With cold winds in your face and slick surfaces to navigate, the winter is not the ideal to ride on your typical bicycle. Many of us use a bike as our regular transportation, and some of us have our bikes tricked out for winter riding, as well. In order to make the most of your bicycle during the cold winter months, and avoid sticking to an indoor bike, here are some tips for staying safe and sound and avoiding
accidents while doing so.
Layering up is your best bet against getting injured just from the cold of a winter bike ride. This is not a matter of your normal layering, though – you should invest in bicycling clothes that are meant to be layered. They are typically thinner than normal layers, but act to keep you performance ready, as you will warm up as you ride. Riding in a full winter outfit makes bicycle riding more difficult, and may actually cause you to sweat more – if you then remove layers, your sweat will cool you, defeating the whole purpose of your winter outfit. You should consider:
This is always important, but during most times of the year, we tend to think of this as what to wear when cycling at night. With winter, you might be dealing with snow and with drivers whose own views are obstructed, so visibility is just as important when it’s cold out. Go with the usual suspects: reflective clothing and gear with reflectors on all sides, and make sure your bike has safety lights, using the brightest of your lights for the rear of your bike to avoid being rear-ended. If you do experience a bicycle accident, contact us.
You should be sure to check your bike’s tire pressure regularly, as they will lose pressure faster in the cold weather. Checking before each ride is a good tip. When refilling, though, you should be sure to keep your tire pressure at the low end of the acceptable range, in order to increase your bike’s traction, as it keeps you closer to the road and spreads your tire’s footprint out more that way.
Yes, for winter time, make sure your water bottle has warm water in it. This not only helps warm you up when you take a drink, but it is also helpful for keeping your drivetrain from rusting from all of that riding. You should also make sure to wipe your drivetrain down after you ride each time, and if you can, store your bike indoors (cover it if you’re storing it outside).
Especially if winter has come on fast, you can’t expect to be up to your summer speeds, so be sure to warm up to your typical cycling speeds. You need to adapt to how your environment has changed, which could change your cycling style or even your route for the winter.
blogs
Winter Driving Safety Tips
Having your winter tires installed on your car and packing a windshield scraper is a good start to being prepared to drive in the winter, but as the cold weather gets harsher, the driving conditions get worse. With this comes the tendency for some people to overcorrect or not know how to stop properly, or […]
Bicycle Accidents
Bicycles may be a reliably safe mode of transportation but, as in so many accidents out in the world, the problem is not often with the mode of transportation you’re in, but how the person who hits you is traveling. Every year, more than 50,000 bicyclists are injured in collisions with automobiles. Too few of […]
More Apps for Increased Rideshare Safety
If every ride you take is just you and an unknown driver, it doesn’t hurt to look into your safety options. And while any unsure situation could potentially turn dangerous, you can do yourself a favor by finding helpful methods for letting people know where you are and where you’re going to be, and generally […]
Five Safety Products for Motorcycle Riders
Approximately ten percent of motor vehicle deaths in the United States can be attributed to motorcycleaccidents. Safe riding and defensive driving are important to all motor vehicle operations, of course, but making sure you’re stocked up on the right equipment to make your ride as safe as possible is critical to avoiding accidents or, in […]
Tips for Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles as a mode of transportation are inherently moredangerous than others. Because of this, motorcycle drivers have an extra onus on them to be the safest drivers possible. Many motorcycle accidents are caused due to careless motorcycle driving, and while you may think you’re one of the safe ones, anyone can be caught off guard. […]
Tips for Avoiding Car Accidents
Whether you’re driving in a place where the environment is a little more driver-friendly, or if you’re somewhere where the weather poses a driving hazard, you can’t go wrong having a working knowledge of how best to avoid accidents. In 2020 alone, there were nearly 36,000 fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States. Those […]
Motorcycle Safety Tips for Cold Weather
Driving any vehicle in cold weather and especially snow is going to make for a much more difficult time than driving in dry, comfortable weather. With enough preparation and all of the right gear, it is possible to mitigate many of these problems, but without them, you run the risk of a deadly accident. Before […]
Five Helpful Facts and Tips About Pedestrian Accidents
The pedestrian fatality rate in Arizona is more than double that of the national average, at 1.61 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people. Most of these are male pedestrians, killed at a rate of almost three times as much as female pedestrians. Keeping pedestrians safe is everyone’s job, but as a pedestrian, you should understand the […]
Five Helpful Facts About Dog Bites
Dog bites are not only relatively common, but they can be incredibly dangerous. If you’re bitten by a dog, you run the risk of the obvious wound to your flesh or bone, but you also are at risk for an infection, including tetanus and rabies. It can be helpful to know how to treat such […]
Clearing Up Workers Compensation Misconceptions
If we hear the term “workers comp,” we probably feel like we understand the basics – if you get hurt on the job, you file for workers comp, you get time off to heal and hopefully a little extra something along with your salary to make it all easier. In an ideal world, sure, it […]
formulario de contacto
