Winter Bikelopnik Advice needed

"Mattbob" (mattbob) 01/02/2014 at 12:19 • Filed to: bikelopnik

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So, yesterday, I made my first foray into snow/ice biking. In the mile and a half I rode, I determined I need studded tires, bigger gloves/mittens, and the booties/biking shoes combo is crap. Also my rear shifter froze up and didn't want to shift. Is there any other advice people can lend me about keeping warm, and upright on a bike in this weather? Does anyone else here do this madness?

Hooker > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:30

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I don't ride if it's lower than 60 degrees. Don't know how to help you other than to tell you not to ride when it's so cold. Be careful in these icy conditions man.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:31

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Simple rule - if there is snow on the road as deep or deeper than the sidewalk, walk your bike on the sidewalk. You are a road hazard like any other ill-prepared car on the road but at least in a car you have an airbag and crumple zones to save you from death. I've almost hit two cyclists who were riding in blizzards. One was wearing white. The gene pool would've been a bit cleaner if my brakes and tires weren't that good.

Mattbob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/02/2014 at 12:33

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sigh, no man. Not road biking. I mean biking on trails. I already ordered studded tires and pedals big enough for boots. Yes I agree, road biking in white in the snow is insanity. Mountain biking in snow an ice, just slightly crazy.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:35

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Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Okay, I got nothing then.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:36

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You can buy special sleeves that cover the handlebars and completely envelop and windproof the riders hands. You should also look into fashioning some sort of cowl to cover the chain and gears so they don't get gunked up with slush. I'd also think some ski goggle treated with Rain-Ex "Anti Fog" stuff on both sides would be a nice thing to have.

Kugelblitz > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:43

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Get a John Deere tractor 12v outlet and wire it into your bike's electrical system. Mount it as close to the seat as you can. Get some electrically heated gear.

I used a Gerber vest and socks, under an aerostitch 1000 denier full suit. Umm, anti-fog shield on the visor, the best snowmobile gloves I could find and of course a ton of thermal wear, which also included a pretty good neck and face type wind sock. My partner had Hippo Hands which re these huge socks which cover the bar ends that you can put your hands inside.

Oh and heated grips on the bike are FABULOUS. Buy them, you will use them more often than you think you will.

For me, riding when it is really cold is a timed exercise. windchill starts subtracting your body temp as soon as you start riding. Look at the temp, calculate your avg. speed and throw in the wind to go get what the actual windchill factor will be. Unless you are adding heat somehow, your thermals will only get you so far until you are in discomfort or worse. electrics ad heat, and good ones have a rheostat so you can adjust it once your vest gets to the right temps. Some of the combo types have the wires and connections in place for gloves and so on. I made up a little chart so I could look at the temps and know what riding gear was suitable for the day.

That said, I stopped riding and took the winter bike (car) when the roads were iced up. I went down super hard on ice one morning, no warning no wheel shimmy just blam and sliding down the road.

davedave1111 > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:50

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I've played on mountain bikes in some snow, although not loads. As far as I'm concerned, you might as well forget about anything you'd normally consider proper riding and just mess around.

Get some proper snow boots and big flatties for pedals, and accept the lost energy trying to flex the boots.

Snow tyres might be nice, but if you don't have them, just use your feet on the ground as outriggers. You'll spend the whole time going so slowly your inability to pedal won't matter, and you'll be having too much fun to care.

You also don't have a problem with the shifter freezing this way, because you won't really need to shift once you're in a lowish gear. Not too low, though, because regular high-torque stomping keeps the blood flowing.

crashonice > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 12:58

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It depends a lot on what type of topography you have around where you ride, and how cold it gets. I used to bike all-year in Montana (down to about 0F or so), and since it was flat I built a single-speed with 700c cyclecross tires that was dead reliable. The tread bit into hardpack like studs, and were quiet and efficient on asphalt and dirt.

If you are going to be in snow, get some studded tires, or at least some 2.2+ mtb tires. Figure out some gear ratios that work for you, and don't bother shifting unless you really really need to. Get good gloves and/or handlebar mits, and most importantly, good lighting front and back.

Also, get something with disc brakes, as they are less prone to icing and snow packing.

Mattbob > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 01/02/2014 at 13:00

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That's what I'm talking about! I need those hand things!!

Mattbob > Kugelblitz 01/02/2014 at 13:01

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sorry... Bicycle.

Mattbob > crashonice 01/02/2014 at 13:04

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Im MTBing, so most of what you said doesn't apply too much. But I definitely need to get better gloves, and perhaps bar mitts. What kind of tires were you using that bit into hard pack but also were good on asphalt?

crashonice > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 13:30

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I don't remember what type of tire it was, but it was some 32x700c cyclecross tire with a very small-block tread (but that was on a hybrid bike). If you're going to be mostly on ice, then you want a narrow tire with very small tread blocks (like an automotive studless snow tire), but if you are going to be more in snow you will want a very fat tire with a keeled tread in the front, and a sort of paddle tread in the back. I don't bike extensively in the winter now, but I've got some 2.4 Mountain King tires that seem to do pretty well. . .there are definitely better ones out there, though.

If you are really serious about winter biking, just get a fat tire bike with studs and you can go anywhere, do anything, and never worry. They are damn impressive. And expensive. . .

Kugelblitz > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 13:37

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Ok that was funny...

Mattbob > crashonice 01/02/2014 at 14:18

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I have a 2.35 nevegal in front right now. That did well in the snow. I just kept falling when I hit the ice under the snow. My back end would just go out sideways from under me, and my front had no real confidence when I wanted to turn if there was ice. So I am going with studs.

timateo81 > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 14:24

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these

and these

and these

everything gets heavier in the winter. good luck

Mattbob > timateo81 01/02/2014 at 14:26

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I almost bought those tires, but went with something with more studs. I am going with regular boots though and big pedals, so I can bail a bit easier. Falling is still a certainty at this point. also, my feet get super cold.

timateo81 > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 14:33

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i found the w240s were overkill for anything commuting could throw at me. trail riding might be different.

the lake boots are awesome. they have this super insulated insole that insulates you from the metal shank and cleats of your regular clipless shoes. they are expensive though. i have poor circulation and finally gave up and bought them. they are awesome, if not a bit heavy.

Mattbob > timateo81 01/02/2014 at 14:39

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Those boots look sweet, but I'm afraid I'm trying to keep the price down. My circulation sucks too. its a bitch to stay active in the winter.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > Mattbob 01/02/2014 at 22:08

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I always thought this type of bike would be excellent in snow, with a pair of small skis attached to the two front wheels for use in deep snow. The zip ties on the rear tire is also something I've read about, but have never tried. I might have a chance with that this weekend, as we have about a foot of snow on the ground, with more to come next week.

Mattbob > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 01/03/2014 at 07:38

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it would be stable, but wouldn't be able to go a lot of places.