CycleWR
Donate
Menu
  • Home
  • About CycleWR
    • Meet the CycleWR Steering Committee
  • Advocacy
    • Discover your Superpower: Walking & Wheeling to School
    • #HumansWhoCycleWR
    • Budget Advocacy
    • Rides with councillors
    • Cycling infrastructure map
    • The benefits of bike lanes (infographic)
    • Bike parking guide
    • I Bike, I Vote pledge
  • Get involved
    • Donate
  • Links
Menu

Winter Cycling 101

Posted on January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 by Laura McDonald
Posted in: Cycling tips, Events

Now that the snow’s here, we thought we’d pass on the tips shared at our Winter Cycling Clinic for Women & Non-binary Folks. Thanks to CycleWR chair Emily Slofstra, volunteers Kate Dudek and Gwen Mitchell, Ziggy’s staff, and our attendees for all the great advice!

And a huge thank you to Ziggy’s Cycle & Sport for hosting, taking photos, and sharing winter bike maintenance tips! Photos by Steve Schwarz.

What to wear

  • Layers, including a wool base layer, but not too many: start out feeling a bit cold so you don’t overheat.
    • Not cotton: Cotton gets cold when it gets wet and you don’t want that in the winter!
  • Bright colours, maybe even a reflective safety vest. Visibility is reduced in the winter so take extra steps to make sure you can be seen.
  • Crampons on one or both feet, for extra grip when stopping.
  • Good, insulated boots to keep your feet warm and dry. Size up to fit an extra pair of socks. Tuck your pants and laces in, away from your chain.
  • Ear coverage: Try a helmet with a snap-in winter liner, a Buff* folded into a headband, or a skullcap that’s snug around your ears.
  • Lobster mitts or pogies: Three-finger gloves (a.k.a. “lobster mitts”) trap more body heat than regular gloves but still allow you to change gears easily. Pogies are like essentially mittens that cover your handle bars, including the brake and shift levers.
  • Goggles and a balaclava or Buff* to cover your face. A Buff provides more flexibility: You can lift it easily to cover your nose and mouth but lower it again when you inevitably get too hot.
  • If it’s particularly snowy or slushy, rock some snow pants to stay dry.

*A Buff is essentially a long tube of fabric that you can wear a whole bunch of different ways. Buff is the most common brand of these, but there are others.

What to bring with you

  • Lights. And extra lights.
  • A small spray can of WD40, in case your lock freezes.
  • A change of clothes if your cycling layers aren’t the look you’re going for or you tend to get sweaty.
  • Spare socks: Unless you’re wearing wool, your socks are likely to get and stay damp.
  • A stash of toe/ hand warmers in your boots, mitts, or pockets.

How to adjust your bike for winter

  • Let a little air out of the tires; this gives you better grip on the road.
  • Lower your seat when it’s icy so you can easily touch the ground when stopping.
  • Add fenders if you don’t use them the rest of the year, so you don’t get “slush butt.”
  • Switch out your regular tires for studded or mud tires. Studded tires obviously add extra grip on ice and slick snow. Mud tires have wider lugs so snow doesn’t get trapped as easily.
  • Get a stainless steel chain or (or plan to replace your chain in the spring).
  • If you can, get a dedicated winter bike if you’re riding it regularly throughout the season. A single-speed means fewer parts to get damaged by all the salt and slush.
  • Clean it frequently. Salt is really hard on your bike!

How to clean your bike

  • Clean your chain with a rag after every ride, then add lube.
  • Wipe the rest of your bike down regularly with dish soap and water, then wipe it dry.
  • Try not to get cleaning solution on your rims—use rubbing alcohol there instead.
    • Tip: Old cotton shirts don’t leave fibres in your chain.
  • To clean your bike easily without a bike stand: Flip it over and prop the handles on something (e.g. yoga blocks) to raise them off the floor.

A few more tips for a better winter cycling experience

  • Give yourself extra time.
  • Get off and walk when you need to.
  • Encourage drivers to pay extra attention: Kate finds that cars behave better when she’s wearing a Go-Pro on her helmet.

Where to park your bike downtown in winter

  • The Charles & Benton, City Hall, and Kitchener Public Library parking garages have secure, covered bike parking. They require a $10 deposit for an access card.
  • You can leave your bike at Ziggy’s during store hours!

