What the Dickens! - Training on the Kentish Alps

Posted: Tuesday, 23 August 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , ,
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It seems that since the return from my last jaunt in April I have done nothing but DIY around the house. So having completed lots of essential DIY chores, I owed myself an escapist treat.
I had an easy, but early 7am - 12am session at work, but this, coupled with my 30 mile cycle commute and a late lunch meant an afternoon nap was mandatory.
I awoke an hour later feeling decidedly week and shaky; but forced myself to get going and out of the house.

My destination was Chatham, once one of the British Empire's major naval bases and next door to Rochester, a favorite city of the popular English writer Charles Dickens. In modern times Chatham has contributed the word "Chav" to common parlance, this would roughly translate to "Punk" for our North American cousins.
But Chatham is also home to the longest dry ski slope in Kent. For the cynical doubters, Kent also has dry ski slopes at Bromley, Tonbridge and Folkestone. In the unlikely event that you have never heard of dry ski slopes before, they are artificial materials laid over a hill side, so as to simulate the sensation of sliding on a snowy surface.

The Chatham ski centre itself is quite hard to find, even using sat nav and having visited once before, I still managed to drive past. Upon arrival and to my great surprise, the slope was totally empty; I know August is never going to be peak ski practice season, but I thought there would be someone else larking about. Having paid the fee and signed the disclaimer I kitted up and headed out with some trepidation. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't skied on this type of surface since the late 90's, I hadn't worn SkiBlades since Tignes in April. Would I have forgotten everything and resort to a few snowplough descents before heading to the pub to drown my sorrows?

Luckily the first run went ok, inelegant, but I survived. The surface doesn't glide like the real thing, at the same time it was proving elusive to find the edge "break away" point.
I persevered, then suddenly, after an hour or so, I had cracked it and could speed things up and start enjoying myself a whole lot more.

Racing down the dry slopes - source JNL
As the afternoon became evening others joined me on the slope. A cautious SnowBoarder put in some turns as we met at the lift, it turned out to be a member of staff "Are you still out here?" he enquired. I checked the time, it was nearly 3 hours since I had arrived and I had only paid for a 2 hour session. I put in a last run and headed back to the car before I was dragged off.
It was great to be "back in the saddle" if only metaphorically; I had asked previously if SkiBikes could be used at Chatham, but was rejected on the grounds of health and safety. To be honest, the slope is quite small and the possibility of novice SkiBikers crashing doesn't bear thinking about.

I went home, had refreshments and slept like a log. I didn't dream about Chatham, Chavs or Charles Dickens, but I did enjoy an afternoon of Great Expectations fulfilled.

Should you feel like giving it a try, a 2 hour open practice session cost £16. Boots and skis are included if you need them. You need to be able to ski to a level where you can link turns, control your speed and stop. Group lessons and tuition are available throughout the year if you don't meet these standards.

Velogemel, the Original SkiBike?

Posted: Sunday, 21 August 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels:
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Velogemel... it was a new word to add to my lexicon, I came across it by accident whilst researching Swiss SkiBike manufacturer BullSkate. Some manufacturers might claim to be "The original" skibike, but surely the Velogemel has to be the Grand Daddy of them all, with its wooden design, that goes dates back over 100 years.

Here's what the Velogemel web site has to say.

Today we are used to the fact that new snow is immediately cleared from roads and paths by modern snow-clearing equipment. 100 years ago it was not so easy for the locals to get around in the deep snow in wintertime. For Christian Bühlmann, disabled coach builder from Grindelwald, it soon became too tedious to walk to his clients. In his attempt to solve this problem he became the inventor of the velogemel.
In summer Christian Bühlmann used a bicycle. This gave him the idea of transferring the principle of the bicycle to the sledge. In 1911 he therefore built a snow-bicycle in order to get around faster on downhill and flat stretches – the bike-sledge was created.
It had a wooden frame with two runners steered at the front by handlebars, the seated position allowed one to push off with the feet and hence move forward in a manner similar to that of the first bicycle by Drais (Draisine).
As the word "Gemel" is the name for a sledge in local Grindelwald dialect, the bike-sledge soon became called Velogemel by the locals.
Velogemel - The Original SkiBike?

