Winter Cycling “Exposure” Introductory Course

Welcome Winter Bicyclists!

• Your name?• Years of cycle

commuting?• Why do you wish to

give winter bicycling a try?

• Why do you have an interest in this session?

• How did you hear about this session?

Introduction• Presenters, participants

• Washrooms, Outdoor Resource Centre, CAOC (upstairs), Please don’t call the staff ORCS

• Session purpose, what it isn’t

• Connection to CAN-BIKE Skills course curriculum, ‘universal’ cycling skills – can utilize anywhere

• Not just a winter pathway cycling course. We’ll cover road cycling as well

• Presentation methods/ format

Winter Cycling?

• "When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought of anything but the ride you are taking."  

• -- Arthur Conan Doyle, Article for Scientific American, 1896

Winter Bicycling Session Outline

Introductions Why? ICEBIKE survey results Climate Weather and physiology Staying warm dry and visible – clothing Bike selection Bike Wheels – set-up Rest of bike – set-up On-going bike maintenance

- Nature break –

Winter bicycling technique Winter route selection End-point facilities Calgary specific winter Bicycling concerns Resources for further info Wrap-up

Why Do We Do It? By Chris Chatelain

Clipped from: http://www.icebike.org/whywedothis.htm . Excerpts - 1

• Why do we ride in the winter? I'm frequently asked as I walk into a pub or movie theater, “aren't you cold?”. I just smile warmly and say “nope”.

• I was approached by a co-worker today and asked WHY I did it. I couldn't answer him. I didn't know. All I could say was “it's a welcome challenge” but that just barely scratches the surface of the WHY question.

• I decided to take the snowed in sidewalk to the side of the high speed highway this time until I came to the turn off to a slower road as a courtesy to the other drivers, seeing as the traffic reports were scaring people. I left work, jumped on the bike, rode for a block with this white stuff flying up around me completely obscuring my view of my hubs. I hit something solid, made me loose what little control I had and plummeted into a snow drift soft as a pillow. *WHUMP!* it was like falling on a cloud. It was so much fun I just laid there and laughed for a bit.

• Sometimes winter riding sucks. Sometimes it's soggy and you get soaked right through, and the freewheel is frozen, and nothing shifts, and the brakes just skid on the rims, and the driver behind you is leaning on the horn, but it's the good days like the above that make up for it.

Why Do We Do It? Excerpts (Chris Chatelain) - 2

• From what I've seen, the traffic is better in the winter than in good weather. Everyone pulls together. Everyone realizes no one can stop fast. Even on the bad days, when I arrive at my destination intact and possibly exhausted, I accomplished something. I did something most people are scared of. I rode in weather that people have frozen to death in, beat the traffic, got home safe, and got healthier because of it.

• I love riding bikes, for all reasons, including reasons that have nothing to do with biking. Every time I'm driving a car, I hate how visibility is reduced by all that steel surrounding you. I feel far safer on my bike, because if I don't see a car coming, there is no car coming. The bus is no better either. I'm much warmer on a bike because I tend to prepare myself better for an hour out in the cold than if I was expecting to jump on a bus after ten minutes of waiting. I'd much rather be warm on a bike, than cold standing still at a bus stop. And then there's the time thing. It takes me almost 20 minutes longer to take the bus to work than bike. I don't see any benefit to taking the bus over a bike whatsoever.

• I think the reason I take a  bike changes day to day: Fun!  Warm!  Don't have to drive!  Don't have to take a bus!  Faster than taking a bus! Fun!  Fun!  Fun!  Did I mention fun? 

• Partly its my defiance to the weather. No one, not even old man winter is going to tell me I can’t have fun in the snow on a bike. How is it any different than skiing? People enjoy being out in the cold skiing right? Partly its defying those people that tell me I shouldn't be out on a bike in that weather. But mostly, ITS JUST WAAAAYY TOO MUCH FUN! C'mon, you know you WAAANAA.

Results From ICEBIKE Survey, Winter 1998 - ’99

1. Methodology, study background

• Automated web page which tallied answers to the twenty questions

• First posted only on the ICEBIKE mailing list. 

