article_snippet: If it were possible for anything to be hot in Buffalo this winter, it was the newfangled 'ice bikes' that debuted at an outdoor skating rink.
article_snippet: The bicycles on ice skates were an immediate hit when The bicycles on ice skates glided onto the Ice at Canalside the day the new rink opened on the city's waterfront.
article_snippet: the bikes give even nonskaters a chance to try out the ice, along with the warm nuts, hot cocoa and craft beer sold at nearby kiosks.
article_snippet: the bikes had to be sturdy, not tip and co-exist with ice skaters.
article_snippet: Prototype testing showed that sharper blades, like on ice skates, were too fast, as were flat blades that worked like a ski.
article_snippet: While originally scared that the bikes would damage the ice, inventor Lisa Florczak told The Buffalo News 'The rink guards said The rink guards did as much to the ice as a 5-year-old would do while ice skating.'
article_snippet: so The rink guards don't rust in the snow, the contraptions ride like a regular bicycle, only without the need to balance.
article_snippet: The inaugural year had 15 bikes on the ice on weekends only, with riders paying $10 for a half-hour turn.
highlights_snippet: Bike with rectangular base glides easily on the Ice, with no need to balance .