The SkiBike Shop

Chris, mailed me a while back as he spotted this article here on the Skibiker SkiBike Blog, whilst doing a search for ski bobs.  He is based in California, USA and has a couple Porsche Design Arova Ski Bobs for sale.

It is going to break his heart to part with them, but the harsh reality is that he's getting married and needs the cash. To the right are some photos of the skibobs in question.

Should they take your fancy and you would like to have one for your skibike collection, as a period accesory for a classic Porsche sports car or as a curious "conversation piece" to put in the den, please get in touch.
You can leave a comment below, or use the new Contact Page to send me an e-mail and I will make sure that Chris gets it.

Just in case you have never heard of the Porsche 212, here is some background with thanks to www.911uk.com:

For those of us who’ve always thought that the 912 or the 914 were some of the most unheralded members of the Porsche family, say hello to the 212 Skibob.

This small and collapsible skibob (basically a bike for the slopes) was built through collaboration by the Arvoa Company and Porsche design. Made in limited quantities for enthusiasts, the Porsche sled features a rather sophisticated setup (you know, for a skibob) of front and rear shock strut suspension. It’s also able to break apart, with the ski components stored inside of the hollow fiberglass body. Maybe most incredibly, despite its slight build, the 212 is made to carry two riders.

AROVA-PORSCHE 212 SKIBOB

By PORSCHE DESIGN and Built by AROVA

Limited production from 1970 and first announced in the February, 1970 PORSCHE CHRISTOPHORUS Magazine.

PORSCHE DESIGN in collaboration with the AROVA Company ventured into producing a limited supply of this revolutionary and patented snow glider. It was unique for it's time in several respects. It has both front and rear shock strut suspension. It also can be assembled from components contained within the hollow body in about 1 minute. The padded seat is able to hold two passengers.


Specifications:

Weight - 30 Lbs.
Length, folded - 44 inches.
Height, folded – 15 inches
Width – 5.5 inches.
Suspension – aluminum with angled shock-struts.
Body – Molded polyfoam, hollow for components storage.
Assemble time, est.- 1 + minute.
Other – 2 clamp-on shoe ski's.

When not in skibiking mode I like to get in plenty of good old fashioned cycling, usually this takes the place of many miles of urban riding just trying to get to work and back in one piece.

But as an incorrigible escapist I am always on the hunt for bike adventure, no matter how small. When I spotted that one of the gents on the excellent RetroBike forum was planning a special birthday celebration ride from Brighton to Eastbourne along the South Downs Way, I committed to joining up immediately.

For those who don't know, the 160 kilometre long South Downs Way follows the old routes and droveways along the chalk escarpment and ridges of the English South Downs. The route provides the visitor with the opportunity "to get away from it all" without having to travel too far in this busy part of England. The undulating route not only provides a wonderful trip for long distance riders but also provides interesting day trips and short breaks.

The South Downs Way

In the last decade I have covered many miles on road, canal tow paths and gravel trails, but apart from a few days in Gran Canaria in 2000 my experience of off-road riding is limited. Furthermore, my steed for the journey, was not to be a modern "all mountain" bike, but a traditional, rigid framed, 1991 Marin Muirwoods. A strong, heavy and hopefully dependable machine that I had assembled over the last couple of years for just this type of recreational riding.

1991 Marin Muirwoods - strong, heavy and dependable

I had my doubts about whether I would be up to the physical challenge. I knew from the recent months, that I can manage 40 miles a day, for weeks on end if necessary. But also appreciated, that there is a big difference between flat cycle commuting and proper grown up trail riding. Rather than loose any sleep over this dilemma, I chose to take a fatalistic attitude, I would find out on the day.

