This wooden bike has blades instead of wheels so you can ride it down a snow covered mountain

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/02/22/this-wooden-bike-has-blades-in.html

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Good. I was just thinking that I needed a more efficient way to break my neck and endanger my life.

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Besser tot

MNLy

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Didn’t the Beatles ride these in Help?

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I was just about to look for a GIF of that, or a link to the “Ticket to Ride” sequence.

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So, more maneuverable than a single ski, without the braking control (of two skis), and instead of using your knees for suspension, every mogul smashes your gonads.

No thanks, I’ll stick to my face-first Flexible Flyer sled.

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I was hoping it would have some kind of pedal mechanism to power it, but it’s basically just a sled that you sit up on.

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And in 1911 Switzerland you most likely came home only to have this to sit on:

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It looks exactly the same as the 1911 photo. That’s a little too precious—surely that one guy’s design, and his century old materials and techniques, weren’t the most perfect possible version. This thing cries out for iteration and improvement—is it sports equipment or historical re-enactment?

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Uh, this isn’t a bike - it’s a riding sled. There’s at least a half dozen similar models available online.

FYI: bikes have wheels (“bike” is short for “bicycle”, or “two wheels”)

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Couldn’t you just ride an 8’x4’ plywood sheet down a mountain?

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Keystone resort rents ski bikes like this one. It’s a lot of fun. It also comes with two mini-skis for your feet to help keep balance.

image

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For those with more money than I have to blow on toys…

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Needs some blinky lights.
And a back-blade you can lower from the handlebars to increase drag for additional braking.

ETA: grammar (ugh)

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Not in Switzerland. The plywood would be metric and that completely throws off the handling.

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Is that the one with the gas tank in the wheels?

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This is a Velogemel, apparently Velogemels are only made in this one town in this one workshop. There are 100’s of different designs that made all kinds of improvements but those aren’t velogemels, they are something else. Or at least that is how I understand the narrative of the video.

I would not be surprised when this is the first of it’s type, I would be very surprised it the velogemel was the best in it’s type.

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There was a move, prior to snow boards, in the 80s to popularize those on the ski slopes at least here in Washington. I think they called them ski bobs or something like that. Never gained traction and soon the people who were determined to annoy the real skiers found snow boards and never looked back

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