How to Convert a Bike to a Snow Bike or Ski Bike

You've discovered the spine-tingling world of ski biking (aka snow biking). Its combination of mountain biking thrills with the speed of downhill skiing has you rocking the slopes every weekend. One problem, you don't own a ski bike and the rental bill is taking a toll on your wallet. No worries dude. There is a solution! Convert your mountain bike into a ski bike!

If you would like to build a ski bike without using a manufactured conversion kit, a really good instructional can be found here. Building from scratch however can take some time, dedication, and mechanical skills. If you enjoy a mechanical challenge, this project is for you!

There are now ski bike conversion kits on the market that will allow you to easily convert any freestyle BMX bike or mountain bike into a wild freestyle downhill ride. If you perform your own bicycle maintenance, you'll have the tools and the knowledge to transform any bike into a ski bike. If not, find a local bicycle mechanic that will help you out. Watch out though, he may want to borrow your ride on weekends too!

If you don't feel like demobilizing your bike for the winter, find an old mountain bike frame that you like or purchase one from a chain store. Frames and forks that have full suspension systems will allow you to launch off of tabletops and absorb the landing. If weight is a factor, skip the forks with Rock Shox and get a full-suspension frame at a minimum.

If you are converting a bike for the winter, first remove the wheels and crank arms. Next, strip the frame of all components. You might want to store these together in a plastic container so you can find everything in the spring. When you are finished, you should be left with just a frame, forks, stem, handlebars, seat-post, and seat.

Next, open up the conversion kit shipped from the supplier. Pull out the foot pegs. Mount the foot pegs in the bottom bracket where the crank arms normally attach to the frame. You'll stand on the foot pegs like the pedals on your bike.

After attaching the foot pegs, you'll need to attach the skis with the attached mounting brackets. One ski will attach to the front fork and the other will connect to the frame where the back wheel normally resides. Tighten the bolts and you are ready for some extreme freestyle fun.

A full suspension ski bike with foot pegs will provide you with a freestyle experience that traditional ski bikes cannot provide. The foot pegs are the secret. They allow you to be an integral part of the ski bike instead of using your feet as another attachment point to snow. You can now perform every trick on this ski bike that your can perform on your dirt bike. Dude, hit the terrain park! Drop the half pipe! Get ready for the Winter X-Games!

More on skibiking:
An Introduction to Ski Bikes and Board Bikes
The Best Places to Ski Bike in Colorado
Buyer's Guide to Ski Bikes: What's Important?
Ski Bike Reviews: Lenz Sport Alpine Brawler
Reflections: Learning to Ride a "Pegger" Ski Bike
Ski bikes and skibiking

Sources:
personal knowledge
http://site.alpineskibikes.com/
http://bikesonsnow.homestead.com/
http://www.lenzsport.com/
http://www.skibikefun.com/SMX001.htm
http://daysailer1.com/

http://coloradoskibikerskibikingblog.blogspot.com/