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This super 'cool' bike has wheels made of ice

Watch as mad hacker Colin Furze gives a BMX bike a set of ice wheels and then rides it atop a glacier in Canada -- just because he can.

Michael Franco
Freelancer Michael Franco writes about the serious and silly sides of science and technology for CNET and other pixel and paper pubs. He's kept his fingers on the keyboard while owning a B&B in Amish country, managing an eco-resort in the Caribbean, sweating in Singapore, and rehydrating (with beer, of course) in Prague. E-mail Michael.
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Michael Franco

When you're a mad scientist who's already created your own metal claws, magnetic boots and wrist-mounted flame thrower, what will you think of next? A bike with wheels made of ice, of course.

That's what Colin Furze of Stamford, England, has just done by hacking a BMX bike. And while it all looks pretty fun and easy in the video (above) in which he shows off his "ice bike," it's in the "making of" video (below) that you truly appreciate how much work went into the project. For starters, Furze's first wheel simply cracked and fell off, so he had to come up with a way to ensure the structural integrity of the hub and ice combo. His ice wheels are also a lot wider than standard bike tires, so he basically had to custom-make a frame that could hold them.

But, fortunately for you and me, Furze is willing to undertake all of this work so that we don't have to. All we have to do is sit back and marvel at the madness. (Oh, and speaking of madness, what's up with the passed-out guy and assault riffles that appear in the background of the "making of" video? What's really going on in your lab, Furze?)