Stud the knobbies or get a sled??

[Skid Jackson]

Ok even though it's still in the 50's and 60's here in NH and i'll probably ride this weekend , When i should be skiing. The snow and ice will eventually show up. Normally the bike gets put away for the winter. However i'm thinking of the studs to rip around on some of the local ponds. The other thought is to get a used sled,say$2500 or so & rip around on that.

Here are the "decision making parameters"
I ride the bike cause its fun and a hell of a work out. During winter i ski on the weekeends for the same reason. Problem is i got all week to sit around. W/sled or studded bike i could go out a couple of times a week, at night, for a few hours. However i know nothing about snowmobiles. All riding would be done at night

Pros and cons of bike. drz e btw

Pros
CHEAP all i need is studded tires, plus tire covers
Could set up some cool oval and road courses on the ice

Cons
What happens when there is 2' of snow on the ice
I don't think my stock headlight would be worth a damn even riding around in circles on the ice!!
While i could trail ride i think the beelers deserve to have the trail for a couple of month. so i'm not thinking about that
Staying off the pavement with studded tire sounds like a pain in the ass. No hop on bike, ride down road, get on ice
Drz E, as in E button.... will that sucker crank over in the "real cold"???

Sled Pros
It's designed for riding around on the snow!!
There are plenty of trails i can ride on nearby
Might even be fun

Sled Cons
$2500 for a used one!!
Plus $$ for the other crap i'll find out about along the way
NH has spotty snow, could be tons, could be nothing, bit of a crap shoot as to enough cover for use.
Do you get any excersize riding one of these thing?? Say comparable to trail riding for two hours
No room for a trailor so it has to ride in back of the truck, unloading could get old fast!!

Remember the mission is to have fun and get a good work out doing it. If snow cover was more predictable i'd probably give the sled a try. I guess the big unknown is how much i'll get to use either one. guess the short answer is to stud the knobbies and get the sled then i'll be covered no matter what happens. :) Sorry for the long post any one out there have any experience w/either of these options?? Your thoughts please!!

 

[wizard69]

I don't know if this is right but I think you would get more of a workout from the bike I found it is more work but that might be because I used to sled when I was younger and didn't care about how fast I was
another con is you would not only keep your riding skills tuned but you would get more also it would help your balance and sliding control.
for the cost of a sled think of all the mods you could get for your bike.
they are harder to move.
you don't have to worry if there will be snow or not.
this is just my .02

 

[zilla]

Yes it's a workout

I ride sleds in the winter.. and if ya don't think it's a workout , then try diggiing a 500 lb sled out of six feet of fresh powder when it gets stuck.. Seriously, it is a ton of fun and a workout to boot.. Here in the west thats what it's all about, riding in powder. Back east it may be more trails.. You'll need a trailer to haul the thing,or find a riding buddy with a trailer, and a helmet, boots, and cold weather ridiing gear.. I use my motorcycle helmet and goggles, but change the goggle lens to a double lens model.. also get a head cover of some kind or you'll freeze the exposed parts of your face bombing down the trail at speed.. Yes loading unloading from a truck is a pain.. :cool:

 

[Big Tuna]

I say stud'r up and let'r rip! That's what I'm doing. Sleds have been pretty much useless around here for the last couple of years, (sparse snow)although this year we're off to a pretty snowy start. I sure hope it tapers off here pretty quick. Put the 2500 bucks to better use like say, your bike :)

 

[MX-727]

The only real decision you have to make is which to do first. ;)

 

[cr125_king]

Get a sled. I just got an old beater, and it's a blast. It's a good work out too, especially when ya got your 500lb beast stuck. I tryed riding in the snow, last year with a paddle tire, and it was fun, but not with a front tire. You need a ski on the front.I cant wait to go sledding next Saturday!!:cool:

 

[bbbom]

As far as the workout goes, digging one out is a great workout. If you ride on real trails, as opposed to groomed trails and fireroads, you will get a good workout too. Watch some of the Sledneck videos to see how fun it can be. Sidehills and carving good turns - woooooohoooooo!!!