You can buy one, should it take your fancy, the price is CHF 490 (Swiss Francs) for the adult model and CHF 475 for the childrens version. At the time of writing that would be £ 420/405 or $ 678/658 see http://www.xe.com/


New Zealand Sees Its Heaviest Snowfall In Decades

Posted: Tuesday, 16 August 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels:
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Parts of New Zealand are seeing their first snowfall in 80 years as a "once in a lifetime" polar blast spreads across the country.
The capital city of Wellington ground to a halt as services across the country were disrupted by the heavy snow.
Mail deliveries were cancelled along with many flights in the region. Main roads have also been closed.
People took to the streets to play and take photos of the winter wonderland as for many it was the first time they had seen snow in the area.
Wellington, which rarely gets snow, is witnessing its highest levels since the 70s.
Further south, Auckland is experiencing its first snowfall for 80 years.
Forecasters have described the massive change in weather as a "once in many decades event".
The cold snap is predicted to last several days but for now most people seem to be enjoying their time in the snow.
Source Yahoo.com

A cyclist is seen riding precariously through Christchurch - source Daily Mail

Is 3 a Magic Number? - 3Ski the 100% Kiwi SkiBike SkiTrike

Posted: Saturday, 30 July 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels:
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The 3ski from New Zealand take this blog into uncharted waters as the first SkiTrike to be featured.
It has a number of iinnovative features that take it out of the league of toys and into the realms of full grown all mountain vehicles. For example, unlike a toboggan, you ride in a semi-standing position, furthermore the rear skis are ingeniously linked to automatically carve by pivoting together, lastly 160mm long travel forks with 32mm Stanchions and 20mm thru axle ski mounts control steering.

So this is what 3Ski say about their products on the website:

3ski Technology is an all New Zealand company focused on delivering one of the worlds most versatile and usable snow toys.
Based in Auckland, New Zealand the spiritual home of year round outdoor recreation, extreme sports and the birth place of Bungy Jumping.
Our backyard play area provides for an ideal development and testing area ranging from active cone volcano big mountains in the north to extensive mountain ranges equal in size to the European Alps in the south.
Building on our heritage of unique and innovative approach to problem solving the 3ski snow bike has been designed from concept to be a fresh approach to alternate snow sports with pure rideability and performance in mind.

Providing a truly new and unique rider experience, building on the concept of a downhill, non-attached, free ride activity which is accessible to a wide range of existing and potential snow sports enthusiast. 3ski Snow Bikes ‘Ultimate Snow Toys’ the fusion between skiing, boarding and downhill free riding on a stable yet pivotal three ski platform, 3ski Snow Bikes represents a new category in snow sports.

Designed from concept in New Zealand with over 5 years research, development and testing. 3ski Snow Bikes provide an easy, unique, no impact riding experience which blurs the lines between traditional snow sports and downhill adrenaline activity.

'3ski' it's easier than riding a bike. No matter what your skill level on snow if you can ride a bike you are already over qualified, push your boundaries a little and you will be blown away with the 3ski experience. Suitable for a wide range of snow sports enthusiast from first time visitors with no previous resort experience to skilled adrenaline seekers looking for a renewed mountain experience. Also suitable for ability restricted or disability affected users.
The 3ski is listed at NZD $2995 ex factory + NZ sales tax, at the time of writing that is equivalent to £1540 or $2505.

Building a Bike (and SkiBike) Shed

Posted: Sunday, 3 July 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels:
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My bike collection has been growing recently, consequently it has become a pressing need to get the bike projects out of the main garage to allow for some working space. I find it really annoying to start scratching up your last project, whilst working on the next one.

Luckily, I had this patch of paving behind my garage measuring roughly 5' x 8', it had housed a small tool store sized shed previously. This was cleared, then dismantled and moved further down the garden, putting the garden tools much closer to where they would be used.


The tool store had been from Southern Sheds, who were local at the time of purchase and make
very good quality, but expensive products. I had considered putting in one of their off the shelf items, but pontificated due to the cost.

