Human Powered Snow Vehicle?

[JacobLeSann]

Hey guys, I live through frigid winters with lots of snow. Most people around me ride snowmobiles for fun, but I’ve never seen a fully reliable/efficient one. It can drop down to -45 Celsius here and there’s lots of snow and ice.

I want to go outside more in the winter, and I like the concept of a snow vehicle. I want to design a custom human-powered vehicle designed to explore decently-packed snow in cold conditions. I’d prefer it to be capable of decent speed relative to a bicycle.

Anyways, I wondered if anybody has any ideas to share? Lemme know!


———————————-

Currently, I’m imagining a recumbent trike chassis with two skis upfront, and a studded fat bike tire on the rear. An enclosed cabin would be very cool but likely impractical.

[JacobLeSann]

Here’s some relevant images. I’m thinking a tracked vehicle will have far better floatation and traction in any case. I have yet to see an efficient tracked vehicle that *doesnt* rob large amounts of energy. On those lines, it may be better to use a fat bike wheel/tire. Studs are an option, and possible a paddle tire.

I’m thinking I will be split between good speed on hard pack snow and good floatation in soft snow. I don’t think I can achieve both.

[Isaac Zachary]

Skis,
Bike with fat tires,
Dog [Human] sled.

The lighter the better for snow flotation.

Depends on what kind of snow you'll be traveling (packed, untouched powder, etc.)

[redpoint5]

I'd be looking at something like this;



https://envodrive.com/products/envo-flex-snowbike

[JacobLeSann]

Isaac, good points. We’re on the same page. I think a trike may be heavier but will have better floatation than bike.

redpoint5, I have been watching videos on that bike, but I fear that a track system of that type will have so much mechanical resistance that it will be impossible to go fast. That’s likely why it’s an e-bike. But it’s very cool looking!

[redpoint5]

A trike has to flatten 3 tracks, but a bike only flattens 1. Bike is the way to go for efficiency always.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JacobLeSann

Isaac, good points. We’re on the same page. I think a trike may be heavier but will have better floatation than bike.

Surface area. The more the surface area the more it will float as long as weight doesn't increase proportionally with the increase of surface area.

Like Red said, it's best to have all that surface area as linear as possible. That way what snow that does get compacted is as little snow as possible.

So keeping everything in line is one step, two tires or ski then track. Keep them in line is best.

Another way of increasing surface area and compacting as little snow as possible is to go long instead of wide. You do need some width, but long and skinny is better than short and fat. That goes for skis and it also goes for tracks. Of course there is a practical limit, but generally longer is better than wider.

You can increase the surface contact of a tire lenthwise by making the diameter bigger. Again, there are limits to where it starts becoming impractical.

[Isaac Zachary]

I wonder if an in-line ski-track-ski configuration would be best, with both skis for steering.

It seems like the longer and skinnier the setup the more you'd need things to be segmented (more skis and/or tracks) for both steering and suspension. Basically it would be immitating a snake in a way. I'm not sure where the practical limit ends, but like I said, a ski-track-ski might be feasible.

[redpoint5]

The modular concept of the Envo appeals to me. In the summer you throw wheels on it, and it's a pedal-assist e-bike. They also have a trike kit.

Haven't researched the products, so I have no idea if it's a good value or not. $5k for a pedal assist snow bike seems like a lot.

[JacobLeSann]

$5000 is too much. I think the envo is very nice though. Not sure how well it would last in the weather here.

If you look up “K-trek track kit” you’ll see a well-designed bicycle track drive. I haven’t seen any reviews fully praising it. All of them say it has issues with reliability, floatation, weight, and lack of speed. Most reviews recommend a fat bike wheel as an alternative.