• Then the survey was made available to the internet as a whole via postings in bicycling groups on Usenet.

• The survey attracted 406 entries over the course of the winter

• Results stayed (percentage wise) largely as they appear here over the course of the survey period.

• No significant change in the percentages after posting to usenet than prior.  

• No obvious attempts to induce a bias, and analysis of the resulting raw data did not show any indication of duplicate voting.

• The following definition was stated. We asked all respondents to adhere to this definition to help keep our survey meaningful:

Winter Cycling:   By this, we mean riding bicycles in snow and winter rains and on ice in temperatures below 40F (5C). 

• Several questions were designed so that data cross-checking could be achieved.   For example the answers to the distance and time questions stand the test of reasonableness, as well as what we know about winter speeds.

• Remarkable results include the number of new ICEBIKERS, those with less than two years experience.  This tends to suggest what several winter cyclists have noticed - a growing popularity  of ICEBIKING.  Either that, or no one can stand it for very long.

• Also notable is the tremendous gender gap. Wider than the (already substantial) perceived gap  in cycling populations in summer, the imbalance drew much comment on the ICEBIKE mailing list.  (see the archives).

• The high incidence of helmet use went almost unnoticed.

Source: http://www.icebike.org/SurVey/20QuestionResults.htm

ICEBIKE Survey, Winter 1998 – ‘99 Selected results - 2

Gender

Male 383 94% Female 20 4%

Age

Under 15 6 1% 16-25 48 11% 26-35 128 31% 36-45 133 32% 45+ 89 21%

Why do you Ride in Winter (most relevant reason)

Transportation (commuting)

232 57%

Recreation-Exercise

158 38%

Racing-Competition

14 3%

ICEBIKE Survey, Winter 1998 – ’99. Selected Results - 3

Years of Routine Winter Cycling (discounting once-a-year rides etc.)

0-2 162 39% 3-5 126 31% 6-8 53 13% 9-11 22 5% 12+ 41 10%

Average Days Per Week that you Ride in Winter

Less than 1

18 4%

1-2 81 19% 2-4 112 27% 5-7 192 47%

Average (out and back) Distance of your Winter Rides(miles)

0-5 61 15% 5-10 135 33% 10-15 83 20% 15-20 54 13% 20-25 41 10% 35-30 20 4% 30+ 9 2%

ICEBIKE Survey, Winter 1998 – ’99. Selected results – 4

Your Normal Cold-temp Cut-off point for winter rides

41F(5C) 3 0% 32F(0C) 9 2% 23F(-5C) 44 10% 14F(-10C) 84 20% -4F(-20C) 128 31% -22F(-30C) 71 17% -40 40 9% Even Colder

21 5%

Your Coldest Ride ever

32F-0C or above

8 1%

14F(-10C) 107 26% -4F(-20C) 130 32% -22F(-30C) 105 25% -40 34 8% Even Colder

15 3%

What winter condition will cause you to cancel rides (most frequent)

Snow Depth

180 44%

Cold Temps

38 9%

High Winds

88 21%

Falling Rain or Snow

79 19%

ICEBIKE Survey, Winter 1998 – ’99. Selected results – 5

What winter condition will cause you to cancel rides (most frequent)

Snow Depth

180 44%

Cold Temps

38 9%

High Winds

88 21%

Falling Rain or Snow

79 19%

What Was Your Worst Winter Cycling Accident ?

none 86 21% minor falls - no injury

206 50%

sprains, bruises, minor frostbite -no medical attention

88 21%

sprains, broken bones, - needing medical attention

19 4%

Injury requiring Hospitalization

4 < 1%

Comment: There are the occasional crashes but because of extra clothing and a slippery surface to land on, these usually result in less injury than would be sustained by a bare limbed cyclist on dry pavement. Road rash is just about unheard of.

Fully 70% had never been injured at all!

