How do you keep on cycling after summer?

ben@31

I've just had an amazing summer of cycling. After a stressful day at work I would get on the bike at 17:00 or 18:00 and cycle away, I could keep on going as far as my legs would carry me, for hours in the the lovely clear summer nights with no time pressure.

Now (as I write this) it's dark, cold, icy and wet :-(

I would have loved to have gone out today but as it was getting dark early I stayed in, thinking I wouldn't have time to do a decent length route. It sucks not to be able to get out and Im worried all the fitness gains that I've made will go.

So what do you fellow cyclists do in winter? I've looked at turbo trainers on the net but unfortunately some cost £100's and 100's. And guys I know who have turbo trainers are not impressed with them, saying they can only use them for a short time before getting bored and too hot and sweaty ?

t.m.h.n.e.t

My legs work all year round

Neale1978

If the rides have to be short then make them more intense. Just fit in any spare time you have when its not icy and make each session count

A good set of lights is not expensive either these days if you do it right

ben@31

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

My legs work all year round

My legs protest when its cold and wet. Maybe I need to buy warmer gear?

I can't see c*ck all on these unlit country roads too. Last night I almost cycled into a shrubbery as I didn't see that I ran out of straight road and the corner come up. I was impressed by my last second evasive manoeuvre though.

t.m.h.n.e.t

ben@31 wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

My legs work all year round

My legs protest when its cold and wet. Maybe I need to buy warmer gear?

I can't see c*ck all on these unlit country roads too. Last night I almost cycled into a shrubbery as I didn't see that I ran out of straight road and the corner come up. I was impressed by my last second evasive manoeuvre though.

New gear and decent lights(lights to help you see, not lights to help people see you) by the sound of it

rolf_f

Joining a club helps - knowing that if you go NOW, then you can meet up with the club and go for a long sociable ride which you can spend whinging together about how crap the weather is. IME, otherwise I spend most of Sunday dithering about whether to go out until it is too late.

Also, enter silly challenges like the 100k challenge to do at least one 100km ride a month. That dragged me out earlier in the year when I was really flagging (a reluctant one a month) until I joined the club (and did five such rides this month!).

flasher

Decent lights and mudguards....

Crispyapp

Turn to the dark side and make the most out of getting wet and mucky. I road ride all yr even through winter but in winter like from now we will alternate rides each week from mtb to road... Getting wet and mucky on an mtb go hand in hand, it's good fun in the wet and its a great test of fitness when you've been used to smooth ish roads all yr.

Plus the cyclo x season is kicking off now so if your into racing or thinking about it it's a great op to keep your fitness up. If you look online there are usually mtb type sportives dotted around the country as well if that's your thing....

I'm pretty spoiled for choice living between 3 national parks, great road riding and great mtbing....

unixnerd

Cycling at night is fun, best to do it on routes you know though. Get a pair of Cree XML-T6 torches from ebay (got a set for my mate with all the bits for 30 quid), easily bright enough for top speed safely on unlit roads. Batteries last 2+ hours on high mode. A head torch is nice too, U use an AA Maglite on a NiteIze headband.

diy

Yep with a couple of decnt xm-l torches on the bars there is no reason not to be able to see. Personally I am more likely to put my Mtb away for the winter than my road bike.

AchillesLeftKnee

Road tyres and lights on the MTB, wait until about 8pm for the roads to die down, put some warm and highly visible kit on, go ride.

The road bike's not coming out after dark thanks to the buildup of leaves and mud on the road, and the difficulty of spotting the potholes. Plus, I find the more upright riding position to be a bit more comfortable when dressed for cold. The weekends are a different matter, but I still wouldn't take the road bike up in the hills.

kayo74

Turbo trainer in loft plus plenty of spinning sessions at the local gym and a good cycle at weekend sat/sun that's keeps me in fitness over the winter period

bluedoggy

Tonight will be my first proper commute in darkness and i'm actually looking forward to it. I have rode before some months back on canal track and loved every second of it.There's something magical and exciting about the night for me. Got all the kit needed - Boardman Hybrid(winter bike), Exposure Maxx D light(AMAZING), Cateye rear light, Endura high viz overshoes, Head torch, Etxeondo Jacket with reflective detail(MEGA EXPENSIVE but worth it:( and a prayer. Might pop to the local and buy an extra rear light for the helmet?
My wife is not looking forward to it which i can completely understand.

AchillesLeftKnee

Bluedoggy wrote:

Might pop to the local and buy an extra rear light for the helmet?

Two rear lights of some sort is, I reckon anyway, a must. You can tell if the fronts pack it up, but not the rears, so two at the back is great for peace of mind.

