The SkiBike Shop

A couple of days ago I had a message through from Charles "Chic" Tyson of  Bike The Slopes who wanted to let the World know that there is another option for diy skibike conversion kits.
On offer is a conversion kit priced at 199 Canadian Dollars, which certainly puts it on par with offerings from both the South side of the 49th parallel and also here in Europe. Furthermore, I have been able to confirm that this is no "coming this winter season" hype, the kits are on the shelf and ready to go.

So if there are any Canucks out there Jonesing for some skibike action straight away, consider yourself tipped off.

With just a few weeks to go before the 2012-13 SkiBike Tour kicks off, this is no time to let my fitness levels fade. So an opportunity to meet up with pals from RetroBike and enjoy an extended ride around London was not to be missed. Best of all the planned route was my idea and I would be doing the guiding.

The ride should have been a week earlier, but we had to abandon the idea due to torrential rain and substantial wind. A week later the conditions couldn't have been more different. It was a dry but icy cold start to the day, whizzing down the hill to Purley Cross certainly woke me up and made me feel alive. A quick couple of miles warmed me up and got me to the meeting point for the start of the run.

East Croydon - 60s modernist architecture

East Croydon railway station, is a soulless spot, surrounded by the worst excesses of 60s modernist architecture. Luckily I soon found the Whatleymeister and Godders, grabbed a quick snap in front of the NLA tower and we were off for a pleasant run through South London's suburbs. Following a number of trails that follow disused railway lines and former industrial area reclaimed into parkland, Godders commented "who would have thought you could find all this in the middle of a city".
At Lewisham we headed up onto Blackheath and over to The Royal Observatory for a view of the vista over to Docklands. Then it was a flat out blast downhill to the Cutty Sark and a rendezvous with jonnyboy666 who had made his way from an overnight stay in Kilburn some 10 miles away.

View from The Royal Observatory

Next it was time to head down into the foot tunnel for the underwater route to the Isle of Dogs, as Whatleymeister pointed out, it was his first ever lift assisted RetroBike ride. Arriving at Island Gardens the sun briefly shone and we rapidly made our way towards Stratford and our 2nd rendezvous, this time with local boy Bike Man. He guided us around the perimeter of the former Olympics site, through Hakney Marshes and along the canals tow paths to Victoria Park. I generated considerable mirth from my fellow riders by using my painfully screechy front brake as a fog horn and clear a pathway through the many bimbling hipsters and sundry tourists.

By the Cutty Sark

Our next port of call was the Haggerston Park BMX track, an unexpected jem in an otherwise uninteresting area. We all had a go and as a novice I found it quite intimidating, but equally thrilling too. I learned the hard way that you don't use your brakes and would be tempted to go back, but maybe when there are no onlookers to watch my failures.

I had arranged a couple of prizes raided from my "conference freebee giveaway" cache, very Alan Partridge I know, so took the opportunity for a quick prize giving session, namely:

Farthest Distance Travelled To Attend - went to jonnyboy666 who had made the trip up all the way from Southampton.
The Riders' Choice RetroBike du Jour - went to Bike Man, who won by a whisker for having the most original and Retro of all the bike's present and boasting the ugliest forks too.

RetroBikes win prizes

It was now time to head for the centre of town, dodging buses and taxis for a photo stop at St. Paul's Cathedral. Godders found a puncture and deserves a prize for the fastest inner tube change in the West End.

Godders - fastest inner tube change in the West End

Then it was up the Strand, whizzing round Trafalgar Square in seconds flat and on to the final photo stop at Buckingham Palace. The queen was in, but didn't offer tea or scones, maybe next time?

Buckingham Palace - Tea with the Queen next time?

After this we bade farewell to jonnyboy666 who was heading back up to Kilburn whilst the rest of the party headed South to Vauxhall Cross. Outside the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Whatleymeister left to brave the delights of the South Circular for the short run to Clapham Junction, whilst Bike Man headed back East, which just left myself and Godders to make the trip back to Croydon.

Taking the scenic route; past the Oval Cricket Ground, through Loughborough Junction, Dulwich and on to the lung busting climb up to Crystal Palace, one of the highest spots anywhere in London. With only about another 15 minutes of riding left ahead of us we indulged in a swift pint and took in the view. The night was so crisp and frosty with phenomenal visibility, I believe we could see the radio tower on Wrotham Hill in Kent and the towers of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge at Dartford.

