Are you and your bike ready for winter riding and training? As temperatures drop, taking care of your bike has never been more important. Here, we’re breaking down a few very simple ways to ensure that your winter riding is a whole lot more fun this season.
For your road bike:
Consider adding fenders to prevent your butt from freezing and your frame getting coated with salt from the road. It’s also a good idea to add front and rear lights in order to ensure you’re more visible to drivers who may not expect cyclists in winter weather.
Check your chain lube or wax, if you regularly ride in sub-zero temperatures. Some lubes won’t work well and will gunk up your chain if used in below-freezing conditions, so you may need to switch your lube, or do a clean and re-lube more often.
As with MTBs, you may want to swap tires. For road bikes, going wider in your tire width and looking for something that’s more puncture-proof with a bit of a tread will be best for winter riding. For gravel bikes or road bikes with a ton of clearance, consider a file tread-style cyclocross or gravel-specific tire, since those treads are designed for handling snow better than more traditional treads.
If you have wireless or electronic shifting, your bike should be stored somewhere warm whenever possible. It’s similar to the ebike issue we’ll get into later: Cold weather puts strain on those batteries! The same applies to all bike lights and computers, so be careful, especially with your lights if you ride a lot at night.
Check your tire pressure for every ride. The change in temperatures (going from your heated garage to sub-zero trails) can make tire pressure fluctuate, so check before you go!
After every ride, make sure you at least wipe down your bike frame with a warm, wet towel to get all the corrosive salt and grime off of your bike, then make sure it’s dry before putting it away.
For your MTB or fat bike:
Unless you have great winter cycling shoes, you may want to consider swapping your clip-in pedals for flats so you can wear cozy boots, especially if you live in a particularly cold place. It’s much more fun to ride in snow and slush when your feet are warm and dry. You also may want to add a set of fenders if you ride in slush on the road often.
Check your tire pressure for every ride. The change in temperatures (going from your heated garage to sub-zero trails) can make tire pressure fluctuate, so check before you go!
For snowy areas, you may want to swap your tires for something more snow-friendly. For a mountain bike or fat bike, this could even mean getting a studded tire.
After every ride, make sure you at least wipe down your bike frame with a warm, wet towel to get all the corrosive salt and grime off of your bike, then make sure it’s dry before putting it away.
For your ebike:
Bring your ebike inside in the winter whenever possible—and when you can’t bring the whole bike in, at least consider bringing in the battery, unless you’re just out running a quick errand. As ebike and battery manufacturer Bosch explains:
The battery is the most sensitive component of the eBike. It can lose capacity at low temperatures, which in turn can limit the bike’s range. During winter use with temperatures below zero you are advised to remove the battery, store it at room temperature and replace it on the bike shortly before your next journey. When you return, you should ideally store the battery indoors at temperatures between 10° and 20°C. The same applies to charging the battery: the lithium-ion cells should be charged at room temperature.
For the indoor trainer:
We talked about how to get ready for trainer season in a post last week, but remember to prep your bike before it moves indoors. This means the obvious: Clean your bike to prevent grease, dirt, tire tracks, et cetera from getting everywhere. But you may also want to check that your chain is in good shape (and give it a very thorough cleaning).
For all cyclists:
Use extra time off your bike due to bad weather or shortened training time to get your gear and cycling life in order. This could mean things like:
- Setting up a charging station for your cycling computer and lights (and possibly your bike if you have electronic shifting!). We love something ultra-organized like this cool bamboo charging station that makes it almost fun to plug everything in post-ride!
- Looking into bike insurance if you haven’t already, or updating existing policies with any new bikes or gear
- Go through your cycling kit and gear and see if there’s anything you haven’t worn in a while that could benefit someone else. Consider donating extra gear to a local kid’s team.