Snow and Brisk Riding Tips

[Deacon Patrick]

By way of encouragement to the weather timid, and tip sharing to the intrepid, I thought we could compile a simple, growing bullet list of tips for cold weather riding. Here are some of mine:

- ride slower

- nose breath

- fishnet long johns make a brilliant base layer and everything easier. Especially if you're daft enough to stop for more than a few minutes while out.

- Coffee outside at 10˚F or below is brilliant (a narrow-neck thermos of coffee made at home makes this much simpler.

- Boiled wool

- Listen to the sound of the snow under your tire and learn to know the temperature by it.

- Knobbies and supple tires matter more than width, but width matters too.

- Fixed gear means no frozen derailure and brakes always work

- Dress in layers and so so moisture freely evaporates (Gortex equivilants are sure ways to boil in a bag while riding, freeze in a bag when stopped).

- Perfect time to avoid main roads and explore back roads and trails, MUPS, etc. 

- oversize your shoes so blood flows to the toes.

- Beeswax/coconut oil blend (or similar) on nose and cheeks keep face warmer and happy against wind.

- learn what layers work for you as you climb, by temp and wind and cloud/sun conditions, and carry a range for when they shift. Ventilate so you keep dry (fish net helps significantly with this).

- Best snow rides: trails up to 6" snow, plowed back roads.

What are you tips for brisk riding? Enjoy getting out!

With abandon,

Patrick

www.MindYourHeadCoop.org

www.CatholicHalos.org

www.DeaconPatrick.org

[stoker]

I would add three items -
Use a neck gaiter to keep the neck warm and to pull up over your face if needed.
Keep your wrists thoroughly covered! I’ve found that keeping the neck and wrists warm goes a long way in keeping your entire body warm.
If possible, ride on sheltered roads or trails that keep you out of the wind.

Bob in snowy Minnesota who was quite comfortable during yesterday’s ride in 8 degree weather

[ascpgh]

Learn how well the fallen snow is connected to the underlying surface. 

Like the sound of snow crunching under the wheel will tell the temperature, the adhesion of the precipitation to the road or trail varies by the temperature at the time of snowfall and soon after.

Nearer 32° the snow is pretty connected to what it falls on (picturesque snowy boughs) and will tolerate some abruptness of steering input or pedal mash. Same with snow fallen in that range followed by a 12-20° drop. 

Cold snow accumulated on cold pavement looks all friendly and powdery but acts like graphite on marble. Any grip you think your tread pattern affords you has no bearing on how easily your contact patch of snow will move on its substrate, just how much of it they grab and hold for the slide.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Deacon Patrick]

Riffing off Andy's last two:

- The grip issue of champaign powder is greatly aided by shifting weight back and off the front wheel, giving the drive wheel "dig" and the steer wheel float. This is greatly aided by having handlebars high and upright.

- Snow builds up in strata, and then ages based on temp and sun exposure, so patches of road/trail will vary more and more as the snow ages, especially with freeze/thaw cycles.

- Ventile is a brilliant outer layer. At temps below 25˚F, untreated canvas also works brilliantly.

- Experimenting with these tips will aid riding in all temps. I ride down to -20˚F (the lowest we've gotten round these parts), but most commonly in the teens, twenties, and thirties (a useful demarkation to think of for layering strategy).

- A simple and inexpensive way to test if you like winter riding would be to buy Wiggy's fishnet tops: https://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwear/fishnet-long-underwear/ (They are nylon and thus scratchy against the skin, which is why I use https://www.brynjeusa.com/ (twice the cost, far more comfortable) under cotton layers (yes, cotton is fine as insulation with fishnet as a base!); wool mittens or gloves with a cheep leather chopper mitt, etc. 

- The pictures and descriptions in this gallery show my clothing setup, which I've used for years now. https://snap.as/deaconpatrick/of-fishnet-long-johns-and-boiled-wool

With abandon,

Patrick

[Patrick Moore]

When I lived in Kebek City, and discovered the anguish of trying to
exercise indoors, I switched to running outdoors during all weathers.
When it was really cold -- below 10*F/-15*C or so -- the packed snow
actually gave good traction; it was at higher temps that it got
slippery. In fact, running on very cold, packed snow was rather like
running on the rubber University tracks; quite comfortable. (I
actually felt more energetic during really cold runs, I guess because
there was very little energy used for cooling down. But this was a
consistent experience.)

