ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Ice skates might not be for everyone, but the Packers are hoping two wheels will allow more people out on the rink.
Lisa Florczak, owner of Ice Bikes of Buffalo, was in Titletown for the rink’s grand opening to introduce and demonstrate her 2014 creation: the ice bike.
“Well one day out of the blue, I received an email from the Green Bay Packers saying hey we saw these ice bikes on the internet, give us some information about them.
Florczak tells FOX 11 she came up with the idea of the self-balancing ice bike while running her water bike rental business on the Buffalo River.
“It’s been a perennial hit ever since. The ice bikes are great for people who don’t know how to ice skate, maybe people who don’t want to fall anymore.”
If you’re thinking an ice bike is the only way for you to get on the ice Jackie Krutz, Titletown’s Programs and Events Manager, says you will have to be a little patient.
“So the ice bikes are not available right now to rent, but they will in the near future. One thing you should know is if you want to ride the ice bikes, you need to bring your own helmet.”
Krutz says you also bring ice skaters with you if you want.
“They can coexist, but safety is our utmost concern for everyone, so we just want to make sure that we do it little at a time until everyone gets used to it.”
“They were designed to not go fast,” said Florczak. “They were designed specifically and intentionally to be slow, so they could coexist with the skaters.”
Titletown will eventually have six ice bikes available.
You can only find ice bikes in Titletown, Buffalo and Rochester New York, Michigan and Vancouver, Canada.
The cost to rent them in Buffalo is $12 dollars per half hour. If you wanted to buy your own, the cost is $1,800.
However, you’d likely need to travel to Buffalo to pick it up.
