Weekend Projects

This past long weekend, I figured I should try and make something of some of the parts I have kicking around. I've thought about an ice bike for a while. I had an old wheel set with some gnarly screw-studded tires on them. I matched up a frame that I thought would work, and single speeded the cassette with a cheapo spacer kit from Bow Cycle. I've had all of these parts kicking around for several months, some of them a year or two, so it was nice to finally built them up into something.

I did some testing on the shear ice roads in town, and it's incredible. I had a hard time standing on the roads and walking, but these screws bit into the ice very well. Not once did I loose traction. Even while hard braking and trying wheelies. These will make for some fun lunch time rides at a lake near where I work. The town plows pathways on the ice for ice skaters, and now it's for cyclists.

This is the front wheel.

This is the rear wheel.

S/S Chainring up front (I've had this kicking around for about 3 years.) It's 38 tooth. Cassette spacer kit with 16 tooth cog.

Second project was just an old steel MTB. I got it from my friend Cory, and I always like to have bikes that I can ride, and not worry too much about. Mostly just for little jaunts to the grocery store or Lions Meeting. A bike that I will never lock up, and won't feel like I've lost a fortune if it is stolen. What's more is that I'll probably never ride this bike any distance that would be a big deal if I had to walk if it was stolen. Just a good old steel bike, tuned up and running nicely.

I'll be installing my Swalbe Snow Studs and some fenders on this bike to make it a little bit more practical for all seasons. It is actually a very comfortable bike with a very classic, upright feel to it.