Winter Tips

Go for it! Way to be riding in the winter! Not everyone is bold enough to do it. It's the getting started part that is hard. Once you're out there, you'll be glad you are. And you can always come home to a nice hot bath, or if you're heading to work you can relax into a chair with a warm drink.

Bring extra socks. Keep a pair of thick, cozy socks in your bag. If you don't have rain booties or you didn't wear them because it was supposed to only be a short trip in light rain, these fresh dry socks and do an amazing job or re-warming you..

Rain and dirt = a clunky, squeaky bike. You're going to need to clean your bike and lube the chain more often to keep it functioning well in the winter. Plan ahead and spend some time doing this. How often? That depends on how often you ride.

Light up.Stay well lit on these long dark days. Small blinking white lights don't do the trick. They're economical, durable and the batteries last a long time, but motorists consistently report that they just can't see them from far away. Keep your batteries fresh. It's a small price to pay for being visible. If you haven't changed your batteries in a long time, you'll be amazed at how much brighter your lights are. Front and rear.

Don't tense up on ice and snow.Try to pedal smoothly and relax your upper body, especially on ice and soft snow. When the bike starts going sideways, make small corrections rather than oversteering and weaving down the trail. Practice riding in a straight line when the trail is good so it's easier under bad conditions. On some soft trails, higher speeds take less effort than lower speeds because your tires sink into the snow less at higher speed. When riding in a group on soft trails, have the weaker, less skilled or badly equipped riders lead so they can use the trail before the better riders cut it up.

Don't risk the leaves. Wet leaves are amazingly slick. Don't risk it. Take corners slowly. Sewer covers can be slick as well.

Layer up. You may start out cold, but chance are that won't last long. Assemble an outfit that makes it easy to strip layers over the course of your ride. Wool and synthetics are great.

Suck it up, get the good gear. There is no better way to learn to embrace the Oregon rain then to be dry on the inside and wet on the outside. Get the gear - it's worth the cost. Booties to cover your shoes, pants, a good jacket and good gloves. I personally skip the helmet cover because my helmet doesn't let a lot of rain in and I often have some sort of a head cover.

How to stuff a helmet. Thin cycling hats work okay, but if you've got cold-prone ears like many of us, a headband is perfect. You can buy them everywhere, but you can easily make them out of fleece. A four-inch band works well. While you're at it, make 3. They're easy to lose. Don't be fooled by the store-bought thin ones, they're not the windstoppers the purport to be.

It's easy to get dehydrated in the winter. Cold makes us forget we're thirsty since heat makes it so obvious. Remind yourself to drink plenty of fluids on long rides.

Snap. Steel gets more brittle at winter temperatures but I haven't seen any steel frames or components break from the cold. Aluminum and titanium don't get significantly more brittle at winter temperatures. Aluminum shrinks more than steel as it cools and on a bike with a steel fork and aluminum frame the headset will get loose when it's very cold. Plastics do get brittle and we see waterbottle cages, toeclips, pedals and the sheathing on cable housing break all winter. If the plastic cracks on indexed shifter housing, the housing will buckle and the shifting won't work. You can reinforce the shifter housing with heat-shrink tubing (available at electrical supply stores) to prevent this problem. The size that fits best is 3/16".