冰上自行车让冬天不再寒冷

If it were possible for anything to be hot in Buffalo， N.Y. this winter， it was the newfangled[新流行的]“ice bikes” that debuted at an outdoor skating rink[滑冰场].

The bicycles on ice were an immediate hit. They glided[滑行] onto the ice at canalside[在运河边上的] the day the new rink opened on the citys waterfront.

That was in December. Since then， riders who have ignored the breath-taking[惊人的] cold to rent them have convinced inventor Lisa Florczak that shes onto something. And there were inquiries from several other cold-weather cities. Localities in Wyoming， Michigan， Minnesota and Canada are interested in rolling them out[首次展示] next year.

“I had no idea if this would work or how people would respond，” Florczak said. “I thought I might end up being the laughingstock[嘲笑的对象] of the city.”

Instead， she is relishing[享受] being part of Buffalos efforts to revitalize[使……恢复生气] its waterfront. The city wants to draw people yearround[一年到头]， even when the Lake Erie breeze is something more endured[忍耐] than enjoyed. The bikes give even non-skaters a chance to try out the ice. There are also warm nuts and hot cocoa sold at nearby kiosks[報摊].

Florczaks family business is Water Bikes of Buffalo. It was renting pontoon[浮筒] bikes that let riders pedal[骑车] the Buffalo River in warmer months. Then economic development officials put out a call for ideas for a 33，000-square-foot ice rink. It was being built nearby on a recreation[娱乐] area of the Erie Canal.

“They said the ice is going to be pretty large. And they thought they might need something more than just skating，” Florczak said.

Curling[冰壶]， hockey and broomball[类似曲棍球的游戏] leagues emerged.

“I thought： ‘What a perfect opportunity to go from water biking to ice biking，”Florczak said.

She bought a bike off the rack[现成的] at Wal-Mart注. The bikes had to be sturdy[坚固的]， not tip and co-exist with ice skaters. Prototype testing[样机试验] showed that sharper blades[刀刃]， like on ice skates， were too fast， as were flat[扁平的] blades that worked like a ski.

The finished product is a 26-inch bike. It sits on a rectangular[矩形的] base with a duller[钝的] blade replacing the front wheel. Stainless steel[不锈钢] ensures that they dont rust[生锈] in the snow. They ride like a regular bicycle. Riders brake[刹车] by pedaling backward.

“Its very neat[灵巧的]，” said Dave Wolf.“No sharp turns[急转弯]. And once you get used to it， its a pretty nice ride.” Wolf said he rode a three-wheel bike in the nice weather and liked the idea of a winter alternative.

The inaugural[开始的] year had 15 bikes on the ice on weekends， with riders paying$10 for a half-hour turn. There are plans to sell kits[装备] that will let people turn their own bicycles for about $1，500 and the company is hoping for orders from other cities that will make for[促进] a busy “off season[淡季].”

如果今年冬天纽约布法罗城要有一股热潮的话，那便非这个在户外溜冰场首次登台的新型“冰上自行車”莫属了。

冰上自行车一经发布就大受欢迎。位于城市湖滨区的全新溜冰场开放的那天，冰上自行车开始在运河边上投入使用。

那是在12月份。自那时起，骑行者们忘却了严寒，纷纷来租用这款新型自行车，这也使得其发明者丽莎·佛洛扎克确信此事大有可为。另外还有许多来自其他天气寒冷的城市的人也向她询问冰上自行车。美国怀俄明州、密歇根州、明尼苏达州以及加拿大的人们都有兴趣在明年展示下这款新型自行车。

“我不确定冰上自行车能否达到效果，也不清楚人们会作何评价，”佛洛扎克说。“我想自己也许最后会成为全城笑柄。”

而她乐于成为布法罗城的一分子，让海滨地区再次焕发生机。这座城市一年四季都想吸引游客前来，尽管有时候伊利湖的风让人无福消受。冰上自行车让那些不会滑冰的人有机会尝试一下在冰面上滑行的感觉。周边的报刊亭也会销售暖暖的坚果及热可可。

布法罗的水上自行车是佛洛扎克的家族生意。在较温暖的月份里，公司会出租浮筒自行车，让骑手能够在布法罗河上骑行。随后，负责经济发展规划的官员们呼吁，要为开发一个33000平方英尺（约3066平方米）的溜冰场征集创意想法。这个溜冰场就建在附近伊利运河的一块休闲区里。

“他们称溜冰场会建得非常大，他们还设想着除了溜冰，溜冰场还可以有其他用途。”佛洛扎克说道。

冰壶、冰球以及其他类似冰球运动的联盟相继出现了。

“我想，这是一个多么好的机会啊，从水上自行车发展到冰上自行车。”佛洛扎克说。

佛洛扎克从沃尔玛买了辆组装好的自行车。自行车必须要坚固、不易翻倒而且能和溜冰者共存。样车测试表明锋利的刀刃会像溜冰鞋一样在冰上滑得过快，而钝的刀刃则如同雪橇一般。

最后的成品是一辆26英寸的自行车。它的底部是一个矩形基座，前轮被一把较钝的刀刃所替代。不锈钢的构造保证车辆不会因冰雪而生锈。他们骑起来和普通自行车并无不同，骑行者后蹬就可以刹车了。

“它十分灵巧，”戴夫·沃尔夫说。“无需急转弯。而且一旦你适应了，它会是很棒的骑行经历。”他说天气好的时候，他会去骑三轮车。他喜欢将冰上自行车作为冬天骑行另一选择的想法。

第一年会有15辆冰上自行车在周末投入使用，骑行者支付10美元就可以骑行半小时。公司计划销售零件，让顾客花1500美元后就可以把自己的自行车改装成冰上自行车。公司还希望其他城市也能购入这种冰上自行车，这样有助于让原本的骑行“淡季”变得兴旺起来。

注：即沃尔玛公司，美国的世界性连锁企业，以营业额计算为全球最大的公司，其控股人为沃尔顿家族。