Have you tried snowbiking?

[GlennRMK]

I think the key thing to takeaway is that if you try to ride a bike like a sled you will hate your life and think its the lamest thing on the planet. Just like taking a mtn sled and riding trails all day. Not going to get to experience what it really can do.

I've rode sleds for 16 years. snowbiked 2 full winters and had both for a a season on both ends of it.

My take, both are INCREDIBLY fun. I enjoy the hell out of snowbiking, i try and hop on and ride a bike for a few days every winter. The hard enduro racing through the sticks is hard to beat for fun. What I find is that it takes the right riding group to really make it fun. Also terrain. Lower elevation wetter snowpack is a LOT more fun. More HP and traction, also less punchy sugar snow they struggle in. Being that I live in higher elevation dryer snow, the bikes are not as fun around home vs other places I rode them.

What I found is that I enjoyed my sled 75% of the time and my bike 25%. and for the pure sake of dollars sitting around not getting used I stick with sledding. Also just ease and comfort. Sleds are designed to be used in the snow and take a lot less setup to be functional and dialed. Brand new Khaos boost will be here soon. Litterally unload it and rage. Takes a good day of wrenching to setup a proper dirtbike as a sled. I will say I miss throwing 3 bikes in the bed of a truck vs having a big trailer to take 3+ sleds. So much cheaper and simpler day to day riding bikes vs sleds.

We had a pile of local guys go sled to bike and back to sled. A big part of it seems to be machine ability. We all want to ride the same gnarly terrain. Sleds weren't there at the time and bikes offered us a way to get into that terrain, now sled chassis are SO much better. You can ride so much nastier terrain with ease, making the Bike niche smaller every year the sleds get better.

I live and ride in the same areas and for me I would say I'm the opposite. The bike is better 80% of the days and sled is better 20%. Rode mountain sled for about 12 years, than bike for a couple, sled for a couple more, than back to bike and on my 3rd season with this bike, 5th overall snow biking (3rd bike). I will stay on bike if I can only have one.

For me the only days a sled is better are the super deep days. Like, at least snow over the hood on the sled. In Montana I feel like I'm lucky if that is 20% of the days unfortunately. Now if I lived someplace like Revelstoke (or anywhere that gets a ton of powder days) and had a more flexible schedule where I could ride almost every day, maybe than the sled would be better 50-75% of the days.

I'm a weekend warrior (mostly, but will take a few week days off here and there) and I just found I flat out don't want to ride a sled unless the snow is good. I found myself riding less and less every year. Used to ride 1500 miles (~30 rides) a year, than it seemed like I was down 500 (~ 10 rides). So, far this year, I would of rode a sled 2-3 days and I've rode my bike about 10. Last year I rode my bike around 15 days and probably would of rode sled maybe 6 or 7 days? Snowbike is fantastic in conditions that I don't even want to ride the sled. The days when there is only 4" on top of hardpack and everything is tracked out, I just go in the trees and have a great day. Once the snow sets up and there is a good base the bike is amazing and places you can go are unreal. You just have way more confidence about what you can drop into and I go places I would never even think of trying on sled.

Anyone that thinks you can a ride a sled in bike places just hasn't rode in thick enough trees on the bike!

All that being said, nothing is the perfect answer and the bike definitely has some downsides. I would never want to ride a snowbike just for trail riding. While the groomed trail is a lot more interesting on the bike, give me a sled on thin snow conditions with ice, dirt and rocks. I don't really like riding the bike in early season bottomless or thin snow conditions. Don't really like it on sled that much but its better. The four stroke bike is a PIA in the cold. They don't start in real cold temps (like below 10, if you leave them outside or drive far with it in the back of the truck or on an open trailer). Enclosed trailer and heated shop is mandatory IMO. The snowbike is more of a pain to load in the truck anyways, but I do it if it isn't real cold. I'm tired of changing oil but I guess you don't have to worry about the clutches/belt wearing out and breaking. I used to clean clutches on sleds every other ride. Now I change oil every 2-3 rides. Definitely takes some setup and tinkering to get them right. Kind of more like the old mod sleds of the 90s. I also have no interest in jumping snowbikes. I feel like they suck for that and I would take a sled any day if I had any interest in jumping. For those that go on big trips, storing a bike outside/in the cold and having to change the oil is a downer. Probably wouldn't own a bike if I had travel a long distance and only rode for 3-5 days at a time.

I still enjoy riding sled and may get another to have both, but it sure wouldn't get a lot miles around here. I prefer more technical tree riding on sleds as well, but I love carving up downhill lines and sidehilling through the trees. A meadow here and there is ok. Its awesome when the snow is good. Blows if the snow is hardpack and its hard to get the sled on edge and keep it there.

Also, if your new to riding, a snowbike is exponentially easier. I feel like if you have ridden dirt bike or street bike, you can have it down in an hour or two. No M/C experience and it might take you a day or two, but it is so much easier and less physical. You will love it after an hour or a couple days. Sledding takes a long time to get figured out (at least riding powder). Many probably quite after a few rides being miserable getting stuck. I am way way more sore riding sled (other than my butt), although definitely warmer. The bike is just exponentially more precise in the trees and on side hills. Its way easier to maintain lines.

