Finally rode a snowbike! REVIEW

etecheaven said:

something funny?

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Slamneks response, I was hoping to read your review but all I see is "cheers". My Brother has been bugging me to try a snowbike and I was hoping to read your review.
I dunno why its not showing up.

Always going to have people that don't like the bikes and thats just fine. You can't compare them cause the snowbikes don't have 40 some years of research and develope behind them. They are new and need some add ons but out of the box the bikes will give you a new outlook on your old riding areas.

Bernoff said:

Always going to have people that don't like the bikes and thats just fine. You can't compare them cause the snowbikes don't have 40 some years of research and develope behind them. They are new and need some add ons but out of the box the bikes will give you a new outlook on your old riding areas.

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There have been people trying snowbike conversations for 40 some years as well

Caper11 said:

Slamneks response, I was hoping to read your review but all I see is "cheers". My Brother has been bugging me to try a snowbike and I was hoping to read your review.
I dunno why its not showing up.

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Here is the cut and paste from the web version.

“Hi Guys, its a little long winded but here you go

Just wanted to do a post of my first experience on a snowbike this last weekend in Revy. First off a group of 5 of us decided to rent one because we were all skeptical and all enjoy sledding quite a bit. We showed up a powerhouse customs in the morning as i had a friend post about using this guy as he was good to deal with. In fairness we didn't call ahead as we got off the hill to late the previous day and he was already closed. When we walked in the door in the morning and asked the guy about a rental his response "not one of my bikes". It kind of took us back and he seemed like he was in a pretty pissy mood. He explained that due to low snow there was no way he was sending out his bikes. As we rode frisby the day before we said that the snow line was actually not that bad to get to but he was not having any of it. We asked if he knew any other companies that would be willing and he said "no, were all in the same boat".

^we all left with a sour taste in our mouth^ I get it, the guy didn't want to wreck his bikes, but he didn't have to treat us like we were bothering him for asking.

Not to be discouraged we called full speed rentals and the guy said no problem. Totally different experience, great store, great customer service, and not just because they allowed us to rent a bike. They gave us a new bike only ridden once with a yeti kit and off we went. The bike was well equipped with heated bars, custom seat, custom belly protector, awesome pegs and a bunch of other things, seemed really well thought out.

Rode frisby again as boulder parking was tight and frisby had a better snowline. Made it about a km past the cabin and the bike blew a belt. To be honest this killed the day, by time we found reception called down, and had the guy meet us at the truck which was nice it killed about 2.5 hours. We installed the belt and found that when it trued out it was not running on both cogs correct. Realizing that this could lead to further problems we stuck close to the cabin and we all finally got a chance to tear it up.

I have to say from my experience it was a total blast. Im 33, in fairly good shape and feel that as a sledder i can really hold my own and love tight tree riding. This bike opened my eyes to a whole new experience. So much so that although i will not sell my sled, i will not be buying a new one next year as i planned. Our whole group really felt the same way. I honestly didn't want to stop and didn't feel like i had to as i didn't even break a sweat compared to ridding my sled.

Conditions were pretty much hero snow setup with about 1 foot of fresh on top. Best conditions were found in the trees and this bike found it all as it seemed like you could drive endlessly. I suggest a GPS if you ride these as you can get lost pretty easily, you can cover so much ground!!!

I honestly need more experience in different snow conditions to be able to give a true review of a sled vs bike, but in those conditions a bike killed it! I will be renting or demoing again on my next trip and hoping for some deep pow to test. I believe once i do my thoughts will be that you can never replace sledding as a sled is so much fun climbing and busting though the deep pow but the bike will be the best for what i do the most which is tight trees, and now even tighter with a bike. Anything less then a deep pow day will be a bike day for me.

