[Closed] Winter shut down

Your more visible in the dark than in the day light imo. There are roads I wouldn't dream of riding on a summers day that I quite happily ride at night

Decent lights and just carry on. Unless the weather is grim then it's turbo.

I normally start doing some training on the Concept 2 rower when the winter conditions limit my riding.

Does anybody not alter their regime at all maybe and just carries on?

this, because...

Your more visible in the dark than in the day light imo

and you can see when vehicles are coming easier too.

The only thing that really curtails riding is ice. Being on two wheels in traffic when it's icy is very definitely not nice or clever.

As above, decent lights and crack on.

Although after several winters of faffing, I'd get a dynamo wheel and lights. Shimano hubs and B&M lights aren't quite as nice to look at as SP, SON, schmidt etc, but they're cheap and functional.

Fair point about visibility and seeing them coming actually. I did wonder about dynamo lights etc as my night riding light is a magic shine so would have the battery pack to consider. Already picked up a simple rear light for the off road route home. I guess my other thought was winter road riding outfit I'd have to figure out as well. Shoes mostly.

As others just carry on

Lights are pretty visible and i would still rather ride quiet roads than busy ones though it does depend

You also know when they are coming towards you as you see their light

Its either that or a turbo trainer

I guess my other thought was winter road riding outfit I'd have to figure out as well. Shoes mostly.

Best thing I ever bought was a pair of northwave artic boots. Well, those and a singlespeed. Lake, shimano, SIDI are probably equally as good it just depends what fits your feet.

Kit?

Number one item(s) - mudguards. Without a doubt the single best thing you can put on a commuting bike.
Overshoes: basically deal with the 5% that the mudguards can't.
Dynamo and lights: Get the German DAV approved ones like B&M, they don't dazzle other road users like mountain bike lights do. Two rear lights in case one fails/battery dies
Arm and leg warmers: wear them when it's cold in the morning put them in the sack for the ride home when it's warmer.

Does anybody not alter their regime at all maybe and just carries on?

This.

Lights and evening MTB rides. Weekend morning rides, either road or MTB depending on weather. A couple of lunchtime swims every week, diary permitting.

I am fortunate to live 20 mins drive from Glasgow Velodrome so do a track session most weeks in winter.

I'm lucky enough to have a good selection of trail centres near me that ride well in the wet (Cwmcarn, Afan, FOD) so they're good for rides even in the dark. Commuting's only 4 miles each way across town so that gets done in all weathers too. Might chuck in a few swimming sessions if the weather's really bad or I run out of time, but apart from that it's just select my routes according to the current weather! Does help that I have the Beacons an hour away which is rocky so it rides well in the winter unless it's blowing a gale. If all that fails I can hit the forest roads just to get the legs spinning.

Rather spoilt aren't I 😉

My 18 mile road commute is about 75% quiet unlit lanes, with some narrow sections. I prefer riding then to the busy roads when it's dark (well, whenever actually but especially in the dark), headlights from behind are easy to spot and oncoming traffic seems to slow more when faced with bike lights. As above, mudguards, arm warmers and a healthy dose of mtfu go a long way. Oh and give up watching the weather forecast so you have fewer excuses to wuss out.

What trail rat says.

Get more rear lights, i run a minimum of three on the road, all different types so the batteries never go flat at the same time. One big "master" and two smaller more basic ones.

Other than that, it's only generally ice that stops play. Then i switch to studded tyres and carry on (4 months only being able to use the turbo/rollers is too much for any human being)

The only thing that really curtails riding is ice

This really. Might ride more road a gravel towpaths when it is sludgy on the bridleways, but it was only sheet ice that stopped me riding.

And then I got some Ice Spikers anyway.... 😀

The bike I've been commuting on the 21 miles (my actual direct commute is only 7.5) is a rather nice trek silque but it is mudguard compatible so maybe thats a good idea if I want to contemplate carrying on. I'll check out the B&M and some winter boots.

I have to be fairly strategic with my plans as some days of the week I end up working out of Brum so wouldn't cycle home from there and I like to share the drive in with my OH because the showers/driers at work are shocking and besides I walk Ziva before work as well .

Winters not even begun yet. I still ride my motorbike everyday till January. Then maybe a few days each month from January to April it snows and I'll take the train.

yes lights please especially rear, nice n bright.

Decent lights and just carry on. Unless the weather is grim then ... [s]it's turbo[/s].

...go running.

😛

...go running

All the rest, and then this. Other half bought me some fell running shoes and a good head torch for last winter. We night ride through the winter anyway but a muddy run round slippery woods is hilarious and takes a lot less time than a ride.

Between commuting (above points are good), night mtb and running, i don't get too fed up of any one kind of going out in the dark and getting cold and wet.

