Winter Cycling - Winter Cycling 101 - redux

Finally have ravingbikefiend.com back online and project number one is to re-write Winter Cycling 101 as all the old content was set on fire and burned to ashes so will be starting anew.

I welcome questions, comments, and ideas and figure that wit a little work, a bunch of coffee, and a little help I will have this resource back up and it will be better than ever.

Right now all we have is a blank page... let's change that.

Winter Cycling 101 (http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/?page_id=12)

If anyone might have copied the old text and saved it and wants to send it to me that would save a great deal of time...

Excellent! I've been missing the blog and found the 101 content to be useful last year. I'm pretty new to the winter cycling one (last year was my first), so I'm not likely to be much help with ideas.

Looks like there are seven snapshots in web.archive.org-- last is Feb 2011: http://web.archive.org/web/20110202141652/http://ravingbikefiend.com/

Some content there... not sure how much.

It would be good to have a few tips on bike handling. This is something discouraged me when I first tried riding a little later in the season. I gave up after wiping out in the same spot on two consecutive days.When I eventually did start riding in the winter the two things that helped me the most were doing almost all of my braking with the rear brakes and keeping the bike more upright on turns by leaning into the turn. Basic stuff, but I didn't know it.

It would be good to have a few tips on bike handling. This is something discouraged me when I first tried riding a little later in the season. I gave up after wiping out in the same spot on two consecutive days.When I eventually did start riding in the winter the two things that helped me the most were doing almost all of my braking with the rear brakes and keeping the bike more upright on turns by leaning into the turn. Basic stuff, but I didn't know it.

Will do... my usual advice is to always look straight ahead and keep pedaling which works for more than just cycling.

I usually ride on inappropriate tyres and bikes - my advice is "Don't panic!". When things start to slip, just stay away from those brake levers, don't wrestle the bike, sit still and lightly on the bike - momentum can carry you through quite a lot.

Only thing I can find is http://web.archive.org/web/20090310185448/http://ravingbikefiend.com/?

doesn't seem to be a reference to that back then.


If anyone might have copied the old text and saved it and wants to send it to me that would save a great deal of time...

It's not that different from riding in the wet mud or sand over hardpack. In such situations, the front brake lever should be used very sparingly.

As compared to dry tarmac, where you use exclusively the front lever.

I can use all the tips I can get my hands on. I'm preparing my Dahon Speed D7 for the winter. Only thing is that I want to do it cheaply without spending big bucks on tires and such. I want to use the stock tires for winter and then upgrade to Big Apples for summer riding where I will remove the fenders and rear rack to get the biggest size to fit. The roads get cleaned and salted pretty well here in Brampton where I would be doing most of my riding....to the gym, coffee shops, etc....

Any tips on brakes, rust-prevention, lighting, clothing, lubing, would be great! I plan on overhauling my hubs once my cone wrenches arrive.