Winter riding tips thread? My subtopic: cold weather hydration
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Several people reported going down today and many have expressed trepidation about riding on snow and ice.
This morning I rode to Java Shack, back home (near EFC) and back to Rosslyn on my 3-speed Western Flyer with wide slicks (see photo below), and–with just one momentary exception–felt pretty comfortable the whole time. Most of this was on the Custis, but some was on streets, too.I’m not saying this to boast, but to relay the fact that it is possible, and pretty safe, to ride in these conditions if you use the proper techniques.
I think the #1 tip is to avoid using your front brake. If you skid your rear tire, you will slide sideways, but you probably won’t go down. (That was my one time this morning: on a downhill a truck presented itself as an obstacle while I was literally on a 20-foot patch of ice. I locked up the back wheel, but did not apply the front brake, but rather steered across the ice toward the packed snow along the side of the road. My bike slid partially sideways, but did not fall over, and when I hit the snow, everything straightened back out. If I had hit the front brake [which is one’s tendency], I would surely have gone down. I wasn’t travelling too fast to start with, so even if I had gone down, I probably would have only bruised my pride.)
#2 – Keep moving–straight and steady. A moving bike is much more stable than a walking or running person, and way, way more stable than a still bike. You don’t have to go very fast, but as long as you are moving in a straight line your bike will virtually always stay up–even on pretty slick surfaces. Try to keep your pedaling as smooth and steady as possible, so that your rear wheel applies a constant pressure.
#3 – Plan ahead.
– If you are going to be crossing an ice field, plan ahead for your exit spot, and plot a straight line to it.
– If you are going to be heading down a hill, slow way down before the beginning, so that you can roll slowly down without needing your front brake
– Turns can be dangerous, just like using the front brake, so slow down and plan your turns before you start them.#4 – When navigating actual snow (like an inch or more deep), you may find that standing up and pedaling is more comfortable. I’m not sure what it is about controlling the bike, but having the bike slide around while you are standing and pedaling is much less troubling than while sitting–at least for me. A more advanced skill is to stand and shift your weight backwards, so that your rear wheel has more weight, and hence more traction, to keep you going. This is helpful on uphills when you don’t want to come to a dead stop. Riding in actual snow is harder work, but far less likely to result in falls than on icy surfaces.
As you can see, my avatar above is riding straight and steady on an ice patch–no hands, even!–and is not falling over. So it can be done.
The street I am standing on in the photo below–taken this morning–is completely rideable, even on a road bike (not recommended, though; my druthers is my heavier, wider-tired, 3-speed), if you use the techniques above.
@Boomer2U 110311 wrote:
I’ve had good luck with the camel bak reservoirs and the Platypus ones. I happen to like the Platypus big bite valve or whatever they call it. The plastic does wear over time and will develop a pinhole leak where it creases. The camel bak plastic is more rubbery and holds up good. Its less resistant to harsh treatment. I’ve punctured a couple performing “professional dismounts” while mountain biking. The camel bak on/off valve is good if I remember to use it. The insulated tubes are the way to go when its really cold out.
Insulated bottles and warm water are what I usually use when its cold. An insulated camel bak bottle with warm water will last an hour or more even well below freezing. Much like the rider above mentioned.
I used to put a tea bag or two in my reservoir with hot water, but not boiling hot, for long winter rides. The warmth feels good on your back and I love tea. I’m not that serious these days and my commute is a full hour at my slowest pace. So, I’m finding I don’t really drink much on the trip. In the summer heat I was guzzling a bottle before leaving and one during the trip. I sweat a lot when its hot out and was adjusting from a very arid high elevation environment to the high humidity low elevation environment this summer. Based on my urine production versus water intake I don’t sweat out as much water here as I did out west. Even though I am drenched when its hot. I would even wear long sleeves or sun sleeves out west and never have damp clothing. Crazy how nature does that
In Alaska and other cold places I used a camel back under my jacket with the hose routed under my arm pit and an insulated tube. If you drain the nipple after taking a sip it works in truly cold temperatures. If you forget and the hose or nipple freezes up you can stick in in your clothing to thaw.
My whisky flask has yet to freeze.
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