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Patrick Moore
Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[ascpgh]

Snow accumulation at temps near freezing can be melted from below as pavement accumulates energy from sunlight passing through the snow. This is what happens on roofs that ice dam; the melted liquid runs down the heated by sun roof, insulated from the below freezing temperature by the snow depth itself. It's not all lost heat form in the building as it happens on well ventilated roofs and on long unheated overhangs. The water runs until it reaches the end of its insulation from the cold then freezes, building up its dam.  

Moisture connects the precipitation accumulation and the underlying surface will bond the two when the sun goes down or temperatures drop. Things get slick between the snow and the ground when water is persistent on the surface under the snow or when the pavement was super cold when the powdery cold snow falls on it, no liquid phase to give some water to freeze and bond the two. 

Thought of another urban winter hazard to be aware of: Condensation. 

The ramp into the parking structure where I lock up my bike, which had been treated with melter of some sort over the course of winter, had a sheen of dampness on it despite being below 0°F. As I turned onto it from a driveway I realized it was slick as no stick spray when I crashed. It was a concentrated mix of the accumulated melter on the concrete and condensation I presumed to be from moisture brought in by the tires and fenders of vehicles in the garage. 

"Wet" at 0°F is not water. Being flung or sprayed aids raising its freezing point closer to the air temp, building up in fenders, stays, cassette, chainrings, etc. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh (20°-something, flurries)

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[JohnS]

Hello DP,

Thank you for the Brynje suggestion. I just ordered the wool blend base layer bottoms, the thermo shocks and the zip polo top which was 50% off. I've been thinking of buying some sort of base layer to wear under my MUSA pants for my bike commute. I think the Brynje's will do the job nicely.

My suggestion on cold weather outdoor activities is, it's not the cold so much as what's going on between your ears which keeps you from going out and enjoying it.

JohnS

[Deacon Patrick]

Hey John, enjoy the Brynje stuff! Let me know how the non-mesh stuff works ... I've only used their mesh and love it, but it works completely differently than standard "solid" thermals. Aye, I'm greatly benefited by the fact there's no activity between me lugs! Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[JohnS]

DP, will update on the Brynje once I have a chance to use them. As for what's going on between your lugs, there must be enough for you to get out and enjoy life, no matter the time of year.

JohnS

[Roberta]

Thank you for your list,

Around where I live, it gets into the 30's, sometimes the 20's, but don't snow much.  However, using some of your tips, got me started riding in colder weather, where I used to only ride if it were 60* or above.  I found that if dressed properly (your comment "there isn't bad weather, just bad clothes" got to me), I am more comfortable than riding in the summer, when I'd be so uncomfortable in the heat.  Plus, there are 90% less people on the MUPS and less cars on the roads.

Here's some of your list that I used, starting a winter ago:

- nose breathe

- Dress in layers and so so moisture freely evaporates

- oversize your shoes so blood flows to the toes.

- Beeswax/coconut oil blend (or similar) on nose and cheeks keep face warmer and happy against wind. (Roberta:  I'm going to try this.  My face can get pretty dry.)

I also have a gaiter to help warm my jowls and face.   I wear wool socks.  When I go out even when I don't want to, I rarely regret it. 

Trying to do more winter riding,

Roberta

[Mat Grewe]

Don't forget the power of acclimating to the cold!  Early season 35 degrees often feels colder than mid-late season 5 degrees...  It helps intentionally under-dressing (safely of course) a couple times early on, kick-starting the body to get used to the cold.

Any recommendations for winter tires in particular?  I have a mix of rural paved and gravel roads, often with hardpack instead of clear glaze ice.  Any insight as to how the compass/rene herse knobbies compare to thunderburts, or other brands, to studs on the various types of hardpack snow, textured ice, gravel, clear pavement, slushy snot, etc?  I've been rolling on old tires for a while, and soon is the time to expand to better tires, allowing more days of winter riding to safely occur.  Still on a budget so I only have one wheelset and would like to use one tire for the winter.

