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(photo courtesy of BikeWinter of Chicago) |
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MSU cyclist Thomas Baumann poses with his winter-commuting machine. Click here for more photos. |
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The MSU Bikes Service Center stocks many of the accessories seen on this bike or can order them. Click the photo above for more information on this bike. |
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I was under the mistaken assumption that as long as I ride in a straight line and make no quick turns that I'll be OK on ice. Well, recently I crashed on some black ice while going straight ahead. That changed my mind on studded tires immediately. I priced commercially available studded tires and found they were expensive. So, I made some myself in about one-and-a-half hours, and they work great. DIY instructions that I used can be found here. I also have top-secret tweaks to those instructions below. - Tim Potter, manager of MSU Bikes |
With the arrival of winter, you might be thinking of ways to improve the enjoyment and safety factor of your ride.
Learn
We offer classes for those of you wanting to learn more about riding through the winter and bike maintenance. Go to this page to learn more about our classes. Click here for our Winter Cycling Workshop class notes if you missed the class.
Top four tips
- Make sure you’re visible; use front and rear lights during the day, at dusk and at night to help drivers notice you. Use a safety vest for additional visibility when batteries get weak or when lights are not enough. (We stock all of these items.)
- Read the MSU Bikes Service Center Manager's recommendations on bike lights here.
- Watch this YouTube video to understand why it's important to stand out from your environment.
- Keep the chain well lubed with the right lube (there is “wet condition” chain lube, such as Pedro's Syn Lube for winter riding, which lasts longer than the dry-weather chain lube). We stock lube at the service center.
- Check your tire pressure regularly. Tires will get softer faster in the winter, which actually helps increase grip on ice/snow. However, don’t let them get too flat or you’ll get more pinch-flats and just make it very hard to get down the road. The recommend tire pressures are almost always printed on the sidewalls of your tires and often give a range, like 45 to 65 psi. Go with the lower pressure in the winter and the higher pressure in the dry months.
- Any lock can freeze and rust up to the point where you can’t easily open it. To reduce the chances of this happening, make sure the locking mechanisms are facing down so water doesn’t sit in them and freeze the unit solid. Also, lubricate the mechanism with good lube (like Tri-flow) before it gets stuck shut (when it’s dry) to keep it functioning. If it does freeze up, use a cup of hot water or hot coffee to pour over it and defrost the mechanism before you break off the key in the lock. We also stock lock de-icer here in the center, which is good to keep in the office for bike or car locks.
Equipment
We now stock a good selection of clear glasses and goggles, long-fingered gloves, foot and toe covers, balaclavas, head bands, full-fenders, a wide variety of lights and knobby tires in most sizes to make sure you get more traction as the snow falls. We can also special order studded tires and lots of other winter-use items.
Storage services
Consider putting your good-weather bike up for the winter in our heated and secure storage facility (e-mail us or call about our tune and storage deal - seasonally offered) and get a winter-only bike with full fenders, bigger tires, etc. During the winter months we generally have a good selection of rental bikes, some of which are already set up with fenders.
Covered/indoor bike parking and storage
Looking for a place to lock up your bike out of the rain and snow? MSU has covered bike parking options around campus, and most of them are inside of the car parking garages. View our gallery of bike parking facilities.
Additionally, many of the residence halls on campus have indoor bike rooms: Holden, Wonders, Wilson, Holmes, McDonel, Akers, Hubbard, Mason/Abbot, Snyder/Phillips, Campbell, Landon and Yakeley/Gilchrist all have bike rooms. Inquire at your hall reception desk for more information.
More resources
Here are some articles and websites for more information on winter riding:
- The MSU Physical Plant's Campus Snow Plan - reference material to learn more about how MSU maintains its streets and paths. (To report an area in need of snow or ice removal: Call 353-1760. For areas near University residence halls, inform the facility manager.)
- Bike lights article in Momentum magazine (includes links to many light company websites) that discusses a new report that reveals where and when most low-light accidents occur.
- Who would know better? How about the Fairbanks (Alaska) Cycle Club.
- Bike Commuters Coast Through Winter Weather, Great Lakes Radio Consortium, Karen Kelly (full text).
- Icebike - Home of "the Winter Cyclist".
- IceBike's Winter maintenance page - tips on how to help your bike survive the frigid temperatures.
- BikeWinter of Chicago.
- Peter White's Studded Tires article - information on studded tires.
- Articles on studded tires - IceBike | DIY Studded Tires: Make your own in 7 easy steps (See notes in sidebar re: these tires)
- Military surplus clothing (mittens, hats, coats, boots, etc.)
- KTrak (movie - website) - a universal tracted rear drive kit to transform a mountain bike into an all-terrain riding machine.
 There's nothing like a good pair of warm mittens for winter riding. These are some available from a source for military surplus clothing. |
 Click the photo above to check out the Ktrak website. Ktrack is a universal tracted rear drive kit to transform a mountain bike into an all-terrain riding machine. |
More information
Call the MSU Bikes Service Center at 432-3400 or e-mail bikes@msu.edu.