So you are hardcore enough to brave the elements this winter and ride to work.  Good for you!  It’s so much more difficult to motivate yourself to ride in the morning when you know that Mother Nature is not going to gently embrace you with a thousand warm kisses of the sunrise.  No instead, during these commutes you will be slapped repeatedly across the face and made to feel as if someone is throwing fistfuls of razorblades at you with deadly, ninja-like accuracy.  So if you are powering through, good for you, be proud, you are truly awesome.

Here is the deal though… you need to say thank you to your most loyal of friends, your trusty metal steed for braving the weather with you.  In fact, you may not realize it, but your bicycle is taking almost as much punishment (if not more depending on how well you are at crossing ice patches) as you are.

3 tips for getting your bike through the winter commuting season: 

1.  Cleanliness

I’m from the Midwestern United States, and around these parts we use a nasty combination of sand and salt and even an ice melting solution on the roads pretty much all winter.  This stuff wreaks havoc on all sorts of parts of a bicycle.  The chain, the brake pads, the wheels, the frame…left unattended, I’m confident that my bike would slowly melt into a puddle of shiny goo a la Terminator 2 (only without reforming into an evil robot from the future).

Every day you should wipe down your bike after you are done commuting.  If you don’t have a solution to use (I prefer Simple Green) just go with warm water and a little soap.  Wash your rims; wipe down the underside of your frame (if not the entire frame, at least get the parts where there is clear splash back.  It’s pretty much a given that at the end of a long winter you will need to at least invest in a new chain and brake pads (not a guaranty, but a might as well assume so just so you aren’t surprised).  Even though I expect to have to replace it I still give my chain a clean by holding a rag around it and gently spinning it through.  I only apply new lube every other ride…it’s up to you really, because after you clean your chain it could probably use lube every day.  But I’m stingy and my commuter is a beater.

2.  Be Prepared

In the summer I carry a small pump, patch kit, tire wrenches, and a multi-tool.  During winter I carry a lot more.

During winter riding, you can quickly find yourself in situations that could present more problems than just having to walk your bike a bit…you don’t want to be broken down in freezing temperatures with no way to fix something.

Make sure you know how to repair your chain, brake lines and pads, and change flats.  If your chain allows for it, carry a master-link or two for quick repairs. Also consider carrying extra brake pads.  The stuff they put on roads gets all over your rims and then of course your brake pads…the can corrode fast.  For winter, I recommend a self sticking patch kit, as opposed to the standard vulcanized patches I use during warmer months.  I am never confident they will save a tube indefinitely, but they will at least allow me to re-inflate and get to my destination and out of the elements faster than waiting on glue to dry.  I also highly recommend fenders.  When it’s warm, I don’t mind getting wet from rain…in fact I kind of like watching the water spin off my tires, but winter is a different story.  Fenders also help save your frame and components.

3.  Ice is Slick

It’s a common misnomer among drivers as well, fatter tires don’t mean much on ice.  You might be inclined to think a mountain bike is better for a winter commute, and while that may be true sometimes, I feel that most of the time it isn’t.  With less contact surface area on the road, I feel like my road bike slips more than my mountain bike.  My skinny tires can carve through snow and slush like a knife, while my 29er Monster Bike tends to slide from side to side all the time.

However, keep in mind that snow and slush are very different from ice.  It’s darker in the morning during winter, the road is dark, and ice can appear to be just a bit of wetness on the road until…whoops…I fell over.  If it’s below freezing, assume there will be ice on your commute.  Like Wiggo or the Missile, try to hold your line and ride straight as much as possible.  Find a place in the lane where you are comfortable and stay in that spot.  Don’t jerk or swerve or even change lanes if you don’t have to.  It takes a little more self-control in the winter to hold the lane, but it’s more critical than ever, in my opinion.

When you make your turns don’t try to ride like you are racing a kit…leaning into it will typically not go well if you hit even a small patch of ice.  However if you stay upright and turn with your handlebars, you should have a much better chance at staying upright.

Like I said, if you are powering through the nasty cold weather, good for you! It is a little bit of a different ball game to commute in the winter months, but if you can follow these few suggestions you should come out a stronger cyclist in the spring.  Be careful, take care of yourself and your bicycle, and you will be just fine.

Aaron

We’ve teamed up with the guys over at Singletracks.com so that we can start brining our readers more articles on Mountain Biking.  We try to cater to all types of riders of all levels and abilities here at Loving the Bike, but seeing as I’m primarily a road cyclist the focus tends to shift mostly in that direction.