Mat

Driftless Wisconsin where last winter we saw -35 degrees Fahrenheit; beautiful for a hike in the woods, a wee bit too cold for a bike ride...

[Deacon Patrick]

My rule for tires, year round, is supple knobbies as wide as reasonably fits and still clears mud/snow, detritus. If Rene Herse made wider tires I'd ride their knobbies on all my bikes. As it is:

Quickbeam: 38mm Steilacooms (Rene Herse)

Hunqapillar: 2.1" Racing Ralph liteskin

Gus Boots Willsen: 2.8"  Nobby Nic Addix

Points to consider (all of which rule out less expensive tires for me)

- Supple rubber (both in type and thickness/thread count) conforms to terrain, providing astounding grip.
- Knobbies pattered similarly to those on Rene Herse tires, with supple rubber, ride surprisingly well on smooth, hard roads, and only get better on the more fun stuff. Grin.

- A wider tire gives better control in loose stuff, be it sand, mud, or sloppy snow. The idea of using a thin tire to cut through to the under-surface is largely useless in varying conditions.

I hope that helps. Also, weight further back and off your front tire makes the loose stuff far easier to ride. Rear wheel drives with weight, front wheel floats and steers better without digging in and getting sloppy.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Mat Grewe]

Thanks Patrick,

Have you (or any others) had any experience with studded tires and how supple knobbies may compare on particularly slick surfaces?

Mat

Driftless Wisconsin

[William deRosset]

Dear Matt,

Studded snows are the only effective answer to glare or black sheet ice. They are heavy tires with stiff casings to support the studs, and are horrible to ride on clear pavement as a result. I hate to ride them until I desperately need them.

For other snowbound conditions (slush, loose snow, car snot, most ruts) widely-spaced knobbies with light casings are better-riding.

Best Regards,

Will
William M deRosset
Fort Collins CO USA

[Deacon Patrick]

Hey Mat! Will nailed it. Studs are the way to go for significant glazed snow pack and smooth ice, but at quite a price. For my winter riding where I live glaze and sheet ice are largely avoidable via picking a different line, walking a section, taking a less traveled route, or simply waiting for it it either snow or melt, so I stick with plush knobbies. In general I encounter glaze and sheet on the trail (easily walked around) or on the forrested backroads in town that don't get plowed (I take the MUP). Worth noting is that snowpack and glaze can look similar with low angle sun, so knowing the conditions (temp, history of temp and snow) and feel (easily assessed with fixed, hard with free wheel) goes a long way to knowing what you'll encounter. Wisconsin conditions are likely different than alpine Colorado, with longer stretches of cold that facilitate glaze on well trafficked roads. Given a day or two around here, most glaze and sheet ice are either melted or snowed over (give time for the snow to amalgamate with the ice beneath), so a near non-issue.

With abandon,

Patrick

[ascpgh]

Mat, I think Will and Patrick have nailed the sentiment. I agree with both but find more situations in needing the heavy studded tires in my urban winter commuting. 

(Still not able to fix Groups message rotated portrait images)

Snowfall can rapidly turn into a hard smooth surface on the roads and be anywhere from black to white. Some of these are forecast events, others squalls off the Great Lakes. We had some of that the other week that came down heavily as wet snow onto very cold pavement, making rink-quality ice on the pavement. At the corner of my street I could see eight city busses unable to move on the slight grade.  

I keep studded tires in the quiver, regardless of the lower ride quality than supple tires, even if it means a leg or two of commuting on nearly or fully clear roads. I absolutely, positively, have to be to work on time (without injuries) so I'm willing to suffer some overkill. A wintery surface crash in the urban setting will adjust your perspective.  

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Mat Grewe]

Thanks guys.  I've ridden studs when I used to commute in town, but now that I live rural (with a much longer commute), the roads seem to have way less glaze ice.  So I think it's worth the foray into supple knobbies instead of jumping right to studs.  Enjoy the brisk weather no doubt coming later in January!

Mat

Driftless Wisconsin