Total newbie with a bunch of annoying questions.

[Freeloadeur]

Just a quick hi to start with from the other side of the pond, but I guess I should explain a bit first. First of though apologies if I ask a bunch of really dumb questions, I'll try and use the search button too.

So I'm a total n00b to snowbikes in fact up until a couple of weeks ago I didn't know they existed and only found them because I was googling for pics of bikes in the snow. But seeing them set me off thinking about a long held ambition.

In the past I've done a fair amount of bike touring, riding in the Sahara, touring the depths odd Russia as well as blasts in and off road in Europe, but it's always been in the summer. Come the winter and snow and the bike gets covered up.

But I'd like to change that and get out in the snow. At first I was thinking about Russia with a Ural two-wheel drive sidecar rig, till I discovered that's been fine so the new project/stupid idea would be snowbike touring. Having been part of a project to chart an off-road route all across the Russian continent in the summer how much more of a challenge would it be to do it in the snows?

Which brings the first, major newbie question. Would a snowbike be up to the job? Looking round it looks like most people go out for the day, so how feasible would a ride of several months be? Do the machines need too much maintenance to be used day in day out? How many hours can you get out of a track set up? How much load can you carry? All those kind of dumb questions to help me decide whether this is doable with enough preparation or just a stupid dream I've accidentally shared with my mates down the pub.

Anyway I've gone on enough so I'll shut up now, for anyone who's interested this film from the BBC shows the type of conditions the ride would face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMsZTp3NMHM

 

[hardstart]

Now that will be a adventure ride. Might be a handful on hard pack sections. Hope someone has the answers to your matinence questions and you get to tackle this trip!

 

[Freeloadeur]

Now that will be a adventure ride. Might be a handful on hard pack sections. Hope someone has the answers to your matinence questions and you get to tackle this trip!

Thanks for the welcome, my thoughts are to ride a fair amount with a studded front wheel, transitioning to a ski for the softer parts. Of course the question then is how to transport the ski when rolling and the wheel when skiing.

I'm wondering of I can work out a way to mount the ski while leaving the wheel on.

And of course I've got to identify the best snowbike for the job. The Mountain Horse seems well put together, and it looks like they've got a fair amount of experience, and a fair amount of luggage space, but the FrozenMoto with its adjustable track could be interesting to cope with the different conditions and potentially as it has a higher ride height could be modified to have a ski attached to the wheel.

 

[Timbersled]

The kits are plenty reliable as long as the maintenance is done to them. Chain tension needs to be checked and they also need to be lubed every 10 hours of operation. If not the O-rings will dry up and crack. Axle bearings should be greased every 400 miles. Depending on snow conditions you might need to replace the hyfax. If the snow is soft or loose then the hyfax will last about 2000 miles. That will be all that I can think of to keep up on. Keeping the air filter dry on the bike might be your hardest thing to keep up on if the bike is not getting melted out and dried.

posted by dave @ timbersled

 

[up-high]

Maybe add a couple of clip on wheels to the ski. I've seen them advertised for sleds in the eastern US & Canada. They are spring loaded. You flip them down when you cross pavement/gravel/whatever.

 

[Freeloadeur]

The kits are plenty reliable as long as the maintenance is done to them. Chain tension needs to be checked and they also need to be lubed every 10 hours of operation. If not the O-rings will dry up and crack. Axle bearings should be greased every 400 miles. Depending on snow conditions you might need to replace the hyfax. If the snow is soft or loose then the hyfax will last about 2000 miles. That will be all that I can think of to keep up on. Keeping the air filter dry on the bike might be your hardest thing to keep up on if the bike is not getting melted out and dried.

posted by dave @ timbersled

Dave, thanks for that, I'm guessing if anyone knows you'll know. Chain maintenance sounds like pretty much the same as I'd do for my bike anyway, do you reckon Scottoilers would help? I use one on my bike and get 3-4 times the miles out of a chain than I used to before it was installed.

The hyfax could be an issue (especially as l didn't didn't know what one was), as l can see that needing replacing a number of times, luckily there are road houses along the way with heated workshops, so the question will be how to transport itl
Thanks to everyone so for your help, keep it coming.

 

[Hooterville]

Hi Fax Wear

The use of additional wheels bolted to the rails in the high wear area of the rail will reduce wear in areas of low snow. Would be easier to do than packing and replacing hyfax on a long trip like you are planning.

 

[thehaze]

Check out the Ockelbo 3500 and relatives, it has only wheels. I had one back in -88
and it works great!

 

[Freeloadeur]

Just had a Google for the Okelbo and all I got was snowmobiles, are you suggesting cannibalising one? I've learnt from experience that using one-offs when the going gets tough is a very risky business, at least using manufactured parts means bits could be shipped out if need be.

 

[wwillf01]

Another option

Just had a Google for the Okelbo and all I got was snowmobiles, are you suggesting cannibalising one? I've learnt from experience that using one-offs when the going gets tough is a very risky business, at least using manufactured parts means bits could be shipped out if need be.

I know it's a bad word here but maybe the ad boivin explorer is a better option... It uses wheels. But that is if you sticking to roads and the snow does not get to deep.

 

[Jon Mutiger]

You might want to consider changing the trip, and just sticking to fun places to ride. Riding a snowbike in low snow sucks, regardless of what brand you are riding. In fact the AD Boivin is the worst as the ski flops around and you have no balance at all on hard pack. The bogie wheels are easy enough to add to any skid, although I would advise against it as you can't go nearly as far as you would need to go on fuel. Snowbikes might go about half of the distance that a bike with wheels would go. That will be a huge limitation on a journey like this crazy one your talking about.

 

[Freeloadeur]

You might want to consider changing the trip, and just sticking to fun places to ride. Riding a snowbike in low snow sucks, regardless of what brand you are riding. In fact the AD Boivin is the worst as the ski flops around and you have no balance at all on hard pack. The bogie wheels are easy enough to add to any skid, although I would advise against it as you can't go nearly as far as you would need to go on fuel. Snowbikes might go about half of the distance that a bike with wheels would go. That will be a huge limitation on a journey like this crazy one your talking about.

But Siberia is a fun place to ride and strangely given how remote we all imagine it to be, surprisingly full of gas stations. Which brings me onto one of my important questions - had mileage. I'm guessing its going to be worse as the engine's working harder to turn the track, but roughly what are people's experiences