I know what you are probably thinking, "Why on earth would the folks at Bike Recycle Vermont be  calling for more snow!  Isn't winter riding challenging enough without the addition of even more snow?"  Your reasoning is flawless, and we couldn't agree more, but we haven't had the opportunity to try out our super cool new snowshoes!

After several weeks in the making, we are happy to present to you our newest affordable transportation innovation, the recycled snowshoe.  Here at the shop, we are continuously trying to come up with innovative ways to reduce our waste stream.  Historically, we have created and contributed to various art projects, but with the new snowshoe, we have been able to cut back on our metal recycling dramatically.

The process was relatively easy.  We began by liberating a 26" alloy rim from its earlier incarnation as a damaged front front wheel.  After some convincing, the rim began to resemble a traditional Basswood snowshoe.  With the addition of a pair of pedals, some scrap inner tubes and a few odds and ends picked up at the local hardware store, we had the basic snowshoe.  The majority of our time went into numerous attempts at weaving until we settled on what looks like an acceptable "pattern". I use the word pattern very loosely.

The true beauty of the recycled snowshoe lies in its affordability.  Even though snowshoeing is a well-seasoned tradition in the northern climes,  current costs of snowshoes can be prohibitive to many folks.  In comparison with commercial shoes which can start around $150, our version costs less than $10 and a few hours of sweat.  We are only limited by the number of 26" aluminum rims we are willing to put towards the cause.  Although we are certainly looking forward to our first ride without gloves and our winter helmets, another blast of snow would be nice.  When it comes, keep your eyes out at the intervale for these puppies!

Americorps Vista Dan Hock models the the recycled snowshoe