Riding in the New Year: January 2018 Rides

[north woods gal]

I store the bikes in our cold room, so the temp stay below freezing, most of the winter. That means the snow and moisture never melts on the bikes, so cleaning is only needed, every now and then. Dry snow tends to be much easier on a bike than liquid moisture as long as it doesn't get a chance to melt. In really cold weather, it doesn't stick to the bikes, much, other than some on the tires. I do use a broom, though, to brush off any snow before bring the bike, indoors. Now, if I stored the bikes at room temp, I'd have to get pretty religious about wiping them down after every use in the snow, same as riding in the rain. They rust real quick after a ride in the snow if that snow gets a chance to melt.

The other reason for storing the fat bikes at cold temps is to maintain predictable tire pressures. This time of year, I usually run the tires at only 8 psi or so, sometimes even lower. One psi makes a lot of difference in the way the bike deals with the ice and snow and the way it handles. I usually check tire psi before every ride to match conditions. Higher psi makes for faster speeds and better handling, lower psi makes for better traction, but harder pedaling. Takes a special low psi gauge to be properly accurate and, of course, lots of experience as to what psi to use for given snow conditions. Tire design is also part of the equation. Some designs do better in some conditions, not as well in others. That's why I use several different fat bikes with different tires for snow riding. All in all, it's kind of the equivalent of knowing what wax to use on the skis for a given type of snow, though not quite as involved. Changing psi is a lot easier than waxing skis.

If I stored the bikes at room temp and set tire pressure when the tires are at room temp, I can actually lose enough tire pressure after the tires adjust to the cold air to drastically change the psi, even enough to cause a pinch flat on tires where I'm using tubes. (Ask me how I know.) Oh, yeah, snow biking is a very different world than regular biking.