My 2 cents.

 

[GlennRMK]

I honestly think at least 50%, maybe 75% of mountain riders who live in the mountains would be better off on snowbike. Unless you enjoy trail riding or are fortunate enough to ride over the hood snow every week, I don't see an advantage to the sled.

 

[Jaynelson]

The thing that making it hard to compare people's ownership/riding experiences on sleds vs. bikes is their skill level on a sled. Almost anyone can log minimal hours on a snowbike and get to a level where they can ride some pretty aggressive terrain and/or feel like a good rider. But you can't say the same thing for a sled....many people just never get particularly good at it. 9/10 guys I know who permanently switched from sleds to bikes and can't understand why everyone hasn't....wasn't that great at riding a sled. That variable is impossible to reconcile when looking at online opinions.

 

[GlennRMK]

The thing that making it hard to compare people's ownership/riding experiences on sleds vs. bikes is their skill level on a sled. Almost anyone can log minimal hours on a snowbike and get to a level where they can ride some pretty aggressive terrain and/or feel like a good rider. But you can't say the same thing for a sled....many people just never get particularly good at it. 9/10 guys I know who permanently switched from sleds to bikes and can't understand why everyone hasn't....wasn't that great at riding a sled. That variable is impossible to reconcile when looking at online opinions.

Well said

I know some people that could never figure out the sled. Takes a lot of ride time to be confident.

I know some people that are always tipping over on snowbike and getting frustrated but most people figure it out quickly.

Kinda funny when you think about it. Your always working to keep a sled on edge and a snowbike just requires some balance to keep upright.

I know maybe 20 or 30 people that all switched to snowbiking. A couple switched back to sleds and a couple still have a sled but most have no interest in sleds. Most of them were all pretty competent to experts on sleds.

Sleds are great when the snow is great but the bike opens up a whole new world and is a blast even if the snow is setup.

Both is always the right answer to any great debate though

 

[sno*jet]

Personally I love climbing hills straight up too much to convert to a bike. I ride with one all the time and we both admit we wish we had both. The snowhawk looks like a great blend of both, if they have the horsepower. They should bring those back. These sleds sure do advance faster each year than bikes, I could see a guy who said hes done with sleds a few years ago taking a second look now.

 

[Thistledoo]

I was anti bike too until my daughter talked me into building one for her and we had a blast on it...kept the sleds but when there is like a foot of fresh on a firm base which we get often I prefer the bike....when its deeper then yes sleds for sure but nice to have options....early season too I prefer sled until we have a good good solid base.

 

[jim]

First of all, the technology we have is incredible...I'm always amazed we have a vehicle that can even go anywhere in snow from a few gallons of gas. As for a snowbike, depends what you want. The argument that a sled can go anywhere a snowbike does is only partially valid for open hills or terrain...once you get into tight trees a sled can't stay with it. I have seen snowbikes pull tight tree lines simply because they are more narrow and can go between tight stuff on steep slopes...and the tighter and steeper the side hill, the more efficient the snowbike is...it doesn't trench as much due to weight and holds the line on a rail. Argue it all you want, but the bike can navigate that stuff while the sled will wash the backend more...just is the nature of things. Now, as for sleds...they can pull hills way better and faster and have a much better ability to turn up a hill and keep going up it due to HP and track footprint. Not saying snowbirds can't do that, but slope to slope, if there is enough space, sleds win. The bikes open up terrain due to small width and an ability to carve and hold steep side hill lines in tight tree areas. So, depends what you like...you want the ultimate sidehil machine that doesn't need to gain much elevation and in tight stuff, the bike wins. You want to go up hills faster, sleds. And a turbo sled, like a turbo 4 stroke pushing 300hp and nothing goes up a hill as well, but you better have your arms and balls ready for sidehills and especially downhill...magic carpet ride!

 

[BeeDoo]

We just spent 3 days in the mountains riding with 2 bikes and 2 sleds. Had a few inches of fresh snow each day -- maybe totaling a foot in places that were untracked. I'm still new to the bike, but of the 4 of us, 3 preferred the bikes. I wouldn't consider myself an expert on the sled, but I've been riding 20 years (14 in UT mountains) and consider myself competent.

What is amazing about the bike is the EASE with which you can ride technical terrain. Sidehilling and tight turns and jumping from side to side just aren't things you have to do on a bike. Lean right, lean left, give it some throttle, there you go. It's much less taxing on the body as there's not the shifting of weight. That said, I know that's part of the fun of riding a sled, being able to throw it around and get it to do hard things. On top of that, getting stuck is a totally different ballgame. Getting a sled unburied can be a process, and be exhausting. By myself I can easily swing the bike around, get it upright, and continue on.

I have to agree with the previous posts that the bikes are waaaay more fun when the snow isn't at least bumper deep. The bikes provide the option for exploring any type of terrain/area.

I've yet to ride the bike in 2-3 feet of fresh powder; I can see where I might prefer the sled on those days,