RSS FeedHappy November! While some of you out there may be dreading the cold weather, the snow and/or rain, and the dark mornings and evenings, winter riding can still be fun! To help you enjoy riding this winter, we’ve collected the best in Winter Riding Tips from our bike messenger friends: these are the experts!
—-Your Body—-
Layer! Think thin, think breathable, think re-arrangeable. Wear multiple layers, and pieces that can be removed easily, such as arm warmers and vests, so you can change your insulation level as you warm up, and control extremeties and core separately. A thin base wicking layer, in-between insulating layer, and outer wind/waterproof layer will go a long way to keeping you comfy. Go for wicking and breathability whenever you can, as sweat buildup can be just as bad as not being insulated or getting wet when it’s cold out. Ideal materials are polar fleece and wool, which will insulate even when wet, and modern technical synthetics, which pull moisture away from the body. Cotton should generally be avoided if you’re exerting yourself or getting wet in cold weather.
Keep your hands and feet warm and dry. Nothing sucks like getting where you’re going and having to stand/sit there with cold, wet feet. Whether you invest in neoprene booties, full-on Gore-Tex®, or just put plastic bags inside your shoes, you’ll find it worth it to be sitting in class or at work with cozy dry feet. Good wool socks (with an extra pair stashed in your bag just in case) are awesome, fenders (get front as well as rear) will help keep the slush off your feet in the first place, and gaiters will help keep your pant legs dry. And hang on to all those free newspapers; stuff em’ in your shoes when you get home and sit the shoes on a vent overnight so you’re not sticking your feet into clammy shoes the next morning. Of course, some people prefer to simply swap cleats out for flat pedals and winter boots once the snow flies. Although they may look clunky and inefficient, they can make a huge difference to how warm and dry your feet stay.
“L.L. Bean - The Maine Hunting Shoe 12″ I originally bought these boots for muddy canoe portages and soon discovered they were great for slushy winter rides. Tall and waterproof: They are made with a rubber bottom and a 12 inch leather upper to keep you warm and dry from the salty spray. The Bean boots are less bulky than winter boots and clean up just involves giving them a rinse.
In past, I commuted in cycling cheats with Geotex socks. Maintenance was time consuming for the cheats were often wet and rusty. Unlike skinny little cheats, the Bean boots are available in EE width.”
-RD -Former winter commuter in Ottawa & Part-time winter cyclist in Toronto. Deals with slushy city streets.
For your hands, thin liner gloves under a waterproof shell work well in the wet and cold weather, and “lobster claws” are great on the super-cold days (though they can be awkward on the levers). While your grandma’s hand-knit mittens are great for walking around, you’ll find they let in the cold wind and are too clumsy for riding in. Most good riding gloves have a nice terry cloth patch on the thumbs for wiping your nose as you ride. Trust us, you’ll use it!
—-Your Bike—-
There’s no question that winter is an equipment challenge, whether you’re dealing with more salt than snow (like here in Toronto), rain every single day plus some (hi Vancouver!), or lots and lots of snow and ice. So don’t go out there on your super-sweet all NJS baby; get a cheapish winter beater than won’t break your heart if a hub seizes up, something with a minimum of levers and cables and other fiddly moving parts (like derailleurs). For minimal care, when you get home from riding, pour some hot water over it to get rid of the worst crud, put some fresh lube on the chain when it’s dry, and then in spring you can replace whatever’s trashed, tune up the rest and keep it on foul-weather duty.
“Use a lot of grease with things like seat posts, stem, bottom brackets etc. so that in the spring after the winter you can get them out again. If you are dead tired and don”t want to clean the whole bike, at least wipe down the braking surfaces and lube the chain and ignore the ugly dirt and salt for a couple of days.” MH - Toronto
Fat Knobbies or Skinny Slicks? The best tire for urban winter riding is largely a matter of personal preference, with advantages and disadvantages for both styles. Wide mountain bike tires with deep treads can grip into snow, but if there’s too much snow they can cause you to “float” on it rather than grip, and make you feel like you’re steering a boat. Skinny, treadless tires may seem counter-intuitive for bad conditions, but many prefer the way they can cut through deep snow and slush to make contact with the road. Studded tires can be great on ice, but should be reserved for places where there’s lots of it, as they’re not really meant for bare pavement.Be visible! While a big orange reflective vest is probably overkill, it’s prudent to at least have a front and rear light during the winter. Before you know it you’ll be riding home in the dark, and rain and snow decrease drivers’ visibility even more, so make sure they know you’re there! There are many many versions out there, just get something that you can easily stash in your bag (it won’t work if it’s sitting at home on your table), and is easy to clip on and off your handlebars and seat post (so that it doesn’t become somebody else’s light).
—-Your Technique—-
Know your road hazards! If you have a regular route, know where all the sewer grates, manhole covers, streetcar/tram tracks, metal plates, bad potholes etc. are BEFORE the snow falls. Once they get covered up, they’re like land mines, just waiting for you to make a misstep so they can send you flying.
Photo by Knarf
No Sudden Movements! In snow, slush and ice, your best friend is a straight line. Look well ahead and pay attention to the traffic, road features and conditions so that you know where you need to go well ahead of time and can move there gradually. Try to avoid sharp turns and sudden stops, particularly when you can’t actually see the pavement (ice gets extra slippery when there’s a bit of snow hiding it). Riding like this also makes it easier for people around you to know what you’re doing, and they’ll be more likely to respond appropriately to your movements.
Big through streets or small side streets? You may feel safer riding on the smaller, slower side streets when the weather’s bad, but keep in mind that the large streets are likely to be cleared of snow more quickly, and to have less ice than smaller streets that may be in shade most of the day and not salted. It’s also important to remember that unless your city is really dedicated to clearing bike lanes, they could be full of all the snow that’s been scraped off the street, which could turn a previously good route into a full-on obstacle course. So think about whether you’d feel more comfortable with a cleaner road surface or less traffic, as well as how the conditions change your usual streets, and plan your route in advance.
—-Your Suggestions—-
Got any favourite winter strategies that we didn’t mention? Email them to us and we’ll post the best ones here; just include your city and general conditions (we won’t publish your name unless you ask us to; we may edit for length). If you’re one of the first five to respond with a tip, we’ll send you a free UTW stuff sac!
