Sure, winter might mean frozen roads and snow-filled streets but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to put your bicycle away for the season. With a few minor tweaks and preparations, you can ride your bike all winter long.
Whether you use your bike to commute on city streets or ride mountain trails, winter biking can be fun and invigorating. Riding on ice and snow definitely takes some getting used to, but once you’ve adapted, you might just become addicted.
10 Tips for Winter Bicycling
1. If you’ve got to contend with ice, studded tires are the way to go.
2. Lower the pressure in your tires to around 15-20 psi to ride through snow.
3. Wide rim tires, like SnowCat rims, improve traction and flotation in snow and ice.
4. Equip your bike with powerful front and rear lighting to be sure you can see and be seen in a variety of winter conditions.
5. Mount reflectors on your bike – white reflectors are more effective than red ones.
6. Pedal smoothly and relax your upper body while traveling on ice and snow. If you start to slide or get sideways, make small corrections until you straighten out. Over-correcting will only make it worse. Practice on empty streets or trails.
7. Use your rear brake when riding on ice and don’t brake too hard. On soft snow, avoid sinking by keeping up a good speed. If you go too slow, you’ll sink.
8. LAYER! A moisture-wicking base layer made of synthetic or wool is the way to go. Follow with a mid layer, an insulating layer and a windproof shell (very important!). It’s okay to start the ride feeling cool – your body will generate heat quickly once you get going.
9. If it’s snowing or the wind is blowing, ski goggles will be your best friend.
10. Always wear a helmet. For winter riding you might want to consider wearing a balaclava under your helmet or at the very least a winter hat to protect your ears.
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