 Starting right now, we’ll be posting mountain bike articles each month courtesy of Greg Heil and Singletracks.  They definitely know their stuff when it comes to mountain biking, and we’re so happy to connect with them.

Top 3 Mountain Biking Tips

by Greg Heil

The relation of mountain biking to road biking/cycling fascinates me. On one hand, they each seem to be just a different side to the same biking coin. But on the other hand, mountain biking is oftentimes so radically specialized when compared to road biking that it seems like a different sport entirely.

Since these sports are so different, transitioning from the road to the trail can be a daunting task. Specifically, while road riders often bring an amazing fitness base to the mountain bike trail, the technical side of the sport usually proves to be challenging. While I could write for days about mountain bike skills, here are the three most basic mountain biking techniques that you should have in your arsenal:

1. Look where you want to go

When they first start mountain biking, many beginners have the tendency to look down at their front wheel in an attempt to see where it is going, or they focus their on obstacles in the trail. These tendencies are detrimental to good mountain biking. When riding singletrack, it is imperative that you look where you want to go.

For instance, is there a tree that you want to avoid? OK, well notice that tree, and then look down the trail and past it to where you want to end up. If you stare at the tree the entire time, you will run smack-dab into it. Are you riding along a steep cliff? While it’s tempting to stare off into the distance and enjoy the view, if you do without coming to a stop first, your front end will probably plummet straight off the edge.

While I’ve attended a skills clinic that spent literally an entire day discussing and practicing good vision, the simple truth is that you need to look down the trail. Focus on where you want to go. And the faster you’re going, the further down the trail you need to look.

All three of these tips melding together seamlessly in one photo. Rider: Greg Heil. Photo: Jeff Barber.

2. Brake smart

Many times when I’m riding with beginners, I’ll see them get up too much speed and lose control, careening off the trail until the underbrush finally stops their forward progress. When I ask them what went wrong, the conversation usually goes like this:

“I couldn’t stop.”
“Were you using your brakes?”
“Of course.”
“Were you using both of your brakes, your front brake, or your rear brake?”
“Just my rear brake.”
“Why weren’t you using the front brake?”
“I’m afraid of flipping over.”

Since your weight is driving down the hill with the force of gravity and the momentum that you’ve gained, about 70% of your total braking power is contained in your front brake, with only about 30% of your total power in your rear brake. If you use just the rear brake, you are only using a fraction of the total braking power available to you.

Obviously, locking up the front brake is a bad idea: there is a reason many people are afraid of using the lever on the left handlebar. To keep from flipping over, it’s important to use both of the brakes together. Not only does use of the rear brake help mitigate some of the potentially harsh effects of the front, but you now have 100% power instead of just 30%.

Finally, when you brake, do not lock the brakes up. Avoiding locking the brakes will eliminate the fear of doing an “endo,” but that is not the primary reason to avoid it. If you lock the brakes up, the bike begins to skid and go out of control. In order to slow forward progress as quickly as possible, the tires need to maintain solid contact with the ground. This is the same idea behind anti-lock brakes on cars.

3. Let the bike flow beneath you: calm upper body

Suspension is an extraordinary thing, and it can really smooth out the trail and provide forgiveness when your skills don’t measure up to the challenges that the trail provides. However, no matter how much suspension your bike has, your arms and your legs have more—your body is your primary suspension.

In order to soak up bumps from rocks, roots, and other trail obstacles, it is important to let the bike move under you. If you can allow the bike to buck beneath you and jolt without having those jolts throw your body all over the place, you will ride with much more control. Some people ride so rigidly that every little thing jolts them off balance, but if you can learn to separate your body from the bike it will make for a much smoother ride.

Your Turn: What questions do you have about mountain biking technique?

Greg Heil started riding mountain bikes seriously in 2007, and since that time has ridden hundreds of trails all across the United States.  He is the Social Media Coordinator and an editor for Singletracks.com, which is your source for everything mountain biking: the number one mountain bike trail map database in the world, a daily blog, gear reviews, forums, photo of the day, and more!  Be sure to drop by the site and check it out, and “follow” them on Twitter.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.

- Charles Darwin (proabably!)

Whether you have just bought your first bike or have been racing for years, there is a podcast out there so full of intelligence, knowledge and heart that it transcends listener experience. The Cycling360 podcast is FOR YOU and if you haven’t heard it yet, I hope after reading this your next step be strapping on your ear goggles.

