Burlington, Vt. – December 19, 2009 – Getting around in winter can be intimidating to many, especially when roads are snowy and the temperatures drop but nevertheless, winter bicycling is on the increase. Addressing that increase, local bicycle shop, the Old Spokes Home held a winter riding bike clinic Saturday.

Old Spokes Home owner Glenn Eames said, “We’re seeing a lot more people riding year round.”  

“People’s initial reaction is, ‘That’s crazy!’ but it really isn’t!” says Eames enthusiastically.  “It’s not that hard if you prepare for what you’ll be seeing on the street.”

The shop owner put the off-season riders in perspective,“We all drive cars so it not like we’re an alien species.”  He talked about why people make the effort, “I would say that it goes along with the interest in saving gasoline and  being more green in choosing lifestyle options for transportation.”

Vermonters are not the only ones doing it either. He described a trade show he recently attended in Minneapolis, Minnesota called “Frostbite” and seeing an even larger number of people there riding to work during winter.

Andy Simon, 60, a manager for a travel tour company, is one of those people joining the ranks of winter riders, giving up his personal car.  When a car really is needed, he participates in Rideshare Vermont, a carpool and vanpool program offering a free computerized matching service for individuals and employers sponsored by the Vermont Agency of Transportation.

When it comes to equipment for the endeavor, everyone in the bike shop recommended studded tires. Shop mechanic Derek McIntire felt it was a necessity.  “If you ride all winter and you rely on it for transportation, it’s a good idea,” said McIntire.

Simon, who is new to winter riding challenges talked about his experience since he’s given up his car, “I’ve been riding all over the place.”  He recounted his first wipeout that happened on the Intervale pathway, “The first time I went down there, I didn’t realize how icy it was. My tires were nothing special. I just kind of went, Whoosh!”

“It happens fast,” warned Eames of a crash, especially without the studded tires.

Talking about other precautions to take, he said, “Definitely you want to have as much lighting as you can.”  It’s especially important, he cautioned, during what he referred to as “Snow Globe” conditions when automobile drivers have a more difficult time seeing a cyclist.  The most difficult thing about riding in winter is sharing the road with cars, he said.

When it comes to caring for the bike, lubricating the moving parts is imperative, especially during warm/cold cycles. “One nasty day of freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, can strip off all the lubrication,” said Eames during the clinic but using the proper kind is helpful too.  He told of one customer, a cook in Burlington, who brought in his bike to the shop partway through winter because it wasn’t working. 

“It was awful, the chain had this yellow gunk on it,” he said. The shop crew at Old Spokes asked the customer, ‘What happened?’

It turned out he had been using leftover grease from the griddle to lubricate the chain and mechanical parts all winter.  “Use the real stuff, use bike lube,” recommended Eames.

Nearing the end of the clinic, Eames summed up why he personally rides in winter, “I don’t ride my bike to be different, or to be cool or be unusual or get in somebody’s face,” he explained.  “It’s really just the best way to get around, and there’s free parking!”

 -Vermont Daily News staff report by Alden Pellett

 

The crew at Old Spokes Home outlined  a list during the clinic of what is needed for successful winter riding:

• Lighting – Do a good job of lighting. Use blinking lights, bright lights, reflective materials, Velcro leg bands, etc. to protect a rider during what he calls the Snow Globe effect of a snowstorm where it’s difficult for auto drivers to see a rider.

 

• A Helmet – In case you go down and crash. “The worst is a small coating of snow on ice which isn’t obvious,” says Eames.  It happens to all winter riders eventually.

 

• Studded Tires – You may not really need them all the time but they protect against that ghost ice patch.

 

• Fenders – They keep the slush from building up. Blocks of ice can develop in mechanisms and interfere with moving parts just like on automobiles.

 

• Lubrication – Constantly check moving parts. A weekly cleanup and lube is advised.  On really nasty days the elements can strip off all lube and a quick cleaning and re-application may be called for. Usually by January the bike is looking pretty gunked up and a mid-winter drive train clean-up is in order. During freeze-thaw periods more frequent maintenance is required. Stick to bike lube.

 

• Clothing – Facemask, clear ski goggles or less bulky shop safety glasses (available at hardware stores), gloves with liners. Non-bulky ski pants or waterproof wind pants.

 

• Storage – If you have a place that is semi-heated, it’s the best thing, like a mud room or basement/garage area. Eames warns of freeze thaw periods when water inside the hub can freeze solid inside the mechanism rendering the bike unridable until it melts again. One of the orange plastic children’s sleds makes a good drip pan to put under snowy bikes or to provide a cleaning catch-basin.