Joeblack

Spinning classes and extra power work in the gym, I tend to use the December-January months to work on my muscle endurance, then after that just get back out there as much as possible

Leeuw

Got a velodrome anywhere close? Many have bikes you can hire, and an evening session will be a darn good workout! And much more fun than a turbo session (but that's not difficult!!).

markos1963

I commute all year round, use two Ultrafire torches and a couple of rear LEDs, no problems riding at full speed down unlit country roads. No reason not to ride unless it's very icy or the fog is too thick for drivers to see me. Also think about taking up another sport for variation, running is cheap and a good way of keeping weight off or swimming which is good for core fitness and building upper body strength. Off road riding is great fun, you don't have to have an expensive MTB either, a cheap old hybrid with decent tyres is great for forest tracks. Get out and ride!

notlongnow

Ive been managing to do between 300-500 miles a month since april mostly in the evenings but now my rides will be restricted to my days off so if i can do 150-300 miles a month over the winter ill be happy,Ive tried cycling in the dark and I just can't get away with it even if i do a regular route everything looks so much different in the dark.

fish156

Have you got showers at work? I had a great 90 minute ride at lunchtime today. With showering and changing I am only away from my desk for 2 hours.

jscl

Get yourself a Wattbike - going to keep me ticking over winter when I cant take my alloy winter road bike out on a ride.

tiredofwhiners

Go self-employed

In the winter I'll cycle over lunchtime and slightly before and work a longer period in the afternoon, finishing at about 6pm, before setting off on my way home ( its the length of the hall from the office to the living room)

oldwelshman

neale1978 wrote:

If the rides have to be short then make them more intense. Just fit in any spare time you have when its not icy and make each session count

A good set of lights is not expensive either these days if you do it right

Why more intense? No need to do high intensity rides this time of year.
just get a decent set of lights (magicshine) and some good winter shoes (i just got shimano waterpfoof with goretex) and decent winter gear and enjoy night riding.

Bordersroadie

wilo13 wrote:

I love riding in the dark. I do shift work so spend most of my time cycling in the dark. Nothing better than whizzing through the countryside B roads in total darkness at 11pm and the only thing I can hear is the humming of my tyres on the tarmac. Also the amount of animals (foxes, badgers, bats, mice and the odd dear) I come across makes things interesting.

Its important to have a bike with mudguards, decent lights are a must, decent tyres for the crap months and some decent clothing. All this will make or break your winter night riding experience.

We might not agree on the triple vs compact argument, but I agree with all of the above! I'm just in from a night ride and buzzin!

pilot_pete

fish156 wrote:

Have you got showers at work? I had a great 90 minute ride at lunchtime today. With showering and changing I am only away from my desk for 2 hours.

crikey, you have an understanding boss or very flexible working hours, or both! Nice work if you can get it!

PP

dmclite-3.0

HTFU.

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

Follow the video link in rule 5 for clarification.

samsbike

Bluedoggy wrote:

Tonight will be my first proper commute in darkness and i'm actually looking forward to it. I have rode before some months back on canal track and loved every second of it.There's something magical and exciting about the night for me. Got all the kit needed - Boardman Hybrid(winter bike), Exposure Maxx D light(AMAZING), Cateye rear light, Endura high viz overshoes, Head torch, Etxeondo Jacket with reflective detail(MEGA EXPENSIVE but worth it:( and a prayer. Might pop to the local and buy an extra rear light for the helmet?
My wife is not looking forward to it which i can completely understand.

I will be doing my first commute home on the canal (Grand Union London branch) on Friday evening and am cacking myself. All I have is a lezyne super drive and am not sure if it will cut the mustard. I am riding a roadie with 25 thick tires.

Out if interest will 28 make a difference?

unixnerd

See how you get on with the 25s first, if it's rough then lowering the pressure a bit will help.

My steel bike has 28mm Schwalbe Marathons, very heavy but almost impossible to puncture and pretty grippy on dirt tracks. Not all bikes have clearance for 28mm tyres so check first. On a bumpy surface and at a sensible pressure (maybe 80-90 psi) they're comfier than my 25mm Roubaix tyres, but part of that is likely due to that bike having a steel frame (other Winter bike is an aluminium CAAD5)!

harrydaisy

Early morning are the answer - although I am lucky enough to work at home so I also get out most lunch times for 45 mins

drlodge

wilo13 wrote:

samsbike wrote:

Bluedoggy wrote:

Tonight will be my first proper commute in darkness and i'm actually looking forward to it. I have rode before some months back on canal track and loved every second of it.There's something magical and exciting about the night for me. Got all the kit needed - Boardman Hybrid(winter bike), Exposure Maxx D light(AMAZING), Cateye rear light, Endura high viz overshoes, Head torch, Etxeondo Jacket with reflective detail(MEGA EXPENSIVE but worth it:( and a prayer. Might pop to the local and buy an extra rear light for the helmet?
My wife is not looking forward to it which i can completely understand.

I will be doing my first commute home on the canal (Grand Union London branch) on Friday evening and am cacking myself. All I have is a lezyne super drive and am not sure if it will cut the mustard. I am riding a roadie with 25 thick tires.

Out if interest will 28 make a difference?

I have that light and it is more than powerful enough for completely unlit roads.

+1 me too, I've been quite impressed with how well it lights up the road and with a spare battery I've got up to 3 hours ride time. Did 36 miles Tuesday evening over Leigh Hill and Ranmore, went up Tanhurst Lane which is almost like a dirt track, not going up that way again with slick gatorskin tyres and a wet road!!

AchillesLeftKnee

drlodge wrote:

went up Tanhurst Lane which is almost like a dirt track, not going up that way again with slick gatorskin tyres and a wet road!!

That was brave in these conditions! It's bad enough in the summer.

chris_bass

riding at night with a torch when its snowing (assuming the roads are still ok) is awesome, its like going at warp speed in star wars or something!!

i ride all year round too, just have to clean the bike more and wear more clothes and recharge a lot of batteries a lot more often!!