Cold weather advice thread

[Greenbelt]

I did a thread on this topic last year but too lazy to bump it so starting new.

I get a lot of questions on this, so here are some ideas, and others can add in/refute etc.

1. Slow Down a Little. My main advice for new winter riders is to add a few minutes to their commutes, on purpose. Just give yourself that extra 5 or 10 minutes so you can take your time when it’s cold or the weather’s poor. I’ve found that my main problems in winter usually have stemmed from trying to be in a hurry. Trying to ride too fast I get too sweaty and then chilled if I have to stop for a flat tire or something. Trying to be in a hurry and go too fast over an icy patch. Trying to be in a hurry around brain-frozen drivers who don’t expect cyclists when it’s cold because they would never go out in the cold like that and didn’t even bother to clear the frost off their windshield because it was cold and they’re late to drop their kids off at school, and so on.

2. Good Gear Pays Off. On short commutes, you can just throw on a coat and tough it out, but on longer commutes (especially if you’re as old as I am) having good quality gear is essential to being comfortable, which is, in turn, essential to being able to slow down a little and enjoy the ride. A “Buff” or two for face and head and neck, good boots or at least shoe covers (buy at least one size larger than you’d think), wool ski socks and base layers, extra-large bulky gloves that are easy to get on and off to grab a phone call or turn on your lights etc. I don’t usually use a winter jacket — I just use my windbreaker with lots of layers under. Generally a wicking layer (or two) a wool base layer, a fleece, then a windbreaker is plenty on top for me. Winter ride tights usually sufficient for legs. On really snowy or cold heavy rain days, I have Gore-tex rain pants and a Gore-tex jacket.

3. Get Dry and Stay Dry. At work, having a good place to dry your gear and shoes is pretty critical. Shoe inserts can help; boot warmers can help; lots of coat racks that you can hang gear on in a warm place somewhere at your workplace. Putting on still-damp clothes for the ride home is super chilling and just sucks. Always try to either bring dry gear or get it dry while you work. A sub-point on the dry thing, I usually bring a change of dry clothes even for group social rides, so that I don’t get chilled at the stop. Maybe I’m a bit over the top on that, but I could ride all day in the coldest weather if I could change into dry clothes often enough.

4. Hydrate. The air loses humidity in the winter, and just by breathing I seem to lose a lot of fluid. Insulated water bottles can keep room temp water from freezing for quite a long time. Mixing in some warm tea is also kind of nice. On the other hand, frozen water bottles are pretty worthless for hydration.

5. Don’t Suffer! If it’s too nasty, and you’re not feeling the whole adventure of it, better safe than sorry. Freezing Saddles is won by teams who don’t get sick or injured. So please don’t get sick or injured! That includes maybe hopping on the bus or Metro or working from home when it’s really horrible out. (But still get in your 1 mile sleaze ride, because that’s just essential…)

6. Practice your Snot Rockets in advance, on flat dry level ground, so you don’t swerve, with no one around. Check the wind. Please be polite around other cyclists — no one should ever see you shoot a rocket, it’s a private thing, never to be seen or heard by others. Or even see evidence of. A mis-shot snot rocket frozen stuck in a blob on your shoulder is sort of a mark of incompetence, not a badge of honor. So practice, practice, practice!

What else? -Jeff

Topic

[Steve O]

As mentioned, it is not necessary to have studded tires to ride on these roads, even if unplowed. Here are some pics from this morning about 8am, before it got warm.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18974[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18969[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18970[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18971[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18972[/ATTACH]

These tires are just plain, wide slicks on a 3-speed. They could be 25s on a road bike with the same result. Note also, I was riding with one hand so I could take the pictures.

I do not have a magic bike nor do I have any special skills. A moving bike is a remarkably stable machine. You can do this, too. Here’s a link to my tips from a couple of years ago.

[Coppertop222]

One tip I learned recently is if you are wearing clip in shoes bring something to clear ice out of them should they get wet or you put your foot down in ice. I had to alter my route and walk through some snow to get to a cleaned sidewalk or back to the road and lost the ability to clip in. Ended up using a credit card to chip away at it but a small screw driver or something would have been great.

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[Sunyata]

@Coppertop222 185830 wrote:

One tip I learned recently is if you are wearing clip in shoes bring something to clear ice out of them should they get wet or you put your foot down in ice. I had to alter my route and walk through some snow to get to a cleaned sidewalk or back to the road and lost the ability to clip in. Ended up using a credit card to chip away at it but a small screw driver or something would have been great.

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Switching to Time ATAC’s (or flats) would also solve that problem.

[Hancockbs]

@Christob50 184021 wrote:

Please report back with your experiences with that shoe, after you’ve got a few cold rides — I’m curious if they make a measurable difference over “plain” bike shoes like my Shimano ME3’s, particularly on longer rides (1hr+) in low 30s or colder…

I’ve used these for about a week now. I’d estimate that around the freezing point they offer approximately 10 degrees F / 20 minutes of additional comfort over my cycle shoes with toe covers. They have very little insulation, but also little venting, so they do a good job of shedding water/slush kicked up from the road. I got them for about $100, so they are worth that to me, but your mileage may vary.

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[SamDenes]

@Coppertop222 185830 wrote:

One tip I learned recently is if you are wearing clip in shoes bring something to clear ice out of them should they get wet or you put your foot down in ice. I had to alter my route and walk through some snow to get to a cleaned sidewalk or back to the road and lost the ability to clip in. Ended up using a credit card to chip away at it but a small screw driver or something would have been great.

