Fenders are a must for city cycling in wet or slushy weather. They protect your shoes, clothing and bicycle components. Moreover, they help you get where you’re going without a back-stripe from dirty rain water or, in colder weather, a bottom saturated with slush.
Shields for Your Wheels
Here’s the situation with the spritz: As your bicycle wheels spin through damp streets, you’re seated in the middle of a no-win proposition. The front tire sprays your ankles and shins, while the rear tire spits moisture up the backside of your clothing. Your frame and components suffer, too. Compared with clear water that may be falling from the sky, the gritty, oily spray thrown up by pavement and puddles can damage components like chains, brakes and bearings.
Before You Shop
Fenders tend to come as standard equipment on upright, European-style and vintage (read: beater) city bicycles. However, with most road bicycles, hybrids and fixed-gear rides, you’re on your own.
The staff at your local bike shop will best be able to help you choose fenders if you’ve 1) thought about the conditions that you anticipate riding in (light or heavy rain, sleet, slush), and 2) if you bring your bike along so they can check your tire size and clearance, availability of mounts, and whether or not you have a back rack. Note that bikes with disc brakes require compatible fenders. Also, installing full fenders limits your ability to easily remove your wheels for storage or travel. Here’s an overview of fender choices: Read more…
photo: velojoy
There’s no doubt that keeping your bike clean and operating smoothly can be more of a challenge in winter because moisture, salt, sand and road grime conspire to sabotage you on a daily basis.
Road salt can cause your frame to rust and make parts, like the bearings in the bottom bracket that allow you to pedal your bike, seize up. The sand that’s so liberally sprinkled on city streets on snowy days? It gets caught in your brake pads, causing premature wear of pads and rims.
velojoy welcomes new contributor Susan Lindell, director of retail operations and chief “wrench” for Recycle-A-Bicycle in Brooklyn. Susan’s monthly posts will help keep you in the know about the basics of bike maintenance and mechanics.
These and other threats make for a sad bike and a frustrated bike mechanic. Here are a few simple steps to keep your bike clean, healthy and happy this winter: Read more…
photo: velojoy
On a particularly frigid morning in New York City recently, a bicycle commuter commented on twitter: “Just removed my gloves and discovered 5 Popsicle sticks inside.” It’s true that few sensations are as uncomfortable, or take the fun out of winter cycling faster, than cold hands.
Fortunately, there are plenty of gear options to help keep fingers frost-free. When the mercury starts to drop below 35 degrees F, I rely on a variable, three-part layering strategy to stay comfortable on my ride. Read more…
photo: Joanna_Pan
The benefits of riding a bicycle for transportation in the city don’t subside during the winter. In fact, some may multiply. Think zipping past traffic stalled by sloppy weather. While it’s true that cold temperatures and snow can throw some curve balls your way, a few adjustments in your riding technique, choice of a route and routine on arrival at your destination will keep your rides safe, comfortable and enjoyable throughout the winter months.
Click here to view Part 1 of this series, in which contributor Neil Bezdek focuses on what to wear and how to prepare your bike for winter riding. Also read Neil’s Rambling Man blog about life on the road as a pro racer at bicycling.com.
Your skills
Staying safe on wet roads is all about thinking a step ahead and remembering that your traction is limited.
• Brake twice. Quickly squeeze and release the brakes before you really need to slow down. This clears water off your rims, and you’ll have much better stopping power for round two.
• Brake before turning. Braking and turning each apply lateral force to your tires. Doing both at the same time doubles this force and is more likely to send your tires sliding.
• Lean your bike, not your body. It’s impossible to turn without leaning in, but leaning your bike instead of your body makes it easier to keep your mass over your tires and correct for a skid. If you lean inside with your body and your tires slide outside, the only place for you to go is down. Read more…
For many cyclists, the arrival of winter marks the end of their season. And that’s a shame. Winter cycling can be some of the most scenic, refreshing and adventurous of the year. Sure, a shift in the weather presents a new set of challenges. But with the proper equipment and skills, dealing with the elements on your city ride can be as simple as adopting the right mindset and embracing the change in seasons.
velojoy welcomes Neil Bezdek as a contributor. Neil, an NYC bike messenger and cycling advocate before he signed a pro-racing contract, breaks down city cycling as only a rider who has experienced the most demanding conditions can. For dispatches from the road cycling world, read Neil’s Rambling Man blog on bicycling.com.
Make the following adjustments to your cycling to stay safe whenever the streets are cold, wet and slick.
Your bike
Burly, treaded tires and fenders are smart choices for winter, but not all bike setup requires new equipment.
