Can I jump in here and get some advice about biking to work in the winter? (Sorry, I did not read all 20 past pages :-). )
I have been biking through the nice seasons and want to know what I can do to get ready for winter biking. Some parameters:
-I have a car, so I don't need to spend a bunch of money on things that would only be necessary in dreadful weather. I can drive in dreadful weather.
-My bike is a hybrid.
-My commute is about 3 miles with some hills which takes me about 20 minutes because I'm a slow-ass biker. (I can squat my body weight! Repeatedly! So I don't think it's my leg strength. But people just blow right by me.)
-My route is some street biking (on streets designated as bike routes but with no bike lanes), some bike lanes on the road, and a stretch of poorly maintained paved trail.
-I live in Denver so I can expect icy conditions not infrequently.
I'm concerned about getting home safely in the dark, staying upright over patches of snow and ice (again, if it's really bad I'll drive, but Denver has a lot of beautiful days where yesterday's snow is still melting) and also about what to wear if it's too cold for leggings or chinos.
Help!
Welcome. I bike commute in Denver/Arvada year-round. A few suggestions:
- Get fenders if your hybrid doesn't have them. I also use knobby cyclocross type tires for the period November - April.
- The ice is actually better than the slush. I've almost crashed several times riding through the slush, but riding over medium sizes patches of ice isn't bad if you're upright. Just take it slow.
- Bike lanes are often more treacherous than traffic lanes in winter, because the plows push all the snow and de-icing crap into the bike lane. I ride in the right lane of downtown streets more often than the bike lanes during winter.
- Get fleece cycling tights. There are great cheap ones on Amazon. Mine are comfortable down to ~10 degrees, and are actually too hot when it's above 30.
- Invest in a good USB-rechargeable bike light. Maybe three. Again, Amazon is a good resource.
- Don't over-dress. If you start out a little cold, that's better than starting out perfectly comfortable. You'll warm up.
- Enjoy it! Biking in the winter is beautiful around here, and often faster than rush hour traffic. View it as an adventure!