Cycling tips for sub-zero commuting

[bhikkhu]

It was -4 this morning with 6 inches of old snow and ice on the ground, but I went ahead and rode into work (5 miles) anyway, as I do every day. I suppose its stubbornness, but it was a fine ride - everything frosted with ice and shimmering in the sunrise like a deserted fairy world. Whatever humidity there would normally be turned into (I think) faint fine sparklings of ice crystals dispersed through the heavy air, refracting the light on their way to earth. I take the bike path most of the way so there is the added benefit of avoiding all the car traffic, which is more dangerous in this weather than otherwise.

Keeping warm is the first thing. I wear two sweatshirts, a sweater, then a medium coat, long johns and sturdy pants, warm socks and insulated boots, half gloves with the mitten-top, two stocking caps, and a neck warmer. The neck warmer is just another stocking cap with the top unsewed, and it works very well. The last thing is I always carry little chemical warmer packets, the kind that fit in shoes or gloves, and use them whenever extremities need attention. I used two in my mitten tops in the morning rides, but usually not in the afternoon. Its good to have them aroung though, in case I had to stop to fix a flat or anything.

The bike - my Giant Boulder SE, works very well without any fancy cold-weather stuff. Everyone assumes it is slippery and dangerous, but the ordinary good sense that would apply to riding on gravel seems to be just as effective on snow. My tires are IRC Mythos II's, which are good but inexpensive and seem to stick and hold to everything so far, though I corner cautiously and don't mind putting a foot down. When I go over rough or rutted patches I pedal up out of the saddle, letting the rear wheel dance through things while keeping a good hold on the front.

Anyone else ride in snow and ice? I think I am about set for cheap clothing that keeps me warm, but I wonder if anyone else might have some favorite things that work well. One thing I have found, for anyone who hasn't tried it, is that the weather can seem treacherous and forbidding when you are inside looking out, but when you are out in it and covering ground its a whole different thing.

[Gregorian]

1. I loved commuting by bike.

I've ridden in the snow a few times. There were a few things I tried that really helped. I used to put a bottle of hot water in the bottle holder. Although I use a Camelbak now. I would cut off the corner of a plastic bag and put it over the toe of my shoes for those puddle splashes. I have a Gortex windbreaker that was critical in the cold. Put the hood over my head and then put my helmet on. That kept the air from going down my neck. Gloves over the ends of the jacket sleeves kept the air from going up my arms.

I get so depressed watching all the people in cars. After riding to work for years I realized just how wonderful our world would be if we all rode. The sights, smells, sounds, and fun with other riders. I miss it. Now I just ride for recreation. But great riding it is. I've got 100 square miles of forest right off my back door.

If I were riding in cold again I would highly recommend tubeless tires inflated extra low.

It's so nice to hear about someone who commutes by bike. You would get a thumbs up from me if I ever saw you.

[bhikkhu]

2. Thanks! It was definitely a lesson in bike handling today

We had 8 inches of fresh heavy powder overnight, and the plows are running way behind still. It was warmer (25 degrees) this morning, so everything was also a bit slicker and I had to take city streets because the bike lane hadn't been cleared yet...

There was every variety of terrain - wonderful fast-rolling smooth ice, plow berms to climb or crash through, untouched just-passable snow fields, broken and rutted fields, nearly invisible sudden drifts, etc. I only had to walk one section, where it was just to deep to get a rhythm going across.

It was great fun, and I agree with you that the world would be so much better if there were more people out in it. I think most people spend their days in a series of climate controlled boxes, and hardly notice the "outside" they pass through to get from one box to the next. If they ever have to go outside at all, given parking garages and so forth.

[happyslug]

3. Discussed in 2005, here are the threads:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1029
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1407#1410

[bhikkhu]

4. Lots of good information - thanks!

icebike.com is one site I hadn't seen before - great pics.

[bvar22]

5. I do recommend studded tires for Snow & Ice.

They are not THAT expensive.
They saved my ass more than once. The studs also let me relax and explore off the path more than I would have on regular tires.
Riding on glazed ice and frozen ponds is fun with studded tires. You just have to remember that there are no studs on your shoes.

It sounds like you have developed a good clothing strategy. I strapped a small weatherproof bag on my handle bars and always carried extra clothing just in case. I posted some tips on one of the threads referenced above.



Your thread gave pangs of nostalgia.
I moved from Minneapolis to Arkansas in 2006.
I loved riding when it was so cold the ice crystals were floating in the air like you described.

[bhikkhu]

6. I'm still debating getting studded bike tires...

I was planning on it to begin with, but it hasn't been particularly slippery yet even with a foot of snow and ice around. I asked someone about that the other day who has been driving over the over the passes in winter for years, and he said when its as cold as it has been, he doesn't worry much; its when it gets warmer and the snow and ice starts melting off that it really gets to be a mess.

