EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO RIDE IN THE COLD

I'M A BIG FAN OF THE SAYING, "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER, ONLY BAD CLOTHING."

- CHRIS PINO

As cooler weather starts to roll in, I've learned to embrace the change in seasons. Riding in the cold can be something you look forward to, too, with the proper gear and know-how.

Winter cycling means being out on shorter, colder, and often wetter days, so focus your preparations to meet these conditions. Throughout the winter, I keep a very bright taillight as well as a 1,000-plus-lumen headlight on my bike all the time. They are essential for staying safer on an after-work ride or even the odd weekend ride that runs longer than expected. Pro tip: Plug your lights (and any other tech) into their chargers as soon as you get home. That way they are always ready to go. There is nothing worse than getting all kitted up only to realize your batteries are dead.

Dressing warmly enough is a no-brainer (see "What to Wear," next page), but the cold can affect your riding in ways you might not even realize. Take your tires, for example. In colder temperatures, rubber becomes harder, thus affording you less traction and compliance. Less grip, coupled with more debris on the roads, means I switch to a slightly wider tire with a more pronounced tread pattern. Keep a closer eye on your tire pressures, too, as cold air can lower the psi in your tires. As a baseline, I run my winter tires roughly 5 to 10 psi less than I would in warmer weather, given the same setup. But be aware, for every 10°F drop in temperature, you lose 1 to 2 psi in tire pressure. So, if you air up inside and go for a ride on a very cold day, you could be running up to 10 psi less than you had planned.