Tired of digging himself out of winter, CT man builds bicycle snow plow – OK, so this one comes to us first from the USA Today, but hits close to home in the heart of winter (as I type with cold fingers.) Connecticut cyclist Rob Wotzak likes to ride bikes, hates shoveling snow, and isn’t afraid of hacking something together. So he gathered a rusty plow from behind his barn, and some assorted old bikes to get down to work. So far there have been at least three iterations as he obviously is willing to spend more time fabricating than operating a shovel.
In his own words, “This bicycle tractor is just a prototype. I built it in a few hours out of scrap parts just to see if it would work. It was much more successful than I expected, but it still has obvious flaws (hi center of gravity, loose steering, too high gearing, etc)… I built the bike tractor for plowing snow, but the removable plow will be replaced with other implements (forks, bucket, etc.) for gardening and other heavy tasks.”
Wotzak says he is continuing to develop and refine his contraption into a multi-use, pedal-powered tractor, and even welcomes constructive suggestions via his YouTube page.
Where to Ride
- Celebrate a decade of racing at the 10th Yeti Beti Bike Bash – When the women’s only Yeti Beti Bike Bash p/b Stan’s NoTubes started a decade ago, they didn’t really expect it yo become an institution. But now 10 years later they’ve built a community that comes out year after year, bringing new women and girls into the fold. This edition of the Yeti Beti Bike Bash is slated for Jun 2, returning to Colorado’s Bear Creek Lake Park. More than just a race, it’s a weekend-long, family friendly community of women’s mountain biking. BetiBikeBash.com
Industry News
- Introducing The Sufferfest’s new Sports Science Division – For years Sir Neal Henderson worked behind the scenes at The Sufferfest, using race-proven, advanced sports science to design the most effective workouts, plans, and training methodologies available (like 4DP). Now he’s officially joined the team to develop new, innovative training methods to help you get faster, stronger, and tougher. TheSufferfest.com
Gear Deals & Contests
- Get Lucky with DeFeet Bespoke and four-leaf clovers – DeFeet is showing off their custom Bespoke program offering sublimated designs with the limited edition “LUCKY” sock and neck gaiter. Pre-order them now for $20 each through Feb 28, with orders shipping Mar 4 in St. Patrick’s Day. DeFeet.com
- Ride like the pros with a Lotto Soudal Ridley paint job – With the Spring Classics coming soon, Ridley is adding a pro replica paint scheme so you can fanboy out on their pro riders. The red, white & black colors of the Lotto Soudal team are now available as a standard design on the Noah Fast & Disc, the Helium SLX, and the Fenix SL & Disc. Ridley-bikes.com
