Oct 23, 2009
Wind, Snow, Ice – Oh My!
After living in temperate climes for the past five years, I’ve lost a little of my Nor’easter edge. But those RootsRadicals and Tweeters living in winter’y zones are chatting about riding tips regarding cold, wet, icy riding. Nice thing about a longtail, you’ve got a longer wheelbase = more stable.
Winter Wonderland: Family riding their X' in Winter
Cold Weather
Humid air + wind will sap heat from your body if not properly layered with a winter, windproof shell. Hypothermia and frostbite are real concerns, especially with longer commutes/rides. Toes and fingers can go numb quickly since the body is retaining heat closer to your core. Layers are your friend, and if you get warm, your FreeLoaders will swallow up your excess clothing nicely.
- Wool is your friend (ladies, Goodwill has an abundance of them, depending on location). Cotton can kill. Seriously.
- Layer up
- Waterproof winter boots with quality sole traction
- Wind/waterproof gloves: Motorcyclists have high wind-chill factors to contend with, these might be of interest: Aerostitch orAlpinestars
- Handlebar covers:Full wrist coverage, a collection of ‘em
- Prevent components from freezing by applying lubricant/grease and remvoing snow/water/ice ASAP (see comment below for more info)
Slippery Road Conditions
Riding on rain can be tricky. Wet paint or metal is not your friend. Always cross as perpendicular and upright as possible over those surfaces. Snow can be fun, especially deep snow, but you’ll go slow if too deep. Ice is the tricky beast. It shows up invisible (black ice) from time to time, can send you to the ground in zero-flat and is just as hard as the ground. If you do have to ride on ice, studded tires are your friend. RootsRadical, Dr. Chase, wrote a good post a couple years back about studded tire riding.
- Ride, brake, steer slowly. Don’t heavily lean into turns, lessens the downward pressure on your tire’s contact patch and reduces your tire footprint too.
- Studded tires for icy conditions (great photo of a skid on ice with studs, courtesy Dr. Chase)
- Narrow road tires for deep, ice-free snow (but watch out for pinch flats on chewed up streets)
- Fenders to keep the road git out of your teeth
- Lights! Be seen, especially as the nights get longer, visibility decreases…
Have fun riding year round, but be careful and cautious. That reduced tracking and increased braking distance doesn’t only apply to you. It applies to the 2-ton cages riding next to you as well. Also, don’t forget to clean your bike more often. Many municipalities toss salt on the roads, that plus some moisture will make your steel rust in no time. Frame Saver might be a good investment, but requires dis-assembly of your components for a proper internal coating. Ride on!
As a deep snow rider for several years (Iowa) and now only a winter rain rider (Eugene) there some thing I would correct…
WD-40 is a cleaner, not a lubricant, and will let your stuff rust in no time – especially in snow. It should never be used on a bike as anything but a grease remover. Teflon based oil works best in wet weather, in my experience. (even in cables)
Backpacking covers from REI (large $13) will cover you entire free radical and protect it from snow and rain.
Snow rusts faster than water, don’t leave it on your chain.
If there is snow, there is ice – don’t ride skinny road tires in the snow like suggested. Big fatty mountain bike tires work best and you should really weight that back wheel. It’ll be hard on an xtracycle, but the key is all your weight on the back and let your front wheel glide/snow plow.
Lobster gloves are nice if it’s really cold, but handle bar covers inhibit hand turn singles and might kill you if slide out from snow, ice, or wet leaves.
Protect that face! Bandannas and balaclavas are a life saver. I used to ride in weather so bad my eyes would water and freeze to my ear warmers which would then freeze to my helmet. I couldn’t blink or remove my helmet. Also, a good warm neck/throat will really keep your body temp nicer and help you breath.
Thanks for using the photo of me and my girls!
re: riding in winter with road salt: make sure that you don’t neglect cleaning the derailleur, cassette and rear disc caliper periodically. It is easy to forget about them since they are out of sight, out of mind on an Xtracycle. I rode mine a good deal last winter, and over time, the rear disc caliper rusted enough that it seized up and had to be replaced. My bad.
Also, I highly recommend Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tires. They are much higher quality than some cheaper tires. I’ve done two winters on them, and even with quite a bit of dry asphalt riding, they have yet to lose a stud.
Biketiresdirect.com has great prices on studded snows. Picked mine up a few weeks ago and they work great. also if I might sugest, a beanie or hat that covers your ears but also has a bill. I had a great one from Bass but it has gone missing, just found something at adidas that is going to work. Keeps your ears warm and the snow out of your eyes. Also I would reccomend keeping your bad weather gear in your Freeloaders. I left for work on a beautiful sunny day and came home in freezing sleet. I will not make that mistake again. Goggles, rain pants and hat will always be with me from now on.
After 5 years never being indoors while commuting daily in salty Illinois, with only a few dots of rust near the bolts, I can confirm how to rustproof an Xtracycle’s steel (not for the faint of heart). Sandblast off the powerdercoat. Repaint with POR-15 (www.por15.com), which rustproofs BETTER as things get moister. Pour linseed oil through the tubes, just like how homebuilt steel-frame aircraft are rustproofed.
When the surfboard delaminates, use it as a template to cut a fresh one from plywood, and just reuse 4 the plastic brackets.
Hey thanks for the post! Just giving a quick thumbs up!