There was considerable post football chaos around Selhurst Park football ground, I began to wonder if the Croydon riots had resumed. A few nifty back street runs avoided the grid lock, got us back to Croydon and saw Godders off to catch his train with 2 minutes to spare.

NISM have been building both skibikes and skibike components for the last 15 years and have taken the bold step of producing purpose made skis suitable for ski biking for the 2012-13 season. "No re-purposed ski blades here...these were made to run in line with each other instead of parallel" claims the NISM website.

NISM - No re-purposed ski blades here

What sets the new NISM Snow Bike Skis apart from normal skiboards is that they are asymmetrical, i.e. the tip is significantly wider than the tail. By using a front ski in the normal orientation and the rear ski back to front, you can create a shared sidecut profile between the front and back skis. This system enables both skis to work together as a single ski, claimed to give far better control and stability than any other system. Furthermore the NISM Snow Bike Skis feature a rockered base option to give quicker edge to edge response and a much larger sidecut radius than most skis of this length. The mounting hole pattern will work with most standard 40x40 and 50x100 mounts, used on the more well known skibikes. A robust construction is promised, intended to survive the hard landings and head on impacts known the break other brands.

NISM Snow Bike Skis are available for pre-order the first 25 customers will receive $100 off the regular price of $450 and a set have already been earmarked for extreme free style skibiker Raymond Georgsson, I know he will see that they are used to the limit of their performance envelope.

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is a quotation often attributed to Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century British Prime Minister. The source for this view is the autobiography of Mark Twain, where he makes that attribution.  The phrase is often used to describe the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments.

That aside, Randy Kimball from the American SkiBike Association released some interesting statistics this week, based upon their membership.

SkiBikers somewhat below the average age (49)

News just in from Devin Lenz, founder of Lenz Sport SkiBikes, Vail Colorado will grant access to skibikes in the forthcoming 2012/13 ski season. Not only is Vail a premier ski resort, Vail Resorts also own; Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood.

Does this mean that skibiking has become respectable or is it just a cynical ploy to boost ticket sales in a faltering economy? For the moment, who cares, it's time to get your skibikes out there and have some fun this season.

In case you have never heard of Vail, PowderHounds have the following to say:

When one thinks about the legendary ski resorts around the world, a number immediately spring to mind. Vail is definitely one of those. Resorts don’t reach legendary status without good reason. Vail has it all - massive and varied terrain, a huge modern and efficient lift system, great vertical, tons of snow, classic après, vibrant nightlife and a booming “village” (err...town, um....city) with all the services one would expect from a mega resort. Vail is the quintessential world class ski resort that many others try to imitate.

Vail is BIG and pretty much has something for everyone. If you want to ski cruisers all day - you can do it. If you want some in-bounds back country style skiing and then cook a steak on a BBQ at 3,527m elevation – you can. If you expect powder - it will happen. If you want to ski steep trees and moguls or jump off cornices - guess what - it’s there. If you want to eat at five star restaurants and shop in fur boutiques, or just get a roll from Subway - you can do that too. If you want to economise and shop at Safeway to cook in your self-contained accommodation, go right ahead.... read more here

Epic Moms at Vail - source

BullSkate freestyle snowbikes have announced second hand skibikes for sale at knockout prices prior to the 2012-13 ski season.
The offer is a skibike for just $990 (£618 or €771- at current exchange rates).

The BullSkate snowbike website claims:

The frame is handmade in Taiwan, is powder coated and has an advanced downhill geometry. The rear damper includes rebound adjustment and allows for 154mm travel. For the front suspension we decided on the RST R1 double bridge downhill fork with 180mm of travel. With these two components the rider is assured of a comfortable and safe ride in any conditions while standing or seated and is able to rip in the park and absorb most obstacles on the slopes.

I rode BullSkate SnowBikes in early 2012 and found them to be a strong, plush and stable ride, well suited to both on and off piste riding. They would be of particular interest to any skibiker wanting to perform freestyle jumps and tricks or head into rougher, back mountain type terrain.
The only downside of the design, is that they are quite weighty, which might put off smaller, lighter or less physical riders.
 
If you are tempted, don't delay, the sale ends soon.

