How to Use Your Yukon Kicksled
Setting up your kicksled:
Pull the handlebars to an upright
position and push the upper brackets in to the slots at the rear of the lower
brackets. Line up the holes and install the quick pins. Now you are ready to
go!
Folding the kicksled:
To fold the kicksled, pull out
the two quick pins, lift the handlebar up and fold it down flat against the
runners. Now the kicksled is ready to be stored or transported.
Kicking:
To begin kicksledding place your
support foot on the footpad and lift the kicking foot by bending the knee. The
majority of your weight should be on the support foot, not the handlebar. Bend
the support leg and use your weight to push the kicking foot down and back.
The kick is initially long with
some glide between kicks. As the speed increases, the kicks get shorter and
faster and the glide between kicks gets longer. After the kick, swing your leg
forward to start the next kick. Occasionally swap feet by placing the raised
foot on the other runner.
Turning:
A left turn is made by standing
on the left runner, turning the handlebars to the left and kicking with the
right foot. The runners flex to help the kicksled perform the turn.
A right turn is made by standing
on the right runner and kicking with the left foot while turning the handlebars
to the right. The runners flex to help turn the kicksled.
Braking:
Braking can be accomplished by
standing on both runners and pushing the runners away from each other. This
method is similar to doing a snowplow on skiis.
Snow Floats:
The Snow Floats are plastic
extrusions that clip on to the bottom of the metal runners. They are usefull in
soft snow conditions and on most hard packed surfaces. The Snow Floats can be
removed for greater speed on solid ice surfaces. The Snow Float extrusion has a
groove down the center and is installed using a soft hammer to tap the extrusion
in place. A plastic strap is used to fasten the front of the extrusion to the
curve of the metal runner.
Locking the Kicksled:
The kicksled can be locked to a
pole or bike stand with a padlock through the holes at the back of the runners.
Light:
A standard bike light can be
installed on the handlebar to light your way at night.
Optional foot brake:
The optional foot brake is easily
installed for a safe and reliable way to slow down or stop the kicklsled. The
foot brake installs on the crossbar below the handlebar and at the two quick
pins.Operation of the foot brake is simple. To stop the kicksled just push down
gently until the brake contacts the snow surface.
Optional tug line:
The dog tug line is used to
connect your dog harness to the kicksled. It has an internal elastic cord to
take up the slack line to reduce the jarring on your dog’s shoulders. The
dog tug line is connected to kicksled through the two holes in the brackets on
the runners and through the center loop at the front of the kicksled. Tug lines
are available at Duffy’s Pets and Tanzilla Harness Supply.