Editor Notes

The snowmobiling community is becoming more divided. When our area of the snowbelt was hit with rideable snow in early December, riders were out in force, and it was a beautiful sight. It wasn’t the best riding conditions, those come later, but there’s nothing like satisfying the anticipation of the season’s first ride. And for the first time in decades, we have more new riders and many more who have decided to return after a long hiatus, all enjoying the magic of snowmobiling. Unfortunately, there’s a divide amongst us. Online, I read countless threads of riders arguing, accusing and in some instances flat out telling others to leave the sport. At the heart of the issue was trespassing. The “old guard” was all too eager to call out these “criminals” and belittle them as they sat comfortably behind their keyboards presumably somewhere in their mother’s basement. Most posts seldom contained helpful suggestions as to where to ride, when to ride, and the reasons why. Even when they did, the tone (if it’s possible to discern tone in a post) came across as they know better, so don’t ask questions. My mother always told me you attract more bees with honey, so Midwest Rider will be creating an on-trail and off-trail riding guide for a future issue. A few of us here love to ride off-trail, and there are plenty of places to do it right in our backyard. We also love snow bikes (gasp) and think they represent a great opportunity to attract new riders to the sport (something everyone agrees needs to happen). For now, stay off the chat rooms, respect other riders and property, and most of all enjoy the ride. Pat Bourgeois

In other strange but true news in the Off-Road industry, Tesla introduced a $1,900 CyberQuad for youth that officially sold out in less than a day after its release. The CyberQuad resembles the one parked next to the Tesla CyberTruck that was teased somewhat recently. Tesla plans to produce its four-wheel CyberQuad in Giga, Texas, alongside the CyberTruck. The irony here, is Elon Musk commenting how they plan to make the safest ATV on the market, but yet some of the promotional photos show youth riders not wearing helmets. (Sigh) Would you go to space without a helmet Elon?

snowfestclub.com or muggsofmillelacs.com

Mugg’s SNOWFEST 8, kicked off a season of hundreds of awesome snowmobile events you’ll find highlighted in this issue of MIDWEST RIDER. Held on December 7, in Wahkon, Minnesota, the Vintage Snowmobile Show and Snowmobile Film Festival served up fun for all. The event originated with two brothers, who own a cool lakeside establishment who love everything about snowmobiling and celebrate it with a vintage ride-in, snowmobile movies, incredible food and cold beer. If you’re the type who has two hobbies: 1) Snowmobiling 2) Talking about snowmobiling 3) Love for math, this event is for you and supports the local snowmobile clubs.

“So, it will have a really low center of gravity because the battery pack will be down low. And I think we could do some things with the suspension and make it really hard to roll this thing,” -An October Tweet from Elon Musk

Lexus recently released a UTV concept named the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle (ROV). The name isn’t particularly creative, but it is a hydrogen-powered, luxury side-by-side. That’s right – it’s hydrogen powered. Details aren’t abundant, but based on the videos, Lexus is using the ROV as a show piece to highlight its hydrogen technology. The ROV has a 1.0L hydrogen engine that claims near zero emissions. Like a concept vehicle you’d see at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, the ROV is clad with sexy high-end paint, aerodynamic bodywork, carbon fiber interior touch points, billet hard parts and the signature chromed Lexus logo attached to all the right places. Is hydrogen the future?

AN INVENTOR’S STORY

moonbikes.com

It’s tough to deny the beauty and magic of riding through falling snow—and actually hearing it come down at the same time. At MoonBikes, they want to share this experience with you via a swift, silent, and, wait for it…electric snowbike. According to the company, their streamlined design is light weight and easy to ride. We can’t help but think these would be incredibly fun to turn urban settings, private property or rental areas like ski hills into all-new winter playgrounds for kids and adults alike.

