Do you want to learn how to make a ski bike? A ski bike is a fun thing to have in the cold winter months. A ski bike makes the winter go by much faster and will give you an adrenaline rush. Before you start, assemble the bike gear that you will need to build your ski bike so that you don't have to stop mid-project to run to the store. Then follow these steps to make your own ski bike.
The first (and most important) thing you will need is an old bicycle. You can probably get a used one for really cheap or even free if you look carefully. Keep in mind that a ski bike can't move on its own, so you will be carrying it quite a bit. You may want to choose a bike which is lightweight. You will also need to find an old pair of skis. You can probably find these for cheap or free on craigslist or at a thrift store.
Next you will need to disassemble pieces of the bicycle that you won't need once it's a ski bike. Take the chainwheel off and reassemble the crankset sans chainwheel. Drop the seat down low for better control of the bike. Make sure that you keep the quick-release skewers.
Now you will build the dropouts. Use three chunks of wood, one for the front of the bike and two for the back, and drill a hole through each. This hole will be where you run the skewers.
Your next step will be to cut the skis. You are going to have one ski at the front of the bike and one at the back. The length of each ski is up to you, but a general frame of reference is about two feet for the front ski. For the back ski, you will want to make sure that there is enough room between the rear of the front ski and the front of the back ski so that they don't hit each other. The back should hang off roughly one foot from the rear blocks that you have cut.
Now it is time to attach the skis to the bike. Beginning with the front ski, drill four holes into the middle of the ski and four holes into the wood chunk that you cut earlier. Attach the ski to the wood block using screws. Do the same thing with the rear ski, keeping in mind that where you are drilling may not be the midpoint. You should test it out before you commit to drilling.
Run the skewers through the holes that you previously cut for them and set the skis into the bike. Tighten the skewers to secure the whole thing.
You should be just about done. Make sure that everything is tight and that nothing will come apart while you're riding. Do a short test run on a hill that isn't steep. And always make sure that you're wearing a helmet when riding a ski bike. Your ski bike isn't going to have any brakes and it will be nearly impossible to get off safely in the event that you run into trouble.
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