Winter Biking Tips
I have a few friends who are about to try their first winter on bike, and have been coming to me for some tips and tricks. I've been riding year round in Minneapolis since 2004 and have learned a thing or two (sometimes awkwardly) about winter cycling.
Obviously, not all locales are suited for year round riding. But if you have the infrastructure,(cities are preferable) winter riding is very feasible. For anyone curious about extending their riding season, hopefully these tips will make it bearable, if not enjoyable.
Clothing:
Layers are your friend. Use wool, silk or wicking synthetics as a base layer and work up from there. Avoid cotton. If you sweat through, it will stay damp and chill you.
Protect your extremities. Biking generates a lot of heat, so your core will kinda take care of itself. Hands and feet, toes especially, are more susceptible to cold. Wool socks and mittens are great. You can find a lot of really effective gear at military surplus stores, plus it's usually inexpensive.
Chilly toes suck.
Bikes:
Put the road bike away. I ride a Bianchi Volpe, which is designed as a cyclocross bike, but even with wide knobby tires I find the riding position unnerving. Therefore I tend to ride mountain or hybrid bikes in the winter. They offer wide knobby tires, a more upright riding position and often come with front shocks. Winter is hard on bikes as well; unless you can easily afford a $1000 29"er or a fat tire bike, a used mountain bike should fit the bill. I like to run a frame that is a little smaller than I would normally ride. You don't need a full leg extension in the winter; it's more important to be able to get toes on the ground while still on the saddle.
Riding:
I'm going to channel Tyler Durden here a bit. You have to accept in your core being that will go down. It is a matter of when, not if.
The good news is that it's rarely that bad. You tend to be padded up with coats and such. Also, riding seems to get easier after your first wipe-out of the season.
That said, you can improve odds of staying upright by relaxing. Smooth control inputs are more important in the winter.
Choose a lower gear. Spinning at a slightly higher cadence helps keeps the bike stable.
Don't inflate tires to the max pressure. A lower psi helps grip on icy surfaces. For example, if the recommend psi range is 40-65, run your tires closer to 40, the front tire especially.
Obviously you need a helmet and lights. If you aren't wearing a helmet, don't throw your leg over the bike.
Hope this is helpful, and may even encourage some of you to try a winter ride.
Have fun and keep the rubber side down.
Peace,
Noodleboy
= new reply since forum marked as read
just thinking about buying a balaclava with the cold weather coming on
