# Is there a dirt cheap way to convert your bike into a snow bike?



## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Currently, where I live in Nebraska, it could start snowing as soon as two months from now. NOT a good feeling! :madman:

This summer, I've done more trail riding than any other time of my life. It would be really cool if I could keep riding when it starts snowing.

Unfortunately, I don't have $1500 to spend on a Surley Pugsley. 

I was thinking about getting into snow boarding or cross country skiing as a way to keep active when it starts snowing. That, however, would require a minimum investment of $200-$300 on snowboarding equipment, plus another $250 for a season lift ticket for a local "hill" in Iowa to ride my snowboard down. LOL

I was trying to think of creative ways of converting a bike to a snow bike - where you actually use the pedals to propel the bike forward in the snow, but have enough power when you pedal and enough traction on the tires without having to use super wide tires. 

I couldn't come up with much. I had seen some bikes with mini skis attached to them - I wondered if there was simply a way to put these around the rims? I also thought about somehow mounting TWO normal sized tires on EACH end of the bike as well. Truthfully, these ideas aren't very practical.

So...if any of you know of any really cheap ways to convert a mountain bike into a snow bike, I'd like to know! While I don't like to ride when it "gets cold" outside, I do want to ride when there is a bunch of new snow on the ground, because snow makes the cold bearable when you can go outside and play in it! Feel free to brainstorm too - maybe together we can figure something out! :thumbsup:


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## mimi1885 (Aug 12, 2006)

You can always get studded tires, you are also going to need a very low gear. How much clearance do you have for the rear tire. Forget the ski mod. I've tried the cheap version it suck a$$.


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

I suppose V-brakes are out too...seems like you would about have to have disc brakes on a snow bikes.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

The simplest, cheapest approach is to say you have a snow bike, and go ride.


snow day 023 by Andrew183, on Flickr

This is my bike, mostly in its usual winter trim. Which means larger-knobbed tires and fenders. I went out and bought Redline platform pedals for $20, so I could ride in Gore-tex hiking boots instead of mesh-and-nothing cycling shoes. My clipless pedals and cleats ice up easily anyway - it's one of two riding situations that seems to be able to defeat them.

I'm the first to admit that there are some things it has trouble with. Deep, fresh snow is a problem - I need to be riding either on a very light snow cover or on well-packed snow. Ice is a problem. I think to solve that one, I'd need studded tires. Luckily, they come in relatively ordinary sizes too, that most XC and trail bikes will clear. So look for hiking and snowshoe trails. It would be ******y to ride XC ski trails because you'll put ruts and foot prints in them.

Since I have no pride, I already have a 22/34 granny. There's lower available, but I don't know that I'd spend the money for an extra two teeth of granny. I spend a whole lot more time in my granny when there's snow, though.

Basically, snow has a few distinct behaviors. Sometimes it feels like riding in sand, sometimes like mud, and sometimes like wet wood. But if you don't want your season to be ended by the snow, the most important things are your willingness to give it a shot and dressing right for the weather.


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Cool! 

Looks like studded mountain bike tires aren't too expensive, at least the basic models (starting out at about $35 a piece). You can also purchase extra wide tires and rims for a normal mountain bike.


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## robdeanhove (Dec 8, 2005)

Really easy gears will help too, like a 20T granny ring and a 36T bail out gear on your cassette


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Here is a thought:

Use studded tires and TRAINING WHEELS! I wonder if you could take the stock training wheels off and get really wide ones - maybe at a hardware store, then use a method such as the one described in the video below to put studs in the training wheels as well - seems like that might give you extra traction and or stability in heavier snow:

How to Make Mountain Bike Snow Tires - YouTube

I wonder if it would be possible to put training wheels on the front AND rear? This would make your bike into a 6 wheeled machine!

Ok, so I don't know how well that would work, but I'm just brainstorming a little.

I've never heard the term "granny gear" - can you elaborate on how that setup would be different than what a standard mountain bike comes with?


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## Ranger Radon (Aug 15, 2011)

getagrip said:


> I've never heard the term "granny gear" - can you elaborate on how that setup would be different than what a standard mountain bike comes with?


The 3rd, and innermost chainring on your basic 3x chainset...

The granny-ring beeing that is the ring your granny would use to pedal up a hill...


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## Gasp4Air (Jun 5, 2009)

If you ride icy surfaces, studs are a must. Also, depending on the density of the snow and other factors, once unpacked snow gets more than a few inches deep it gets very difficult to pedal through.


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## miatagal96 (Jul 5, 2005)

Winter riding is great fun. Every day is different. If the snow is deep and not packed down (e.g. by snowmobiles), you can't ride in the snow. When this happens, try cross-country skiing. Back-country is free and cross-country groomed trails are much less expensive than downhill skiing. It's great for aerobic conditioning (especially skate skiing).

If there is ice, you'll need studded tires. In the northeast, there is often ice due to freeze/thaw cycles. Home-made studded tires work well and are cheap. If the screws are new and sharp, they will hold on glare ice. Mine are worn and dull and they hold on everything but very dense ice.

I put platform pedals on my bike as snow and ice clog up my cleats. Also, winter bike boots/shoes aren't warm enough when it gets below freezing.

I have rim brakes on my winter bike and they have worked fine almost all the time. There was only one time when the temperature and snow conditions caused the brakes to not work. The problem I have with rim brakes is when the trail isn't fully snow-covered, studs pick up leaves and leaves get caught in the rim brakes. This is not enough of a problem to make me buy new wheels and disc brakes.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

getagrip said:


> Currently, where I live in Nebraska, it could start snowing as soon as two months from now. NOT a good feeling! :madman:
> 
> This summer, I've done more trail riding than any other time of my life. It would be really cool if I could keep riding when it starts snowing.
> 
> ...


Just grab a bike and go riding...studs are very useful for safety with ice patchs etc...they cost about $100 bucks....

More often in snow you want a narrow tire that will cut down to a well consolidated layer, for traction...

I ride year round, with snow/ice for about 6 months.

With light snow you can ride way over the BB....heavy snow the bb tends to limit.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

getagrip said:


> Here is a thought:
> 
> Use studded tires and TRAINING WHEELS! I wonder if you could take the stock training wheels off and get really wide ones - maybe at a hardware store, then use a method such as the one described in the video below to put studs in the training wheels as well - seems like that might give you extra traction and or stability in heavier snow:
> 
> ...


Training wheels are a dumb idea way too much drag....In snow as it gets deeper you generally end up standing with the BB buried...and spinning the rear wheel...no need for training wheel the snow holds you upright.

Granny Gear is the lowest (easiest to pedal)....3 rings up front will have a 22 tooth small front....most bikes will have a 32 tooth big rear so that is your lowest gear....

In the end that is probably too low a gear usually for snow...in snow you need to keep the momentum up more so than on ground.


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

Yeah, just ride.

If you'll be around cars or riding on pavement then studs are a must.

But if you're just going to be on multi-use trails, or snowmobile trails, or whatever, then typical knobbies will be fine most the time. You won't be bombing downhill runs, but snowy XC riding is great fun. If the snow is too deep you might get stuck, but whatever. And if you take a corner too fast you might wash out, but the great thing about snow is that if you fall down it doesn't hurt much. 

no-studs:


studs:


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## S_Trek (May 3, 2010)

robdeanhove said:


> Really easy gears will help too, like a 20T granny ring and a 36T bail out gear on your cassette


The combo I'm running:thumbsup:

Snow? Already? That was fast!


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

I may go the stud tire route, but I'm intrigued with the idea of coming up with something a little more James Bond-ish. Check this out:

Ktrak In Maine USA - YouTube


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## Haligan78 (Jun 13, 2011)

I'm of no help here.....we get 100+ inches of snow per winter. I put my bike away and get out the snowmobile.
Apex Boondocking in Powder - YouTube


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## getagrip (Mar 26, 2008)

Wow, some of those were bad reviews of the Ktrak! When I looked at the video again, it did look a like all of the videos of it in action were filmed going down hill. It is a cool concept, though. 

I do wonder how a mountain bike would perform with a studded tire in the back and a skid in the front. I wonder if by putting skids in the back, parrallel to the tires, about 3 or 4 inches off the ground, would help in the deeper snow if you ran into it. On the other hand maybe not if the rear tire gets stuck and produces drag - either that or you wouldn't be able to produce enough friction when pedaling to spin the tires. My thought is that perhaps the bike would glide along on the rear skids in the deeper snow. 

Ok, so I'm not MacGyver, but it is fun to use my imagination to try and come up with ways this might work. At the end of the day, I will probably just get a pair of studded tires. Either that or sell one of my vehicles to buy a Surly!


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