How do you riders out there brave the cold winter?

PB Forum :: Downhill
How do you riders out there brave the cold winter?
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Posted: Nov 9, 2009 at 23:29 Quote
Just interested in what everyone does in the winter to them selve, the bikes, what you do before you go on aride...so many new challenges introduced by one season.

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 10:08 Quote
put a coat on then ride!

O+
Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 10:08 Quote
i moved to California.

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 10:33 Quote
I don´t. If it hits below 10 degrees celsius. I won´t even bother riding.

Its awesome that only a few days ever hit less than 10 degrees celsius during the day. But I have been caught off guard at times. It sucks.

I don´t ride cos I just can´t figure out what to wear. If I wear hot enough clothes I´ll be drenched in sweat by the time I finish with the uphill. Then when I go down, I got wet clothes on and its even colder. And If I dont wear hot enough clothes I will freeze both ways lol.

I have to take a camelback with a jacket on it. And I hate riding with a camelback on my daily rides.

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 10:39 Quote
Mud tires and an extra T-shirt under my jersey...

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 10:50 Quote
I just use this instead of my bike lol.
photo

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 10:57 Quote
brando33 wrote:
I just use this instead of my bike lol.
photo


aha sweet

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 11:05 Quote
Getting my class A gas ticket and Building an Electric Dirtbike..
Pocket bikes could be some fun times also .

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 13:24 Quote
I just got back from a -2 degrees (celsius) night ride, here in NW London, England

awesome fun, spent about an hour climbing, descending technical singletrack, sliding around in the mud!

photo

I night ride 3-4 nights a week, whatever the weather (dry / rain / cold / snow...)


the trick to riding in cold winter weather is investing in the right clothing (base layer, fleece, breathable jacket, winter gloves, clear glasses or goggles, etc.)

one of the British Arctic Explorers said many, many years ago "there is no such thing as inclement (bad) weather, just inappropriate clothing"

with the modern fabrics and clothing its so much easier to equip yourself with the right kit that will let you ride hard without over heating or getting wet from sweat


I prefer riding in shorts all year round, and wear 661 Kyle Strait knee guard and long socks to keep my legs warm and my knees protected if I slide out and go down hard

and its important setting up your bike right (mud guard, correct tires at lower pressure, wax / polish on the back of the seatube and stays and underneath mudguard to stop mud sticking)

if you have the right clothing, and a well setup bike to ride, its super fun to go riding in the foulest weather, especially at night in the winter - get some good lights from Lumicycle, Light & Motion, Hope, etc.)

I use a Light & Motion Stella 200 on my handlebar and a Princeton Tec EOS 50 on my helmet for additional technical lighting

make sure you take a cell phone, food, water, basic tools and an emergency blanket (foil) is useful in case something bad happens and you have to spend a night out there!

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 15:10 Quote
thrice wrote:
I don´t. If it hits below 10 degrees celsius. I won´t even bother riding.

Its awesome that only a few days ever hit less than 10 degrees celsius during the day. But I have been caught off guard at times. It sucks.

I don´t ride cos I just can´t figure out what to wear. If I wear hot enough clothes I´ll be drenched in sweat by the time I finish with the uphill. Then when I go down, I got wet clothes on and its even colder. And If I dont wear hot enough clothes I will freeze both ways lol.

I have to take a camelback with a jacket on it. And I hate riding with a camelback on my daily rides.

You won't ride if it goes under 10 degrees! If that was the case with me I probably wouldn't be able to ride at all with ours summers haha!

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 15:21 Quote
under 10 degrees? thats a heatwave.

O+ FL
Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 15:42 Quote
I keep riding until the snow hits the ground. I find that once I get riding, staying warm really isn't a problem, except for the toes, hands and face. Thicker socks and gloves help. I also prefer to ride with shorts like hampsteadbandit. I use motocross knee socks to keep the legs warm.

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 16:13 Quote
I find the only problem to be the first 5 minutes, till you warm up your mussels...

Where I live the temperatures in winter might as low as 0 in early morning (a bit less during the night), but the only thing I change really is wearing a long sleeve jersey or a sweatshirt over the t-shirt I usually ride with. Although I always ride in shorts, the knee/shin pads help keep my legs a bit warmer in the first minutes.

Also wearing a full face helmet with goggles limits a lot the cold feeling!

Probably the biggest change for me is that I spend twice as much time doing warm up exercises before I leave, it helps a lot to keep your body at a decent temperature until you do the first couple of runs!

Posted: Nov 10, 2009 at 16:18 Quote
I live in SoCal so there isn't much of a problem Smile

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