{"id":3752,"date":"2008-10-19T21:40:41","date_gmt":"2008-10-20T03:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=3752"},"modified":"2008-10-19T21:40:41","modified_gmt":"2008-10-20T03:40:41","slug":"how-to-winterize-your-bicycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/","title":{"rendered":"How to “Winterize” Your Bicycle!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nFor many of us who take environmental protection into our own hands daily, a bicycle is an indispensible part of the dream.\u00a0 Throw off those winter blues<\/strong>… bicycling can make your winter green!<\/p>\n

Bicycles are an efficient way to transport yourself daily for a number of reasons.\u00a0 To me, the most important benefit to using a bicycle is that it improves my health and fitness.\u00a0 Probably the next most important to me is a bike’s economy.\u00a0 You pay for occasional maintenance throughout the year, but on the whole, it is far cheaper than using a car, or even travelling by public transportation!<\/p>\n

On the environmental front: unlike motor vehicles, bicycles produce no greenhouse gases from their use.\u00a0 Their parts can often be manufactured from recycled materials.\u00a0 Overall, while not perfect, bikes make for a significantly smaller footprint than any other existing mode of efficient, long-travel transportation out there.<\/p>\n

The distance from my home to my work is 1.8 miles.\u00a0 (Another good way to think green: move close to your essentials!)\u00a0 Walking, that might take me 40 minutes!\u00a0 But on my bike, I am there in 9-12 minutes.\u00a0 As the nights get longer and the air gets crisper, however, I am reminded that unless I take certain measures, I will soon be prevented from using my bike to get to work by the “elements.”\u00a0 Common enemies to the bicycle include: snow, slush, ice, gravel, and salt.<\/p>\n

\"\"But if you’re like me, you strive to think green in all seasons… not just the warm and sunny ones.\u00a0 Surely, winter is the least popular time to ride bikes–it’s cold and difficult, and just plain inconvenient!\u00a0 However, who doesn’t need to keep fit in the winter months?\u00a0 And with a few quick steps and some basic knowledge, you can equip yourself and your bike with the necessities to keep it sturdy and rideable throughout the winter months.<\/p>\n

1. Studded Tires<\/strong>
\nCombats: ice, snow, slippery surfaces
\n<\/em>\"\"One of the most important steps you may want to consider when winterizing your bike is making it capable of sticking to the ground when you are riding or turning corners.\u00a0 Just like getting studded tires for cars, you may want to invest in studded tires for your road bike!\u00a0 Typically road bike tires have very little traction and are fairly smooth.\u00a0 Winter tires will have many more substantial nubs, usually with little metal studs in each (Phattire.com<\/a> and Penn Cycle<\/a> give you an idea for these essential winter accessories.)\u00a0 Before you order or buy them, make sure they will match your tire size by checking the measurements on the rim of your tire (usually 27″, 26″ or 700).<\/p>\n

In general, mountain bikes–with their thick, wider, nubby tires–will grip any surface better when it is rough.\u00a0 Thus, even if you dislike riding mountain bikes on city streets, you may want to consider getting a mountain bike–with studded tires–for the really messy days this winter.<\/p>\n

2. Regular Cleaning<\/strong>
\nCombats: corrosion and griminess due to salt, dirt<\/em><\/p>\n

It is extremely important that you clean your bike regularly during the winter.\u00a0 Set aside 30 minutes to an hour a week to thoroughly degrease, scrub, and re-grease your chain (and you may want to consider cleaning your hubs and bottom bracket too).\u00a0 You’ll probably be surprised at how much faster black gunk builds up in the wetter winter months!<\/p>\n

Simple Green<\/a> is the standby for any bike mechanic for degreasing.\u00a0 You’ll want to use chain lube only for re-greasing your chain, while thicker, turquoise-blue poly lube will work for repacking your bearings in the hub and bottom bracket.<\/p>\n

Some people may think the biggest threat to the “well-being” of their bicycle is snow, ice, or freezing in the winter months.\u00a0 Actually, the culprit that can cause the most serious problems is: salt!<\/em> Make sure you do not skip this step when keeping your bike “winterized” for the cold season.<\/p>\n

