winter-cycle

We dodged winter for a few extra months this year, but now it has finally arrived. Cold, snow, ice, and cold. Since winter happens every year, figuring out how to ensure our personal survival as well as the survival of our bikes becomes a regular task.

With this in mind, below are some very basic tips and strategies for winter bicycling:

- dress warm and in layers (a bit obvious, but depending on how long the ride is, increasing body temperatures and decreasing air temperatures can often be awkward to balance)

- be prepared to stay dry

- always carry bike lights (with early winter sunsets, even a brief glitch in your day's plans can lead to pedaling home in the ice and the dark)

- fenders will definitely come in handy

- use fatter, knobbier tires

- if possible, keep bikes out of the weather and under cover (or best of all, indoors)

- do not leave bikes near roadways or walkways overnight (or it may soon look like this:)

Finally, since this is only a basic list of ideas, check out these websites for more in-depth winter biking intelligence:

REI - this is a good, solid, and thorough article on biking during the winter

Winter Bicycling - provides some good ideas and recommendations, especially regarding clothing

Ice Bike - if nothing else, some must-see winter bicycling photos!

Bicycling Magazine - focus on bicycle gear with a particular eye to maintenance; some good ideas, but the products featured may be a bit pricy

Winter Riding Tips - a true, blue DIY-type site with plenty of ideas and suggestions

Bicycling Life - a solid article with some encouraging statistics

Ultimately, it's good to be in Colorado during the winter - it's always good to be in Colorado. Even if it snows hard in the morning, a dry and pleasant ride home is most likely not too far off in the future.