Winter Cycling 101

[TRaffic Jammer]

My 10 spd already has suffered frozen derailluers and now is a salted up mess. Rubber banded fenders do a pretty good job protecting me but not so much the bike. If I dislike cleaning it during the summer I really dislike cleaning it in the winter. I switch to my fixie/singlespeed for winter because it has fewer parts to muck up, full fenders and 35c tires.

Does anyone found a full chaincase for a fixie or better yet a regular touring 10 speed?

http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer/ waiting for mine

[sherbornpeddler]

Key will be to prevent splash up on ones toes and protecting the chain. Let me know how it works out.
I do ride more ss than fixed in snow but do have a bit more breaking riding fixed when my brakes are wet.

[TRaffic Jammer]

Staying up when the bike breaks traction and slides sideways in a filthy painted corner, priceless.

[sauze]

Just saw this 65'er, great tips. Had to chuckle at the Winnipeg shoutout. All too true... snowfall warning in effect today


Weather for Winnipeg, MB - Add to iGoogle
-5°C | °F
Current: Snow
Wind: SE at 34 km/h
Humidity: 91%
Fri

-4°C | -16°CSat

-16°C | -24°CSun

-22°C | -27°CMon

-21°C | -26°C

[no1mad]

Just read the WC 101, and I've still questions. Regarding bike selection, I read where most people preferred mtbs. So I take it that basically any geo that puts the rider in a more upright position is more favorable over a more aggressive, aero position? Or is because the mtbs can run a much wider tire than the road/track bikes can? And how important does chainstay length and overall wheelbase factor in?

[Stuffstuff1]

You never discussed tire pressure here!

I live in NYC so its only really snowy here for maybe 2 weeks a year (With a exception this year Smghh)

and i LOVE taking my bicycle to the park and riding. Infact during the blizzard i decided to take my bicycle to flushing meadows and snap a pic of all the fresh snow. (Worlds fair globe)



Any ways.. There is a trick!

you can either 1 Over inflate your tires: Althought dangerous snow generally tends to "Fill" the pot holes and "Smooth" the edges. So by over inflating you cant cut through the loose piles and ride over the harden

OR (My favorite) is deflate the tires almost to the point where if you jumped of a ledge you will break your rim.

What i find is that it get more grip on the snow (The tire that is) and distributes the weight more. So you can ride over loose piles if your going fast enough.

Wether this is good advice or bad i dunno but after a couple days in the park experimenting that is what i concluded.

[Sixty Fiver]

Did I forget to mention something about tyre pressure ?

With an mtb and mtb tyres you can usually run lower pressures which aids traction and improves the ride over frozen bumpy roads but I would not not go below the tyre's minimum lest you pinch flat or exceed the maximum as this has a negative effect on handling.

Higher volume road tyres can also be run at lower pressures which also smooths out the ride a little.

[Sixty Fiver]

Just read the WC 101, and I've still questions. Regarding bike selection, I read where most people preferred mtbs. So I take it that basically any geo that puts the rider in a more upright position is more favorable over a more aggressive, aero position? Or is because the mtbs can run a much wider tire than the road/track bikes can? And how important does chainstay length and overall wheelbase factor in?

Increased chainstay length and wheelbase can significantly improve ride although handling will not be as quick...

[Stuffstuff1]

Well your not really supposed to be turning when riding in the snow so bad handling is bairly a issue.

How ever it is true this is a great way to damage your tires. but its worth experimenting with if you have a extra Tire / tube (My 2 cents)

[Sixty Fiver]

Ever change a flat in sub zero temps ?

[Stuffstuff1]

Yes i have...... Well I patched in sub-zero

Not fun. But its better then walking to work

[Ultraspontane]

Hmmm, the page seems to be down...

[zencalm]

65er, put up another link please! the page is down and I want to read what you have to say. This is my first winter commuting, and I've read lots of advice, but the more the better.

[Sixty Fiver]

Have been delays in getting the site back up... may have to go and kick start my IT guy.

[Big Bad G]

65er, put up another link please! The page is down and i want to read what you have to say. This is my first winter commuting, and i've read lots of advice, but the more the better.

x2

[katcorot]

I'll enjoy reading these tips while dreaming that it'll actually snow here in the city.

[Pynchonite]

I'm having trouble with the site: tells me that it can't be found.

[Sixty Fiver]

The site is back up but is waiting on re-verification... have been working on a re-write of the WC101 article and it's url has changed with a new page assignment number.

Try pasting this link into a browser window...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/?page_id=12

Changed the link in the first post as well.

Let me know if you get any warnings... these seem to stem from a caching issue with some browsers.

[Pynchonite]

Huzzah! Page = GO!

[Sixty Fiver]

Huzzah! Page = GO!

Excellent !

There is still much work to be done and will appreciate any input and suggestions for what to include. Will be adding some info on maintainence and mindset...

[Sixty Fiver]

Just posting so I might come back to it later. Re: WD-40 it's for anti seize. We messengers used to carry a small can around in our bags in the winter for all manner of stuff. Chains, shifters, cables, brake pivot points, seat posts, just about anything. It is not a lube though, it has some in it mixed with the loosening agents, but it does work. We'd spray it on on those 10cm+ of snow days to help keep the freewheel clear of ice with the exception of the single gear you were riding. It's not uncommon to see a messenger get off his bike at a light and bounce/kick all the crap off it that had gathered.

I was lucky in that I had a friend that lived a block from a fire station , so they'd hose the bikes down at the end of a gross sloppy day for us.

I'm toying with the idea of trying to mount 28mm cross tires on my road brake setup Paké for this winter.

WD40 is really poor lube but does work well as a quick anti seize... my homebrew lube uses WD40 as a solvent base for he added synthetic oil (which makes it an excellent lube) and it flows well in very cold conditions whereas regular oil flows like honey.

Added more content today...

[JeanSeb]

Nice work, I think you're talking about pretty much everything. Very useful and inspiring. (Can't wait for the snow !)

[Closed Office]

WD40 is NOT a lubricant

It certainly isn't, and I'm surprised how many people think it is. It totally dried up and evaporates. It's a bit like putting gasoline on something to lubricate it. That might clean the part a bit, maybe even make it run a bit smoother, but it isn't a lubricant.

The idea of using it to clear ice or snow is new to me, and sounds much better.

[cyclezealot]

Sweet! Excellent info.

Could use some shots of you riding the bikes.

Yes.. ^.... Riding techniques is the relevant information for us this past couple of weeks.. While we have had no snow and ice from the Siberian Express, the cold and wind have been terrible.. Especially the wind.. Bike clothes can make the cold tolerable. But, the wind's worst fear is blowing us over.. We've had gusts of up to 60 Miles /Hour..
How does one cope with side gusts of that magnitude.. ? Sometimes, I'll give it a try , but it scares the dickens out of me.. I'll give it a try because I think I know the best routes for protection from the wind.. ( Tree covered as one example.) I feel my heavier touring bike takes the gusts a bit better, but it is still scary.
. What wind conditions do we all find to be our upper limit before we get out the trainer. ? My mileage is down to 41 Km this past week. I am sick of winter..

[Sixty Fiver]

It has been such an odd winter... biggest issue now is that with warm temperatures we have had a lot of melting and the main roads are rather clear and dry but the side streets are still in that process and there are those ice berms on the road where there used to be tyre tracks.

These are raised patches of ice that are smooth as glass