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • WhatsApp

Related

Join our mailing list to find out about events and ways to help

Talk to us

Email hello@cyclewr.ca

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

See what’s up on Instagram

cycle_wr

CycleWR
Join us online on Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 Join us online on Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 – 9:00pm for a look at what we accomplished in 2020 and what’s coming up for cycling in the region in 2021 and beyond.

Active transportation leads from the three cities and the region who will be joining us:
 
• Lisa Chominiec
Sustainable Transportation Coordinator, City of Cambridge
 
• Liz Christensen
Design & Construction Project Manager, City of Kitchener
 
• Darren Kropf
Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, City of Kitchener
 
• Louise Finlay
Project Manager, Bikeways, Trails and Greenspaces, City of Waterloo
 
• Kornel Mucsi
Manager, Transportation Planning, Region of Waterloo

Check the link in our bio for meeting instructions.
Are you curious about winter biking or determined Are you curious about winter biking or determined to give it a try this season? Our next Virtual Folks & Spokes welcomes Elysha and Sarah-Beth to share their winter-biking experience! 

Join us online on Thursday, November 19, from 7:30 – 8:30 pm. to learn about biking in cold weather, bike maintenance tips, and more. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and for other participants to chat about their winter-biking experience, too.

---

Meet Elysha

I'm Elysha! (she/they)

I'm a winter cyclist. I couldn't decide on adjectives for that because sometimes it's fun and sometimes it is horrible, but I always do it anyway. I've been riding my bike through the winters for around 10 years. You also may know me from my mending and upcycling project, @beyondrepair519, where I share my textile artwork.

On Thursday, my partner Scott will be joining me as a model for some of our winter cycling tips. He works more closely with bike stuff in the region—mostly cycling education right now, but he was also a mechanic for a long time. We have been loving the recent heat wave but don't want to be caught off guard when winter hits!

Join us and share what you know/learn more about how to get your bike ready for winter.

---

Meet Sarah-Beth and Ryan

Sarah-Beth (she/her) and Ryan (he/him) have been biking with their kids - ages 8 and 5 - for the past 4 years. You may know Ryan from being featured on Instagram as part of our #WinterRiders storytelling last year. He was a first-time winter bike rider last year. This year, Sarah-Beth is hopping on the bandwagon and they're bringing their kids along with them. They'll share their experiences figuring out how to prepare for the cold months ahead, and how to keep their kids interested and safe along with them. 

---

We use Zoom video conferencing to host Virtual Folks & Spokes. It works on most computers and modern mobile devices.

If this is your first time using Zoom, we recommend joining a few minutes early.

Visit the link in our bio to launch the Zoom meeting.
The next Folks & Spokes will be hosted online on T The next Folks & Spokes will be hosted online on Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 – 8:30 pm.

We will kick things off with special guest Kornel Mucsi, the new Transportation Planning Manager at the Region of Waterloo. Kornel will share some of his experience from leading the Active Transportation program in Ottawa for the last decade as well as his early impressions and directions for Waterloo Region.

After question and answer with Kornel, we will continue with a casual discussion of anything and everything biking.

To participate, find the Zoom video call link in our bio!
Cycling into the Future, in cooperation with Cycle Cycling into the Future, in cooperation with CycleWR, STSWR and ClimateActionWR is offering one or more cycling training sessions for students ages 5 and up. 

Please indicate your interest and availability with this form:

https://bit.ly/2ZWGDxw

These practical sessions will cover various components including:

* Tips for teaching how to ride for beginners
* Proper helmet fit
* Bike handling skills
* Hand signals and road signs
* Bike lane etiquette
* Parent session: how to coach kids while riding with them
* Simple bicycle maintenance
* Tips for riding in fall and winter

The sessions will be held in a parking lot with an optional on-road session for grades 4 and up. Parents must accompany their children, and all participants must practice social distancing with non-family participants.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Browse blog posts by category

  • Advocacy
  • CycleWR news
  • Cycling tips
  • Events
  • I bike I vote
  • Infrastructure
  • Rides with Candidates

Browse blog posts by tag

bicycle racks bike racks bike to school budgets covid-19 kitchener kitchener Ward 1 kitchener ward 7 kitchener ward 8 kitchener ward 9 kitchener ward 10 merch parking regional chair regional councillor region of waterloo waterloo waterloo mayor waterloo ward 3 waterloo ward 4 waterloo ward 5 waterloo ward 7
©2021 CycleWR | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme