Winter Riding

sparked

Just wondering if anyone could offer me some advise please, I'm new to MTB and this will be my first winter, are there any tips that you could pass on for riding in snow, that's if we get any this year again that is. I ride a HT Kona and I'm with it being my first winter was going to stick to the roads for the time being, so would tyre choice be something to look at as well.

Thanks in anticipation of any help with this matter

Mark

Wallace1492

Get on the trails!!!

.blitz

Mud tyres eg Maxxis Medusa are very good in snow.

Actually riding in snow is fun for about the first 10 minutes.

TinTin74

.blitz wrote:

Mud tyres eg Maxxis Medusa are very good in snow.

Actually riding in snow is fun for about the first 10 minutes.

Why what happens after the first 10 Minutes? something we Noobs need to know about?

cat_with_no_tail

He means that after 10 minutes, it all gets a bit old, and you start wishing it would all just melt and fcuk off!

To be honest, I didn't mind snow riding last year, I had some pretty good rides when it was really deep, I was using very high volume, very wide, mud tyres, and it was VERY hard work.

Something like a Surly Pugsley is actually designed around beach and snow riding, but for the 5 days of the decade we have snow, it may not be worth investing in a whole new bike.

.blitz

Cat With No Tail wrote:

...after 10 minutes, it all gets a bit old, and you start wishing it would all just melt and fcuk off!

QFT

Paul 8v

Get out there on the trails as above, once you've mastered riding in mud and snow Summer will seem like cheating ;-)

Paul 8v

What are the recomendations for tyre pressures, higher than normal or lower?

.blitz

I generally lose a few psi front & rear in a misguided attempt to increase traction but for me (clumsy trail rider) it doesn't make much difference during Winter.

Rear shock is sensitive to changes in temperature and usually needs a good 10-20 psi more than it does in Summer.

roger_merriman

winter riding mainly means mud, tires can help here, though does depend on location

being a silly man I like mud and snow so prefer winter to summer riding.

sparked

Thanks for all the reponses, it's appreciated

Mark

x-isle

I love winter riding when it's dry, the ground gets hard and makes things interesting. I don't mind the wet and mud.

As for snow, if it's fresh snow and the dry stuff that we got last year, you'll be suprised how much grip it has due to it compacting under the tyre and shaping to the tread.

It also adds a bit of the unknown as sometimes, you don't know what the terrain under the snow is like!

I love riding in the fresh snow, not so much in the mushy stuff and when it's frozen underneath, that can end up in being a very cold and wet clothes ride!

UncleMonty

DONT let the cold frosty mornings put you off - this is the best time to ride as the usualy muddy trails firm up.

Plus even at the age of 42 I just love riding through the iced up puddles.

cat_with_no_tail

UncleMonty wrote:

DONT let the cold frosty mornings put you off - this is the best time to ride as the usualy muddy trails firm up.

Plus even at the age of 42 I just love riding through the iced up puddles.

I'm getting all excited just thinking about it

When you hit one of those frozen puddles and you hear it cracking, it's like russian roulette "is it going to break? How deep is it undernieth?

You can pretend you're on Ice-road truckers

Oh man, roll on winter!

Paul 8v

I seem to find the front weel goes over the ice fine and the rear brakes through, quite a wierd experience!

cat_with_no_tail

It's when you hit quite a long puddle, and you can hear the ice creaking and cracking under the wheels.

Even better when on a night ride!

x-isle

Oh yes, night ride in the snow and ice, that demands a hell of a lot of focus!

Neil Fat man on a bike

Winter riding is great, much like summer riding but colder and (almpost always) wetter and dirtier.
Get used to real bike cleaning to help preserve those drive train componants.

Mickey Eye

Riding in snow is, like a lot of things in MTB, easier when done faster. I have spiked tyres for winter but they may be excessive for your location, and they are pretty heavy. If you value your gear you'll stick to trails and off the roads, road salt is a nightmare for your drive train.

Tartanyak

I've not read, but I shall put in my own advice too - If you start straight off, start feeling slightly cold. If you go outside and you're warm, you're gonna boil.

If you can, take spare layers just in case. That warmth does not last if you stop. If you get a puncture, quickly bung on another layer while you sort it.

stubs

Dont forget even though its cold your still using up water. I have got very thirsty on winter rides if its a cold dry day you lose a hell of a lot of moisture through your breath.

Keep your feet, hands and head warm and the rest of you will be warm as well. Nothing worse than cold wet feet and hands that you cant feel anymore.

Riding in fresh snow is fun but it is draggy its like riding on grass it sucks the energy out of your legs. If the snow has packed down and gone icy keep off the brakes and dont make big movements soft and easy is the way forward.

I reckon riding through last winters snow and ice did wonders for my bike control I seem to be able to handle slippery conditions a lot better, possibly because my brain has been trained to ignore small slides and just get on with it.

sparked

Thanks for all the advice guys, this is brill, really appreciated, again, thanks

stubs

Oh and if you have space in your rucksack a small flask of hot coffee does wonders. I have a 0.4 L smash proof Coleman flask that gets a lot of use in winter. You dont even need to drink it just pour some hot coffee in the cup and hold it to bring your hands back to life. Aaah bliss .

tsenior

cold, dry days/nights are my fave riding conditions, experiment with clothing until you get a combination that suits.

as others have said fresh snow is fine but hard work if deep, wet slushy snow is not so good.

stop at a pub with a real fire and dry off in front of it.

paulbox

Consider neoprene overshoes, I discovered them last winter and they are great for keeping your toes warm and dry.

Buckaroo

Can I hijack the thread and ask if people use specific winter riding gloves for the biting cold days? Or just carry on with whatever gloves you always use and deal with it?...

tsenior

I normally carry 2 pairs of gloves with me on very cold rides, start off with with the thick ones and swap for thin ones when i've warmed up (before they get drenched with sweat though).

the thick ones generally only come out again when i've got the long downhill back as i found that with the wind chill and the lack of exertion i can get quite cold fingers after a few miles.

Similarly the jacket normally comes off and then back on for the home run. I do tend to carry alot of gear but like being comfortable....

Thewaylander

get a good set of water proof socks, it's simple costs about 12 or so and fixes all the worlds cold feet problems lol.

stubs

I have bought a new pair of Aldi winter gloves and they feel very warm just trying them out wearing them round the house I thought my hands were going to burst into flames. With a bit of luck it will be like taking a brolly out with you and I wont need them this winter.

wordnumb

.blitz wrote:

Mud tyres eg Maxxis Medusa are very good in snow.

Agree.

.blitz wrote:

Actually riding in snow is fun for about the first 10 minutes.

Disagree.