HOW TO SECURELY ATTACH SKIS TO YOUR Ski-MX KIT

The Ski-MX brackets can be mounted to just about anything.  The hole-pattern in the brackets fits the 4 cm square hole-pattern of most ski-boards. Just use the spacers and the screws that come with the ski-board bindings, and screw the brackets directly to the ski-boards.  If you choose to mount the brackets to children’s skis or truncated adult skis, simply top drill the skis and mount the brackets in the same way that you would mount ski-bindings, using binding screws.  If you don’t have binding screws available, you can use short #12 machine screws (just be sure the screw tips do not protrude through the bottom of the skis – you may have to grind the screw-tips down to prevent this from happening).  For top drilling and mounting to skis, we recommend using six screws in each bracket.  The center point of the bracket should line up with the "boot sole center" mark on the ski.  Boot sole center is slightly aft of the mid-point of the ski.  This also usually coincides with the narrowest part of the ski's sidecut radius.  When in doubt, just eyeball a mounting position slightly aft of the midpoint of the ski.  This allows for the tips to float up in deeper powder conditions.

Your mounting brackets come with heavy-duty double-sided tape affixed to the bottom.  It is VERY IMPORTANT that you use heavy-duty double-sided tape between the skis and brackets.  Just poke through the tape with a sharp object from the bottom side of the bracket through the holes that you intend to use, then peel the backing off the tape and carefully place the bracket precisely over the holes you have drilled in the ski.  Then securely screw the ski to the bracket. 

If you choose to remove and re-mount your brackets onto different skis later on, you can pick up double-sided Duck Tape or carpet tape at most hardware stores or Walmart-type stores.  This insures a bombproof bond between the ski and the bracket.  When two-sided tape is not used, we find that the screws can work themselves loose due to the back-and-forth twisting forces exerted on the skis by the brackets. A maximum ski length of 90 cm is recommended for 20” BMX bikes and 100 cm for 26” mountain bikes.

HOW TO MOUNT THE KIT ON YOUR BIKE

1)    Remove all components from the bike until you are left with only the frame, forks, stem, handlebars, seat post and seat.

2)    Place front ski axle (the shorter one) between the front forks, making sure to place the washer between the torsion spring and the fork.  (Note:  you may have to spread the forks apart slightly to allow the axle to fit.)

axle in front fork

3)    Tighten one of the axle nuts slightly, then tighten the other slightly.  Alternate back and forth, tightening each nut slightly until both nuts are firmly in place. Or preferably you can use opposing wrenches and tighten both nuts simultaneously.  (Note:  whatever attitude the ski is in when you tighten the axle nuts, will be the neutral attitude for the ski when airborne - I recommend setting the neutral attitude slightly tip-high) 

4)    Repeat this procedure for the rear ski.  Place one, or both washers between the spring and frame on each side.

5)    Bolt the foot pegs through the bottom bracket.

       axle in rear dropouts                         pegs bolted through bottom bracket

*CAUTION – IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS*

travel-limiting strap for rear ski

WHAT TO DO IF THE SKI STOPS ROTATING FREELY ON THE AXLE:

If you notice that one (or both) of the skis become rigid (does not rotate freely back and forth on the axle), this means that one of the axle lock-nuts has broken loose from the cone-nut and the cone-nut has worked itself tight onto the bracket.  If this should happen, simply remove the mounting bracket and reset the lock-nut and cone-nut to a position that allows for free rotation.  To do this, you will need a 15mm cone-wrench and a 17mm box-wrench.  To break the cone-nut loose from the lock-nut, use the wrenches in opposition to each other, rotating the box-wrench counterclockwise, and the cone-wrench clockwise.  To tighten and lock them back together, rotate the cone wrench counterclockwise and the box-wrench clockwise.  A good rule of thumb is to make the cone nut finger tight on the bracket, and then back it out ¼ turn – then tighten the lock nut against it. 

using wrenches in opposition to each other to lock cone nut

WHAT TO DO IF THE BRACKETS BECOME LOOSE ON THE AXLES:

Over time, play can develop between the steel axle cone-nut and the softer aluminum mounting-bracket.  If you notice that the brackets are becoming loose on the axles, use the same technique described above to slightly tighten the axle cone-nut onto the bracket.  This will reduce the amount of play between the axle and bracket.

PRE-TAKE-OFF CHECK LIST:

For maximum safety, you should test the security of all of the nuts and bolts on your bike (including the screws that attach the skis to the brackets) before you ride, each time.

SAFETY STRAP (RUNAWAY STRAP) vs. LEASHES

When carrying the bike on the lift you should employ the use of a safety strap.  The strap should be secured between the bike frame and the safety bar of the chairlift *DO NOT ATTACH THE STRAP TO YOUR BODY* (If the bike should fall from the lift and it is attached to you, it could possibly pull you off the chair).  A standard snowboard leash can be used for this purpose, or a bungee cord attached to an oversized carabiner (both of which you can buy at Home Depot).