And part 2

“Back to the rental as when we got down to the trailer the belt had just about ripped to shreds again and the cover was all melted and bubbled. Another km and i think it would have grenaded. We were not sure how the rental place would respond as we have had both good and bad experiences with rental companies. Plain and simple they were awesome, no charge for the belts which we assumed but also a full refund on the rental. It sucked to not get a full day in and they totally recognized it and stepped up. I know yeti has had some issues with belts but the guy said never this bad. We spent a bunch of time discussing their setup and they were really helpful as i honestly think we are all going bike after a half day with 5 guys sharing one bike, even with the issues. It was unreal and kind of reminded me of my first time sledding in the mountains with a whole new world of fun opened up to me of what i could do there. We even stayed up top till dark to do some night riding.... 10x better on a bike then a sled as you can respond quicker when navigating in the tress.

Still keeping my sled but my guess is at least 50% or more of the time i will be on a bike. I highly suggest everyone try it out, especially anyone who is not in great shape and gets so sore after day one of sledding that day 2 is half ass riding. It makes day 2 so easy and possibly day 3.

Also if you need to rent anything, parts or gear go to full speed, they have wicked store and all the rental gear is top notch and brand new. I will use them again forsure!

Cheersl

Thank you Burns!!!

Etecheaven great review, your findings is what my brother has been hounding me about. Im scared to try it cause it may get expensive.
I have a question for you? Do you ride dirtbikes in the summer?? I do not, and I always had the bias that snowbiking was a "biker" thing.

Ever notice how all the segments featuring snowbikes are either downhill or sideways through the trees?

Etecheaven, I want to get Koon and the guys to commit to renting bikes for a trip. Maybe you can help now! Bikes are awesome, and the fun factor goes way up with a few more in group. Bikes are a different animal, it’s tough to really experience what they are capable of when riding with sleds. Nothing against sleds, they have their own wow factors. Now that I have bike, I will never own a sled again.

My yeti has been flawless.

Dont get me wrong when the snow is deep or you have to climb somewhere outta nessesitty snowbikes are good cause you can catch up on your sleep.

skegpro said:

Ever notice how all the segments featuring snowbikes are either downhill or sideways through the trees?

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I will be the first to admit I was one of the more skeptical guys when it came to snow bikes. That being said after seeing videos and talking with some guys that have them I am actually really impressed. I hope to get out on one this year to have some actual first hand knowledge however. I think it's new and different I like the idea of pulling the track off and putting the wheels back on for summer time. Pretty neat new toys.

I have a 2016 ktm 250xc 2 stroke. Would this be enough bike to put a timber sled on or not enough power. Would love one but don’t want a 4 stroke

Caper11 said:

Thank you Burns!!!

Etecheaven great review, your findings is what my brother has been hounding me about. Im scared to try it cause it may get expensive.
I have a question for you? Do you ride dirtbikes in the summer?? I do not, and I always had the bias that snowbiking was a "biker" thing.

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I grew up on bikes but have not been on them much over the last 13 years beside a street bike i owned up until my first kid 5 years ago. I would definitely not say I'm a biker and that my awesome experience was not a result of having ridden bikes. I enjoyed the high rate of speed i could cut through the trees endlessly vs on a sled you have to really work to get there and at that your still going slow. This excitement comes from me loving to play in the trees and probably would not translate to those who are only into climbing.... unless climbing is a result of how difficult tree riding can be sometimes. ex (lots of stucks, lots of damage)

Check out chris brandts youtube vid on why he likes the snowbike.

This coming from probably the best sledder on the planet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LsRDmwQ9F8

I was completely skeptical myself and laughed at the bikes because they seemed and sounded lame ...... all i can say is the $400 rent is so worth it.

Steve Slade said:

I have a 2016 ktm 250xc 2 stroke. Would this be enough bike to put a timber sled on or not enough power. Would love one but don’t want a 4 stroke

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You really want to be on the pipe a lot with a 250. It’s fun but even a 300 2smoke isn’t quite as good as a 350 thumper because of the low rpm torque when you want to climb out of a hole.

It depends on what you want from it at the end of the day. I did like the 250 XC I rode with a short track. Maybe look at the Camso products too.