Biking in a winter wonderland

“What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” — John Steinbeck

With a few tears shed and a heavy sigh, I said goodbye to both summer and autumn and hello to winter. I placed my road bike with its nimble, skinny tires in the basement corner to bed down for the long, cold haul and brought my chunky, slightly rusty, winter beast to the forefront. I’m guessing it had been lonely all summer — passed over for each ride and maybe scowled at a couple times.

I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly fond of winter. I don’t like being cold, I don’t like the mess and I hate wearing multiple layers of clothing. Sometimes it takes longer for me to dress than to perform my actual commute by bike on winter days.  And yet, there is something about winter that makes me appreciate summer so much more.

I began my winter biking life about 25 years ago. The only thing that possessed my then 16-year-old mind to undertake winter biking is that it bucked everything road riding and racing stood for. It was my first true undertaking as a bike commuter, in contrast to an athlete in training. You could say winter cycling made me who I am today. But I’ll still dig my heels in and say I don’t like it.

Winter biking events
With all the complaining I do about riding in the extreme cold, you may be surprised that I help out with the group Madison Bike Winter (which also has a Facebook page). Yes, I actually ride with and plan events for a group that counts down the days until the winter solstice in June.

Aside from participating in the group’s activities, I plan a weekly Sunday morning ride throughout Madison all winter long. We actually rode the first week of March when it was 19 degrees below zero. I laughed, I grimaced, I couldn’t feel my toes and yet I’m still happy I did it.

When I began my journey into winter biking two and a half decades ago, it was an entirely different scene. There were no fat bikes, very few people commuted during summer in Minneapolis let alone in winter, pogies and winter cycling gear didn’t really exist, and I was mocked by my classmates.

Now when I head out early on snowy days, I am usually greeted by fat bike tracks in the snow. Like some skiers, fat bikers seem to live to hit the new snow first and leave “freshies” for me follow. Owning a fat bike is cool now. I’ve even seen an increasingly number of teens riding them year round. Sadly, until I get a garage, I will be fat bike free.

With all these new options for enjoying biking in cold and snowy climates, a subculture has begun to form. Winter bike groups, like Madison Bike Winter, Chicago Bike Winter and Milwaukee Bike Winter, have spawned events such as Freezaroo, a Madison-Cross Plains area ride put on by the Bombay Bicycle Club in late November; the Santa Rampage in Milwaukee, in which riders don Santa suits, also held in late November; and the Stupor Bowl, a guerrilla bike race on the streets of Minneapolis in early February.

Fat bike-specific races have gotten ever more popular, and bike shops catering to these riders and racers has boosted business through what used to be slow months.

The good, bad & ugly 
What does all of this mean and how is it changing our Midwest bicycling culture? Well, as an avid year-round commuter, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly occur. The good, which should really be called great, is that more people are active year round. They’re getting out of their cars, gaining confidence in their bike handling abilities and finding pleasure in the magic of winter cycling.

And, again, it’s great that brick-and-mortar bike shops are seeing both increased sales and more maintenance and repair business.

The bad and the ugly come from the backlash winter cyclists get from some motorists and public officials. You would think everyone would be happy to see cyclists out there bettering their health and our environment. But sadly, some feel winter riders cause traffic jams and accidents. I would say there is an element of truth in almost every statement.

Yes, there are some who ride in an unsafe manner. And yes, because we riders tend to take the entire lane to be safe, sometimes we slow traffic down. But in bad weather conditions, everyone should be slowing down regardless.

How to bike safe in winter
Because safety is such an important issue for cyclists, Madison Bike Winter founder Aaron Crandall and I thought we’d share what we feel are the most important safety factors to remember when biking in the winter. 

Being seen is most important. Since daylight is in short supply and heavy cloud cover and abundant snow makes it difficult for drivers to see you, wearing safety yellow or orange is a must. Reflective material on ankles, legs or pedals works very well, too, since those are the parts of the body that move at the level of vehicle headlights.

Lights, on both the front and back of a bike and/or its rider, are mandatory. Not only do lights keep you safe, they protect other cyclists and pedestrians.

Finally, tire choices can make your ride enjoyable or terrifying. Crandall rides on studded tires, whereas I choose to ride a cyclocross tire or a sticky tire like Continental Top Contacts. Other folks we ride with choose regular fat bikes or studded fat bike tires. Tire choice is completely personal. The fact remains, however, that no tire is fool-proof or will guarantee you’ll stay upright on slick surfaces.

What to wear
We also have to consider how to keep ourselves comfortable riding headlong into windchill conditions and sometimes mixed precipitation. For tips on this, I always recommend would-be winter cyclists attend one of the growing number of clinics or “bike winter fashion shows” popping up around the Midwest.

Many bike shops now hold workshops on this very topic, with gear representatives and seasoned riders on site to answer questions about what to wear, what to ride and accessories.

North Central Cyclery in DeKalb, Illinois, has been putting clinics like this on for years, and attendance keeps growing. Madison Bike Winter puts on an annual fashion show to prove you can ride through the worst conditions on any budget. You can even ride to work in business attire without needing to undergo a complete wardrobe change.

For those of you who cannot attend one of these fun events (I say “fun” because heckling is usually involved; we winter riders don’t take ourselves too seriously), Carolyn Weber of Milwaukee Bike Winter and Coast In Bikes sent me some tips on how to bike and dress for success.

“When I first started winter cycling, I just wore whatever I would normally wear while taking the bus,” she said. “As I started winter cycling, I’ve invested in wool layers that have increased my comfort and wick away sweat. Believe it or not, winter cycling gets hot.” 

Weber said she favors a wool Buff instead of a scarf, Moose Mitts to keep her hands warm, Craft long underwear and long-sleeve base layers. A Giro New Road windproof jacket and rain pants keep her dry, and her snowboarding Nutcase helmet and goggles protect her noggin and improver her visibility.

“With these layers I can still wear my professional clothes, avoid sweating, be dry and be comfortable in temperatures as low as negative 40,” Weber said.

Not everyone bundles the same
But everyone handles cold conditions differently. Some people’s bodies generate more heat, while various parts of the body of other folks are more susceptible to getting cold.

Some items I wouldn’t winter bike without are my puffball vest, arm warmers, winter boots one or two sizes too big (leaving room for thick socks and a warm pocket of air). Only if it is raining will I wear a rain shell. I also use OR Expedition Mitts but am seriously thinking about getting pogies for improved dexterity. 

The only material I stay away from is cotton. As winter campers say, “Cotton kills and moisture is murder.” Cotton will absorb your sweat and hold it nicely against your skin, which is great in summer, terrible in winter. 

One last layer I put on in extremely cold and windy conditions is a thin smear of either Dermatone or Vaseline on my face. I find it really helps prevent windburn.

So if you’re new to year-round riding, my suggestion is to take baby steps. First, try to lengthen your commuting or riding season by going out in near freezing or sub freezing conditions when there is neither snow nor ice. Next, outfit your bike with winter-appropriate tires (your local shop can help you with this). Then try riding in an inch or two of fresh snow on a low traffic route.

Finally, set some goals and reward yourself upon reaching them, like “if I bike to the grocery store or to work, I’ll also stop at a café and get my favorite drink to warm up.” Sometimes having a destination makes all the difference as does riding with friends to hold you accountable.

Most of all, have fun. Give yourself extra time and view winter as a playland. Happy riding! I hope to see your tracks in the snow.

Kierstin Kloeckner used to race bikes and now commutes by bike in Madison, Wisconsin, where she is a personal trainer and yoga/pilates instructor. She blogs at twowheelsfromhome.blogspot.com.