How To Keep Riding Your Bike in The Winter

There is a tendency for many to park their bikes at the onset of raindrops or the first flurries of snow. Are you one of those? If so, you’re missing out on numerous benefits associated with riding through the winter. For instance, your body usually struggles to stay warm in the cold, helping your body burn more calories. Additionally, your body also learns how to use oxygen more efficiently.

Besides that, riding your bike in the winter is a fun way of keeping in touch with friends and family. You can read more tips on how to keep in touch with friends and family for more fun ideas. Nonetheless, are you wondering how you can keep riding your bike during the winter? Here are important tips:

The Do’s

Wear Layers

Experienced winter cyclists advise that a warm base layer is an essential starting point for winter cycling. Your body usually makes decisions based on the core temperatures. In this sense, ensure your core is warm. After that, add several layers that you can effortlessly put on or take off, depending on how the ride goes. For instance, it will be cold as you get started, but as you keep riding, you will feel warmer and might need to shed off some of the layers.

Clean Your Bike after Every Ride

Riding in the rain and slush usually kicks a lot of dirty, salty water onto your bike’s parts. As a result, this can cause corrosion and damage over time. Therefore, you should ensure you wipe your down after you finish every ride. If you have somewhere warm to store your bike, you can even wash it, but avoid that if your bike is stored outside. Most importantly, be sure to re-lube your chain with a proper chain lube after each deep cleaning to reduce corrosion.

Pack Extra Gear

It is advisable to carry extra riding gear during the winter. For instance, you can carry two pairs of gloves- one heavier and one lighter. These gloves will help you handle temperature shifts. Additionally, you get more finger dexterity with lighter gloves making it easier to deal with flat tire changes. You can carry an extra pair of wool socks which will come in handy if you accidentally put your feet in an icy stream.

Insulate Your Liquids

Although you might not feel it during winter rides, you will still be burning calories and fluids and need to hydrate. Rather than carrying water in a standard bottle that could potentially freeze, consider using a hydration pack. The warmth of your body should be enough to keep the water from freezing. You could also carry carrying hot coffee or broth in an insulated bottle to give you an emergency boost of heat should you need it.

Ensure You Are Visible

There isn’t enough daylight during winter. Look into a rechargeable headlight / taillight combo set. Many can be recharged with a USB cable so you can charge it easily at home or work.

Don’ts

Don’t Ignore Your Extremities

Your hands and feet are the ones that get cold first. Therefore, for an enjoyable ride, you should keep your extremities toasty. For instance, one experienced cyclist claims that she usually wears a pair of disposable surgical gloves underneath her usual winter cycling gloves. This trick helps keep her hands warm during the ride by creating an additional layer of vapor between her skin and the cold.

On the other hand, you can invest in air-activated heat packs to add warmth to your gloves’ and shoves’ interior. Suppose you are operating in sub-freezing temperatures; consider getting winter boots.

Don’t Be Afraid To Use Your Other Sporting Gear

You don’t have to buy a lot of new gear to enjoy your winter rides. For instance, if you have ski gloves, you can use them to keep warm on the bike. On the other hand, ski helmets can also keep you warmer than multi-vented bike helmets.

Consider Fenders

Fenders help keep away the slushy road spray from you and your bike and, more importantly, the people you are riding with. In this regard, it helps to attach a pair of fenders to your bike. If you don’t want to spend money, you can create makeshift fenders made out of a two-liter bottle.

Don’t Neglect Your Skin

Although it is winter, it is still beneficial to apply sunscreen to any exposed skin, like your face, during the day. This is usually true if there is snow on the ground because it usually reflects up to 90% of UV radiation. Moreover, frigid winter rides can also cause your skin to dry out. Therefore, it would help to apply a protectant like a moisturizer, sunscreen, or even Vaseline to help your skin retain moisture.