- Do you want to know how to survive the winter
whilst out on the bike?
In this video,
we're going to take you through some top tips
on how to fully prep yourself and your bike for the winter.
- Yeah, we're going to get you riding in the wind!
Rain or even snow.
Before you do so, make sure you click the bell icon,
so you'll get a notification every time we upload a video.
Right, what's next?
- First up, bike prep.
(groans)
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The first thing you want to think about
is being visible on the roads.
As the days get shorter and nights get longer,
being visible could genuinely save your life.
So if you haven't already done so,
invest in a good set of lights.
Generally speaking,
these days I do use a light on my bike at all times
but especially so in the winter.
In the daytime, I'll use it with a flashing setting
to increase my visibility to oncoming traffic
and other road users,
but when the rides get darker,
I'll then switch it to its solid setting
so I can actually see where I'm going.
On the rear, I'll generally run two lights,
one solid and one flashing at all times.
One more thing you want to think about
when it comes to your light setting,
is the angle you have it pointed at.
You don't want it so high that you're lighting up the sky
and blinding other road users, but equally,
you don't want it pointing just ahead of your wheel.
Ideally you want to have it somewhere just ahead of you
around five to 10 meters depending on your speed,
so that you're picking out
all those imperfections on the road
and increasing your own safety.
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- During those wet and quite dreary winter days,
having a set of mud-guards is an absolute lifesaver.
It'll not only stop you from getting a wet bum,
but it'll also save your kit
and prevent you from doing a lot of bike maintenance.
Now, if you've seen out on a club ride
some experienced pros,
you will notice that they've got an extra little flap
on the bottom of their mud-guard.
And this is not only for them,
but it's also for the riders behind them
when they're on their group rides.
It'll stop them spraying, getting filthy dirty.
So, instead of going out on a group ride
and losing friends,
then you might actually be gaining them.
Good little hack there.
This is one I did earlier, literally took me five minutes.
Getting a can, pair of scissors and some tape.
And there you have it.
I'm pretty happy with that,
I might send it into Hack and Bodge.
(boing)
- One very important consideration to make
when it comes to setting your bike up for the winter
is your choice of tire.
There's a few things you can do there.
You can increase the width
and you can also go for a more durable tire,
which should help cope in the conditions
you often find in the winter.
Traditionally speaking,
roads aren't as in good a condition in the winter
and debris is often washed into the road.
So, having a more resilient tire
that's more puncture-proof,
with something like Kevlar inside of it,
will help prevent punctures.
Something else you could consider going for
is a tubeless tire, such as we have here.
This will seal all but the worst of punctures
whilst out on the road in winter.
And then you could consider the width of your tire.
Now in the summer,
I'll generally run a 25 mill tire these days.
Bike frames though do come with a little bit more clearance,
certainly since the dawn of the era of the disc brake,
meaning we no longer have to fit a rim brake
over the top of the tire.
So I could quite comfortably fit a 28 mill on here.
I could then run it at lower pressure
for a little bit more grip
but also a little bit more comfort.
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I love riding my bike in the summer.
Mainly, because I don't have to clean it
after every single ride.
But it is just a fact of life
that as we head in towards the winter,
the weather's generally not as good
and the roads are a bit dirtier,
meaning cleaning my bike is going to be part of my routine.
I used to get so annoyed when I came out the next day
and found my bike was still filthy dirty.
It hadn't magically been cleaned overnight
and the chain had gone orange.
What I recommend doing is setting up
a little cleaning station
wherever it is that you finish your ride.
That way you can rinse the worst of it off quickly
and easily at the end of the ride,
when all the dirt and mud is still fresh,
it'll fall off much easier.
And then lube it up and then put it away.
Not only will this prevent your bike
wearing out as quickly,
it'll also be much more enjoyable to ride.
James, why didn't you do that last night?
- So, your bike is fully winterized.
It's now thinking about the clothing
and what to wear for those temperatures.
It's all about layers, layers and layers.
Starting off with the base layer,
there are so many out there from short sleeves,
long sleeves, knitted, wooly.
But finding one that best suits
the temperature you'll be riding in is super important.
It's then going for some thin thermal layers.
That will trap the warmth in and keep the cold out.
A saying worth remembering
is that you can always take layers off when you get too hot
but you can't put layers on if you don't have them.
And it's then having a cape in your back pocket.
That will keep you warm on the descents
and it'll also keep you dry.
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Now, one last thing to think about
is that a lot of heat is lost out of your head,
your hands and your feet.
So it's really worth thinking about
what to put on your head, say, for example,
something like Chris is wearing, a skull cap,
or maybe even a casquette like me.
And then onto your hands.
I've gone for some thin gloves.
It's only about 6 degree celsius
and I find this is the perfect temperature for these.
And then on my feet, I've gone for no over-shoes.
If it's not wet, I do kind of prefer it.
- And the same thing for me and my hands,
I actually prefer to have my hands out at all costs,
even if they are a little bit cold.
Now it's worth noting that these are generalized tips
for riding in a European winter
and we completely understand that many of you out there
have much more severe climates to deal with.
- Yeah and make sure you buy kit that's appropriate
for the weather you'll be riding in.
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Right, see ya!