The Pinkbike Podcast: Episode 31 - Wet Weather Riding Tips & Tricks

 I thought we were just supposed to sit inside cleaning our bikes with a toothbrush and buying random shit online. Like grips we dont need or a 200 dollar handle bar aligner.

 Is "curling camp" a euphemism for some sort of rehab center for his monster energy drink addiction?

 -maxxgrip (or similar)
-lower the psi
-square off roots
-keep those wheels rolling regardless of how slow you’re going
-stay loose. If you’re tense, it won’t be a good day

Finally, love riding in all conditions.

 just want to give a shoutout to the PB team for these podcasts. Been listening while deployed, and a great way to get caught up on the week in mountain bike.

 And remember kids we (the UK) have the muddiest mud known to man. No mud is muddier, stickier, stinkier or sloppier than ours.

 Christina’s perspective is a nice addition to the podcast and in her PB content — much appreciated!

 I made up the Gauntlet of Death event back at the Texas Toast events. Let's build a mountain bike one!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEANs8iTXGk
Each sponsor gets their own absurd obstacle and we make it fun for everyone, and maybe impossible.

 Levy made these podcasts gold

 I should've bought a fat bike. We can't go to VT or ME to ski and NH is going to be a disaster.

I plan on spending the entire winter on the trainer and coming out the other side with a respectable "I made holiday meals for 8 but can only eat with 1 other person" gut and legs chiseled from granite.

 But guys, every time I ride in the rain or within days after it, people yell at me for riding wet trails...




(Reality: if I have the time to ride, I am out riding. Regardless of the weather)

 My original weak link was may hands freezing while winter riding. Carbon bars & thick (soft) silicone grips made a massive difference in my winter setup, which over time has become my default year 'round setup.

I needed to wear my snowboarding gloves when I first started winter trail riding on an aluminum cockpit a decade ago. The loss of dexterity for braking and shifting was ridiculous.

With the carbon bars / silicone grip setup I could easily ride in 20F (-6.6C) weather with just the "most day gloves" from Hand Up. But this is when I noticed that the tip of my index fingers would go numb with aluminum brake levers, so I also begrudgingly "upgraded" to carbon lever brakes, and it made a huge difference.

So now with all carbon touch points, I can ride in 10F (-12.2C) with "cold day" gloves from Hand Up, and to 0F (-17.7C) with "ColdER day" gloves from Hand Up.

Anything colder than that it's my face that freezes, even with a gator, because that eventually gets wet / snotty and freezes.... luckily in NYC where I live, it rarely gets to 0F straight air temperature. But of course with the wind ripping, it can feel a lot colder than that even when the actual air temp isn't.

A flask of whiskey helps too! While technically that actually makes you lose body temp faster, getting a little extra blood to my face keeps it from freezing off. Good times ensue!

 I need an episode about riding in deeper and deeper sand...it’s been 215 days since the last rain.

 Can we go into the crank length answer by Christina?
I got the opposite reaction from friends who mover to 165 - no loss in power, but a gain in clearance.

I was also curious on how moving to short cranks feels with your feet 2cm closer as well as closer to center of BB...footwork through turns for example.

 Sitting here with 3 broken ribs I'd quite happily ride the rest of my days without crashing. And I doubt they're going to be healed in 6 weeks, in my experience it's at least 2 months for bones to heal and 3 months before they're fully right.

 For the places with temperatures frequently well below freezing and even below OF.

1) wear thermal wicking layers top, bottom and feet.
2) wear an insulating thermal mid-layer (select based on outdoor temp)
3) wear a wind-proof outer layer (add a mid layer, such as fleece or down, if needed for very cold conditions)
4) wear a ski helmet and goggles
5) wear insulated clipless boots (45nrth Wolfgars and Wolfhammers are awesome, LAKE makes some bomber options too). Riding with bulky snow boots on flats in the winter sucks.
6) Install wind-proof pogies on your handlebars (no matter of gloves with any dexterity will keep your hands warm while riding in frigid conditions)
7) Install studded tires, large concave studs appear to be most effective. Light snow and studded 2.2-2.6 are fine. 1-3 inches of snow 2.6-3.0 studded are good. 3-5inches powder 4.0 studded is the gold standard. Breaking wilderness powder of more than 5 inches goes for the studded 4.8+ size fat tires, but be willing to accept a slow ride.

