You don't typically hear the words bicycle and plow in the same sentence. But for one Cortland man it's a way of life. In a story you'll only see on Time Warner Cable News, Iris St. Meran introduces us to Harry Bridger, the man who built his own pedal-powered snow plow.
CORTLAND, N.Y. -- This is not something you see every day: a bike that can clear snow. "I got a lot of looks. I've had guys stop and take video on their phones and take pictures," said Harry Bridger, The Bridger Bike Company owner.
The idea came from a desire to be more earth friendly. Harry Bridger builds and repairs bikes for a living. He got rid of his car a few years ago and hasn't looked back. When it comes to snow, well, that's a different story.
"Everyone was out there with their snow blowers. I didn't want to purchase fuel to put into my snow blower. And I got tired of shoveling. I wanted to do it a little quicker. So I had this bike. I had re-purposed the old worksman and I got wondering if I could push snow with this thing," said Bridger.
He found answer working with recycled materials.
"I've plowed as much as 10 inches of the white, really light weight fluffy stuff," said Bridger.
He can do about 8 inches of the wet, heavier snow. Bridger has had a number of requests to duplicate this bike plow. But he said, he wants to develop it further before beginning any kind of mass production.
"I want to finish proving it out and testing it and then I'll make it available for sale," said Bridger.
You'll often see him plowing around bike racks in Cortland to allow those who want to ride year round the opportunity to do so. He's not against cars at all but supports everyone doing their part to help the environment. Since taking on this snow clearing task he's noticed other benefits.
"It doesn't take any gas; it's good exercise and it's good for the environment. “Here I am, I'm in my 40s and I'm in the best shape of my life," said Bridger. And as long as there's snow on the ground you'll see him plowing away. And it' doesn't hurt that his peddle power has the help of studded tires.
"It's great on ice, snow. There hasn't been anything I haven't been able to pedal through," said Bridger.
A great lesson for bikes and life: You can weather any storm as long as you keep pushing.
Harry Bridger’s facebook page has more information about his work with bicycles.