Mountain Biking - what about the winter ride's

i whas just wondering how you gyes do it in the winter days ?
what clothes u put on,what parts u change on your bike,some preparation,adjusting stuff on you bike,doing some different trainings or is summer and winter the same for you ?
i mostly ride XC and for the moment it's 4 degrees outside and hard to find some motivation héhé
tkx

Lengthy monologues and dialogues on this topic run through the winter forum.

As a mountain biker, you may need to filter out the urban and commuter content in that forum though ... whenever you see someone recommending a fixed gear, go to the next thread.

bundle up and ride.

dont bundle up too much.........you heat up really really fast while biking in the trails........here is what I wear....

a. Shell Jacket: A very breathable rain shell (if the weather is really wet).....with eVENT fabric and lots of venting options like pit zips and two way zips. Gore-tex material is waterproof but makes you sweat like crazy, eVENT is better. if its sunny and brisk I wear a Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Soft shell over a thin smartwool pull over.

b. base layer/midlayer: depending on how cold and windy it is or how long I am going to ride...I pick my base layer....if its really cold and my ride is longer I wear a Patagonia Capilane mid weight pullover. I have also tried Polartec Power-Dry t-shirts from LL bean, which works great. if it s shorter rides i wear smartwool base layer. I vary the thickness of the base layer based on the duration of the ride.

c. bottom: Black diamond tights and rain pants on very wet conditions......but, most of the times I wear soft shell pants. they fit like tights but are lightly insulated and windproof. They are also very abrasion resistant, so they protect me from rocks and brushes....

d. gore-tex trail running shoes with stiff sole. Where I ride, I need to carry the bikes once in a while. I dont find regular biking shoes very useful for that. for last couple of seasons I have been using some Montrail (mountain mist XCR) and Vasque (catalyst GTX) trail running shoes and they kept my feet really warm and dry. finally, I wear marino wool socks which are great from cold temperature.....

keep in mind that I come from a hiking/backpacking background and my winter biking takes place in North easter USA (NY, PA, MA, VT area)......so depending on your weather and trail conditions you can chose what you want to wear....

winter riding adds a lot challenges to mountian biking... lots of fun...

Man, I was out there this weekend and my lungs were burning so bad from the cold air. It was awful, but I'll be out there again next week :)

héhé yeah winter is not always that easy riding

tkx SherpaPeak for the tips

I just got back from a ride. Wet, cold, slick, and muddy. Really wasn't all that fun. I think ill be doing the rest of my winter riding at Rays, until it snows ofcourse then ill put the bike away till spring.