evolved into two track riding and then they started cutting trails. They didn't ask permission because nothing gets done when you try and get official sanction. They used public land and mining company property. I have run into rides on these trails from the deep south and throughout the midwest and even England. Everything was by word of mouth and social networking. The trails were not marked until late this summer when the city fathers found out about this and realized what a draw it is. They have a board and joined the International mtn bike assoc and got grants for trail mapping and a bike wash station.
In Marquette Michigan the trails are machine built by the Noquemanon Trail Network ( noquetrails.org ) started out as a marathon ski race trail this group developed and they have thousands of skiers in this race. Right after, but the same day they have the world snowbike championships. All this money proved a way to develop more year round trails. This group always worked with local governments and landowners. Volenteers cut and maintain both trails.
The trails can be used for hiking, biking, running, dog walking, XC skiing and snowshoeing. In some areas there are signs saying no foot traffic. They are used mostly for biking in the summer and winter but a fair amount of cross country runners use them and parts are popular with snowshoers and dog walkers. There is not a lot of XC skiing on them as there are a lot of trails specifically designed and groomed just for that. They really aren't owned by anyone. It is a cooperative effort between the clubs, volunteers, the cities and the landowners. These trails bring a lot of tourists into our area to use them so the cities are very supportive, especially since it doesn't cost them anything. Snowmobilers have miles of their own groomed trails but snowmobiles, 4 wheelers and motorcycles do violate them mostly around areas where people live close buy and they use them for a route to their trails. All these trails are marked non-motorized and it so far has not been a major problem.
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We have a winter storm going on. 30 mph winds, a few inches of snow and very cold. All the roads and highways in and out of town are closed but everyone is still driving in town. The snow is stuck on my screens and all my entry doors are blown shut with drifts. I am going out to shovel access so I can let the dogs out. If this thing hits New England with the Atlantic moisture they are really going to get it. I don't know where this storm is headed but it could be bad if more moisture is added. We got drifting but not much snow. Its been two weeks since the weather has been good enough for biking. Snow covered mush or this.
Back door screen, gotta shovel of the deck so the dogs can get to their run, then I have to pack the snow with snowshoes so they can walk instead of swim.
Front door, snowblowing with the Torro is such fun in a gale, it gets into every crevice of your cloths, down your neck, under your face mask fogged goggles. Oh boy.
Back door screen, gotta shovel of the deck so the dogs can get to their run, then I have to pack the snow with snowshoes so they can walk instead of swim.
Front door, snowblowing with the Torro is such fun in a gale, it gets into every crevice of your cloths, down your neck, under your face mask fogged goggles. Oh boy.
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Yikes, highways closed, cops are asking everyone to stay in until conditions improve. Some city streets closed near L. Superior. White out conditions with snow not expected to stop until Thursday. Predicting -20F tonight with wind chill of -40F. The pop in my mud room froze. Current temp is a balmy -5F. I need to go visit someone so I can look at different snow banks. I am going stir crazy, I need to go for a bike ride. The crazy dog mushers are still racing in the U.P. 200 as it is a qualifier for the Idiot-rod in Alaska where what we are having is a nice day. The mail was delivered but I haven't bothered to go get it from my curbside delivery box. Watch out New England.
We got ice pellets all last night. I aired up the Schwinn and went out for a nice 2 mile ride on ice this morning. It has street tires but it's no big deal, it rides just fine. This bike is the most fun on hard snow and ice, unfortunately with a single speed it's range is a little limited.
I now understand more about how they are Bike Trails. The only problem with Dog Walking is most of the time Dogs want to bark, jump and chase me on the bike as I ride by. Then there are those Dog Droppings that very few dog owners want to pick up. There ya go with those No Fender Bikes. Splat..... Oh Wow its all over my pants and shirt now..
I gotta take some pictures of my latest snowbike; it's a complete eyesore. 
I find that riding in snow of a certain depth is kind of like riding serious trails--- fenders will get jammed with snow, ice and sludge, same as how sticks and other trail jetsam will get jammed between the fender and a tire. My current snowbike has full fenders, and I ride it mostly when the roads are basically cleared, but i want to keep the salty slush and spray off my back. When there's a lot of fresh snow and the plows haven't been thru yet, I tend to ride a klunker with knobbies and no fenders....
I find that riding in snow of a certain depth is kind of like riding serious trails--- fenders will get jammed with snow, ice and sludge, same as how sticks and other trail jetsam will get jammed between the fender and a tire. My current snowbike has full fenders, and I ride it mostly when the roads are basically cleared, but i want to keep the salty slush and spray off my back. When there's a lot of fresh snow and the plows haven't been thru yet, I tend to ride a klunker with knobbies and no fenders....
This is my Winter Bike scene for you. Took this on Saturday after riding it all day. It was only 82 degrees
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I now understand more about how they are Bike Trails. The only problem with Dog Walking is most of the time Dogs want to bark, jump and chase me on the bike as I ride by. Then there are those Dog Droppings that very few dog owners want to pick up. There ya go with those No Fender Bikes. Splat..... Oh Wow its all over my pants and shirt now..
Yeah the dog walkers are a little bit of a problem. One of the trail heads is also a designated dog walk and it is cleaned up by volunteer dog walkers once a year. The other area is a closed road to a well field that is plowed but no motor traffic allowed is on it except for well maintenance vehicles. The snowbike trail crosses it and the dog walkers take about a mile loop back to Wellfield Road. Snowshoers are a real blessing as it is packed smooth but walkers make it real bumpy. There is only about 2 or 3 miles where you are chased by the occasional friendly dog, out of about 20 miles of groomed snowbike trails. There isn't all that much unsightly dog poo and it is pretty buried and frozen solid. It is 0F right now and the riding should be good since the snow has pretty much stopped for now.
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Oh, I hate you right now, I got cabin fever. The big event lately has been for me and my 2 dogs to stare out the window waiting to see the snowplows. We see which of the 3 of us can bark the loudest at them when they go buy.This is my Winter Bike scene for you. Took this on Saturday after riding it all day. It was only 82 degrees
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I like it, Nice and low to the ground not too far to fall.We got ice pellets all last night. I aired up the Schwinn and went out for a nice 2 mile ride on ice this morning. It has street tires but it's no big deal, it rides just fine. This bike is the most fun on hard snow and ice, unfortunately with a single speed it's range is a little limited.
