{"id":3978,"date":"2009-01-26T11:48:55","date_gmt":"2009-01-26T16:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/2009\/01\/26\/tips-for-winter-cycling\/"},"modified":"2013-01-21T15:30:07","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T20:30:07","slug":"tips-for-winter-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2009\/01\/26\/tips-for-winter-cycling\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for winter cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto is once again having a snowy winter, and the\u00a0City’s Coldest Day of the Year Ride<\/a> for cyclists is coming up this Friday (January\u00a030). With these things in mind,\u00a0here are some thoughts\u00a0on how to tackle\u00a0the streets\u00a0on two wheels this season.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cold.\u00a0 Dark. Ice. Snow.\u00a0 I used to have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of riding a bike in the dead of winter.\u00a0 Why bother cycling during a deep freeze in the first place? Turns out, there are ways to make it work, and the Cold Weather Cycling guide<\/a> on the City of Toronto’s website provides plenty of options for cyclists looking to winterize their rides.<\/p>\n

Personal taste is a factor, but the website suggests that — though a mountain bike provides good handling — a beater is best for the winter.\u00a0 For Yvonne Bambrick, spokesperson and assistant coordinator for Toronto Cyclists Union<\/a>, a beater is her best friend all year round.\u00a0 There are also those who prefer different bikes depending on the season. Jonny James, one of the winter cyclists profiled here <\/a>last winter, uses an old ’80s Fiori Roma road bike with slicks in the snow.<\/p>\n

The right tires are essential, according to the City’s guide.\u00a0 It is suggested to lessen tire pressure to increase traction. Thick tires can combat hard packed snow while thin tires are great to cut through slush.\u00a0 And as for your bike locks: keep the key hole well oiled to prevent freezing.\u00a0 Bambrick also says it’s important to keep your chain well oiled. In addition, she recommends mud guards, which can be particularly helpful during the winter because of slush and salt on the roads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Besides bike equipment, there are other ways to make riding during the winter more pleasant. Bambrick, Jonny James and the City website stress the importance of what you wear. Reflective vests, goggles, and dry and warm attire are crucial components.\u00a0 Jonny James suggests Manzella gloves ($9 @ LeBaron) with gripped pads on the palms and fingers while Bambrick suggests handle bar cosies that act as a wind protector.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also, safety is always paramount so there’s no shame in going slow.\u00a0 Remember: ride to conditions. If streets are slick, brake sooner and more gently and go easy on the front brake while riding downhill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finally. for those of you who are daring and never shake your head at trying new things — no matter how absurd they seem — consider Ktrak<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Born by Kyle Reeves from his Vancouver home, Ktrak was designed to make commuting in a winter wonderland much easier. It’s a kit that transforms your mountain bike into a pedal-powered snowmobile<\/a>.\u00a0 The universal attachment replaces the wheels of a mountain bike with a track drive and an optional front ski.\u00a0 Start digging through your couch for change, because a full kit will cost about $550; the track alone is roughly $420. It looks insane, but the Ktrak system lets cyclists ride over anything.\u00a0 According to Bambrick, Ktrack is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a great twist on winter fun or sport,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but believes it’s not necessarily an improvement on urban cycling.<\/p>\n

Now with the existence of Ktrak, Toronto’s bike lanes don’t have to be ploughed and cyclists can stop complaining, right? Though the kit came out in 2006, there are few GTA residents who own it.\u00a0 Maybe, that’s a good thing, though, since bike lanes really should be cleared regularly. Happy winter cycling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photo by <\/em>Krisztina<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Toronto is once again having a snowy winter, and the\u00a0City’s Coldest Day of the Year Ride for cyclists is coming up this Friday (January\u00a030). With these things in mind,\u00a0here are some thoughts\u00a0on how to tackle\u00a0the streets\u00a0on two wheels this season.\u00a0 Cold.\u00a0 Dark. Ice. Snow.\u00a0 I used to have a hard time wrapping my headContinue reading “Tips for winter cycling”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4062,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,13],"tags":[11351,22089,11348,11349,11350,19,224,391,54,55,1171],"class_list":["post-3978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bikes","category-green-space","tag-bike-equipment","tag-bikes","tag-kyle-reeves","tag-spokesperson-and-assistant-coordinator","tag-the-cold-weather-cycling-guide","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-cyclists-union","tag-usd","tag-vancouver","tag-weather","tag-yvonne-bambrick"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTips for winter cycling - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2009\/01\/26\/tips-for-winter-cycling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tips for winter cycling - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 Toronto is once again having a snowy winter, and the\u00a0City’s Coldest Day of the Year Ride for cyclists is coming up this Friday (January\u00a030). 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