BullSkate freestyle snowbike sale - $990

  
A change of plan last week meant that I took my godson on an epic ride (he's 11, so such things are relative) around the Shooters Hill area today in the suburbs of South East London. My ride was a restored Marin Muirwoods all terrain bike from the very early 1990s, a rigid bike with a steel frame. It's heavy, but dependable and perfect for a good yomp through the woods.

Marin Muirwoods - perfect for a good yomp through the woods.

The surprisingly enjoyable sections were through Oxleas Wood where it has been raining on and off for most of the last month. So it was a bit muddy in places, with some rooty climbs and plenty of squelchy leaves, however other sections were very quick and dry.

Part of the Green Chain Walk runs through Oxleas Wood

Oxleas Wood had plenty of trails ranging from wide avenues right down to narrow fox runs through the brambles. Technically, these are probably footpaths, but no one seemed to object and there were plenty of other wheel tracks dotted about.

The little tyke positively threw himself along the downhill sections with outrageous tail slides, I would love to get him on a skibike, maybe in a few years time.

This might be about skibikes, but I still like to keep the "bike" in skibiking very much alive. Normally this consists of many dreary commuting miles between my home in the suburbs and work based in the centre of London. Occasionally though something special happens, certainly the 1000 miles I racked up whilst working at the Olympics/Paralympics this summer will be with me to the end.

I also love to get in a few true recreational rides during the year, where the only goal is to soak up the sheer visceral pleasure to be gained from consuming miles of terrain, with nothing more than the breeze and the changing scenery to fill your consciousness.
For a city dweller, based in one of the most over inhabited corners of the planet, such trips are not only good for the body, but also for the soul.

The weather is almost unimportant, which was just as well, as the forecast looked distinctly iffy as I left for the train station, expecting autumnal gloom at best, heavy showers and torrential downpours at worst. I was heading for Purley train station and the brisk 40 mile train journey to Brighton on the English South Coast to join the local RetroBike riders for the amusingly named "Tour de Cake // Concourse du Café 2012". This was to be the second time I had been on this event; a genteel ride along the promenade from Shoreham on Sea to Rottingdean and back. With much admiration of an eclectic mix of obsolete bikes and the consumption of stupid quantities of tea and cake.

SkiBiker - immune to the temptations of cake

For my part I managed to get in plenty coffees en route, but was oddly not hungry, in spite of a missed breakfast, I seemed immune to the temptations of cake and only remembered I had two delicious Braeburn apples with me on the train journey home.

My poor appetite however didn't affect the boundless energy I seemed to possess. Apparently, I am "pretty fit (for an old bloke)" and "pretty fast for someone who doesn't wear a helmet" hmmm, I think there was a compliment in there somewhere!

Tour de Cake - An eclectic mix of obsolete bikes

News just in from Al Wallace who is putting a skibike together for a trip to La Plagne in February 2013. I haven't heard anyone using La Plagne for skibiking yet, but according to my records, in 2009 they confirmed that they allow SkiBikes and SnowScoots providing you wear a safety leash.

This is what plagne.co.uk has to say about the resort:

The ski resort is one of the largest in the world and great for family ski holidays and group skiing holidays. The Vanoise Express cable car links the resort via les Coches and Plan Peisey in Les Arcs creating the combined ski area, Paradiski.
La Plagne itself is well known as a beginners’ and intermediates’ paradise. There is a huge number of easily accessible nursery slopes and miles of motorway pistes. The whole ski area is served by a massive inter-linking lift system. A network of snow-making machines covers many of the lower slopes as well as some higher altitude pistes.

Good luck Al, and don't forget the new moto for this blog "imagines aut nunquam accidit" - pics or it never happened!

La Plagne - well known as a beginners’ and intermediates’ paradise

Anyone who has waited for a bus knows the routine: you wait far longer than you should, then three come along at once, this seems to be the case with the current crop of classic Porsche skibobs coming up for sale.
Noel, from Pennsylvania USA, is the latest person trying to find a new home for a Porsche 212.
The current tally is 3 people with no fewer than 4 Porsche 212 ski bobs to sell between them. They are located in California, Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively.

Skibiker Duane Mullins, suggested another interesting alternative use for one of these collectibles; by using the body as a beer cooler.

Lastly, if you need to contact me, please make sure to include your e-mail address in the body of your message.