Luckily a new neighbour, who had been tipped off about my reputation for recycling and general shit hoarding had about a dozen 3" x 3" fence posts and lots of chainlink fence sitting on their driveway to dispose of.

I was inspired to get creative and build something custom.

The posts were all quite new, with no rot. They did have a whole mess of chainlink fence stapled to them, so my first task was to seperate them. About 5 hours work later the job was done.

I made the two longest sides with the posts, and joined them with 2" x 3" rough sawn tanilised timber, all bolted together with exterior M10 coach bolts.
I cut rafters from 2" x 4" timber and made the mortice joints so that they would lock into place on their supports. The ends were cut with a mitre saw to a 10 degree angle for a tidier appearance. The site is near the top of an exposed ridge and the wind can occasionally blow down the valley with great gusto. For extra security the rafters were screwed down with 3" size 8 countersunk screws. At this stage I took the opportunity to give the woodwork a couple of coats of "proper" spirit based wood preservative sourced from Wickes. It looks a lot like creosote and I hope it works as well, just without the cancer risks.

I fitted an 18mm plywood sheet roof and covered it with Wickes self adhesive roofing felt. This is quite a costly option and is fiddly to install, but looks very tidy and lasts for years. The garage had this type of felt applied around 1998 and is still holding tight, no leaks or maintenance required yet. The underside of the plywood was finished in Trimite paint prior to installation, this is the finish used on rock and roll touring speakers and has a slight texture to it.

Clear corrugated roofing material was used to make the window, screwed to a couple of long battens. The lower batten was made from two pieces joined to make a L section. This stops any bowing and also doubles up as a handy shelf.
Incidentally, the battening was provided by another neighbour having a clear out, it had been in their garage for years. The bits stored on the floor had fallen prey to wet rot, but the rest was lovely seasoned quality timber without excessive knots or warping, so unlike a lot of modern wood. There was enough left over to make fascia boards, the door framework, door shuts and the frame work for the infill panels.

I made a few minor modifications here and there as part of the ongoing process, then installed a couple more fence posts as supports half way along the rafter span.
I had a huge amount of 6mm plywood saved from a company's bonfire a few years ago and painted it in white texture stone paint to match the existing garage structure. Battening was screwed all the way round the side appertures, to which the ply was tacked with a nail gun. Ply was also fitted on the inside to form a double skin. The side facing the neighbour was more difiicult as access from their property was marred by a hefty 12' drop, prolific foliage and a fence. To get around this issue I made up the panels like a theatrical scenic flat, offered them into place before screwing the battening down, then finished the interior as per the other side.
Lastly, I built a door utilising some re-cycled exhibition laminate flooring for the exterior and more 6mm ply for the interior. I realise the flooring may not survive the elements long term, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

In order to organise my retro collection as efficiently as possible I wanted to hang the bikes vertically. M10 screw eye bolts were fitted through the roof rafters, with metal plates both sides to protect the wood. Onto these jumbo S hooks were hung. I threaded old narrow section inner tube onto the S hooks and cable tied them in place, this should prevent any chance of them scratching the rims.

Then it was time to install the collection and relax a little.