On the morning of the ride I heaved my bike into the boot of "Uncle Fester" the tired old Ford Fiesta and headed due South to the Devil's Dyke, located on the hills overlooking the South Coast above Brighton and Hove.
I arrived first, assembled my bike in glorious early morning sunlight and waited for my fellow RetroBikers to arrive. Before long we were off and I was able to get my first taste of riding on chalk. I thought that chalk being porous would provide a stable, dry surface all year round, I couldn't have been more wrong, in many places it was as slippery as ice.
Apparently, it gets worse in the winter, the porous chalk oozes excess moisture which freezes overnight. I realised there's more to this mountain biking than I had given it credit for,skibiking is easy by comparison, skis are designed to drift on slippery surfaces, tyres aren't. I found myself plunged into hedges more than once.

A few miles further on at Ditchling on a particularly bumpy section there was a loud crack, fortunately it wasn't my spine, but the saddle bolt had sheared off. I would have been ready to give up at this point and walk back, but some first class jury rigging by my companions saw the saddle rails tied to the top tube.
They suggested we ride on with a detour to the small town of Lewes, where I would find a bike shop and maybe a spare bolt. I rode the following 4 miles solely on the pegs BMX style, necessity is the mother of invention and fortunately, not as tiring as I was expecting.

Some first class jury rigging by the RetroBikers

At Lewes we located Lewes Cycleshack, tucked away inside a branch of the sports shop InterEurope. A few words with the workshop staff and a quick scrap bin rummage sourced a replacement bolt and top clamp piece. The resulting combo cobbled together was not totally secure, but at least something I could put my bodyweight on and not risk accidental impalement.

We still had two thirds of the route left to go and the real pain was about to begin, impossibly it seemed to be uphill all the way. I soon began to appreciate what a "technical climb" meant; trying to ride in granny gear up steep, narrow, brick and rock strewn lanes was horrid, in many places it was quicker to get off and walk. Irritatingly the oldest member and quickest ascending member of the group was riding single speed!

South Downs Way - lovely vistas

After a refreshment break for tea and scones at Alfriston village it was time for the final punishing climb, after which it was level all the way to the outskirts of Eastbourne. The ride down from Beachy Head was the thrill of the day, with my weight as far back as possible, lots of back brake, rear tyre locking up and skidding about, vision blurred and still gaining speed.

Scones for tea

True men ride the same route back to Brighton, some do the whole South Downs Way in a single day, there are even god like creatures reported to have done the entire route both ways in a single hit. But for us the journey was done and the train would take us back to Brighton.
Back in Brighton I said good bye to the boys thinking the ride was over, how wrong could I be, I had another 5 miles to go to get back to the car and uphill too.

On wobbly legs I made the ride up to the A27 trunk road followed by a periloius ride along it to find the route back up to the car park on the Devil's Dyke. It was actually a lovely, quiet ride under a full moon for the last couple of miles, did you know that cows still eat during the night?
 I plonked the Marin in the boot of the car and made the quick 45 minute drive home, it was time for a well deserved beer.

Some do the whole South Downs Way in a single day!

"Autumn clean", no it just doesn't have the same ring to it as "Spring clean", but that's what I've been up to for the past few days. I have started to transfer almost all of the information stored at SkiBiker.org over to this blog to be archived as static web pages. I thought that this would be a few hours work, but as ever, it took much longer than expected as I realised some of the information could really do with updating and reformatting too.

So what are the changes?

Below the new and prettier header section, you will find links that should help answer 99% of the questions any skibiker newbie might ask, such as; "FAQs", "Where to SkiBike?", "How to SkiBike", "(How to) Build a SkiBike" or (Where to) "Buy a SkiBike".

There is now a contact page, with a proper mail form, any questions still left unanswered can be mailed to me, whilst avoiding having my email address available to the spammers.

I have also updated the lists of skibike manufacturers and skibike conversion kit suppliers, there should be a few new names yet to be added over the following weeks too.

I spent quite a while pouring over the list of skibike friendly resorts and have now given the countries with a lot of potential skibiking holiday destinations, such as; Austria and France their own individual pages. The list is very European centric currently, but I have pages for Canada and the USA waiting in the wings, which will need populating with information. I will harvest some information from the net, but there is nothing like a verified account from a local skibiker. I know that a fair share of the readership of this blog are from the USA and Canada, so please send the names of your local skibike friendly haunts for inclusion.

I have created a page for real world skibike clubs, there are only 3 national clubs that I know of, which cover, France, Great Britain and the USA. There is also a page listing skibike social networking sites, such as Facebook and discussion forums.

Lastly, as so many of the readership do not have English as their mother tongue, I have included a translation widget for their use.

I have had an idea for a skibike touring holiday bubbling around in my head for the last couple of years, I imagined something very different to the typical package ski holiday. On my perfect skibike holiday you would visit not just one, but many resorts, without the need to ever ride the same run twice, unless you particularly wanted to. You would cover huge distances and see so much varied terrain, from mighty high peaks, down to gentle wooded valleys. Riding skibikes, one wouldn't get burned out in the way a skier or snowboarder would. Returning home at the end of the week, you could recite a list of of the places you visited, listeners would think you had spent a whole season away, rather than a mere week.

My ideal location would be somewhere in or close to the Portes du Soleil, 12 resorts spanning France and Switzerland and the largest international ski area in the world. It has an enormous variety of slopes both around the treeline and above. There are gentle, wide open runs for beginners, endless intermediate terrain and for advanced skiers, there are demanding bump runs, plus a huge choice of easily accessible off piste and many hidden gems.

Stunning views - source Haig Ski

A possible itinerary for the week might be something like this:

Sunday - Easy Riding for early bird arrivals at Lelex/Crozet, Monts Jura
Monday - Cruising and Novice Lessons at Grand Bornand, Aravis
Tuesday - Wide Blues and Fast Reds at Les Contamines and Hauteluce, Mont Blanc
Wednesday - Big Verticals at Avoriaz, Portes du Soleil
Thursday - Eating up the Miles at Samoens, Les Carroz and Flaine, Grand Massif
Friday - Heading off the Beaten Track at Praz de Lys and Sommand Taninges
Saturday - Comfortably Numb at Morzine or Combloux
Sunday - Last ride before the flight home at Les Haberes or La Chapelle d'Abondance

My ideal accommodation would be a cosy mountain chalet that offered breakfast in the morning, a slice of cake or two in the late afternoon and a hearty meal with wine in the evening. A secluded natural location with stunning views would be a bonus. It would need to be located roughly an hour from Geneva airport.

Cosy mountain chalet - source Haig Ski

Needless to say, transport would be necessary to get everyone around, a mini bus with a trailer for the skibikes would be the ideal vehicle. It would need to be available for transfers to and from Geneva airport.

Much research has lead me to Haig Ski who offer; half-board chalet accommodation, transport and guiding throughout the Portes du Soleil and environs. Based at the quiet village of Le Biot, they are just 80 minutes from the airport.

The proposed date for the first ever skibike touring week is Sunday 6th to Sunday 13th January 2013. This period leaves Christmas and New Year free for your familly activities. It is a great time of year to be on the slopes; there is little in the way of crowds or queues, the lift operators aren't stressed out and good snow is as near to guaranteed as is possible. The Portes du Soleil - Doors of the Sun often live up to their name, whilst better know resorts shiver, this area often experiences mild clement days in between fresh dumps of the white stuff.

Avoriaz in 2010 - clement December weather, read more here

Whilst costs are anticipated to be higher than a "High Street" package, direct comparison is unfair. On offer is a unique customised skibike centric holiday, in one of the World's finest winter playgrounds. As far as I know, something never available before. A breakdown of the anticipated costs would be:

Half Board Accommodation Cost - £450
Touring Transport Supplement - £40
Transfers to / from Geneva Airport - To Be Confirmed
Budget Flights from UK to Geneva - £150 (Easy Jet LGW to GVA, with 20kg baggage plus a "bike" carried as sports equipment.
SkiBike Guiding - Included
Lift Passes - estimated at £210
Lunches, drinks & miscellaneous sundry items - estimated at £150
Optional SkiBike Hire - To Be Confirmed
Optional SkiBike Tuition - ESF skibike teacher available

If you bring your own skibike, don't require lessons and don't intend to paint the town red every night, you would be looking at a budget of just under £1000. Remember, this is a fair estimate of your final cost, including all the hidden items that the glossy sales brochures omit to mention.
Prices have been calculated in Pounds Sterling, to convert to Euros or other currencies here is a handy on-line calculator.

