Sunday, January 29, 2006

Loving the winter weather!

People skating on an outdoor rink along Spadina Cres.

The front entrance.

The Delta Bessborough, from the street side.

An old doubledecker bus now converted into a concession stand. Obviously it is only open in the summer. :)

Vimy Memorial bandstand, you've seen it before in my photo's, but I thought this was a unique angle on it.

There is a couple of people making a really nice ice sculpture at the base of the Victoria Bridge, it is supposed to be part of Saskatoon's centennial celebrations. I'll take more photos when it is complete.


So I took a photo of the SMART car that I was talking about in a previous post, I think I like the black color the best. :) 70mpg is pretty nice too.




I wasn't lazy today and I did go riding, just not very far, I only managed ride 8.5kms, mostly because I left close to supper and wanted to get home in time to eat. I've decided that I should make a list of winter riding tips, I've come a long way since I started riding in the fall and I thought it would be nice to share some of my experiences I've had along the way.


TIP #1

Use studded tires.
On a diamond frame bike this isn't as big of deal, but recumbents have different balance points so I think that it is more important to have studded tires. While it is really easy to get some old tires and screw in metal screws all over, it is probably better to get actually studded tires because they will last several times longer and they offer more grip on ice.

TIP #2
Dress warm.
This one is pretty obvious, but it is often the biggest problem with winter riding, people don't dress warm enough because they think that they will warm up after riding. My rule is to dress warm enough that you can stand still for about five minutes and not get too cold. If you aren't dressed warm enough and you get a flat or something you will freeze.


TIP #3
Use lights
The majority of my winter riding time is after dark, this is also when the majority of cycling accidents occur. I'm sure everyone has witnessed the cyclist dressed all in black riding at night without lights, I hope they have a donor card! Personally I think that the more lights you have the better. I see a lot of cyclist ride at night with just a red blinking light at the back, this is better then no light, but not by much. A really bight front-facing white light should always on your bike after dark, that way cars that are facing you will not cut you off as they are turning or possibly run you over because you can't be seen. A rear-facing red light is good, it should be blinking fast so that it attracts attention, mine flashes really fast from side to side, much like lights on an emergency vehicle.

TIP #4
Keep the extremities warm.
Keep your hands and toes warm, they are almost always the first things to get cold. Good wool socks rated to -40C are what I use, I still get cold toes but only after a hour or so of riding in -25C (the -40C rating is standing still with no windchill.) Heated socks would also work good. I use gloves because I like to be able to operate my camera and adjust things on my bike, I have gloves made of a fleecy material and insulated with Thinsulate. Some people find that mitts protect your hands better then gloves, it's really a personal choice.

TIP #5
Don't ride to hard.
This one is a hard one to follow some days, we've all been in the position where we want to get a good hard ride in, when it's cold out, take it easy. First of all, you have to allow the muscles to warm up, so don't ride really hard for about 30mins, after they are warmed up I ride at about 80% of my normal pace in the summer. The cold is hard on your muscles and riding hard only increases the chances of an injury, so take it easy.

TIP #6
Have fun!
In order to keep motivated for winter riding you have to keep it fun. Ride a different route or your same route, but this time backwards. Relax and enjoy the scenery instead of racing around. Go around with a camera and take photos of winter scenery to enjoy in the middle of summer! :) Most of all ride safe and have fun!

No comments: