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This Winters Dh Bike

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
The snow is starting to fall on Mount Hood and I have the winter itch :cool: BAD ! Thanks agian Twisted for the little fork it is going to be awesome on the ski bike this is how she will be set up but I still need to go through the fork before she see's any snow let me know what you guys think
 

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BKQuill

Turbo Monkey
Dec 19, 2004
1,016
0
Rangers Lead the Way
oh, i forgot, it looks pretty cool!

I built one back when I was in high school. I used a 20" BMX frame and other parts, and used a cut snow boards instead of ski's.
You rig looks very cool
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
On the ski's man, no brakes , no components just pegs for your feet and ski's we shuttle run them on Mount Hood back country between Timberline lodge and the village of Govt. Camp 4.5 miles of pure adreniline :thumb: and we have two resorts close that allow us on the lifts with groomed slopes and terrain parks :dancing:

You guys got to try this
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
adurham said:
is that a rear thru axle on that old warp? sweet setup by the way
Yes just a solid axle from an old hub. We fabricate our own ski mount kits and throw them together from old bike parts. I ride the Norco year round here the ski bikes are just an added winter rush :love: so the ski' bikes are ski specific

For ski biking and freeride pics click here!
 

blt2ride

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2005
2,333
0
Chatsworth
I'm glad someone is happy that summer is coming to an end. Personally, I love the heat and the summer. Once day light savings time ends, I start to get really bummed out...
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
you guys can't imagine how much fun this is !! :heart:
I have been doing it for about 4 years now and I was hooked after my first run. :thumb: Ski bikes have been around for over a hundred years but the are much more popular in Europe but they run a ski-bob type bike with no foot pegs and they wear foot ski's on their feet , that might be fun but you can"t put your feet up on the bike so it makes airing them out and stunts virtually impossible :nope: :confused: so really what the hell fun is that :D
If you guys are interested in building these I started a thread on Mtbr. a few years ago that has alot of great info and people kept bring it back up year after year Here
don't post to it but there is all the info you need to build one.

And LOOnatic I bet that V-10 ski bike did look awesome but you really don't need that much travel on the snow a long travel bike may even not handle as well as a short travel bike . Hard tails with just front suspension works very well also. I am running 4 inches front and rear and it feels super plush on the snow.
You want to be able to make adjustments and stiffen the bike up some to keep the edges in the snow. You should be able to figure why that is so important :D

As requested I am going to add some ski-bike links and winterXbike gives a list of ski bike friendly resorts :D
HERE and here and again

Enjoy guys I hope you join me on the slopes
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
BigMike said:
whoah, thats AWESOME!

Maybe i'll set up my old Norco with some skis...........

I wonder if Snowshoe would let me go there :think:

What Norco frame are you thinking of using ?
I have been thinking about looking for a used 6 or Shore frame and building the baby brother to my Team Dh on ski's but that may be a bit much travel !!
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Does snow hurt bikes in any way (besides rust)? I know it makes oil thicker. Is it a good idea to put neoprene covers over the shock and fork stanchions?

When you jump, does the back ski point its nose down or up? It looks like the ski could easily tip down. Or do the skis stay at one angle?
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
mtnbrider said:
Does snow hurt bikes in any way (besides rust)? I know it makes oil thicker. Is it a good idea to put neoprene covers over the shock and fork stanchions?

When you jump, does the back ski point its nose down or up? It looks like the ski could easily tip down. Or do the skis stay at one angle?


Not really there is very little maintenence on these bikes (lack of components) and they come home clean, just give them a good drying off when you are done riding. Mine are always kept dry and inside when not in use. The cold does have a tendancy to stiffen suspension systems up a bit at first but that seems to go away after riding them a while.
I would actually say that the wet snow conditions are alot less harsh on a bike than wet muddy abrassive conditions

and as far as the ski's they do pivot and float freely the rubber bungee's keep them flat when you are in the air. There is one from the front of the back ski up to the bike and one on each end of the front ski

It sucks hard if you spike a ski into the snow on landings :mumble:
 

zmtber

Turbo Monkey
Aug 13, 2005
2,435
0
are you seriouse that thing lookes strange and dangerouse, how will you stop and make angled turns. you should try and put to halves of snowboard pieces instead of skies. However it it works take pictures and post them.