I have 6 skibikers who have already expressed an interest in joining this tour, if they all commit, this would leave only 1 space free, so if the idea of a skibike touring week appeals to you and you would like to join, please contact me as soon as possible.

Skibike touring in 2012 - read more here

Lastly, in the interest of fairness there are a few caveats to consider.

Accommodation costs are based on 2 people sharing a room.

There can never be a true guarantee of snow, but this area has a consistently good snow fall record and a micro climate influenced by its proximity to the Mont Blanc, which means "White Mountain" owing to its permanent snow cover, it is the highest mountain in Europe.

Resorts can be notorious fickle with regard to skibike access, it may be necessary to change plans at short notice to concentrate on skibike friendly resorts. Rest assured that I will be in the area in the weeks preceding the tour and will be able to verify what is practicable.

In order to take your skibike on a chairlift it will need to have an "AVEL" sticker; as of the 2011-12 season, these were available for some of the models produced by the following skibike manufacturers; Brenter, FiremVS, SnowScoot and Winter X Bike. If you are planning on bringing a skibike that doesn't have an AVEL sticker please contact me for further information.

Exchange rates vary, therefore the final cost of your trip may rise or fall substantially.

Meanwhile in France... Firem have been testing out their retrofit chairlift skibike carrier for compatibility with the ever popular SnowScoot. They manufacture a hook/clamp combination which easily mounts to the chassis of a chairlift, I saw and rode the prototype in action during the 2011-12 season at Grand Bornand in France see here.
On the prototype system, the lift operators did the hard work of loading and unloading skibikes. At the time, there were only 3 brackets on the chain of 100 or so chairs. As a skibiker you had to wait to one side, then get quickly into place as the special chairs came round. The prototype chairlift ran up to some easy green and blue runs and provided a very safe environment for novices to learn Freestyle SkiBiking (myself included).
Once they had gained in experience and confidence, they were able to move to more demanding terrain. From what I gathered at the time, Grand Bornand were aiming to expand into Downhill Mountain Biking uplift for the summer season and making chairlift brackets a permanent feature.

SkiBike and SnowScoot chairlift carrier system - from Firem

Other resorts nearby, have hooks on the back of the chairlift frame to mount your MTB on the chairlift in front of you. Typically they take these off in the winter season to avoid risking clumsy skiers impaling themselves on them.  The beauty of the Firem system is that the skibike stays to the side of the chairlift and doesn't interfere with other snow users, nor does the lift need to slow down for loading. If Firem are testing them now, it bodes well, at least for the Alps in the 2013 season and potentially as research data for elsewhere.

In this latest article, Wayne Richards, takes all the design considerations for building a DIY skibike and looks at what parts are on the market to build one.

OK we have looked at basic requirements, such as frame desirables, frame head angle, skis and a bit of advice about only building a ski bike if you think you can build it less than 10 kilos, with clearance over the rear swinging arm for the chairlift. Already a lot of you are saying “nah can’t be done, the manufacturer’s bikes are heavier than that and not all have clearance”. Spend your dollars, build that “clunker” and you will be disappointed, can’t say any more than that.

Shall we move on then to those who are prepared to be modern, use good design and end up with a 2012 model ski bike, it’s not difficult, you just need to pre-plan and think things through a bit.

Frames: really really think what donor frame you are going to use, it is the starting point for all the other bits and pieces. Think what you want to do on your ski bike and relate it to good Mtb build practice, if you want to jump and do tricks then get a more durable and tough frame, long cruising all day frame, think Enduro or XCountry frame, on piste cruiser, you can get away with a very light weight frame with 100mm or less rear suspension. Pick a good brand with a good quality rear shock, you may pay a few dollars more, but you will end up with an asset that can be resold.