Raichle Flexon Ski Boots

Posted: Wednesday, 1 June 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels:
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When I began gathering equipment back in the summer of 2009 I bought some Raichle Flexon ski boots from eBay for 99p. I didn't realise at the time that I had bought a brand which have gained somewhat of a cult status. This is their history:
Throughout the early 70's a smart guy by the name of Eric Giese had worked for NASA in the days of early space suits for the first landings on the moon. The big problem in space suits is they had cooling, heating and electric lines running throughout the suit and as the astronauts did space walks they had a big problem with them kinking and getting crimped when people tried to walk with their knees and ankles flexing. The solution was articulating hinges which had ribs to allow flex in the ankles, knees and elbows to preserve the shape of the suit around the joint. Today you see this on everything from water pipes to flexible drinking straws.
In 1978/79 living in Aspen, Eric applied this concept to skiing. He independently developed some very unique boot design concepts that included a floating ribbed tongue instead of an overlap. His goal was to enable the boot to flex without bulging/distorting in the lower shell. This was the largest single problem of the day, especially since ski boots at the time had no ankle hinge. The ankle is of course a critical area of fit where any distortion would immediately causes a loss of control. This is how the ribs of the original Raichle flexon tongue were conceived.
Eric then approached the US distributor of Raichle and presented his concept with a rough prototype. The US distributor saw the potential of the design and brought Eric and his boot to Switzerland, Raichle world headquarters. They had a large meeting including people from the US distribution, and the President of Raichle Switzerland, Heinz Herzog and many others in the company. They debated whether they should go ahead with the project. The Swiss felt it was too radical, too different looking, knowing they are a conservative company. Finally in a last ditch effort, Eric put one of their existing boots on one foot and his prototype on the other and jumped up on the conference room table. He flexed them both and their boot bulged out, looking horrible. He then said something to the effect of, "Guys, you need to decide what you want, do you want this or this?!" The decision was obvious.
In 1979, ten years after the first moon walk, the first 3-Piece boot prototype was built by Raichle. After many different prototypes it was brought to market during the winter of '80/'81. This flexibility with direct force path function concept, was later named the Flexon Concept and ultimately this first boot was named the Flexon 5, and later the Flexon Comp....read more about the history here

They are very comfortable, more so than any ski boot I've experienced before. They have an odd binding system that uses wires rather than the conventional catches.
Sadly after about 8 weeks of skibiking, the fastenings are starting to break and the liners starting to split from washing; I am looking out for another pair



Full Tilt Video History from Full Tilt Boots on Vimeo.

Skibike Review - Firem VS Evolution On Test

Posted: Sunday, 15 May 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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On a recent trip to Tignes in France, I discovered that my trusty Marin East Peak based skibike wouldn't be allowed to use any of the chairlifts, which called for a drastic solution. A brief phone call to Serge at Firem VS, the friendly local French skibike manufacturer, resulted in an unlikely opportunity. Being handed a £1200 "VS Evolution" skibike to take out on test for the duration of a holiday was really unexpected.

First Impressions:

The Firem VS flies in the face of convention with a frame made from a single sheet of aluminium, the makers claim that this allows a degree of flex that tubular frames don't give and enhances the riding experience. The frame is tall, by any standards, the sitting position feels very high and you find yourself riding eye to eye with skiers. The saddle looks like the type fitted to "comfort" bikes, fairly wide and squashy, not the sort you would associate with a sporty ride, in practice it works really well and four hectic days in the saddle caused no discomfort. There is no saddle adjustment though, if you're around 6 foot tall this should be fine, women or smaller men might have to consider the kids model.

The handlebars are of typical mountain bike design and function as you would expect. There is an elegant wood moulding on top of the frame. I can only assume that it prevents you from accidentally severing the "family jewels" in the even of a jump, fall or crash. There are some large and sturdy BMX pegs for your feet, which provide a point of purchase, but become a little too slick once coated in ice and tend to knock your calves a lot when pushing the bike along the flat. Some form of folding peg such as the sort used for motorbike pillion passengers would work a little better

The skibase seems quite long, the Firem VS takes up a lot of seats on the chairlift and can be awkward to fit into small gondola type telecabins. But the upside of the length is a chassis that is stable and assured.
The suspension has the ability to absorb large bumps with complete aplomb; if you have the balls you can ignore all that tiresome turning and head straight down the fall line and trust the VS to iron out the topography for you. This skibike keeps reminding me that it is so much better than I am.

If given the chance, it accelerates so quickly that you can be taken by surprise, fortunately it has a unique and efficient braking system. I was reluctant to use it all the time, feeling that it was "cheating", however, whilst following a narrow off-piste traverse, I suddenly found my path blocked by a mother and screaming child. A quick dab on the brakes stopped me in my tracks and saved me from having to head over the rocks to avoid hitting them. I also ran some test to see how much the mar the piste when the snow is very soft, the results were impressive and no worse than a snowboard carve.
The skis fitted are relatively short and very flexible, this works well for following bumpy terrain, but on a couple of occasions I noticed a tendency for the front ski to "wash out" possibly due to excessive flex.


