Archive for December, 2009

Bike commuting in the winter is something that everyone cringes even thinking about. It can be wet, cold, pretty much misreable. There are some people out there though that have picked the right clothes, the right gear and the right bikes for the job. It is incredible what a little bit of preparation and perseverance will achieve.

Over the fall edition of Vancouver’s Bike to Work Week Norco head office employees commuted nearly 1100km over a total of 60 trips. For being a week that was wet, near freezing, and extremely dark. I would say that is pretty good. In fact, it was good enough to win as the top organization of 25-100 people through the VACC.

Thank You to everyone that participated in Bike to Work Week. We’ll see you on the road leading up to the next Bike To Work Week in May 2010. It may be winter, but we all still love our bikes.

Being from Canada, we do not have the nicest winter. While it is cold, dark and snowing for most of the country, the west coast experiences the doldrums of incessant rain, dampness and the occasional falling of slush. I find it pretty easy in these depressing times to jump ship to somewhere warm and dry. Under this notion, I spent the past week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico basking on the beach, sipping margaritas and taking the occasional dip 80 degree water… not a bad gig if you ask me.

Being an active person, the beach is great; being able to run, swim, play volleyball, throw around a football or whatever else you can think of is more my style than sitting around. If you prefer to bake instead, you have more patience than I do. I will tell you this though, There is nothing like riding a bike! After a week in the sun I am proud to say that I missed BC. Although I arrived home to a blanket of snow, I was ready to climb onto my noble steed and hit the trails. As great as a tropical vacation is, it will never be perfect without a bike!

One of the great things about living in British Columbia Canada is that there is a 12 month window for Mountain Biking. There really is no time of the year that you can’t throw a leg over a bike and hit the trails.  Sure it may be wet, and it may not be all that warm but with a little bit of perseverance and  preparation, it is rare to find a day that riding isn’t an option.

For me, the hardest part about riding in the winter is knowing when to stop. Unfortunately, living in an area that sees perpetual rain between the months of October and March, the trails can get a little bit soggy. Being so, it is easy to forget the fact that getting wet and cold is not the only downfall to riding in such conditions. The other negative is the abuse that the trail takes. All trails can and will take some abuse, but some can take more than others.

When riding in the wet winter months it is best to stick to trails that are not subject to flooding, avoid low lying areas and keep to harder packed trails rather than true forest floor. The best wet-weather trails actually have a camber to allow for drainage. By sticking to appropriate areas for riding, the trails will last longer, require less maintenance and provide you with a better ride experience. In addition to saving the trail you will stay dryer while riding faster and smoother than on the alternative. Remember, the trails are made to be ridden, but sometimes they need to rest. Instead of hitting your favorite loamy trail, try something a little different, and save the others  for a dryer day.

Dustan