...never mind saw the pics lookes awsome, have you taken it off any jumps yet.
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
zmtber said:
are you seriouse that thing lookes strange and dangerouse, how will you stop and make angled turns. you should try and put to halves of snowboard pieces instead of skies. However it it works take pictures and post them.

...never mind saw the pics lookes awsome, have you taken it off any jumps yet.

HAHAHAHA LMAO thats funny but you'd be suprised how many people react that same way either that or they think its just cooler than sh!t but most don't have the balls to get on it .

I don't have a clue why people think I am so crazy :nuts: :D

But seriously they handle unbelievably well and you cut and carve just like on ski's or a snowboard. You don't even turn the bars to steer them just a slight twitch of the bars in the direction you want to go then lean the bike and catch that edge and they carve like crazy

Its all about hockey stops man again just as ski's or a board.
it takes a little more effort and practice to get the bike sideways without highsiding it. But there are a couple of different techniques depending on your conditions at the time.

Brakes are overrated man you don't see them on snowboards do ya ?

And yes they jump very well but the landing can be sketchy :cool:
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Is there a way to make the skis only pivot back instead of the nose going down? I want to do this on my hardtail..........If only you culd pedal up the hill.
 

Bldr_DH

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
762
0
NO BO CO
It's awesome to see some fellow ski-bikers -- I've been riding my Crighton (see link in sig) for about two seasons. I'm stoked to start again this year. I'll be getting my wood-core boards soon too, so it'll be even more fast/awesome.
 

JTVW

Monkey
Jun 17, 2004
373
0
somewhere hot
mtnbrider said:
Is there a way to make the skis only pivot back instead of the nose going down? I want to do this on my hardtail..........If only you culd pedal up the hill.
You could try putting some weight on the back of the skis. Enough so that they would tip back when hanging free, but not so much as to mess up the ride.
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
mtnbrider said:
Is there a way to make the skis only pivot back instead of the nose going down? I want to do this on my hardtail..........If only you culd pedal up the hill.
You need the ski's to float freely on the bike to keep the edges planted with the contour changes of the ground or you wont be able to hold an edge when carving. Go back up and look at the pics of the bike . The bungees work awesome at keeping the ski's in plan when you are off the ground. Don't worry about it if you plan to build one.

imagine your self carving through a mogul field and the terrain all of a sudden gets steeper than your ski can pivot :eek: Got a mental picture of whats to come? :help:

As far as frame size it a personal preference just as on a wheeled bike. What ever fits you man. I am 6ft and just over 200 lbs and I have always preferred a smaller size frame than most guys my size run.
 

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deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
Bldr_Freerider said:
It's awesome to see some fellow ski-bikers -- I've been riding my Crighton (see link in sig) for about two seasons. I'm stoked to start again this year. I'll be getting my wood-core boards soon too, so it'll be even more fast/awesome.
Hey there SKI-BIKER
I have been at this about 4 yrs. now and love it
Where do you ride? I haven't rode the Crighton but they look fun.

As long as your not a foot skier its all good :D free skiing a ski bike man its the only way to go :cool:
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
mtnbrider said:
ooohhhhhh, I didn't see the bungees. Okay, then. I want get a cheap used hardtail and cheap zockie 5" build one up.

If you want to build one of these click here lots of good info and pics everything you need to know should be there.

Don't post to it. it is an old thread
let me know how it works out for you.. have fun
 

Bldr_DH

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
762
0
NO BO CO
deweydude said:
Hey there SKI-BIKER
I have been at this about 4 yrs. now and love it
Where do you ride? I haven't rode the Crighton but they look fun.

As long as your not a foot skier its all good :D free skiing a ski bike man its the only way to go :cool:
It's almost a relief to see some other people interested in the sport. There are so few around... I guess we're the ones who have to spread the word, eh? I ride in Colorado -- Copper Mountain mostly since it's the only place that has completely open access.

The Crighton is a bunch'a fun. The wide boards let you ride in the park or take some nice carving/bombing runs. Crighton really stuck it on the handling part -- the shape of the boards lets you make some super smooth, rail-y turns. I only wish it were a bit "quicker" so I could ride in the bumps 'n such. Oh well, it's still fun to scream down the blues and scare the crap (safely :) ) outta the beginners :D
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
Bldr_Freerider said:
It's almost a relief to see some other people interested in the sport. There are so few around... I guess we're the ones who have to spread the word, eh? I ride in Colorado -- Copper Mountain mostly since it's the only place that has completely open access.