Specialised Comp XC - an ideal candidate

A Specialised Comp XC would be an ideal candidate. The Saracen Raw, a cheap version with not such a good shock, but tough, well built and more importantly, with the downhill style forward of centre pivot I favour. On Ebay complete bikes are under £ 100.00 sometimes.

Saracen Raw - cheap but tough and well built

Another way to think about things is ask yourself if you would enjoy riding that bike when built up as a MTB, if not then why would you build it into a ski bike. The way we ride ski bikes is not un-similar to Mtbs, we just have skis instead of wheels.

Not all frames are suitable, even some of the more high end frames. Have a look at the Kona Coiler frame, high end well regarded Mtb frame, but as a ski bike, mmm you can see what I am getting at, those big sticky out things at the back, just ready to get caught on the base of the chairlift.

Kona - a great frame, shame about those big sticky out things

So pick a good frame with care, your local supermarket special just may do you ski bike career more harm than good. Do your research and look at the frame weights, if you are going to get into a porky frame, its going to be pretty tough to reduce all the other components weight to compensate.

Next thing to consider is front forks. I am sort of starting to side that 100mm is more than enough for most purposes on a ski bike, we just don’t have the drop offs in snow that we do in Mtb-ing. When we do drop off it tends to be onto a sloped run off where the slope dissipates most of the impact. So why do we need long travel. Well we need long travel ( more than 100mm ) to push the nose higher to increase the head angle ( think more stable steering feel ) and to give better clearance under the pegs. If possible buy a fork that has had the steerer tube uncut, put the spacers under the bottom bearing rather than above to push the nose up higher. Do make sure the spacer will locate the bearing properly though, some spacers will, others won’t.

I feel also that we can have the front travel much stiffer than we normally do in Mtbing, most bumps and jumps are pretty smooth and not sharp faced as per a rocky ledge or step, skiers without suspenders on go across these little undulations all day long. What’s good, unfortunately with suspension forks what you tend to pay for is what you get. Again check out the likes of eBay for second hand stuff that somebody's trading off, there are bargains to be had. Marzocchi Marathons at 1.5 kilos 100mm travel, stunning.

Check here before you buy anything though as to regards weights. Get above 1.6kilos for a front fork and you really have to think I can do better.

Ancillaries such as seats, seat posts, handlebars, pegs, you can so wrong so quickly as far as weights go. Do your research and use your budget wisely. Do you really need a big thick gel padded seat if you peg all the time. On a recent trip, one of the bikes seat pin broke. We took my seat off ( I peg ) and I rode without a seat for the whole day, didn’t really notice it missing to be honest. So fit the minimum weight your budget will allow without any recourse to comfort if you are a freestyler. If you ride easy rider style than a well padded seat is essential, don’t worry about the bit extra weight, just don’t have that extra two pints of beer on the way home.

Well that’s enough for the moment, but I can’t stress enough that there are some fundamental things to be aware of before converting a Mtb frame to a skibike. Minimum weight is just so important, clearance for the chairlift, design nouse to get the right peg height, design nouse pre-planning to be done guys and girls, get it right and you yourself will not only benefit, but the whole sport will benefit with you show casing your bike. Get it wrong and you will probably alienate the lift company who may ban all bikes.

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

Today I had an undercover and quite thoroughly sneaky skibike session at SnoZone in Milton Keynes. It is an indoor snow slope only 100m long and with about 30m of vertical, but the joy is perfect conditions the whole year round. It is also the only indoor centre, so far, that doesn't have issue with experienced skibikers turning up and riding skibikes right in and amoungst all the other snow users.

I aim to get along every other month during the off season in an attempt to retain my frail skibike mojo. The great news, for me, was that the session went very well, I still had my mojo from the 1st run on, I felt as if I could have done the descent with my eyes closed, mostly standing, plus a couple of seated runs, with hockey stops, side slipping, short radius turns with tail swishing, etc.