In very cold (below 0F) there seems to be a preference for high quality mechanical disc brakes and grip shifters. Apparently brake fluid doesn't function well in very cold conditions. Metallic pads also seem to be the common recommendation. Select a wet weather chain lubricant. Haven't heard any specific recommendations on forks and shocks. Definitely encouraged to lower pressure in tires for better traction. Select a tread pattern appropriate for typical conditions. Dillingers are popular, I have a preference for Wrathchild's.

 Funny I just did a video about that dropping tomorrow!

 @mikekazimer could you guys go into why stems are better shorter? I have a 35mm one currently, but was just told by a well known MTB ex-pinker that I should go longer. I think it might be because I am in the middle between a Medium and Large on most bikes at 5'10", and I am on a medium. He said that it would increase my reach going to a longer stem like a 50mm.

@brianpark love the podcasts and get to listen to them during work which is the best thing about work. But I heard a non-PB one with RC and he was talking about the future of MTB is not necessarily the MTB's themselves, but about trail access and trail sharing etc. He's onto something because I am a member of a bunch or sea to sky and lower mainland groups and there are so many arguments all the time about ebikes on trails, hikers on trails, moto's on trails, bikes riding on wet trails, bikes going the wrong way on trails, etc etc etc. I think this might be a great topic to delve into!

@christinachappetta I switched to a 2.5 Assegai on the front but I do still have a 2.6 Forkaster that I could throw on there instead for the winter. Which way should I go? 2.6 is wider but Assegai seems to be pretty popular with all of you!

 If UK based it would be more useful to have some tips and tricks for riding in the rare and random dry conditions. Loose and dusty is way more terrifying than wet and slippery.

 @brianpark - Any idea on when will be getting an update on the I9 TR280 Carbon Wheelset? I have a set on order and curious to hear a long-term review.

@mikekazimer - Could we please get an update on the EXT ERA? I have one sitting in the box while I wait for the rest of my parts to arrive. Consumers started getting them a few weeks ago, so seems like a good time for a PB update.

 I’ve got a tip if you’re goggles steam up. Pull the foam out from the surrounding so they breathe better. You don’t get the debris entering as much as you do from Mx roost.

 @mikelevy @mikekazimer @brianpark

Quick question that I’m not sure has been covered as I’m a few podcasts behind at the minute (or I might have just missed it).

Have you ever seen a product (complete bike/frame/fork/groupset etc.) that you really, really wanted to try but it just wasn’t possible to get your hands on one? For one reason or another? If so, what was the reason you couldn’t get your hands on it? (Appreciate you may not be able to say why you couldn’t get it)

 It's an expensive sport. In the winter is rains plenty in the Pacific Northwest. And it's generally hovering a bot above zero in the mountains. This time of year I could not ride with out Gore Tex , waterproof breathable socks. 50 to 70$ investment. Worth every penny.
You can put plastic bags on your feet but plastic doesn't hold in any heat. Never worked for me.
For your hands : paper thin Gore Tex wind stopper gloves. Again amazing how these gloves hold in the heat.
If your spending four hours or more on the bike in wet cold weather you can't beat Gore Tex gear.
As for jackets. Water proof breathable membranes don't function when the humidity is 100 percent and your jacket is coated with water. Dirt causes the membrane to absorb water. I get a year out of a jacket , then it begins to loose performance. You don't get splattered head to toe hiking. Jackets can handle a hike but riding shoves dirt into the jacket . My secret weapon is a clear plastic jacket used by Roadies. It's waterproof not water resistant. Packed and sealed in a zip lock baggy. Weighs about 200 grams.

