Timbersled closing?!

[meathooker]

Blown away by the news. Seems like Polaris could justify the brand without any r&d - just put BNG and sell for the next few years.

Do they have a dedicated single ski machine gettin released soon?

 

[Archie]

Heard this today too. Leaves few options now for buying a new kit. I haven’t heard anything about a single ski machine, doubt that will happen.

 

[M5-]

The writing was on the wall last season when they dropped the ARO.

M5

 

[teal_210]

This is sad news and not a good sign for the sport. But IMO this was self inflicted, there was no passion left within the brand and they really turned the whole snowbike community against them by suing all of their competitors.

 

[GlennRMK]

I will be interested to see if someone else buys it?

 

[M5-]

The logical candidate for a buyout would be Alan, but even at 10 cents on the dollar financially probably not a good idea for Mountain Top. It seems to be working out for Kevin and Jamie at C3 getting Yeti back, so far. These companies need to stay small and lean to survive, margins are just too tight and limited sales. Lets face it with the new mountain sled technology snow bikes are now a niche market.

M5

 

[GlennRMK]

I'm a longtime sledder and have been snowbiking for almost 10 years.

The snowbike still blows the doors off any sled in tight off camber trees. I could make even Burandt or Keith Curtis frustrated with the nasty stuff you can traverse on bike. IMO, there isn't much difference in sled maneuverability from like 2005 to 2026 when it comes to tight trees. I could ride an 05 M7 as good or better than a 2026 9R or Expert in tight trees.

The difference in sleds is the power and suspension. Spent a few days on a 2023 Expert Turbo and power is unreal if your riding a lot of big open terrain. If you are into big jumps and drops, the same applies. That Expert blows the doors off a 20 year old sled in power and suspension.

I still would love to see a factory snowbike offering but it seems like no one is willing to take a gamble on it.

All that being said, I would have zero interest in snowbiking if I only rode trails so the snow bike is strictly a mountain market vehicle IMO.

I would prefer the Expert if I'm riding deep bottomless early season snow, big open terrain and big hills. For playing in the trees once there is some base, the bike is just amazing. IMO, the snowbike is 10 times easier to learn on than mountain sledding as well.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

I'm a longtime sledder and have been snowbiking for almost 10 years.

The snowbike still blows the doors off any sled in tight off camber trees. I could make even Burandt or Keith Curtis frustrated with the nasty stuff you can traverse on bike. IMO, there isn't much difference in sled maneuverability from like 2005 to 2026 when it comes to tight trees. I could ride an 05 M7 as good or better than a 2026 9R or Expert in tight trees.

The difference in sleds is the power and suspension. Spent a few days on a 2023 Expert Turbo and power is unreal if your riding a lot of big open terrain. If you are into big jumps and drops, the same applies. That Expert blows the doors off a 20 year old sled in power and suspension.

I still would love to see a factory snowbike offering but it seems like no one is willing to take a gamble on it.

All that being said, I would have zero interest in snowbiking if I only rode trails so the snow bike is strictly a mountain market vehicle IMO.

I would prefer the Expert if I'm riding deep bottomless early season snow, big open terrain and big hills. For playing in the trees once there is some base, the bike is just amazing. IMO, the snowbike is 10 times easier to learn on than mountain sledding as well.

No difference from 2005 to 2026 for riding tight trees.........

Can i have some of what you are smoking?

 

[GlennRMK]

No difference from 2005 to 2026 for riding tight trees.........

Can i have some of what you are smoking?

Ridden all these and they don't hold a candle to a bike in thick off camber trees.

 

[needpowder]

Ridden all these and they don't hold a candle to a bike in thick off camber trees.

Very true. Today was one of my top 10 Snow Bike days of all time which is saying a lot. Just crushing 40° downhill trees while sluffing all around me and still able to maneuver and avoid the trees.Unbelievable. 10 years ago I belayed my sled down the same slope. The sled technology has become unreal though. Bummer that snowbike’s are not in the same boat. The opportunity was there but these companies blew it. You cannot mass market an $8000 kit to a guy who paid $6000 for his dirtbike and is only slightly interested in trying it on snow. They went with the high cost low sales model versus the low cost high sales model and that only took it so far. Do i want a mtn top kit?? Absolutely. But instead i will buy another riot3 which is 90 percent as awesome for 4g’s new and use my 22 for parts.

