scottfsmith

I was recently doing some cross-country skiing and enjoying the feel of working some new muscles. Where I live though there is almost never enough snow to XC ski. So, I was thinking of getting some roller skis. I already have some Ski-kes (was **'d for some reason so adding extra dash) from maybe ten years ago, but our roads suck and the small wheels would get caught on things and it felt too precarious so they ended up gathering dust.

Recently I noticed they have some roller skis with inflatable tires, e.g. the Ski-ke V9 Fire 200 or the V2 Aero XL 150S. Has anyone tried these for cross-training? They look like they will be much better in terms of not getting caught on things, but they might be a bit slower. Here for example is a video of a guy on this first kind, you can see they are pretty tolerant of different surfaces:

You Tube

ZHVelo

If you have wide tarmac near you, just get the summer skis the professional XC skiers use. A family member has them and I am seriously thinking about it, they would make for great Vo2max sessions and would add variety.

scottfsmith

The V2 Aero XL 150S I mentioned above are roller skis that XC pros use, you wear ski boots and they have ski bindings on them. Only the two kinds I mentioned above have inflatable tires though, all of the other models that XC skiers use have poly tires. With the poly tire models if your roads are not perfect you can get caught on small imperfections and have bad falls.. been there done that.

.. I talked to some experts and decided to buy some of the Ski-ke's I mentioned above .. they are not quite as good for XC cross-training but I don't need XC cross training. I have some poly wheel Ski-ke's which I'm going to sell. For cheap if anyone wants them, only useful on smooth tarmac.

It is indeed a great work-out, XC-ing for real in the last few weeks reminded me how good it is. I really liked my previous Ski-ke's if not for the tire problem.

Seattle Forrest

You can ski on glaciers in the summer. 🙂

kevmk81 

It's funny this topic came up. I had a bad tumble on my roadbike in November and haven't had inspiration to get back out much since then - especially since it's winter and all that. I used to be big on using an indoor trainer using zwift but I'm just drained on that. I've been into cycling in some form since 2008. I want to keep an active lifestyle, used to crit race, road race, triathlon, even some 5k, half marathon and full marathons. I would like to get into something that I can compete in that isn't running (my shins, feet and hips suffer badly when I run). The last few days - inspired from watching cross country skiing on tv - I wondered if there's a way to do that kind of sport without snow (we don't get much snow in central IL). Lo and behold I found suggestions for V2 Aero XL 150S as a great piece of equipment. I've been doing some research and I'm not sure where to start. I read about classic vs skate style. Reading about hitting a tiny pebble and getting your face mangled up. I want to avoid that. I have never skied in my life. I've always been interested in highly technical sports - like swimming - and I'm reading that this type of thing is technical (if you want to get a good workout in - or compete). So, I don't have any gear - besides bike helmets laying around. I would like some suggestions on where to start! I'm considering selling the components from my road bike that I biffed. I feel like the switch to a new sport will help getting rid of some of my over-use cycling related pains (chronic right knee pain on the outer side of the joint on every pedal downstroke). I figure a break in cycling and doing a sport like cross country/roller skiing can give my joints the break it needs - while still having a sport that i can still compete in some way (i think - in/near illinois?). Thanks for hearing me out. I've been in a funk lately and need to get out of it. Weight is increasing - not sleeping as well - etc. it all sucks. So, suggestions on gear (which roller skis, boots, even clothing) suggestions would be helpful!

Iride01 

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scottfsmith

Roller skiing could check your boxes .. except for competition, it is so uncommon that it is not a competitive sport in the US. If you really wanted competitions you could do as much XC skiing on snow as you could and use the roller skis as training for XC ski races. MN/WI have a big XC racing scene you might be able to drive to.

It is important whether you want to compete in XC ski (on snow) or not as the type of equipment you want depends on that. If you want to cross-train for actual snow races, you want a roller ski which is as similar to XC skiing as possible .. the V2 Aero XL 150S is probably the best as it uses an XC ski boot and it has big tires so no wipe-outs on little rocks or sticks. If you want to roller ski as its own sport, I would get the kind you can just strap to your foot such as the Ski-ke V9 Fire 200 or the SRB XRS06. Two good places to talk to for information/gear are https://nordicskater.com and https://rollerski.ca .. both of these outfits are very knowledgeable and friendly. The latter is in Canada but ships to the US.

I think the main downside is it just looks odd to most people .. be prepared for lots of looks. In central Europe it is very common, many people do it. But not in the US. It is super fun, I was XC skiing several weeks ago and I have been roller skiing the last couple weeks and each time I go I get a big smile on my face... its great fun!

kevmk81 

Yeah - I am wanting to compete in some fashion - XC skiing specifically (I realize this would be additional equipment I would need to purchase). I was pretty sure WI would have some XC racing that I could do. It'd be a drastic change that's for sure - from the racing I'm used to. Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I don't care too much about the odd looks. I don't think I would use these too much on the streets, probably more on hard pack trails & mups. But I'm sure I would venture out on the roads every once in a while for a change of pace.

DonkeyShow

Saw a dude riding a ski bike at the mtn today. Looked fun as hell.