Just to give you guys a quick behind the scenes ski update. I have devoted my life to working on skis the last 2 months. I have been trying to come up with a ski that is wide and works for all conditions, including working on the trail better then the stock 6” ski.
New Ski Design:This is what I have come up with at this point. I have taken a 10" Gen-2 Simmons ski and cut the keels off and made a new set that are located at the outside edge of the ski. So basically it looks like a 10” version of the 6” ski. So now the ski works good on most conditions and does not push the front end when in a tight steer. But it is terrible on the trail. Then I attached a ProMoto Billet center keel on it and it drove perfect on the trail but did terrible off trail. It pPushes the front end so bad that it is hard to ride and plugs up with snow under the keel. So I decided that the center keel needs to be a solid plastic keel and a quick change so it can be taken off when riding off trail. So I built that and it works good but still needs some refining. I will get that done soon.
The other problem is that once we get this thing dialed in, it has to be built somehow. What I have built is strictly a one off part. It is not possible for me to buy or build a mold and make skis. They are the patent holder and will have to make the ski. So what they can do currently is CNC machine the ski out of solid Tivar Plastic. Doing it this way is going to be expensive (about $500 for one ski) but doable. This is good because we end up with a ski that is wide and works good in all conditions, but the problem I have with this is that it is too expensive to be a standard part on our kits. So I need to convince Simmons that this is truly the ticket for them to make a mold for it. It is such a good design that I think it will be the ticket on a sled as well; to have a wide ski like this and for it to have easy steering on and off the trail. These skis do not currently steer easy on a sled but they float like no other in the deep powder. If this can happen then the ski will then be affordable and could be made a standard part for our kits.
My intention for this is not to make a top secret ski that is our ski only but to make something that will be available to all snow bike manufacturers and also the snowmobile industry. This will be the only way possible for Simmons to make it justifiable to build a mold. They will have to sell numbers and to do this it will have to be available to all.
New Ski Saddle: We are also working on a product that will be an accessory for next year if all details work out (like the possibility of an already existing patent that might be out there for something like this). The part is a side to side pivot for the ski. It will allow the bike to lean side to side with the ski still flat on the ground. This works well for trail riding and it also work quite well off trail. But its main intention is to make the roll center of the bike easier and this makes the trail riding more comfortable.
The device will also have an adjustment to limit the side to side action and also to be able to lock it out so it has no movement. The part will simply bolt to any Simmons ski and will fit most other snow bike brands that use a Polaris ski rubber. The part is rather complicated and is hard to make so it will also be expensive (around $300 but not sure yet). It is very compact and is built like a little bull dog so it is super tuff and has no wear parts in it.
Sorry I do not have pictures of all this, but will when we complete production models.
This Message is intended to let people know that we are head first into the snow bike industry and that we and others are diligently working on better on trail and off trail handling for this amazing new sport we call Snow Biking.
Allen
New Ski Design:This is what I have come up with at this point. I have taken a 10" Gen-2 Simmons ski and cut the keels off and made a new set that are located at the outside edge of the ski. So basically it looks like a 10” version of the 6” ski. So now the ski works good on most conditions and does not push the front end when in a tight steer. But it is terrible on the trail. Then I attached a ProMoto Billet center keel on it and it drove perfect on the trail but did terrible off trail. It pPushes the front end so bad that it is hard to ride and plugs up with snow under the keel. So I decided that the center keel needs to be a solid plastic keel and a quick change so it can be taken off when riding off trail. So I built that and it works good but still needs some refining. I will get that done soon.
The other problem is that once we get this thing dialed in, it has to be built somehow. What I have built is strictly a one off part. It is not possible for me to buy or build a mold and make skis. They are the patent holder and will have to make the ski. So what they can do currently is CNC machine the ski out of solid Tivar Plastic. Doing it this way is going to be expensive (about $500 for one ski) but doable. This is good because we end up with a ski that is wide and works good in all conditions, but the problem I have with this is that it is too expensive to be a standard part on our kits. So I need to convince Simmons that this is truly the ticket for them to make a mold for it. It is such a good design that I think it will be the ticket on a sled as well; to have a wide ski like this and for it to have easy steering on and off the trail. These skis do not currently steer easy on a sled but they float like no other in the deep powder. If this can happen then the ski will then be affordable and could be made a standard part for our kits.
My intention for this is not to make a top secret ski that is our ski only but to make something that will be available to all snow bike manufacturers and also the snowmobile industry. This will be the only way possible for Simmons to make it justifiable to build a mold. They will have to sell numbers and to do this it will have to be available to all.
New Ski Saddle: We are also working on a product that will be an accessory for next year if all details work out (like the possibility of an already existing patent that might be out there for something like this). The part is a side to side pivot for the ski. It will allow the bike to lean side to side with the ski still flat on the ground. This works well for trail riding and it also work quite well off trail. But its main intention is to make the roll center of the bike easier and this makes the trail riding more comfortable.
The device will also have an adjustment to limit the side to side action and also to be able to lock it out so it has no movement. The part will simply bolt to any Simmons ski and will fit most other snow bike brands that use a Polaris ski rubber. The part is rather complicated and is hard to make so it will also be expensive (around $300 but not sure yet). It is very compact and is built like a little bull dog so it is super tuff and has no wear parts in it.
Sorry I do not have pictures of all this, but will when we complete production models.
This Message is intended to let people know that we are head first into the snow bike industry and that we and others are diligently working on better on trail and off trail handling for this amazing new sport we call Snow Biking.
Allen
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