 

[M5-]

I haven't really spent any real time on a new sled but watching guys ride them they are doing stuff that I could never do on a sled. Its funny you can watch a vid of whoever, name your guy, and they make it look easy but watch the other guys in the group who are also great riders and they are struggling to keep up to that one guy. It ain't easy. So as a manufacturer I'm going to sponsor the good guy and send him out to make content. Flat out it sells product.

The same can't be said for the snow bike industry, its hard to find a decent snow bike video, you can only watch so many vids of some dudes helmet cam going thru some trees. The industry as a whole hasn't done a good job of promotion, its been driven basically by people on forums like this. Its destined to failure at this rate. If you build it they may or may not come. The whole "Ambassador" thing, at least from my experience was a flop I never ran into or met a single guy. The manufacturers need to get some pro riders out there glamming the sport a bit, guys who can really rip.

JMO

M5

 

[eric82930]

Sleds still can't ride tech trees in harder spring snow like a bike. But sadly most snow bikes don't ride spring snow either and I guess half the guys put tires back on in the spring. Good for me I guess. No tracks. But I have to ride alone sometimes. I guess if I had a front heavy conversion bike with a fat ski I wouldn't enjoy spring riding as much either but my purpose built bikes feel exactly like my 150xcw in the hard snow and I basically have freedom that we all had back in the '70s before the forest service told us All the trails are closed to motorized. With my purpose built bikes I could totally ride a foot of snow in places like Minnesota and upstate New York , off trail log hopping would be fun and probably justify the purchase price even though it wouldn't get used in the summer at all.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

I haven't really spent any real time on a new sled but watching guys ride them they are doing stuff that I could never do on a sled. Its funny you can watch a vid of whoever, name your guy, and they make it look easy but watch the other guys in the group who are also great riders and they are struggling to keep up to that one guy. It ain't easy. So as a manufacturer I'm going to sponsor the good guy and send him out to make content. Flat out it sells product.

The same can't be said for the snow bike industry, its hard to find a decent snow bike video, you can only watch so many vids of some dudes helmet cam going thru some trees. The industry as a whole hasn't done a good job of promotion, its been driven basically by people on forums like this. Its destined to failure at this rate. If you build it they may or may not come. The whole "Ambassador" thing, at least from my experience was a flop I never ran into or met a single guy. The manufacturers need to get some pro riders out there glamming the sport a bit, guys who can really rip.

JMO

M5

Reagan sieg definitely sends snowbikes.

But yeah promotion is key.

 

[suva]

Snowbikes videos are always gonna be boring to watch, unlike a sled an average snow bike rider can push the limits of the machine and the consequence of failure isn't nearly as severe.

 

[IDspud]

It’s like being five years old again.
That third gear thrill.
Look mom.

 

[slash]

Alan opened a new shop a while back over by Boondockers

 

[Zundfolge]

**** Polaris

 

[IDspud]

Great insight,

 

[Hawkster]

Blown away by the news. Seems like Polaris could justify the brand without any r&d - just put BNG and sell for the next few years.

Do they have a dedicated single ski machine gettin released soon?

Nope, Cat was the only one that almost pulled the trigger.
The Hawks scared the **** out of the manufactures and released their hell hounds.
To many restrictions from registration to something as stupid as to what side the brake goes on, that's not a joke.

Now walk into a sled shop and see what's on the floor, it sure as hell isn't going to be a so called affordable model.
Quite the opposite, it'll be nothing but top end models.
The industry has screwed themselves over and the consumer takes the hit.
Snowbikes had, had one thing a sled could not do, they need very little snow if any to run.

That's changed with some sled models, there's certain times of the year a snow bike could go anywhere to get to better conditions.

I always thought they would be great for some hunts and could actually haul out big game.

Wouldn't be for the weak hearted.

When that one ski kit came out for sleds I wanted one. Only catch only fit Poo and that was the deal breaker.
Then I said okay, how about one for a Doo, that came out later.
Well, I bought an Alpha.
Bought it for the rail, love it, the front is a different story.
There's your turn key, single rail with one ski.

Your gonna need snow with that one.

20th anniversary, she's still my go to