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A quick shot of some lubricant (PAM, WD40…) to the cleat prior to riding can also keep ice from sticking. Avoid hitting the rest of your sole.

[historygeek]

@Emm 183944 wrote:

2 suggestions:

1. proper winter cycling shoes
2. Chemical toe warmers

I don’t like that the chemical toe warmers are 1 time use…”

If you put the chemical hand warmers in a plastic bag when you’re done riding, the chemical reaction stops (no air), and you can start them again the next time you need them. I’ve had a pair last weeks. I’ve even pulled out last-year’s bag, found it still had hot-hands in it, and was able to use them (presumably about 10 months later). I just use one zip-lock bag all winter.

[baiskeli]

@historygeek 185900 wrote:

@Emm 183944 wrote:

If you put the chemical hand warmers in a plastic bag when you’re done riding, the chemical reaction stops (no air), and you can start them again the next time you need them. I’ve had a pair last weeks. I’ve even pulled out last-year’s bag, found it still had hot-hands in it, and was able to use them (presumably about 10 months later). I just use one zip-lock bag all winter.

Cool idea. Also, store them long-term in a bag as well because they can leak and lose effectiveness.

[Crickey7]

Is it better to run lower tire pressures for riding on packed snow/ice?

[Steve O]

@Crickey7 185909 wrote:

Is it better to run lower tire pressures for riding on packed snow/ice?

Yes

[EasyRider]

I’m looking for a recommendation for a 26″ knobby tire (not studded) that sheds snow and slush, but isn’t a liability on wet pavement. My commute doesn’t have long stretches of ice, just bridges and short sections of icy packed snow that might benefit from a knobby tire with a little more bite.

For the last year or so I’ve been running a Schwalbe Thunder Burt up front and a Big Ben in back; this is a pretty good combo for dirt paths and pavement. But the TB has small, closely-spaced knobs and is getting packed with snow and slush — exactly what I don’t want from a front tire right now.

I’d pony up for a Compass knobby but they don’t make it in 26″ yet.

[Eddie R]

Any tips on preserving the phone battery? Took a pic 30 minutes into my ride and my batt life went from 95% to 10% within minutes. I know, I know, I should just keep it in my pocket but it’s all about the Strava and IG. It was in the single digits this morning.

[drevil]

@Eddie R 186209 wrote:

Any tips on preserving the phone battery? Took a pic 30 minutes into my ride and my batt life went from 95% to 10% within minutes. I know, I know, I should just keep it in my pocket but it’s all about the Strava and IG. It was in the single digits this morning.

What kind of phone? Where were you holding it before you pulled it out for the picture?

On my iPhone 6, it died a lot (and quickly) in the cold. My iPhone X is way better, but I store it in a pocket close to my body to keep it warmer.

Maybe if you already do the same, put it in the pocket with a charcoal warmer, or even better, stick a charcoal toe warmer to the back of it. Let us know how it goes [emoji6]

[Eddie R]

@drevil 186211 wrote:

What kind of phone? Where were you holding it before you pulled it out for the picture?

On my iPhone 6, it died a lot (and quickly) in the cold. My iPhone X is way better, but I store it in a pocket close to my body to keep it warmer.

Maybe if you already do the same, put it in the pocket with a charcoal warmer, or even better, stick a charcoal toe warmer to the back of it. Let us know how it goes [emoji6]

It’s an iPhone 6+. I had it in my jersey back pocket the entire ride until I pulled it out. It was only out about 30 seconds so I was shocked when the % went down so quickly. Didn’t want to be out in the woods w/o a phone so I cut my ride short.

Thanks for the toe warmer trick, I’ll give it a try.

[Emm]

@Eddie R 186209 wrote:

Any tips on preserving the phone battery? Took a pic 30 minutes into my ride and my batt life went from 95% to 10% within minutes. I know, I know, I should just keep it in my pocket but it’s all about the Strava and IG. It was in the single digits this morning.

I’ve been having the same issue and I googled it. It has to do with the inability of the battery to do all the science stuff required to power your phone in the cold. Below a certain temperature those chemical reactions are just not possible.

So your best bet is to use a hand warmer to keep it warm or something similar. I find keeping my phone in the pocket closest to my body usually works during my commute but the hand warmer is necessary for longer rides (and pack a few for when the first one runs out during really long rides). Otherwise, turn it off and leave it off until it is fully warmed up, which can take an hour or more sometimes.

The best part is if your phone dies in the cold and you later turn it on after it warms up you can watch your battery magically charge from 20% to 80% in a minute or two [emoji6].

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[Eddie R]

@Emm 186241 wrote:

I’ve been having the same issue and I googled it. It has to do with the inability of the battery to do all the science stuff required to power your phone in the cold. Below a certain temperature those chemical reactions are just not possible.

So your best bet is to use a hand warmer to keep it warm or something similar. I find keeping my phone in the pocket closest to my body usually works during my commute but the hand warmer is necessary for longer rides (and pack a few for when the first one runs out during really long rides). Otherwise, turn it off and leave it off until it is fully warmed up, which can take an hour or more sometimes.

The best part is if your phone dies in the cold and you later turn it on after it warms up you can watch your battery magically charge from 20% to 80% in a minute or two [emoji6].

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Ha! What sorcery is this…..it magically went back to 90% as soon I got back in the car. I’ll try the hand warmers on the next ride. Thanks

[Author]

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