The Good Bits:

Accurate steering, plush suspension, indomitable construction, effective brakes, a plethora of high tech precision components.

The Bad Bits:

The weight, a 15kg skibike is hard work getting through the turnstiles and getting on/off chairlifts. The length, sitting on a chairlift takes up 4 places, small chairlifts, gondolas, etc. could be an issue. Limited seating adjustments. Bulky and slippery foot pegs. The relatively high retail price.

Conclusion:

Firem are getting close to making a highly desirable product. They need to focus on reducing the weight and size of their skibikes without compromising the ride or handling. They also need to reduce costs and create a product that sells at a competitive price without abandoning quality and durability. It is a tough balancing act, but all manufacturers makers must face similar challenges.

Firem VS Evolution skibike - needs less grass and more snow

Skibike Review - Brenter "Fat Boy" C6

Posted: Wednesday, 27 April 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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Its not everyday that I get the chance to test a new skibike fresh from the factory, to test one with 30 minutes to go before entering it in a World Cup competition was a unique experience. You can read the whole story here.

This is what Brenter say about the Fat Boy:
C6 - Fatboy: the evolution of the world record bike C4 with 40 mm bow frame design. We thought there is nothing we can improve on a C4 until we have written the all new C6.
Full suspension: active system, Titanal-Elastomer seat suspension and active elastomer front suspension, Frame: Bow-frame design Aluminum 1000 g powder coated weight: 7 kg class; simple Ski service: patent “Quick-Change” System Available sizes for body sizes 135 - 200 cm,

First Impressions:

Anyone who has ever been on a Brenter will feel at home straight away, as it is very similar to the older models, with the same bouncy suspension, banana saddle and familiar yellow and black colour scheme. It is supposed to be a more rugged machine, suited to all mountain and off piste use, even climb up / skibike down back mountain touring adventures.
The joints feature heavy duty construction compared to earlier models and proper adjustable mountain bike handle bars are fitted. Surprisingly all this beefing up doesn't result in a weighty behemoth, in fact, to the best of my knowledge the Fat Boy is the lightest skibike available.
If, like me, you are accustomed to telescopic forks and air shock rear suspension, the Brenter will disappoint. It has a surprising amount of give for such a simple design but lacks damping. I have been told by the UK Brenter expert that you need to adapt your technique and utilise the systems rebound characteristics to your advantage, I beg to differ.
The saddle height is adjustable with alternative shims between the frame and seat, but they will all be at a point that would only be suitable for traditional ski-bob style riding with foot skis and foot pegs are not provided.
Lastly, they still look like they were designed by Fischer Price and just don't look cool, seriously, I've been anti-fashion my whole life and I don't think they're fashionable enough! If I was given one I would have the rattle cans out straight away. For a product that seems to be marketed with a bias towards women riders, I am surprised there isn't the option for chic factory finishes.

The Good Bits: Amazingly light, highly versatile, easily transported, nice steering, quite robust.

The Bad Bits: Bouncy, bouncy ride, ugly and uncool appearance, requires foot skis to ride.

New SkiBike Forum - Time to spread the Skibike Love (but wear protection)

Posted: Saturday, 23 April 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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I had the pleasant surprise this morning of receiving an e-mail from Tony Thompson to let me know that he has set up a new SkiBike forum here

The old Yahoo forum is a venerable beast, but due to its age and layout isn't the easiest place to use.

He says:

I'm not focusing on any country, I'm focusing on Skibiking as a whole.  I think we all can share internationally some great ideas, and most important some great times.  There is a lot we all can learn from each other, and hopefully spread the love throughout the world about this sport.