THE FIRST ELECTRIC SNOWBIKE EVOLUTION

Nicolas Muron – Founder and CEO

MoonBikes is the brainchild of Nicolas Muron. As a youngster in France, Nicolas loved to invent —and those inventions often reflected his love for the outdoors. Early on, Nicolas built a vehicle from wood and metal so he could slide down the slopes with his brother, which quenched a thirst for adventure and ingenuity the cartoon characters Calvin and Hobbes would have been proud of. Growing older, Nicolas channeled his creativity and curiosity toward a career in engineering. In 2015, while visiting his family home in the tiny village of Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce in the French Alps, he made a simple observation noticing countless ways to get around in the summer—including cars, bikes, skateboards, e-bikes, motorcycles, pogo sticks and roller skates. Yet, in the winter, there was basically cars, snowmobiles and one’s feet. Inspired by his love for the mountains and deep interest in technology, Nicolas believed there was a true need for something different. Nicolas returned home to Paris, and at the time, was an aeronautical engineer at Dassault Aviation, where he worked on the early stage architectural designs of an advanced military drone project. When not having confidential meetings in windowless rooms, he was tinkering with strange materials, subjecting them to insane conditions, and developing shapes straight out of a sci-fi movie. Once home he was inspired to create in a way the aerospace industry approaches design – he began imagining an ultralight, powerful machine for traveling on snow that was silent and had minimal ground impact. Drawings and prototypes that looked like they were fashioned from an Erector Set often filled his kitchen table. They also forced him to face a harsh reality. If he were to rely on classic snowmobile design, it would be impossible to create a lightweight electric machine capable of more than a twentyminute range. Consequently, he knew he had to completely reimagine the idea of a snow-traveler.

In October 2017, he left Dassault Aviation to transform his vision into a reality. After two more years of research and development and a dozen prototypes, Nicolas had finally developed a high-performance propulsion system that was innovative, silent, and paired to an ultralight chassis. After registering patents in 2018, MoonBikes Motors was officially born. Eager to pair his new propulsion system with a sleek design, he reached out to Christopher Santerre, an industrial engineer who gave MoonBikes a distinct identity— one that offered a nod to the past and a glimpse of the future thanks to its harmonious curves, tubular frame and rounded casing.

2019

Not long after assembling its first snowbike in 2019, the young startup relocated to a new location in the Alps enabling the team to readily test the MoonBikes designs. The company also kicked off an important test phase at several ski resorts, offering pilot programs at Saint- Gervais-les-Bains, Avoriaz, Courchevel, Flaine, Combloux, and Les Houches.

2020

In November 2020, the company kicked off production just as the snow began to fall for the season. MoonBikes began to turn heads and command attention when Tignes also unveiled the first MoonBike park. Operated by the prestigious adventure school and tour operator, Évolution 2, the park was an immediate success. Not long after stepping into the spotlight, MoonBikes began seeing an incredible demand for its snowbikes and opened 4 parks in a few weeks in Val d’Isère, Courchevel, Flaine and Les Saisies.

2021

MoonBikes was honored as part of the prestigious ISPO brandnew 2021 Selection, which rewards the most innovative startups in the world of sports for their eco-friendly approach, design, functionality, technology and quality. In addition to being honored by ISPO, MoonBikes won three additional awards that showcase promising startups in the outdoor industry, a 2021 Winter French Outdoor Award, the Mountain Tourism Award and the Andorra Sports Startup Challenge.

THE NUMBERS 155 DRY WEIGHT WITH 27LB BATTERY 1.5 AVERAGE BATTERY HOUR RUN TIME 28 INCHES WIDE 88.5 INCHES LONG 10 TRACK WIDTH INCHES 3 HOUR CHARGE TIME (FAST CHARGER) -13 HEATED BATTERY BOX COLD RESISTANCE (FAHRENHEIT) 1 RIDEABLE HOURS IN SPORT MODE (SINGLE BATTERY) OR 10 MILES 1.5 RIDEABLE HOURS IN ECO MODE (SINGLE BATTERY) OR 20 MILES 26 MPH TOP SPEED 170 NM DIRECT DRIVE MANUFACTURED BY BOSCH