We ride the same trails on the sleds as we do on the bikes. Not sure about NH but around here you can pick up a decent used sled easily for $2500.

As far as gear, I use a Joe Rocket Jacket (streetbike type) with built in armor, cheap snowboarding pants, good heavy boots, kneepads (hate those hidden rocks and trees when you're carving hard), helmet with dual lense goggles and inserts to cover the rest of my face and neoprene gloves with heated grips on the sled. I like to wear the thinnest glove I can so I don't have to grip through them.

I wouldn't recommend going on too challenging of a trail alone. Even my little Jag440 can be a bear to pull out by myself. Take a cell phone at least because as bad as walking miles in dirtbike gear is, walking miles in snowmobile gear and snow is much much worse.

 

[kmccune]

What are you people talking about.. sleds give you almost zero workout compared to bikes! If you really want to dig in the snow for a work out just go outside and shovel! Mostly they are about going fast on flat straights...booooring! I have to suffer though winter each year with my wife ( she loves the darn things). Get the bike and enjoy yourself!

Kevin

 

[bbbom]

Come on up & ride with us Kevin, you can show us just how easy they are to ride.:p

Funny thing is, there aren't many flat areas or straight areas where we go.

 

[kmccune]

Maybe it's a geographical thing ???;)

Kevin

 

[drtbikesrule]

dude you got me ive never riden a snowmobile ut i heard it was good...i usually take apart my bike fix everything up on it then either go skiing or mes around on my Honda 72cc (loads of fun in the snow):cool:

 

[Skid Jackson]

Thaks for the replies.... but i'm still undecided. Although it being dec 1 and it being 64 deg. out today I'm starting to wonder if i should even bother with studs!!

Of course you know what will happen.......If i stud up it'll snow like hell, If i get a sled it'll rain all winter! :(

 

[RMXkid]

i get a way better work out from my sled. the bike is lighter and is better through the woops than a 500 pound sled. i just ride in the woods on the bike and the trails are a lot smoother than the sled trails ever are.

 

[kmccune]

Originally posted by RMXkid
i get a way better work out from my sled. the bike is lighter and is better through the woops than a 500 pound sled. i just ride in the woods on the bike and the trails are a lot smoother than the sled trails ever are.

That is exactly the opposite of around here. The sled trails are like paved roads and do not go through any tight woods, the trails are like 10 feet wide in the woods. I guess it really does mater where you live. The sled trails some of you are talking about do sound fun.

Kevin

 

[zilla]

Got my workout yesterday

First sled trip of the year., and we managed to fiind 3 feet of fresh powder, the downside of which there is no base this time of year.. I am a tired sore puppy today.. Yes there is a great disparity in sled riding depending on where you live.. In the east it is groomed trails and somewhat flat, lakes etc.. Out west it is mountains (read Steep) and deep powder.. Riding a sled properly in the powder is a work out.. I feel like i was in a dez race yesterday, but then I am out of shape for the sled thing also.. Yes we had a hoot..

 

[LB400]

Skid...

The obvious answer is to do both! Studding your bike won't cost much, and will be a lot of fun when the conditions are right for it (which might not be as often as you would like). Get the sled for when the snow is too deep, or no fun for biking.

Bike riding in winter is COLD! You simply do NOT get cold sledding if you have the right gear.

Comparing sledding to trail riding (Not MX!)....Sledding is a LOT more of a workout! It doesn't matter how smooth the trails are -- Riding fast, and hard will get you sweating in no time. I have a fairly large beer gut after riding bike all summer, but once the snow comes and I'm on my sled, it will completely disappear!

The only bad thing about sledding is that it is EXPENSIVE! On a dirtbike, you can get a nice day of riding in for, what, $10 worth of gas? On a sled, that amount will get you to the gas station, and you'll be filling up every few hours at $20+/ fill-up. not to mention the cost of oil.

All that said, I like sledding MUCH more than trail riding, but they both have their place in this world!

 

[dirtbikedad]

New Thought!

Actual cost of operation for a snowmobile is about $3.00 per mile. Compare that to an IRA and the numbers will blow you out of the water.

Jerry