Before we get into this I just want to clear up any preconceptions you may have with my reasons for writing this and my legitimacy as a reviewer. Some may say that promoting something your boss has helped create may seem pretty sycophantic… but luckily for me Darryl isn’t my boss… he’s a friend. And he hasn’t asked me to write this article, so you can rest assured this is an independent review by a listener and a fan. As for my legitimacy as a reviewer, I’m not quite sure… we’ll find out!

The Review Show

Darryl 'The Boss' Kotyk

The Cycling360 Media team is made up of Darryl ‘The Boss’ Kotyk, ‘Coach’ Rob Grissom and Victor ‘The Bike Guru’ Jimenez and each of these experienced gents are aiming to use their podcast, “to make you a better cyclist”. With such a sweeping proposal it would be easy for the casual listener to write it off as hyperbole, but this podcast really can hold its head above the parapet. I regularly listen to cycling podcasts, I have quite a few favourites but most of these are produced in the UK. I think the main reason for preferring the smaller number of UK produced podcasts is the relevance it has to me as a rider this side of ‘the pond’. As cyclists we go through very similar experiences wherever we are riding and these should easily transcend the medium of podcast but unfortunately I’ve been left feeling unaffected and bored by most American podcasts I’ve listened to.

Victor 'The Bike Guru' Jimenez

Then I listened to the Cycling360 Media podcast. Yes I’ll admit I did initially listen to it because Darryl and Victor were involved and I knew from personal experience that they were two of the most generous and knowledgeable people I’d met on Twitter but it didn’t take long for me to see the appeal in this new podcast. With a mix of quirky ‘coffee shop’ style banter and an informative drop-in clinic, the issues and topics are discussed in a way that is accessible to many different people but never makes you feel like you are being look down upon the all powerful and intelligent hosts… they would be the first 3 to scrap that myth I’m sure! With a range of subjects such as; how to prepare for a ‘century’ ride, how best to travel with your bike and giving tips and experienced insights in ways to overcome fears about being out on the open road there is something for everyone. And that is the productions indisputably greatest feature… the ability to make you feel new again. I love learning and trying to become the best I can… I think it’s a good trait to have but it can be a double edged sword as I often feel like I’ve lost that beautiful spark that I felt when I first got into cycling – that feeling of trying to learn everything I can, as fast as I can, from the people best qualified to give me that information. I have spent the last 4 years immersed in all things cycling, which has made it harder to get that ‘hit’.  That feeling of being a kid and turning your first pedal stroke without training wheels… that’s what I missed… and this has given it back to me. Essentially… I thought I knew it all and each and everyone of these podcasts has taught me something new and enthused me to get out and on my bike. Whether that makes me a better cyclist or not I can’t be sure, but it does make me more of a cyclist, which I really like!

3 is the magic number

The Cycling360 team is an eclectic mix of experiences neatly tied together using the power of Skype! Here’s what the team have to say about themselves:

'Coach' Rob Grissom

Darryl is definitely the least technical guy in the Cycling 360 peleton, but there is no denying his love and passion for the bike.  He adds a nice balance to the mix by bringing his unbridled enthusiasm and fun loving attitude to each of the podcasts, and really enjoys the interaction he has with his co-hosts.

Rob is the tech guy on team Cycling360 and a USA Cycling Coach. Rob brings his lifelong love of cycling and his insights into training to help Cycling 360 listeners with training and fitness concerns. Rob is having a blast working with his co-hosts in getting Cycling 360 up and running.

Victor is our resident professional bicycle fitter and overall cycling and bicycle industry expert. Victor, has been fitting bicycles to people and helping them hone their technique for over twenty five years. Has teaches clinics and workshops for USAT coaches and athletes on bicycle fit, efficiency and technique. He also works closely with coaches and medical professionals to educate them on bicycle fit and how the body interacts with a bicycle. After years as a triathlete, then bike racer; American College of Sports Medicine trainer, and fitness testing specialist he began to apply his knowledge and experience to bicycle fit. Victor studied bike fitting in the mid eighties, and continues to study and consult with some of the most respected bicycle fitters and builders in the industry.

Contact

You’ve heard what I think, now it’s time to make a decision. Do you want to be that kid who sits inside and stares out of the window, watching everyone else ride their bikes around the block or are you going to get out there, strip those training wheels off and scrape some knees!? You’re decision… I suggest you choose Cycling360

You can access the podcast from iTunes the Cycling360 Media website and contact the guys on Twitter at @Cycling36o, on Facebook and you can email them at questions@cycling360media.com. All of the previous podcast editions are available to download and listen to see get over there and enjoy!

Stevie

Lead, follow or get out of the way…