A couple things. Firstly, no that is not a current picture; it's one I took last winter. Though I live in a snowy area of the world it has not snowed yet (and hopefully won't for at least a month or two). The other thing is this. I am currently writing a short article which will be published in the dead of winter. It is an article regarding riding a bicycle throughout the winter, specifically tips on how to do it when it is cold and snowy. I know that many of the readers of this blog are bike riders, and many ride year-round. I would love to hear what you have to say in a sentence or two...not so much common sense things like wear layers of clothing and cover your extremities, use caution at intersections, or have good tires, but specific things that you do that you think others may benefit from. I would like to quote you, actually; just a sentence or two with your first name (or full name if you'd like) and from where you are writing (and ride). Once the article is in print I will put a link to it on this blog (and likely on my facebook page). If you are interested you can leave your comment in the comments section of this post or email it directly to me at buffalocook [at] gmail [dot] com. If you would like to offer your tip but don't want to be quoted in the story that's cool (pun intended) just state this when you comment. Thanks in advance; I'm looking forward to hearing what others have to say and offer. Peace.
When riding through snow momentum is your friend. If you have enough momentum your bike might squiggle around a lot, but it won't fall over.
Most people aren't comfortable when their bike starts to squiggle around. They feel like it's going to fall over, so they slow down.
Then they fall over, because they don't have enough momentum.
Keep the speed up, relax. let go your death grip on the handlebars and let the bike "have its head, " as the horsey people say. Who knows, once you realize the bike is not going to just fall over you might even grow to enjoy the way bike squiggles around.
KFG of The North Country
Because I am a lifelong motorcyclist too - I use motorcycle chain spray lube on my bicycles' chains.
It adheres very well and seems relatively impervious to mud and slush.
For a bicycle chain, I suggest the moto-cross type waxy spray.
This is more along the lines of enjoying the ride. I've found that as soon as I consciously relax my shoulders and grip and just feel the cold as a good thing, the ride becomes much more enjoyable.
Year round in northern New Mexico
Thanks, kfg, Dan, and Geoff for your comments. Very helpful. When the article is published--in January--I'll link it to this blog.
From my kid hauling perspective, three wheels is the way to go in the winter. I love my Mundo, but the first winter I had it I took a slide/spill turning a corner in some wet snow dust (no kids with me, thank goodness). Combining that with the wind chill issues for the kids, I decided it was not the tool for winter chauffeuring.
We attempted to go back to using the trailer, but my kids were just too crowded. I then found the Christiania trike (Boxcycle). It is a fantastic solution to both the safety/stablity and passenger comfort concerns. I think it is an excellent non-human cargo hauler too.
One last observation. I found that in single digit temps tire slime fails. All of those thorn holes from the summer that were plugged now become air gushers.