Thanks to Bike Calgary volunteers Darin, Josh, and Kimberley (thanks so much guys!) we now have an introduction to winter riding in the resources section:
http://bikecalgary.org/winterriding
Check it out. Comments are enabled for now, but please only comment on the content -- typos, errors, things we missed, etc. Any more tangetial discussion about winter riding, please just post in this forum!
Beautiful! Thank you, well
Submitted by Julie Gregg on
Beautiful! Thank you, well done. Any great tips for riding in "brown snow"?
Three tips for brownsnow
Submitted by gyrospanner on
1) Avoid it, or
2) Buy a tank, or
3) Shovel it off the road....
HAH!
Brown snow. I put more power
Submitted by Coldfeet_Paul on
Brown snow. I put more power to the back wheel and more or less forget about steering. In general when I find myself steering in snow I revert to putting more power to the back wheel. :)
BROWNSNOW
Submitted by pinkrobe on
I really dislike brownsnow.
Stewart has a list of tips
Submitted by Richard Z on
Stewart has a list of tips which is linked from that page (at bottom), here directly:
http://bikecalgary.org/node/3031
Nice work
Submitted by RichieRich on
A suggestion to include a brief discussion of :
safety and repair equipment, and
looking out for fellow commuters who might need a Good Samaritan's hand, and
the perils of trying to stop suddenly and/or blowing through stop lights/signs
What do you have in mind?
Submitted by Bike Calgary on
What do you have in mind? None of these are specific to winter riding, are they?
Good Samaritans important in winter
Submitted by winterrider on
In the winter there are far fewer cyclists out on the paths, and the seriousness of a breakdown increases as the temperature goes down.
If the same percentage of people stop to offer assistance in the winter as in summer, it is entirely possible that someone who needs help won't get it because the one or two people who pass them won't stop.
I think that pointing out that if you see someone in any kind of trouble in the winter, you might be their only recourse. Even if you don't have tools/part to repair their bike, or a phone to call for help, you might be able to call someone when you get to a phone.
Given the risks of exposure in winter, I do think that a heightened sensitivity to fellow path users (cyclists and non-cyclists alike) is very specific to winter cycling.
On Richie's other points, the same logic applies. A note indicating that mechanical breakdowns, or a lack of safety equipment (lights, breaks) can very quicky become that much more serious in winter due to cold and ice.
Blowing through stop signs/red lights again if you get caught in a rut or brown snow half way across and then a car shows up and can't stop due to ice.
The main gist is that you should be taking a much more safety concious approach in winter due to the conditions, and even for experienced riders its sometimes useful to have it all spelled out again. I know I like reading winter riding tips at the start of every winter just to remind myself.
extra gear in the pack
Submitted by azhu on
Further to the comments above regarding winter safety, a little section on some suggested gear for safety might be a good reminder. I guess how much stuff you bring is a personal preference and depending where you ride.
The canal path I have been riding is usually not busy (1 track yesterday) so I have been carrying an emergency bivy sack, windproof shell jacket and pants and a down sweater jacket for emergency if I got in a bad accident and had to stay and wait for help. Useful items if somebody else on the trail required it. Added weight for training and traction too I guess.
jacket good idea
Submitted by mikewarren on
I usually bring a puffy jacket of some sort on winter rides in case of stopping for flats or snacks or scenery-viewing or whatever.
Singletrack article
Submitted by RichieRich on
http://singletrack.competitor.com/2011/12/bikes-tech/snow-riding-dressin...
Presents lots of interesting ideas, but I have to question how much actual cold weather riding the author has actually done.
Vapor barrier
Submitted by mercator on
That 'wet and warm' section made me wonder: does anybody actually do that?
It sounds horrible
Submitted by winterrider on
All I can think of is my feet sloshing around inside a plastic bag full of water and developing the world's worst blisters.
I've never heard of this idea before, and I wouldn't say its bad without understanding it, but my gut tells me it would too uncomfortable to put up with. I hate being slimy, and this sounds slimy.
I saw at least one comment with the article from someone who is going to try the plastic bags though....
works here
Submitted by RichieRich on
So this morning in the bike cage some dude has his socks and 2 plastic bags hanging, drying, on his bike frame. Not something I'll be trying anytime soon during the winter, but then again I have winter riding shoes.
Now in the summer or shoulder seasons I have used the bags but that was to keep excessive moisture *out*
i used the plastic bag long time ago
Submitted by azhu on
Way back in the uni days, I biked one winter but was just a noob about it. Did not know about shoe covers or was not available? I recall reading a bike magazine and one of the tips for winter riding was using plastic bags over the socks. I think it was Ned Overand advice actually and he said the subway bags worked best as it would not bunch up as much. I used the plastic bread bags as it was thicker plastic and it worked pretty good for that winter. I think it worked fairly well only because my trip was short(7km) so my feet did not get too cold before I got to my destination. I tried it again this winter after many years of not commuting on a bike and found my feet got a bit too cold for my liking so I got the shoe covers. I don't notice sweating to be a problem with the bag when paired with wool socks but then my summer biking shoes has a lot of mesh so my feet never got the chance to overheat.
I use them occasionally
Submitted by themacneils on
I use plastic bags inside my socks and they work great. It's kept my feet comfortable inside my day hiking runners and a thick pair of socks whereas before I would have had to resort to wearing my Sorels. We have a box of those thin disposable latex gloves and I keep a pair in the top of pack just in case. I've used them inside my lobster mitts and they extended my temperature range too and I don't have the greatest circulation in my feet or toes.
That said, so far this winter, I think I've only needed maybe 3 times so far? My commute is only 12k so I don't know how they would work over a longer ride.
I use them occasionally
Submitted by themacneils on
I use plastic bags inside my socks and they work great. It's kept my feet comfortable inside my day hiking runners and a thick pair of socks whereas before I would have had to resort to wearing my Sorels. We have a box of those thin disposable latex gloves and I keep a pair in the top of pack just in case. I've used them inside my lobster mitts and they extended my temperature range too and I don't have the greatest circulation in my feet or toes.
That said, so far this winter, I think I've only needed maybe 3 times so far? My commute is only 12k so I don't know how they would work over a longer ride.
don't like the feeling of plastic on skin, myself
Submitted by seanyyc on
Not sure about INSIDE the sock, but I've had plenty of winters with a plastic bag outside wool socks.
Works great for me.
Those cold weather articles
Submitted by gyrospanner on
always amaze me - it looks like they are riding in the highlands of Arizona or something where all they get is a skiff of snow once in a while and they make it sound like it's such a brutal endurance feat to overcome those conditions.
I wear my normal full finger summeer gloves down to about 0! And long pants/long underwear and layers up top in case it goes above zero for the ride home. No winter "preparedness" required. I'll tradbe them one day of -20 with a gusty wind for a month's worth of -2C riding anyday!