4ucycling

So, you wake up, draw back the curtains and everything is thick white snow outside. Does this mean the bike stays cuddled up next to the warm radiator? It should signal the chance to get out there and challenge convention and in some people’s eyes, wisdom! We always err in favour of a challenge, it’s the way we’re programmed. Stay loose Whatever style of bike you have, the over-riding thing which will help you get the most from riding in the snow this winter is to relax. Nothing unsettles the bike like tension in the riders body. It transmits right through the bike and into the tyres. It pays to be loose and limber when riding in the snow, from the finger tips in your gloves to the toes in your shoes and everywhere in between. The same is true for all mountain biking, but when the conditions are as sketchy as they often are when snow is on the ground, it’s even more important. Road bikes Snow is usually partnered by its sidekick, ice. Ice and the typically narrow, high-pressure, ...

So, you wake up, draw back the curtains and everything is thick white snow outside. Does this mean the bike stays cuddled up next to the warm radiator? It should signal the chance to get out there and challenge convention and in some people’s eyes, wisdom! We always err in favour of a challenge, it’s the way we’re programmed. Stay loose Whatever style of bike you have, the over-riding thing which will help you get the most from riding in the snow this winter is to relax. Nothing unsettles the bike like tension in the riders body. It transmits right through the bike and into the tyres. It pays to be loose and limber when riding in the snow, from the finger tips in your gloves to the toes in your shoes and everywhere in between. The same is true for all mountain biking, but when the conditions are as sketchy as they often are when snow is on the ground, it’s even more important. Road bikes Snow is usually partnered by its sidekick, ice. Ice and the typically narrow, high-pres...

Here are our tips for riding safely during late Autumn, Winter and early Spring. Be Prepared Be Seen Keep Warm Ride Safely Be Prepared Check your brakes are working properly as they will be less efficient during wet weather. Ensure moving parts are always well lubricated to keep them working and to help keep out water. Clean your bike regularly during winter to prevent any corrosion as a result of the salt used in road grit. Mudguards will help keep you and your bike clean during wet weather. During wet or icy conditions allow yourself extra time for your journey and adjust your speed to the conditions. Remember the sun will be much lower during the winter months and glare will be especially bad when the road surface is wet. Having a pair of sunglasses to hand or a peaked hat will help keep out some of the glare. Be Seen Make sure everyone can other people can see you by using good a good quality front (white) and rear (red) light, these are required by law together with ...

When the dark first comes it’s a shock. I love cycling, and I especially love riding with my young kids. But it takes an extra adjustment, a mindshift even, when nursery and school runs, and then commutes to and from work, must suddenly be ridden with no light from the sky. I blink into the blackness. It always takes a few days for my eyes to accept to this utterly predictable yet still constantly surprising shift in seasons. At first the streets seem less knowable. The cars louder and more predatory, their lights shining like violence. And my kids who all summer refused to leave the house without their bikes suddenly take coaxing, especially the youngest who conquered his first pedal bike this summer. It would be so easy to stop now. Take the bikes out of their cosy corner of the living room and lock them in the shed for winter. As a child I rarely rode through the dead of winter, lights were rubbish and expensive then and my school days lasted as long as the cycle of the sun. And ...