The main thing I still found awkward was using the Poma drag lift. I am getting a bit tired of this and I want to investigate a skibike towing device using the same type of quick release snap shackle that the sit skiers use. If I can perfect the design indoors, I can see it being invaluable for both teaching purposes and those places that don't have chairlifts, Scotland springs to mind immediately.

Interestingly snap shackles are used in so many disparate sports and activities; sailing, climbing, kite surfing, dog sledding, horse riding. I will investigate further which size is appropriate for the job through Disability Snow Sport  and hopefully have a working prototype ready before my next visit.

Quick release snap shackle - used in many sports

I had a different type of unsolicited mail the other day, which makes a change from laser eye surgery and car leasing. Tom Fortner from Monroe Michigan, (just above Toledo Ohio) has an unusual Porsche 212 skibob to move on.
Note that these images are not of the item on offer and are for illustrative purposes only.

I can't find out too much about this model, possibly it was more of a promotional item than a serious tool and I can't imagine the ride would be a patch on even the cheapest of DIY skibikes. However, riding merits aside, is still the ultimate James Bond gadget, in a very 70s way.
I can just see Roger Moore stepping into the cable car in his dinner jacket with the suitcase under his arm. At the top he pops on his footskis, assembles the skibob and is off to fight to the death with baddies, before entertaining a babe for the night "More Champagne Darling?"

I have already passed someone his way who was very interested, but you never know. So if you fancy having this curious item in your collection drop me a line or leave a comment and I'll put you in touch with Tom.

Things are afoot at French skibike manufacturer Firem, I've been tasked to translate the Operating Instructions, Safety & Maintenance Notes leaflet for their all new VS512 model due to reach the end of the production line in the next couple of weeks.

My school boy French often fails me though, it has taken 30 years to realise that I should have listened to my mother, turned off the television and done my homework. But what she didn't know back then, was that here in the future we have every bluffers own dynamic duo super-heroes, namely; the Internet and Google Translate.
These provided me with a translation of "doigt d'indexage" well sort of anyway, but I really needed to be sure and queried Serge from Firem. He came up with this alternative, "goupille de sécurité à verrouillage rapide", oh no, it was getting more complicated not simpler.
It was time to bring out my secret weapon, a gent by the name of Crispin who has not only spent far too much time biking in the Pyrenees, used to run a bike shop and devours language and grammar almost as fast as a good pudding.

He went quiet for a while but came back with "quick-lock safety stud", what a genius. This small component, is the key link that joins the head tube to the body of the VS512 and allows it to be split, to fit in the boot of a car or carried into one of those tiny bubble like gondola "tele-cabines" dotted around the Alps.

Le "doigt d'indexage"

The leaflet is now translated and the next item on the Firem hit list will be an on-line shop as there have already been sales enquiries from the United States.

I want to pay tribute to 10 excellent items that I have used whilst skibiking, they didn't cost much and have all delivered fantastic value for money.
All of them cost under £60, to stay in budget, some had to be bought from secondhand from eBay, usually in nearly new condition having seen a weeks use or less. SkiBike related bargains are out there to be had, providing you buy at the end of the winter season right through to late September.

Item: Canterbury Knee Braces

Price Paid: £25 each

What was so good about this item then?

It was tough finding the number 1 skibiking essential of 2012, but on reflection I chose a product that is of great personal significance, but should prove valuable to skibikers young and old alike. Life is so full of irony, if I had worn knee braces when I first tried skiing, I might never have damaged my knees and found myself on a skibiking odyssey. Now, I wear them whenever I head for the slopes whether that's on a skibike or skis.
There have been a number of occasions where I have got into the sort of awkward twisting falls that in the past caused havoc and I have felt the metal side straps take the load and hold me together. I am certain that without these there would have been a fair few situations where injury would have compromised my skibiking enjoyment.

Any gripes or whinges about this item?

The are produced in a "one size fits all" design, which I believe will inevitably lead to some compromises in the fit. After roughly 6 weeks use the velcro straps are starting to loose their grip.

Canterbury Knee Braces - #1 skibiking essential