The Crighton is a bunch'a fun. The wide boards let you ride in the park or take some nice carving/bombing runs. Crighton really stuck it on the handling part -- the shape of the boards lets you make some super smooth turns. I only wish it were a bit "quicker" so I could ride in the bumps 'n such. Oh well, it's still fun to scream down the blues and scare the crap (safely :) ) outta the beginners :D

Oh I have been preaching it for several years now and on a couple of diff forums :D

I have two resorts here in Washington Mtn. Baker and Snoqualmie Pass that allow almost full access but we run back country on Mtn Hood in Oregon mostly (an hour away) 4.5 mile shuttle run between two resorts that offers a wide variety of terrain. 2 or 3 rigs and just run shuttles all day long :thumb: There is a steep mountain meadow that is full of moguls and it is the bomb

You want to run the rough stuff build yourself a full suspension hybrid
I promise you'll :heart: it :cool:
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
I'm going to get a cheap hard tale and a marzoch 5' fork for $100 or something. What do you think about a snoskate type snowboard on the back ? Then would a ski on the front be tter? I would put bungees on it.
 

deweydude

Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
418
1
Washougal Washington
mtnbrider said:
I'm going to get a cheap hard tale and a marzoch 5' fork for $100 or something. What do you think about a snoskate type snowboard on the back ? Then would a ski on the front be tter? I would put bungees on it.
That frame and fork will do fine, my first bike was an old Cannondale F-500 with a Headshock and it felt awesome in the snow.
Stay away from the wide snowboards (we tried it) They are ext slow in the snow and hard to get on edge because of the width of the board the bike has to be leaned too far . But wider powder ski's would work well for deep powder I have considered that but don't want to spend that kind of $$$$ on a set of ski's to cut in half.

We are just cutting down old snow ski's just make sure to seal the cut edge so moisture can't get into the core.
 

Bldr_DH

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
762
0
NO BO CO
Here's my $.02 on the ski width. I'm riding the Crighton now -- its boards are wider than 5" and I have no problem with handling. I've tried the WinterXBike setup with skinny skis and had absolutely no problem transitioning between the two. I would say start with the wider boards if you can -- they're the equivalent to a manual transmission. It takes a bit of time to get it, but once you do get it, you can drive virtually any car on earth, manual or automatic.

As far as sliding slow, yes, wider boards do slide slower, but it's very difficult to tell unless you're straightlining with someone else who is on skinny skis -- that's one of the only times you really see the difference. As was mentioned earler, one disadvantage to the wide skis is that, since they're wide, they take a bit more time to get to the other edge, so if you're doing bumps and turning quickly is crucial, then wide skis aren't the way to go. This time interval between edges isn't significant though if you're doing anything other than bumps. I have absolutely no trouble getting down any hill (save for bumps).

The learning curve on wide boads is steep (or not?) -- you'll get it in no time. The first day I was able to go straight onto picknick tables, stuff that didn't require any major turning, etc. About the third time I went up, I was able to carve (smooth railing turns), stop, the basics. Another two days after that, I picked up flat-ground 360's (exactly that: doing a 360 without leaving the ground) and could do them consistently. Once you get those things down pat, you can ride just about anything on the mountain. Of course, the curve is different for everyone, so mine's just an example.

Anywho, whatever you choose to do, it's a total blast!
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
I snowboard: have been for 6 years. I think I might like a snoskate snowboard. I won't be doing a lot of quick, tight, fast back and forth carves as would on my snowboard.

I imagine myself doing more fluid wide carves in powder and groomed. I want to do some sweet jumps too and ledges of course.

Now my 2 questions:

-In the front what charicteristics of a ski affect steering: width, point,etc (for example is a wider faster turning, but more traction or something).

-What options are there for pegs? The winter x bike pegs look short like 50 pegs. Maybe I could put 250 pegs onto those somehow?
 

Bldr_DH

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
762
0
NO BO CO
mtnbrider said:
-In the front what charicteristics of a ski affect steering: width, point,etc (for example is a wider faster turning, but more traction or something).
You won't be using the bars to steer. You will be turning mostly by leaning. Turn the bars slightly, but only enough to create a smooth arc with your skis in order to make a smooth, round turn.

So, to answer the question, I don't think the shape of a ski will affect your turning a whole lot, so just about anything will work fine. It all depends on what feels good to you because you'll get the performance out of everything