This afternoon it warmed up to 36 and I went for a ride around - it was definitely slicker, with big slush-piles and ruts through more or less broken up packed snow. I went down just once in 7 miles of quiet backroads, the back tire sliding out (though I would have righted if my foot down hadn't slipped too), but it was good fun. In one of Bob Roll's books he wrote that if you aren't crashing regularly you aren't riding hard enough to improve (or something like that), so I felt pretty good about it.

We have another 7 days of snow in the forecast, so I'll see how it goes. It is beautiful just being out, and not worried about getting cold because I've spent a month or two figuring what works the various temperatures, and not worried about slipping or getting stuck...in a car you call a tow truck; on a bike you just pick it up and carry it to a better patch.

[happyslug]

7. For snow slicks are good enough but for ice Studs

The problem is cars compact Snow to ice. This is a better problem is my area for we tend to get warm wet snows, which convert to ice upon being packed down by cars and the subsequent drop in temperatures.

You live in Oregon, and may get both wet warm snow s(i.e. 25 degrees to about 32 degrees) AND cold dry snow (Below 25 degrees). The issue is the type of snow you are facing. For example in Minnesota, the Snow tend to be a Cold and dry snow, there is less chance of conversion to ice for the dry cold snow is just less compact-able then warm wet snow (Water proof clothing is also less important for the temperatures are so law the snow does NOT tend to melt on insulated clothing). In such situations you tend NOT to need studs doe the cold dry snow is not as compact-able as wet warm snow nor converts to ice as easy as water itself or wet warm snow. Wt Warm snow tend to drop between 32 degree Fahrenheit to about 20, if temperatures stay below 20 the snow tend to be cold and dry' My point is studs are needed temperatures between 32 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit, for these are the temperatures you see wet warm snow, ice, or even rain, all of which converts easily to ice when exposed to cold temperatures (i.e. below 32). Below 20 the cold dry snow does NOT tend to convert easily to ice and studs may not be needed, studs are mostly needed between 32 and 25 where ice is a problem.

[bvar22]

8. The worst problems in Minneapolis....

...were on the really cold (teens) days after a snowfall. The plows would clear the center of the streets, but people would park their cars on the sides of the streets over snow that hadn't been cleared. If the people were on a short errand, the would leave the engine running, and the heat from the motor and catalytic converter would melt the snow under the car which would run out in the street, refreezing into glazed, hard ice. These little patches were deadly without studs, especially on hills.

Most of the time, I didn't really need the studs, and studs are a real drag on dry pavement. You'll think your brakes are dragging. It was those little surprise places where the snow had melted for some reason, and then refrozen into hard, clear ice where the studs paid off.

And then there were those rides out onto the frozen Lakes in Central Minneapolis after the wind had blown the lakes clean of snow.....unforgettable.


Winter riding in the woods of rural Arkansas....not so much fun. Very muddy, and I've met some very unfriendly dogs.

[bhikkhu]

9. Here's a winter pic from France

From the BBC about the rough winter they've been having, Those bikes will take some defrosting, but they'll probably get home ok.

I never did wind up with any big problem through our cold snap and feet of snow, and I never did get studded tires. Not that I wouldn't recommend them for anyone else who was worried about crashing, or had to ride on more heavily traveled routes...

[midnight armadillo]

10. wow that's a lot of clothes

For a 10 mile fun ride I took last week in 5F weather I had on: polypropylene long underwear top and bottom, long-sleeve sweat wicking shirt, windbreaker, windbreaker pants, wool socks, sweat wicking liner socks, gloves, balaclava, sneakers, and work gloves. I was overheated on top, needed warmer gloves, and I needed ankle warmers. Next time in similar temperatures I will ditch the long sleeve shirt and just do the windbreaker + long underwear since I was sweating and got cold when I stopped to drink (can't drink through a balaclava, eh?).

I have read that keeping the pulse points at the ankles and wrists warm will help keep the hands and feet warm since the blood entering them will stay warmer. The rule of thumb I was taught is that if you're not cold for the 1st mile, you're overdressed.

[bhikkhu]

11. Yes its is...partly a layering, partly the lack of quality stuff

I have pared things down with some acclimation. The other day it got down to 0 degrees and I hadn't checked so dressed a bit lightly. I felt a bit colder than usual on the 5 mile ride in, but not a big deal.

The one piece of clothing that makes about a 10 degree difference in the comfort zone is the stocking hat I've cut to make a tube and wear around my neck. With that I can just about do without a coat, well below freezing.

To warm up sometimes I'll start out in a good gear (48x16 or so) and pump hard out of the saddle for a half mile or so to get a burn going. Sort of like a golfer "addressing the ball", letting the muscles know right off you'll be expecting something from them.