Allright so here's another one of those. You want to do the bicycling but it's fucking cold and/or slippery. Here's some tips.

Equipment to protect you

  • You want thick gloves and thick shoewear. For the rest of your body, you probably want less isolation than you think. Cycling is sport, it'll warm you up.

  • If it is actively snowing (or worse, raining) a jacket that keeps you dry is important. What's also important is your legs. Rain Pants work, but from my experience you just sweat instead of getting rained on. I like rain legs, they only cover the top of your thighs which is where you're getting hit the most.

  • A scarf, a bandana, a mask to keep your face from hurting. If it's cold and you're doing ~20kph, windchill will get you otherwise.

  • Fenders. You need fenders. The best clothing in the world isn't gonna stop icy water being thrown onto you from being cold.

  • Eye Protection. If it gets cold cold, this isn't just unpleasant, your eyes tearing up fuck with your vision. Sunglasses are the obvious choice. If it's too dark for them, use clear or orange coloured ones. I know they're dorky as hell, but they work great. Otherwise you could go slower, but who wants that.

Adjustments to ride on snow and ice

General tips:

  • Deflate your tyres a bit so they're grippier. Make sure to not go below the minimum PSI, these are printed on the side of the tyre

  • Lower your saddle. This both lowers your center of gravity (good) and also if you slip out you can get your feet on the ground easier. This is not recommended for the big mileage, it can fuck with your knees, but for getting around it's good

  • Never do more than one of these things: Turning, Braking, Accelerating. Your tyres only have so much grip, use them for the thing you want one at a time. Brake before the turn. Accelerate after the turn.

  • Keep your center of gravity upright. Do not lean into turns, just take them slower but note the above point.

  • Do not assume the way is clear. Snow is a deceitful bastard. A light powedering of snow could hide a block of ice, a curb or anything else that'll make you eat shit

  • Adding to this, if you can, ride on the snow- and iceless terrain. Use due dilligence to figure out whether this means a car will hit you and local legislature. Seriously, some assholes honking at you is better than eating shit and losing all your teeth.

  • Get grippier tyres. For snow, this means off knobbly off road tyres. If there's hardly any snow where you live ever, consider just walking it for the 3 days it happens. Otherweise, look to section "Regular Snow and being dependent on your bike".

  • Watch your bike. Roads get salted, this is poison to your bike. You can get rid of light rust with some warm water, steel wool and a good scrubbing. If it keeps happening, you will fuck up your drivetrain, no way around it. Maybe get a winter bike or plan some maintenance.

  • Remember. if the roads are slippery, they are for cars. Your worst case exit move is bailing from your biycle and hurting yourself. Their worst case exit move is plowing 1,5T of steel into anything nearby. Ride accordingly.

  • Change routes. Sideways often remain unplowed, main roads can be a bit better. I know it sucks to ride along a 4-lane arterial, but it might just be safer.

Regular Snow and being dependent on your bike

So the general tips are for everyone. These are for people who have to deal with the problem a lot or really need to deal with the problem even on a few days, because they're dependent on their bike to get around

  • Get spiked tyres (check local legislature). If you don't wann go full in, only get a spiked tyre for your front wheel. The back wheel loosing traction is way easier to counter than the front wheel. Do beware using them on metal though, metal spikes on metal surfaces (sewer grates, tram lines, manhole covers) is slippery.

  • You probably actually want to get a winter beater for this. As said, Salt will kill your bike. If you can, get one you don't care about

  • If you're at that, get one with internal gearing. It removes a few points of failures that can rust.

  • Plan in more time. You're on two relatively narrow wheels. Nobody ever clears the cycle paths. You will have to hoof it sometimes

  • Fit some sort of chainguard, if you can. Or a chain fender via zipties and a plastic bottle. Anything to keep some of the salt away from the important bits.

  • enkifish [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    These have been amazing. I have a couple extra tips.

    1. If it's cold enough you don't need to worry too much about keeping dry from snow. You really need to worry about the wind. Ideally clothing should cut wind but allow sweat/vapor to escape. Jeans work surprisingly well at cutting wind, but may need an extra layer (tights, long underwear) for effective insulation.

    2. You can get frostbite and it can take a finger, toe or nose if you don't plan for keeping appendages warm. If it's cold enough that gloves don't cut it, consider mittens or bar pogies. Use liners.

    3. Learn to layer. Temps can fluctuate around a lot. What works in the morning might not work in the after noon. If your feet/hands are getting cold consider an extra layer over the legs or arms in addition to heavier insulation over the feet/hands.

    4. Wool is your friend. Wool wicks water/sweat away from your body, and it can soak through and still insulate you. Only problem is most wool except merino is itchy and kind of sucks and merino is pretty expensive. Thrift stores often have some cheap used merino sweaters.

    5. Carry an extra layer in case you need to walk for a longer distance. Breakdowns happen. Sometimes snow becomes too deep for the bike you have. As stated already biking is an exercise, you will need less clothing than you think. A good rule of thumb is you should feel chilly when starting off and a nice temp about 10 min in.

    6. Just use normal winter boots with flat pedals.

    • 4bicycles [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      To add one point to this, Wool is inner layer and inner layer only. Do not put it on the outside.