Skibikers.com - New Skibike Forum taking shape

SkiBike Design Part 1 - by Wayne Richards

Posted: Friday, 15 April 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: ,
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One has to think through a little what could constitute a good frame to modify from MTB to Skibike use.
My criteria was:
  • Full long travel suspension
  • Rear clearance for a chairlift to pass over the rear ski
  • Relatively low weight
  • Ground clearance along the side of the rear triangle ( some suspension bikes have lower triangle arms that are part of the mechanism of suspension and have parts lower than the rear wheel centre )
  • Last but not essential, a cheap or older frame no longer being used.
Highly desirable attributes ( and this is only a personal opinion ) were that the pivot point of the rear suspension should be ahead of the feet to transmit body weight to the front ski, most downhill bikes have this and for me equalising the weight onto both skis was quite desirable ( this has to be a late night bar discussion surely ).
The frame we chose gives a 60/40 split. Most XC and Enduro MTB frames with rear pivot seem to give closer to 70 /30 and could be compensated with a long ski / short ski but be careful as the sidecut radius needs to be the same on both skis.
We used 99cm Blade style skis, again second hand for about £ 45.00 on Ebay.

So we hit Ebay and went looking for an older style Y Frame type, eventually locating the frame brand new for less than £ 40.00 delivered, its overly engineered, needs to go on a diet but is simple and will allow quite simply for the rear subframe to be reversed to enable the bike to go into a suitcase.
We exchanged the original cheapo shock for a longer travel unit to match the long travel front forks we had sitting in the garage and it gave almost 150mm of travel front and rear, perfect. The only other thing in the build is the handle bar height, we chose a 75mm stem extension, others use BMX bars. From an initial trial run, keep the stem length as short as possible as the leverage from the bars will overcome the front ski “ edge carve / grip “and cause the front of the bike to tuck under. The consequences of this is the ensuing “ superman “ ejection from the cockpit, when it happens and it will, you will instantly understand what I mean.

Frame - well done eBay less than £40 delivered

On the first prototype ( OK it was a second hand Y frame we paid £ 14.00 delivered ) we cut off all the cable mounts but actually you can use them for mounting all the safety straps and such like. All up with skis, the bikes are less than 10kilos and I would think a sub 8.5 kilos production / purpose built skibike should be pretty achievable.

Mounting the skis is a bit of a conundrum. You can buy WinterX style Ali triangular mounts or make up your own as we did, out of Carbon. We did this for a number of reasons, mainly I feel the ski needs to be able to flex equally along the ski, to be able to carve and more importantly, we wanted a quick release system for getting a ski off as quite a lot of European resorts still run very small “ bubbles “ as lifts, we were not sure we would be able to get a 2.10 metre bike in crossways, take a ski off and no problems.
As it happens the resort we went to had more modern style lifts and simply turning the front ski sideways as you went into the lift worked OK.

Carbon Fibre Ski Mounts
The quick release though is still highly desirable as we discovered, on more than one night we got very “ Mozart and Blist “ on the way home and our Pension was a fair distance from the Apres Ski bars, no problem for us with walking boots, but the skiers amongst us were having none of that long walk business and as there was a taxi rank about 10 very unsteady paces from the bar and only 8 Euros for the taxi spread amongst 8 of us, it was a no brainer. But a 2.1m bike is not goner fit across the boot of a VW Caravelle, one ski off and no probs, that extra work was worth every hour spent.

The design we eventually made is probably a bit too sophisticated with proper “ oil-lite “ bearings, fully O ring protected to stop water and grit getting in, made of Carbon with Ali internals, again for lightness and takes a standard quick release from your mountain bike. They work well and I could perhaps draw up some drawings or have them made in numbers if there was enough requests.

The pegs also are probably more important than what you think. Our originals were simply a reducer from the original bottom bracket size to a pedal size, it works well and is dead cheap, but here is the big but, on harder snow, the steeper the terrain, the more we noticed the inside boot hitting the snow, enough so that on very steep slopes, your inside boots do get clouted quite a bit as the suspension sinks under compression from the G force. We think that a fixed peddle in this situation would either get wiped off over time or could “ unload “ the rear ski, something to ponder and argue over a beer on. Anyway again we took MX

Pegs - more important than you may think

So that’s about it, one thing for certain to build a ski bike is not going to be cheap to get it right, but it was good fun over the winter evenings and very rewarding in the end.

Looking for parts to build a skibike? Or perhaps one ready to ride away? See our Parts For Sale page here.

You can read part 2 of this series here ...