3. Proper Gear<\/strong>
\nCombats: your discomfort!<\/em>
\nStaying warm when speeding past cars in below freezing temperatures can be a challenge indeed.\u00a0 While it is necessary to maintain one’s warmth while travelling, one must be careful not to create conditions where you will overheat due to exertion, sweat, then then chill the water on your skin!\u00a0 Usually tight fitting “Thinsulated” clothing items are needed.\u00a0 The most important, often overlooked, item is the winter face mask<\/a>–crucial from keeping your cheeks from chapping!\u00a0 Also important are appropriate gloves that protect your hands while allowing you to grip your bike, hats, and ear coverings.<\/p>\n

I hope you find this list useful as you ride into the great white beyond.\u00a0 Please consider carefully whether biking is appropriate for your this winter.\u00a0 As any biker’s physical safety is more vulnerable when on the road with cars, consider that reduced visibility and slippery road conditions in the winter make for a dangerous situation–you might be winterized, but the car behind you may not be!\u00a0 Being safe is always more important than living the green dream<\/a>–at least for now.\u00a0 See you in the streets!<\/p>\n

photo credit: Bontenbal<\/a> under a GNU Free Documentation License (on Wikimedia Commons<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many of us who take environmental protection into our own hands daily, a bicycle is an indispensible part of the dream.\u00a0 Throw off those winter blues… bicycling can make [ … ]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":17584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24,7],"tags":[1246,823,824,1931,254,1887,8512,123,1932,1933],"yoast_head":"\nHow to "Winterize" Your Bicycle! • Sustainablog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to "Winterize" Your Bicycle! • Sustainablog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For many of us who take environmental protection into our own hands daily, a bicycle is an indispensible part of the dream.\u00a0 Throw off those winter blues… bicycling can make [ … ]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sustainablog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Amsterdamfietsenindesneeuw.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"937\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"carolinesavery\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"carolinesavery\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"carolinesavery\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0\"},\"headline\":\"How to “Winterize” Your Bicycle!\",\"datePublished\":\"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\"},\"wordCount\":841,\"commentCount\":17,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"bicycle\",\"bicycling\",\"bike\",\"cold\",\"green\",\"snow\",\"Sustainability\",\"Travel\",\"winter\",\"winterize\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\",\"Living\",\"Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\",\"name\":\"How to \\\"Winterize\\\" Your Bicycle! • Sustainablog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to “Winterize” Your Bicycle!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/\",\"name\":\"Sustainablog\",\"description\":\"Since 2003, Sustainablog has been one of the pioneers of sustainability news online.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Sustainablog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg\",\"width\":200,\"height\":142,\"caption\":\"Sustainablog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0\",\"name\":\"carolinesavery\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"carolinesavery\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/author\/carolinesavery\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to \"Winterize\" Your Bicycle! • Sustainablog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to \"Winterize\" Your Bicycle! • Sustainablog","og_description":"For many of us who take environmental protection into our own hands daily, a bicycle is an indispensible part of the dream.\u00a0 Throw off those winter blues… bicycling can make [ … ]","og_url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/","og_site_name":"Sustainablog","article_published_time":"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":937,"height":660,"url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Amsterdamfietsenindesneeuw.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"carolinesavery","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"carolinesavery","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/"},"author":{"name":"carolinesavery","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0"},"headline":"How to “Winterize” Your Bicycle!","datePublished":"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00","dateModified":"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/"},"wordCount":841,"commentCount":17,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["bicycle","bicycling","bike","cold","green","snow","Sustainability","Travel","winter","winterize"],"articleSection":["Culture","Living","Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/","name":"How to \"Winterize\" Your Bicycle! • Sustainablog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00","dateModified":"2008-10-20T03:40:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/how-to-winterize-your-bicycle\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to “Winterize” Your Bicycle!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/","name":"Sustainablog","description":"Since 2003, Sustainablog has been one of the pioneers of sustainability news online.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#organization","name":"Sustainablog","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/cropped-sblog-logo_3b.jpg","width":200,"height":142,"caption":"Sustainablog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/eb3dcd9732b074799d7247eb9af1bbf0","name":"carolinesavery","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f922bca3f75b533bc80c603f07e5107?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"carolinesavery"},"url":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/author\/carolinesavery\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}