Turbo, in front of tv. Nice and cosy.

Winter doesn't stop riding. Unlike in America where they freak out if you ride muddy trails 😉

Ride the mud (it's more fun), and get lights for night rides.

Trips away don't have to stop either. Still plenty of light to spend a day somewhere.

Though I can understand the misery of winter commutes. Personally, if I had a chance to bike commute, I wouldn't see commuting as part of my bike hobby, just a necessity. Probably a very dangerous one too. I'd consider driving or public transport instead and focus on planning for fun rides.

And best thing about winter, if you're really lucky... riding in the snow 😀

Winter doesn't make me shut down, I just choose routes depending on conditions and weather. Also I tend to ride mostly road rather than CX (except the races I have planned)
Just make sure I have the right clothing on, head out the door..

Agree with deadkenny about riding in the snow. Last time we had some down this way I rode the 19 miles to work in a little bit longer time than I normally would - took a less road orientated route. People who lived a mile or two away couldn't make it in as their cars were stuck on their driveways!

I carry on commuting unless it gets really icy, its probably safer riding in the dark. Light yourself up like a xmas tree. Lights that are usb rechargeable are good for long commutes so you can top them up at work.if it's too icy i use a basic turbo trainer, this also saves on heating bills!. Snow means fatbike!

Running and Turbo in winter.

I only occasionally commute any time of year and it doesnt add to my fitness as I dont sweat and ride steadily when cycling is transport.

https://thesufferfest.com/pages/app
Sort of biased as the Chief Suffering Officer works downstairs but they work, and they will do more in 60 mins inside than a commute will do for fitness, pair it with something like trainer road for a brutal workout that will make you faster when the sun comes back!!

For years I rode off road only. My riding would always atrophy in the winter, dropping to maybe one ride a week or even less.
Last winter I bought a cx bike and a turbo (with cheap spare wheel).
Riding on the little country lanes locally, interspersed with bits of farm track & SDW gave me enough of an off road fix to be happy but also kindled realisation that road riding can be really good fun, if you are in the right roads and in the right kit.
The turbo kept me going in the worst weather; quick blasts using Sufferfest just to make sure I 'rode' a few times a week.
It left me with way better bike fitness this year than I've had for a very long time and I plan on keeping to a similar routine this year.
Decent tyres, mudguards, lights and some good warm kit are vital but it's great to get out.

Do you want to ride or get fit? Because a properly planned turbo regime using trainer road or similar will get you a lot fitter than just riding, nor as fun though!

Zwift in the garage and the Concept II rower... Zwift is actually a revelation to my training recently, making turbo time quite enjoyable rather than a chore.

Ziva's a dog, right?

Ziva's a dog, right?

And I think Zwift was from the same litter?

Plus one on snowy commutes. Love the 12 mile tow path commute in the snow, only time I commute by MTB, then get to the office to take calls from the people who can't get a car off the drive.

Rode home in a blizzard a couple of years back. All the roads to our village had ground to a halt for some reason. Driver shouted at me that I was daft riding in that weather. I pointed out that I'd be getting a hot bath and a warm drink long before he did. You could see the light bulb going on in his head!

Not had it so good the last 2-3 winters though. Just compacted frozen snow. For Ice Spikers!

As others have said - just keep riding. Dynamo lights are good - I have a set. Mudguards on the bike. I have spike tyres to put on if it gets snowy/icy.

Get yourself a Proviz 360 gilet or similar. You'll be seen from at least half a mile away. (Line of sight permitting, of course)

Another tip for night riding on the roads (especially in built up areas with parked cars).

One of these cheap coin cell LED lights in the rear vents of your helmet. It sticks out like a sore thumb bobbing up and down, it can be seen over parked cars, and I think it humanises cyclists rather than being a 'bike light' it's a 'person light'. YMMV but I think it works.

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My advice goes against convetional wisdom, and probably also typical STW keyboard hardman/womanry..

Ride shorter distances, but keep riding (preferably at weekends in daylight).
Ride shorter distances faster if you feel like it.
Don't ride at night, unless on a short safe commute.
Go running (off road with a head torch is fun - well for the first few times anyway, then I kinda miss that big yellow thing in the sky).
Go swimming.
Aim to keep yourself ticking over, happy and motivated over the winter.
Hit things again in spring, when days are longer and you can actually go for a ride without losing feeling in your feet.

You may find you enjoy riding year round a lot more by following this strategic seven point training plan.

I ride more off road, on road when its dry, turbo more. Turbo makes a big difference. Group of friends book a training holiday on road in Spain Italy each year. Keeps us motivated - train to go to training camp 😀 Good fun and its warm as well as something to look forward too.

You may find you enjoy riding year round a lot more by following this strategic training plan.

