SURVIVING WINTER

{

Part I: Your Bicycle

}

Riding through the winter is a rewarding challenge in theDistrict, but most bicycles (at least in the United States)aren’t equipped to keep you dry and safe, so there are afew preparations that every cyclist should consider making to their bicycle for the wet, the cold, and the dark.¶

ENDERS

If you've ever ridden in the rain without fend-ers, you probably think that bicycles and water don’t mix,and even if you’re aware of fenders, you may not believethat they could do that muchto keep your feet, legs, andbutt dry. Amazingly, they do alot. Most of the trouble fromriding in the rain is causedfrom water thrown off yourbicycles’s wheels onto you oronto your frame, from whichit splashes onto you. The bestfenders are long, like the onesin the picture to the right.Generally, fenders are madeof aluminum or plastic,though there are attractive(and expensive) fenders avail-able made of various kinds of wood.¶ Unfortunately, youwill likely have some troubleattaching fenders to your bi-cycle. A bicycle frame that iswell appointed for fenders willhave small holes, called

eyelets

,near the front and rear drop-outs that can accept smallscrews. If you’re lucky enoughto have eyelets, your bike willlikely work with most com-mon fenders as eyelets are agood indicator of whether your frame has fender mount-ing points on its seat stay andchain stay bridges (see picture)which make securing fenderseasier.¶ If your frame does nothave eyelets, you will have to investigate other options,including smaller fenders which attach to your frame’sseat stays or your bicycle’s seat post. Unfortunately, neitherof these solutions provide the same level of protection forthe rider as full fenders do, but don’t lose heart! A littleingenuity (i.e. zip-ties and p-clamps) can go a long way,and volunteers from the Bike House can help you solve all your fender-mounting problems.¶

IRES

Most mountainbike tires are suitable for riding in the winter. For roadbikes, wider tires and knobbier tires are best.Twenty-eight millimeters wide – or 1.1 inches – isprobably the

absolute

minimum width for a roadtire to ensure you maintain traction with waterand debris on the road. Thirty-two millimeters – or 1.25 inches – is probably a more reasonablewidth for poor conditions. Your current tires’ di-mensions can be found on their sidewalls, either printedor moulded into the rubber. Studded tires are available,but unless Snowpocalypse revisits D.C. – and stays – theyare probably (costly) overkill.¶

IGHTS

A 9-5 commuterwill be riding in the dark through much of the winter, andeven on better-lit streets, cyclists are often nearly invisibleto cars, to other cyclists, and to pedestrians. While lightspowered by small generators attached to a bicycle or builtinto its wheel are the ﬁnalword in bicycle lighting, mostof us get by with inexpensivebattery powered lights: oneattached to our handlebars andone attached to the rear of ourbike, usually the rear rack orthe seat post. ¶

NTERLUDE

One side note on equipment:we discuss this in a bit moredetail in “Part II: You”, but werecommend you consider get-ting a small weatherproof bag that attaches to your handle-bars, under your seat, or to thefront or rear rack on your bi-cycle (if you have either). Thisis handy for storing some of the essential clothing wemention.¶

AINTENANCE

Now it’s time to talk aboutmaintenance. Wintertime bicy-cle maintenance is not muchdifferent from summertimemaintenance; you just do it(much) more often. If youdon’t own a small bottle of chain lubricant, a small tube of bicycle grease, and a mild de-greaser (we like Simple Green,which is widely available), anda rag, the $10 dollars all of that would set you back is abargain compared to the costof replacing your chain, freewheel or cassette, and possi-bly your headset, bottom bracket, and wheels once spring rolls around.¶ A basic maintenance routine would startwith you using the degreaser and rag to wipe road grimeoff your chain, rims, and gears, and then re-lubricating them using your chain lubricant, being sure to wipe excesslubricant off. Next, and less frequently, you should put asmall dab of grease on your ﬁnger and apply a thin,hardly visible layer on all the “seams” of your bicyclewhere two parts move against each other andwhere water can work its way in. Grease repelswater, and this will keep water and dirt fromshortening the life of sensitive components of your bicycle, such as the headset bearings, wheelbearings, and bottom bracket bearings. ¶ Nowover to “Part II: You”!