ICEBIKE Survey, Winter 1998 – ’99, Selected Results - 6

In snow and ice, which tires do you use most often

Just Regular tires

268 66%

Regular tires and Tire Chains

4 0%

Commercial Studded tires

84 20%

Home Made Studded tires

42 10%

Where is Most of your Winter Riding done

Urban Streets and Roads

252 62%

Rural Roads 62 15% Bike Paths 52 12% Snowmobile or other Trails

35 8%

Frozen Lakes and Rivers

2 0%

Calgary’s great climateSource: Environment Canada

• Snowiest month: March (21.9 cm)

• Snowiest day: April, May (48 cm)

• Days above freezing: Dec. (17), Jan. (15), Feb (16)

• Days below -20°C: Dec. (7), Jan. (9), Feb. (6)

• Days with >5 cm snowfall: Mar. (1.3), Apr. (0.8)

• Days with snow depth > 10 cm: Dec. (5), Jan. (7), Feb. (4)

• Bright sunshine hours: Nov. (9.4), Dec. (7.9), Jan. (9), Feb. (10.5)

• Warmest day: Dec. (19.5°C), Jan. (18.5°C), Feb. (22.6°C)

• Days with wind chill < -30°C: Dec (5), Jan. (7), Feb. (4)

Weather and Physiology• Start slow, acclimatization ride in

summer first, start on a weekend to remove time pressures

• Energy expenditure in cold vs. warm, weather, cold’s effect on muscles

• Cold weather perception vs. reality (skiing most of a day vs. a 20-45 min. bike commute)

• Fuel – food, carbos & hydration, hazards of diuretics – coffee, tea

• Effects of cold & wind-chill – frostbite, shivering, hypothermia

• Lower sun angles , shorter daylight hrs., more darkness, depression countered by exercise

• Breathing and warming air intake(air warming masks)

Staying Warm, Dry and Visible• The enemy:wet – why? Need to ‘dump’

excess generated heat, ventilation – pit & front zips as heat regulators

• Heat balance – OK to be cool 1st 7 – 10 min. of ride

• Cold’s effects on various body parts – head > toes + extremities

• Typical cold air ‘leak points’ – ankles, wrists & neck

• Fabric selection – shells (incl. hands & feet) – insulation – next to body, variable layers to suit Calgary’s changeable weather in daily extremes, reflective materials

• Dealing with glasses, ski goggles

• Backpack – added complications from restricted air movement, sweat

Clothing Part 2

• Vulnerable Areas

– Nose, chin, ears, lungs – toques, balaclavas, face masks - neoprene, detachable helmet ear muffs, helmets + covers

– Cycling hand wear – gloves, lobster claws, mitts + shells, pogies

– Cycling footwear – clip vs. clipless, boots vs. over-booted shoes, toe movement, socks & layers, vapour barrier socks

Stewart's Winter Bicycling Clothing Table (preamble)

Temperatures indicated are just used to provide a starting point for considering what to wear.  Modify your selection based on the following factors:

• How HARD you will ride: if you're going hard, you can wear less

• How LONG you will ride: if you are riding a long time, you will heat up after a while and can take off a layer

• Weather conditions: wind, especially in the winter, will require you to add another layer and cover all exposed flesh

• SAFETY: in colder, or expected changing, weather, always carry an extra layer

20°C 10°C 0°C -10°C -20°C -30°C

Hands nothing thin bike gloves bike gloves insulated gloves mitts snowmobile mitts

Head nothing nothing thin toque thin toque wool toque toque + balaclava

Neck nothing nothing nothing fleece neck tubeNeoprene face mask

Neoprene face mask

Torso T-shirtT-shirt + bike jacket

shirt + bike jacket shirt + bike jacketshirt, overshirt, bike jacket

shirt, overshirt, bike jacket

Legs shorts shorts bike pants bike pantsbike pants + wind pants

bike pants + shelled fleece overpants

Feet sandals bike shoes bike shoesbike shoes + wool socks

winter shoes/boots

Sorrels

Bike Selection• Beater bike vs. one year-round bike.

