In the famous words of Ned Stark:
“Brace yourselves, winter is coming.”
For regular stay-indoors-because-its-awful-outside folk this is just a warning off the TV. Not for mountain bikers! For us this means sticking on mud tyres, digging out the leggings and putting on layer after layer of clothing.
What are the MTB winter essentials?
Where to start? Let’s go from the bottom up, first things first is a set of quality winter tyres – depending on where you live and what you ride that means mud slingers or ice spikes. There’s a great selection available for a wide range of riding types, check out the Maxxis High Roller for its mud handling capabilities or for snow check out the Schwalbe Snow Studd. It’s also a great idea to give your bike a clean and a rub down after very wet and dirty rides – mudguards can be an absolute savior when it comes to filthy rides.
Protecting Against the Elements
Don’t forget to wrap yourself up against the elements – it always pays off to be prepared! Make sure that you have extra layers with you, and if you’re going on a long ride then a space blanket could be a great idea. They are very light as well, so you won’t even notice you’re carrying it until you need it!
While putting up a brave front against the cold will make you look hard to your mates, if your fingers are too cold to yank on the brakes then you’re in trouble! There are loads of winter gloves, base layers and jackets out there designed to keep you dry and warm when out on the bike. You could spend hundreds on these essentials, or you could head over to Aldi and pick up a pair of leggings for under £15!
A little life hack is to put latex gloves on under your regular riding mitts. This will make them waterproof and keep your hands nice and warm, although they are likely to get rather sweaty. However, if you haven’t got the cash to spend this is a fantastic budget option!
Tell People Where You’re Going
If you fall off your bike or have a mechanical problem resulting in you being stuck for hours in the summer it’s just an inconvenience. In the winter however this could be very, very dangerous. Whenever possible try to ride with friends and when you can’t make sure someone knows where you’re going and roughly how long you’ll be. The Crash App, which we’ve previously talked about would be a great thing to use during lonely winter rides – hopefully it’ll be live very soon.
Other things to consider:
- Get a good set of lights – the darkness can creep up on you during winter months.
- Use a Flask – there really is nothing better than having a nice hot cup of tea on the top of a very cold trail (check out Trail 42′s Pack Flask).
- Grow a beard – if you can you’ll appreciate how much warmer your cheeks are with a bit of hair (otherwise use a buff).
- Choose your trails – during the winter, constant rain turns dirt tracks into a muddy puddle. Use trails that are designed to be all-weather – you’ll be less muddy and won’t have to do so much trail maintenance!
Have you got any winter tips? Share them with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or in the comments below!