 It would much appreciated, and more value added, to tell us the products you use personally instead of hooded jacket, pants, and gloves. Something like: “My go to cold weather pants are Fox Defend Fire but if it’s wet I reach for my Endura MT500 that have more waterproofing but are a little baggy.” I recently discovered 100% Briskers were a thing. I rely on you to be my product testing guinea pigs.
Thanks!

 More Christina please, and just as much of everybody else. Input and comments from a wide range of rider experiences, interests, focuses, size and gender perspectives is great. Keep up the positive vibe and sharing the fun and knowledge. Also, winter riding that does not involve snow and fat bikes does not fully compute but I found your advice on gear and clothing on point. Cheers.

 For cheap cold weather shoes, take your oldest pair of still rideable shoes and some Shoe Goo over *all* of the vents. Bodda bing, bodda boom! You now have yourself a pair of highly water resistant shoes. The tip to applying Shoe Goo is to put on a dab and then smooth it out with a piece of ice. The ice won't stick to the Goo, and you'll be able to spread it smoothly and evenly.

 question for the podcast: how does bike weight matter? are the speed advantages of a light bike purely handing based or is there more to it than that? if i were to lose 1kg from either the bike or my body fat (same fitness) which would make me faster or is it the same?

 Since I don’t want to buy a fat bike and we have snow for 4 months minimum in Ontario... what would you recommend for a bike trainer to stay on top of my game through the off season? They range from $200-2000! Does Pinkbike ever use them? And what one would you recommend?

 Major props to you guys for making this podcast! I'm not into podcasts usually, but over time this one has really grown on me. Now that public life has slowed down once more, it's become somewhat of a small highlight in my week. Realized today that I missed the last two episodes, so there's still a bit of catching up to do. Again, thanks very much and please keep em coming.

 @mikekazimer why isn't overall bike size as important as reach? With a slack HA and little bit longer CS you get the whweelbase which in turn will make a bike more stable. Why then also have the long reach?
I sometimes wonder how different the feeling of a bike would be for you if you would review 5 different bike but choosing size on wheelbase instead of reach. Or front center length instead of reach. You and @mikelevy aren't super tall but are always reviewing size large. I understand it from a couple of years ago but not anymore. It seems like most EWS riders choose shorter bikes than what you're on.

 dfender mudguard, gore countdown gloves, spare disc pads, spare gloves will hopefully help me survive my 34th consecutive welsh winter of riding mtb. if i had the funds I'd winter in sedona or new zealand...

 What I do is put a few layers of aluminum foil under the insoles and keep them on my heater the night before. Having raynaunds, any way to keep my feet warm helps

 New race format idea:
KlunkTrials4X.
Rigid 26" retro bikes, interesting barely ridable courses through the woods. Riders have to stay on their bike or are penalized with extra time.

 Question for next podcast: How do you make your bikes stand up for photoshoots? I watched the field test video and the bikes are just standing there with no obvious support! Do you just shoot quickly before it falls over?

 Do you actually wear these clothes for the whole ride?
In Australia when it gets to single digits I consider wearing a jumper to the trail but after 5 minutes I'm back in jersey and shorts.

 Just got some Zoic jeans, used 'em for the 1st time yesterday and they are nice! Much better than my 10lb Nema pants from a decade ago. Also, 165mm cranks ftw!

 As a Vancouverite, I ride in the rain. Although I've been in monsoons that have forced me to stop because I can't see through my glasses. lol I'm used to the wet roots etc.

 Bridgedale socks are the best for cold wet winter riding. Best purchase i made for winter riding.

 Shampoo on your Google's/glasses and wipe them clean. Leaves a film that prevents fogging.

 Surgery (latex) gloves under riding gloves. Sweaty but warm hands.

 Water rinses silicone off, it has to be reapplied. A little turtle wax works better.

 What pants do you like for wet PNW riding? Love the options, but recommendations would be rad!

 Levy is a great host. Lookin forward to his return for sure!

 Why wet weather techniques when everyone uses disc brakes?

 I love this podcast but without LEVY it's such a snore fest.... zzzzzzzzzz

 No offseason in Arkansas, see ya'll this winter.