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.
Denne historien er fra Issue 06, 2022-utgaven av Bicycling US.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 06, 2022-utgaven av Bicycling US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.