- Let some air out of your tires. Softer tires have a larger contact patch with the ground and better traction. When the pavement is wet, I set my 23mm tires as low as 80 to 85 psi.
- Drop your saddle. A one centimeter reduction in seat height lowers your center of gravity and puts you in a more nimble position. Read more…
Spoiled by the mild weather that so pleasantly extended the cycling season in the New York City area, it was tough to adjust to riding in 30-degree temperatures last weekend. Specifically, I ran into trouble keeping my hands warm. Before the mercury takes its next dive, I want to share the hand warmers that saved my aching fingertips. Read more…
We’re super-excited to launch our first holiday gift guide for people who love to ride bicycles. Our team has packed more than 50 gifts, available at local bike shops and online, into a FREE, 12-page guide that you can download here.
Since our website focuses on city cycling, we like to mix things up for maximum style, function and fun while commuting to work or riding around town. That’s why we’ve shopped a wide variety of sources to present the best in apparel, accessories and gear for girls, guys and children.
You’ll find ideas to keep warm on winter rides, bike fancy, commute in comfort, make the most of technology, introduce children to the joys of cycling — and fulfill all your Secret Santa needs with creative stocking stuffers.
We’ve also included must-read tips on winter cycling, bicycling books to inspire and amuse during the cold-weather months, and our team’s own gift picks for the 2011 holiday season.
Download your guide today, and please share it with your friends who love to ride!
photo: velojoy
I can’t believe I’m posting this New York City view in October — even before the first trick or treater has rung my doorbell. The snow that the Nor’easter blew into town on Saturday was the earliest recorded here in 140 years.
Although temperatures are climbing into the 50s this week, the sudden shock of bitter cold and raw dampness over the weekend did us all a favor by tweaking our awareness of what’s to come and reminding us that this is the right time to stock up on the essentials that make winter riding in the city what it ought to be — warm (enough), dry and FUN.
Snow blanketed Central Park as autumn foliage remained green. An estimated 1,000 trees were lost.
1.
Although I wear my regular clothes and outerwear for city riding in winter, I’ve found that a few time-tested, high-quality road cycling accessories can easily tip the comfort balance during cold-weather riding. My essentials, from the pedals up, are wool socks, a neck warmer, winter cycling gloves and a helmet liner.
Rifling through closets and drawers on Saturday morning on the hunt for my thermal basics for a ride home from the shop where my bike was being repaired turned up a few holes. I mean that: My favorite wool socks emerged from storage with soles so worn that they resembled gauze. Inspection of my helmet liner revealed a tear in a rear seam that needs mending. My trusty insulated, waterproof gloves? I suddenly recalled that they had gone missing last March. All this made the wet and windy ride down the Hudson River Greenway pretty miserable.
3.
2.
The point is that a lot of us have some filling in to do, and now’s the time because inventories of winter basics are in good supply at local bike shops and online. Wait a month, and you might not get the size, color, style or price-point that you’re looking for. It’s always great to catch a break with a sale, but where warmth and protection from the elements is concerned, buying the best you can afford for your personal cycling needs — whether you’ve got a long commute or run errands closer to home — is a good way to go.
4.
Here’s a list of the winter essentials on my list this season:
1. Capo, Euro Seasonal Merino Wool Socks, $15.99
2. Rapha, Merino Winter Collar, $40
3. Craft, Thermal Split Finger Glove, $50
4. Gore, Helmet Cap, $32.99
posted by: genevieve
Now that the Boston ivy is catching the rusty pallor of fall, and the Central Park foliage is on the brink of bursting into fiery reds and umber, it’s time to consider winter cycling wear.
I have always liked getting ready for a winter ride better than a summer ride because there are more opportunities to wear interesting gear. Since I am hopelessly in love with cycling gear, I think about this stuff a lot. Right now my thoughts are focused on the great properties of wool, especially for layering.
Wool is a near-miraculous fiber that keeps you warm even when you’re wet, and does not––contrary to popular mythology––smell like lanolin when exposed to moisture. It repels water, but also absorbs it; it handles odors like a champ and it’s flame retardant. Wearing wool doesn’t have to mean scratchy, itchy skin, either. Read more…
Imagine having to steal your own bike.
That’s what I was thinking about when my heavy-duty U lock seized up over the weekend. Despite a smooth turn of the key, the shackle refused to budge from the bar, leaving my bike virtually welded to a “No Parking” sign in front of a restaurant on Lafayette Street. I wondered, Whom would I call to break the lock? A bike shop, a locksmith…a bicycle thief? And where would I find one of those, anyway?
Read more…