I may be in a minority, but i suspect it's a sizeable one, that actually looks forward to muddy winter rides in the freezing cold?

Quieter trails, that wonderful toasty warm feeling under breathable layers when you pick them just right rather than sweating up hills, feeling smug pedalling through mud and freezing streams in waterproof boots, no brambles, fireplaces in pubs and car radiators on full, singlespeeds, those few weeks late January when the ground freezes and the trails are fast again. Summer and dusty trails are fun for a while, but they're not Winter 🙂

I tend to do more rides on my rigid singlespeed. All off-road and still keeps the trails fun, even when they are muddy and slow. Long rides, short rides - lots of pre-dawn rides - and see the sun rise. It's all good imo.

thisisnotaspoon - Member 
I may be in a minority, but i suspect it's a sizeable one, that actually looks forward to muddy winter rides in the freezing cold?

+1 from me 😀

Was getting fed up with the hordes of fair weather weekend warriors recently. Crowded trails and too many people thinking they're just because they have a shovel they're dig experts, adding yet more holes but no thought into trail design, other users, drainage, and how to be subtle.

When they bugger off for the winter it's a lot quieter and the trails are damp enough to mould into shape through riding, and can smooth out the braking bumps that have hardened in the dry weather.

Then the frost comes and trails run like summer 😀

I commute year round, and ride year round. Not because I'm hard, it's because I like riding

Kit changes through the year but mudguards and lights stay on year round

When it's cold I really need overshoes as my feet get very cold, plus warm gloves. Then normal winter kit

Reflectives make a huge difference in combination with lights. Light your feet/pedals, either pedal reflectors or overshoes with reflective bits, it highlights you as a cyclist from ages away, it can be confusing for a car driver when they see a single light.

I also like have both flashing and solid front and rear lights when it's dark, flashing for initially spotting me, solid to get a sense of distance. I also like to ride with a helmet mounted light

I'm in the same camp as no_eyed_deer, I used to commute right through the winter (unless icy) & ended up absolutely hating it - the number of close calls I had went up considerably regardless of lights that would put Clark Griswold's house to shame, if someone's driving down the road on their phone with the windows steamed up in the rain you're nowhere near as visible to them as you should be regardless if you're lit up like a Christmas tree, especially on unlit backroads where it's difficult to see where the road ends and the hedge begins & that's before you factor in the glare from cars coming the opposite direction. I probably do more off-road riding in Autumn / Winter than "summer" & just forget about commuting for a while (as above, unless there's been a ton of rain the trails are usually brilliant at this time of year)

Zwift... I came out of last winter fitter than at the end of the summer. Mix it up though, join a Zwift group ride, ride along side a pro or ex pro, try a Zwift race, enter one of the Zwift challenges that crop up from time to time (Win a Cervelo in October), test your FTP, estimate your VO2 max with a step test, complete a Zwift training plan or just ride. All with not a splash of mud anywhere to be seen.Come the spring you will be riding harder, further and faster.

Treat yourself to an interactive smart trainer for the best experience.

Whilst I liked Trainer Road for individual sessions, I found it really difficult to stick with a plan for more than a few weeks. Unless you're super motivated to hit the numbers regardless of pain/fatigue/tiredness/illness, or pro level in your abilities to plan training that treads the fine line between enough that it works and not so much you're not recovering, I still preferred going out and getting muddy in a group. Even on a bad day it's more fun to sit at the back taking it easier but keep motivated by the fun aspects of being outside, than just suffer until you hate it indoors.

Think it was Gee off here who said about training plans "ride every day, unless it's raining then go to the gym".

thisisnotaspoon - Member

Whilst I liked Trainer Road for individual sessions, I found it really difficult to stick with a plan for more than a few weeks. Unless you're super motivated to hit the numbers regardless of pain/fatigue/tiredness/illness, or pro level in your abilities to plan training that treads the fine line between enough that it works and not so much you're not recovering, I still preferred going out and getting muddy in a group. Even on a bad day it's more fun to sit at the back taking it easier but keep motivated by the fun aspects of being outside, than just suffer until you hate it indoors

THe way I see the TR plans are, as guidelines. If I can't ride because its dark or the weather is dangerously bad (thick fog, gales etc.) then I do a TR session. If I can ride outside, I mimic the TR session more or less. The way I see all the TR plans is the weekend is basically a shorter faster harder ride on the Sat and a longer ride on the Sun., which is easily acheivable outside on whatever form of bike you choose.