• Low-end vs high-end components Switch over to less expensive derailleur – performance is equal

• Sources of used bikes – Bargain Finder, Bow Cycle, MEC’s on-line gear swap, EBay

• Suspensions vs. rigid frame & forks, effects of cold

• Shifter, brake lever access

• Road vs. mountain vs. folding

• Internal vs. external gears

• Purpose built bikes – Surly Pugsley, recumbent trikes, Ktrakcycle

Bike Wheels – Initial Set-Up• Tires: fat is good, skinny is not

always bad

• Tires – knobbies, rubber compounds, studs & chains (front and/or rear)

• Brake styles pros/cons(conventional, disc)

• Swappable wheel assemblies – knobbed tire & studded tire

• Fenders are advisable

• Bearing grease, chain lube, spare chain.

• shifter / brake cable lube or not

Rest of Bike – Initial Set-Up• Backpacks vs. panniers, back sweat, pannier

covers

• Frame prep – paste wax everywhere incl. spoke nipples (don’t lube!)

• Lights – front & rear, LED vs. retina burners – lumens vs. optical design & combos, head vs. handlebar mounts, ‘self-lighting’, battery & charger technologies, de-mountable set-ups

• Reflectors – 3 colours’ and angle effectiveness

• Locks – lube with graphite only! Cover key access, frozen. (Bic hack)

• Lighter to thaw frozen locks, lock de-icer. Don’t use your tongue!

• Poor bike fit will contribute to blood constriction ie: Cold hands? Bike not sized correctly. Perhaps too much weight on hands restricting blood flowa

On-Going Bike Maintenance• Hazards of heating / cooling bike

• Salt corrosion

• Spray lube in frame vent holes

• Chain lubing before swap – thin cheap lube.

• Chain swapping, drive train cleaning

• Keep braking surfaces clean

• Cleaning lights / reflectors

• Dealing with frozen bike parts, butane lighter, lock de-icer

Nature break ( 15 minutes)

•

Winter Cycling Technique - 1

• Leave earlier than ‘clear road’ days

• Lower tire pressure to increase tire / road surface contact area

• Traction enemies – ice and gravel, overreaction, muscle tension

• Ride slower and less aggressively than on the ‘dry’. Think ‘fluid’ movements

• Focus on soft, smooth and even circles in pedal rotation rather than short, erratic, powerful strokes

• Keep bike vertical when braking

• Braking force – splitting front vs. rear, how?

• Limiting ‘inputs’ to speed & direction, increase anticipation. Brake earlier and softer

• When accelerating or climbing keep ‘weight neutral’. Avoid excess weight on the front end

Winter Cycling Technique - 2

• Losing it, outrigger for stability, tripod-ing

• Give motorists and pedestrians more room. Anticipate that your presence is unexpected this time of the year

• Typical hazard locations – intersections, underpasses, change of direction and slope

• Reading ice, slush & snow

• Reading road ruts

• Predictable riding, lane position and yielding

Winter Cycling Technique - 3• Building the community and good

karma – assist other cyclists in need of mechanical help. Small issues escalate quickly in the cold

• Building confidence – neighbourhood streets, back alleys, and parks, practice extreme movements in a field or parking lot

• Enjoy the experience. Concentrate. Think sand, surf, breaking waves when you’re OFF the bike!

• ‘Do unto others’ – encountering winter cyclists when driving: think clearance & exhaust fumes

Winter Route Selection

• Alternative routes – why?

• Motorist ‘acclimatization’ day(s)

• Change of road lane widths, cyclists’ comfort levels

• Intermodal options – drive & bike or bus & bike

End-Point Facilities

• Secured outdoor / non-heated bike parking cages & bicycle shelters

• Workplace amenities – indoor heated bike cages, shower, locker , washroom (variety of shower styles)

• Changing techniques

Calgary-Specific Winter Cycling Concerns

• Winter swept pathways, sidewalks, ploughed bus routes

• Very rapid temperature change and effects on dressing and surface conditions. (Chinooks)

• Whom to call for pathway / street maintenance – gravel

• Ice, snow, meltwater, water and ice a bad combination for bikes

• Residential streets unplowed

Resources For Further Info

• Internet –favourite websites

• Online communities (listserv’s, forums)

• Partnering with friends, neighbors

• Books

• Winter cycling festivals, races

Wrap-Up

• BikeWinter Video

• Loose ends – what was missed?

• Questions?

• Evaluations