CycleWR
Member loginBecome a member
Menu
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About CycleWR
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact us
  • Advocacy
    • 2022 Municipal Elections
    • Discover your Superpower: Walking & Wheeling to School
    • Cycling Risk Survey
    • CycleWR’s Cycling Route Effectiveness Model (CREM)
    • #HumansWhoCycleWR
    • Budget Advocacy
    • Cycling infrastructure map
    • The benefits of bike lanes (infographic)
    • Bike parking guide
    • 2018 Municipal Elections
      • I Bike, I Vote pledge
      • Rides with candidates
  • Get involved
    • 2022 Municipal Election – Rides with Candidates Volunteers
  • 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!

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
Are you heading out to the belmontvillagebestival Are you heading out to the belmontvillagebestival this Friday and Saturday? It's the cityofkitchener's last #BikeCheck of the year!
Cycle safely to Belmont Village with the #CyclingGuide App and know your bike is secure while you enjoy the festivities!
Sunday turned out to be great ride day for our soc Sunday turned out to be great ride day for our social and the GroundUpWR Ride!Thanks to everyone who came out to our picnic social and bike ride. Our last event was in March 2020 so it was nice to get back out there! And congrats to the winners of some cool bike accessories courtesy of #BlackArrowCycles!Let's continue to advocate and let the residents and city councillors know that our streets need to be safe for everyone! 😊
Join us on Sunday, August 27th at 12pm by the cloc Join us on Sunday, August 27th at 12pm by the clock tower in Victoria Park for a picnic social and ride! We encourage you to bring a lunch/snack! There will be some prizes  to celebrate the relaunch of CycleWR in-person social events (our last one was in early 2020!). At 2pm we'll head over to Kitchener City Hall for a bike ride with GroundUpWR. We look forward to seeing you!
Have you seen this bicycle infrastructure before? Have you seen this bicycle infrastructure before?
This was newly installed on Water Street in dtkitchener.This is a great convenience for people who use bicycles to get around, while they sit at a red light.PC: pbilk
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Browse blog posts by category

  • Advocacy
  • CycleWR news
  • Cycling tips
  • EngageWR
  • Events
  • I bike I vote
  • Infrastructure
  • Rides with Candidates 2018
  • Rides with Candidates 2022

Browse blog posts by tag

bicycle racks bike racks bike to school budgets cambridge 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 Spur Line waterloo waterloo mayor waterloo ward 3 waterloo ward 4 waterloo ward 5 waterloo ward 7 What's New In Waterloo
©2023 CycleWR | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme