mink@cfa.UUCP (Doug Mink) (01/15/86)
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The following is from "The Boston Cyclist" and is Copyright 1986 by the
Boston Area Bicycle Coalition. It is reprinted with permission.
Bicycle Skiing
by Doug Mink
It all started when I wanted to go skiing in the
Middlesex Fells after a particularly heavy snowfall two
years ago. I couldn't get anyone to go with me and I didn't
want to have to push my car out of an unplowed parking area
alone, so I got out my bike and tried to figure out how to
attach skis so they wouldn't interfere too much with steer-
ing or pedaling. It was really quite easy; I just placed
them along the top tube, one ski on either side, after
fastening the tips to each other. Ski tails and poles were
then bungee-corded to the rear rack and the headset. My
skis are long enough that the bindings end up just behind
the seat. If yours aren't that long, you may not be able to
fasten the tips in front of the headset; just fasten them
over the top tube and tie them down securely.
Cross-country ski boots make pretty good winter riding
shoes, though you might need larger toe clips. They're warm
and have stiff soles; some people ride with them even when
they're not going skiing. Bike helmets protect your head
from low branches, and a rear-view helmet mirror is very
useful on a trail-you can make sure the rest of the group is
still there without turning around just before the unex-
pected precipice or rock. A daypack comes in handy to carry
spare wax, bike pump, toolkit, and excess clothing while
skiing; a lone bike in a fairly deserted area is fair game
for vandals.
I only take my skis on my bike a couple of times in a
winter, so this apparatus-less technique has served me well.
Other BABC members have ridden as many as 15 miles with skis
on their bikes. Next time it snows, I'll see you at the
Fells.
[Note: The Middlesex Fells is a very large, rugged park
five miles north of Boston]grt@twitch.UUCP ( G.R.Tomasevich) (01/20/86)
I have carried my skis to work when it was snowing and clearly would not have been possible to ride home. I strapped them to my back near the balance points, then strapped the tails to the back end of my carrier. I thought about trying the method the poster mentioned, but thought that they would hit my legs. Apparently, that is not a problem. -- George Tomasevich, ihnp4!twitch!grt AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