Snow
biking
Cycling in the city and
the things to know
before you go
BY SHEILA ASCROFT
BLUE SKIES, BRIGHT SUN, fresh temperatures, five centimetres of
harder to pedal. morpaw says, “the spray
packed snow – a perfect day for a bike ride, right? You don’t have
from passing cars will make you wet and
to be one of those hardy Ottawa souls who cycle to work in winter
dirty anyway, so why use a fender?” Still,
he uses a “rat tail” or rear deflector to keep
– it’s like an afternoon ski or skate, except on a bike. Be prepared
the rooster tail of gunk off his backside.
for slush spatter and serious bike cleaning afterwards, but a ride
Pete Hickey, another year-round cyclist
(mudhead.uottawa.ca/~pete/winter.txt),
lifts winter spirits, guaranteed. And there’s no serious barrier to
has a rack on the back with a piece of
year-round commuting by bike either.
plywood to prevent splashes.
Slush can also clog or freeze derailleurs
EqUIPMENT so they stop working. Some riders resort
The common wisdom is don’t use your larry morpaw, one of ottawa’s many to single speeds (especially bike couriers)
best bike in winter – unless you need an four-season commuting cyclists swears to avoid this hassle. others use bikes with
excuse to buy a new ride in the spring. Salt is that the most important thing is to have internal hubs, such as Sturmey archer
the enemy. It may not corrode an aluminum studded tires on your bike. He recommends or Shimano nexus, which offer three to
frame but it will eat all the other metal parts. the made-in-europe Continental nordic seven gear options without the need for an
you can spray inside steel tubes with rust Spike with 240 studs, but there are others external derailleur. morpaw makes sure his
preventive to slow down internal corrosion, (see sidebar on gear). In the season of rear derailleur has “no plastic bits, so that
but it’s best to use your off-season bike or a soft snow, deep snow, ice, black ice, slush I can kick it to remove the crust of ice and
junker. If you’re only out for a recreational and bare pavement, studded tires are a snow, without breaking it.”
ride, it doesn’t matter if you use a roadie, big asset. even with an old bike, you cannot
mountain, or hybrid. But after you ride, wipe winter cycling experts don’t agree on avoid maintenance. If you have enough
down the frame with a rag sprayed with wD- fenders. Some say snow and ice will clog mechanical knowledge, let the bike dry
40 to keep the rust at bay. up between fender and tires making it on a warmish day, then bring it into the
12 OTTAWA >> WINTER 2008/2009
www.OttawaOutdoors.ca
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