Trainer road and Zwift are an addition to winter riding. Used sensibly you will see a big increase in strength

mduncombe - Member

Zwift... I came out of last winter fitter than at the end of the summer. Mix it up though, join a Zwift group ride, ride along side a pro or ex pro, try a Zwift race, enter one of the Zwift challenges that crop up from time to time (Win a Cervelo in October), test your FTP, estimate your VO2 max with a step test, complete a Zwift training plan or just ride. All with not a splash of mud anywhere to be seen.Come the spring you will be riding harder, further and faster

I did my first Zwift race this week.... it was just proper hard...

My yearly MHR is 178bpm, my average in the Zwift race for an hour was 172bpm ! That's scary !

It was proper hard and good entertainment chasing a bike, rather than a structured workout on the Turbo watching the clock tick for 30s intervals etc.

My bloody Strava feed is full of this Zwift nonsense. 👿 Get out of the comfy house and get outside 😛

My bloody Strava feed is full of this Zwift nonsense

Agreed, there needs to be an option to hide pretend rides 😀

dont' forget the dorky ankle straps:

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one side is hi-viz yellow, the other is silver retro-reflective.

they're very eye-catching, and they hightlight the up/down pedalling motion that just screams 'BIKE!'...

So I'm wondering what everybody else does to stay fit over winter?

I just keep on riding as I normally do. I commute 20 miles each way on the bike and depending on road conditions just continue as normal through winter.

Did just under 1100 miles last November/December as they're usually reasonable weather wise, things usually take a dip in Jan but still usually manage over 300 miles.

Theres nothing pretend about the pre race anxiety, competion between riders or puddle of sweat you'll leave on the floor.
Hell of a let better for fitness than commuting ever will be whatever the time year.

ProViz Jacket
I overtake a guy on my commute with one. IMO it is far better than lights . Gives you width and depth and more ' presence ' on the road.
A single red rear LED , whilst bright, does indicate you are a very narrow vehicle and can be buzzed safely by cars and vans. Those jackets make you appear wider than you due to the way the almost effervesce with light.

Theres nothing pretend about the pre race anxiety, competion between riders or puddle of sweat you'll leave on the floor.
Hell of a let better for fitness than commuting ever will be whatever the time year.

Do you always always add your own bits( "all the time") to other people statements so they can be more easily criticised?

You would get on well with my ex wife.

A) racing is not good training.
B) commuting can be good training, GolfChick extends a 7 odd mile journey to a 21 mile journey, plenty long enough for structured training of some description.

Ooft lol

And FWIW I and many hundreds of other low grade pros run our entire season based on a winter of commuting to better paying jobs (to counter being paid virtually nothing during the season).

Really enjoyed night road rides over the past couple of winters.
Decent lights, I run a bright front and rear and 2nd longer run time front and rear. The right clothing for the conditions. Mudguards and the widest tyres you can fit if on a road bike. Finding the right route makes a big difference, I spent a bit of time using Google Streetview this year and test ridden a few different roads to link together. I normally default to back roads without road markings, generally quiet and if you look around some have really decent tarmac.

On the other hand i do the opposite. Less road over the winter as they are likely to be frosty/icy. Mostly non-technical mtb rides and turbo sessions.

I read your comments re sitting duck/vulnerable to be a female specific thing which I hadn't considered before but can see could be an issue.

I am a real scaredy cat when it comes to ice. I don't ride below 4c and wet or 3c and dry. I broke this rule last Feb and had a massive off at speed on sheet ice. Very lucky not to have life changing injuries.

Turbo, fans and Netflix for me plus a long muddy off road ride each weekend.

Cheers for the ideas and suggestions. It's not mud I dislike, I'm one of few people stupid enough to ride the wyre forest year round (yes I modify my route to not shred the place to death), its more being reflective enough to be seen and the equipment and time to do so and the using of the very nice road bike with the grit on the road. I think I may go for the option of using the hardtail for shorter blasts just to get a few miles in when I can and still get back for the dog.

I want to ride in the winter because I love riding bikes and staying in shape and being ready for next year. For that reason Turbo is really not up my street, I just cant see the fun in it. Also the way that would work is I'd get home walk the dog for hr n half - 2 hrs. To then need to cook tea then about 8 or 9 think to get on the turbo or sit on the sofa before the day starts all over again! Besides the house is quite small so there's no where I could leave it setup and I'm certainly not moving heaps of stuff each time.

Think I'll start some road running again on the other nights and maybe a few off road runs with the head torch.

adsh - nothing to do with being a female, just feel I'd be a more target in the winter when there's the excuse of it being dark for why they hit me whilst looking at their mobile phones. Not being harsh but I'd imagine if a person wanted to take advantage of a female, they'd have a far easier job by going onto BroadStreet at 2am on a Sat night rather than hope to spot me on a road bike on a country lane and be able to tell from a distance that I'm female especially when everybody else on a bike is incapable of doing so. 😆 😆

In that case

Hope District rear light