Some mountains require riders to tether themselves to the bike while riding.  This is unnecessary and potentially dangerous.  With our style of bikes, the rider always travels farther down the hill than the bike in the event of a crash.  There is ZERO possibility of the bike “ghost-riding” down the hill by itself as we have demonstrated time and time again.  The bike falls over instantly and the foot pegs and handlebars dig into the snow and act just like “ski-brakes”.  There are however, products out there that will ghost-ride, such as the Crighton Snowmoto, Snowscoot and Slopecycle.  Leashes are, and should be required when riding those “board-bikes”. When I ride at a mountain that still has not been educated in this matter, and still requires the use of a “leash” for ski-bikes, I show them my safety strap.  Usually that is all they need to see and they move along. If they insist that I attach the bike to my body, I then go into all the reasons why that is not necessary and try to use logic and reason.  If that doesn’t work, I personally choose to leave the mountain rather than place my self in danger due to an arbitrary, unwise and potentially dangerous management policy.

HOW TO CARRY A SKIBIKE ON THE CHAIRLIFT

Although there are many methods out there for carrying bikes on lifts, the easiest and safest method I’ve found is as follows:

LOADING THE LIFT

1)    Move through the lift line sitting on the bike and propelling yourself with your feet.

2)    When you reach the “wait-here” line, stop and wait for the chair in front of you to move past, then slide out into position at the second “wait here” line (still seated on the bike).

3)    As the chair approaches from behind, stand up into a crouched position, grab the top-tube of your bike frame and slide your butt back onto the chairlift as it moves under you.  (at this point I like to rest my elbow on my knee while holding the weight of the bike – this makes the maneuver a little less strenuous)

        gripping frame seated on chair                                   holding bike in front                               seat resting on safety bar

4)    As the chair lifts you off the ground, keep the bike straight in front of you, with the front of the lift-chair pushing against the back of your seat-post.  The bike’s seat resting on the front of the lift-chair will support most of the weight of the bike.

5)    While securely holding the bike frame with your strong hand, reach up with your other hand and lower the safety bar, making sure you are centered between the chairlift’s foot-rests if it has them.  You can also wrap your legs around the bike for added security until you get it tethered to the safety bar.

6)    Once the bar is down, pull the bike seat back towards you, lift it up and hook the front of the bike seat over the safety bar so that the front of your bike seat is resting on top of the safety bar.  Now the bike is effectively hanging from the safety bar by the seat. 

7)    Before you let go of the bike frame with your strong arm, use your free hand to connect your safety strap (or clip your oversized carabiner) to the safety bar.  Now you can relax and enjoy the view knowing your bike can’t fall.

UNLOADING THE LIFT

1)    As you approach the unloading station (at least 30 seconds before you reach the top), grasp the top-tube of the bike frame with your strong hand, and un-tether the bike from the safety bar with your free hand (here again, you may want to wrap your legs around the bike for added anti-drop security).

2)    Lift the bike slightly and unhook the front of your seat from its resting place on top of the safety bar, and raise the bar.

3)    Now use your free hand to grab one of the handlebars and keep the front ski straight (at this point, you can actually put both hands on the handlebars – the back of the bike seat will be resting on the chairlift between your legs).

4)    As the chair brings you down into contact with the unloading ramp, lower the handlebars and place the bike flat on the snow.

          bike seat resting on chair ready to exit                placing bike on snow and hopping on 

5)    Now stand up swiftly and take 2 or 3 brisk steps forward and hop onto the bike seat and glide down the unloading ramp.

6)    Now you are ready to mob the mountain by following the turning and stopping procedures below.

HOW TO TURN AND STOP

How do you stop?  That is the most frequently asked question when people see a ski-bike. You stop a ski-bike the same way you would stop skis or a snowboard; by turning sideways across the slope. You can also skid the tail out sideways hockey-stop style, or just drag your feet Fred Flintstone style. You turn a ski-bike by leaning in the direction you want to go, just like you do on your bike.  You don’t necessarily have to turn the handlebars, you just have to lean the bike over a little and it will carve a turn in that direction.  After you’ve had a bit of practice, you will be able to ride either standing or sitting while making short radius skidded turns to control your speed just like skiing or snowboarding. It is super fun!

                   seated hockey-stop style skid                                 seated edge-lock carve

ADAPTING THE KIT TO FIT 20-inch BMX BIKES

There are two sizes of rear dropouts:  110 mm for BMX bikes, and 135 mm for mountain bikes.  The kit comes in the 135 mm configuration. To adapt it to the 110 mm configuration, remove the axle nuts and large springs.  Remove the axle lock nuts.  Remove the 12 mm spacers.  Replace the axle lock nuts (making sure that there is no play in the axle, yet it is able to rotate relatively freely).  Replace the large springs with the provided small springs.  (Note: the extra set of small springs is only provided with kits that are ordered for BMX configuration.  If you need a set of small springs, e-mail me and I’ll send them to you).  A maximum ski length of 90 cm is recommended for 20” BMX bikes and 100 cm for 26” mountain bikes.

1.  Remove standard axle nuts from alxe:

Mountain sports are inherently dangerous.  There is always a certain amount of risk involved in any sport.  Although riding a ski-bike is safe and easy, wearing protective gear (helmet, knee pads, elbow pads… any pads normally worn while biking) is highly recommended, and the skier responsibility code should be adhered to at all times.  You are now an ambassador of the sport, and ski-biking’s image with the general population is now in your hands.

Matt Hanson, Owner

AlpineSkibikes.com

Phone: (310) 892-6288

E-Mail: Matt@AlpineSkibikes.com

Web: www.AlpineSkibikes.com