Essential Do-It-Yourself Winter Bike Tips
The bad weather can take its toll on your bicycle but these winter bike hacks can keep you riding all winter long.
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00:00 (bike wheels whirring)
00:03 Riding your bike through autumn and winter
00:04 can be a pretty miserable affair,
00:06 especially if, like us, you live in the UK,
00:09 when it can be cold, rainy,
00:12 and you're often riding on roads
00:14 that are completely strewn in potholes, muck, and salt.
00:19 Now, here at Cycle Weekly, we cannot promise
00:21 to make your winter rides as fun and enjoyable
00:24 as they are during the summer,
00:26 but we have come up with a few ingenious little hacks
00:30 and hints that can help get your bike ready
00:32 and hopefully alleviate a little bit of the pain.
00:35 Now, these go a little bit beyond the usual recommendations
00:38 for how to get your bike ready for winter.
00:40 To be honest, we've already made those videos,
00:42 so if you look in the description below,
00:44 you'll see links to those videos there.
00:45 So let's just dive straight in.
00:48 (upbeat music)
00:50 One of the things that I found really, really useful
00:55 to have during the winter is extra visibility.
00:59 Obviously, we're gonna be riding
01:00 when it's a little bit dark,
01:01 so anything that makes you stand out a bit more
01:03 for car drives or other traffic
01:05 is, in my book, a really, really important thing.
01:08 So I've picked up some really, really cool little stickers.
01:12 These only cost a couple of pounds,
01:14 but they are ideal for sticking all over your frame
01:18 and whatever components you have.
01:20 The good thing is, if you've got a nice-looking bike,
01:22 these are just plain little black stickers.
01:24 However, when a bright light shines on them,
01:27 they reflect back in bright silver,
01:30 so it just picks you out during those winter rides.
01:33 So you can put these wherever you want on the bike
01:36 and make sure that you stay safe.
01:38 (upbeat music)
01:41 One of the things that can often happen
01:45 when you're riding during the winter,
01:46 especially in the rain, is your hands get pretty slippery.
01:49 So you operate in the shifters,
01:51 and sometimes the brakes can be a little bit sketchy.
01:54 One of the things I've found works really, really well
01:56 in this case is a little bit of grip tape.
02:00 Now, this is actually really, really simple to find online.
02:04 Only costs a couple of pounds,
02:05 and it comes in a roll that's long enough
02:07 for you to be able to share it with all of your friends.
02:10 It's sticky-backed, and you can cut it to shape
02:13 to fit wherever you want it,
02:14 so where you want to have that little extra grip.
02:17 It's the same stuff as you find on a skateboard,
02:19 so it is quite rough,
02:20 so be aware of that when it comes to your gloves.
02:23 But for me personally, I would much prefer
02:25 to have that safer shift in the braking
02:28 than worry about wearing my gloves out.
02:30 (upbeat music)
02:32 We often talk about going for longer,
02:36 steadier rides during the winter,
02:37 and one of the things that becomes paramount for all of us
02:40 is a bit of extra comfort.
02:42 Now, your bar tape goes a long way
02:44 to make you comfortable when you're on a longer ride.
02:47 So now is the time to, first of all, take a check.
02:50 Have a little look at your bar tape and see if it's worn.
02:53 If it is, it's time to change it.
02:55 And what I'd recommend you do is to change it
02:57 for something with a bit more grip or a bit more cushioning.
03:01 Some people double-wrap their bars during the winter,
03:03 which makes it a lot bigger,
03:05 but also very, very comfortable.
03:07 Or you can get some little gel pads.
03:10 Now again, these are a simple thing to find.
03:14 Lots of bike shops sell these,
03:15 and they don't cost a huge amount,
03:17 and they basically go underneath your bar tape.
03:20 So you get parts to go over the top
03:22 and parts to go on the drops.
03:25 Little squidgy bits here, and they're reusable.
03:27 That's the other good thing here,
03:28 so you don't have to worry about
03:30 changing these over all the time.
03:32 So if you change your bar tape, you can just change this.
03:34 If your bar tape is in good condition,
03:36 you should be able to unwind it
03:39 and then apply these underneath
03:41 and then put your bar tape back on again.
03:43 But if not, as I said, it could be a good time
03:46 to get yourself some nice, squishy or grippy bar tape
03:49 to keep you safe during the winter.
03:51 One of my pet hates during the winter
03:57 is getting a rusty chain.
03:59 Now, obviously we can all try and alleviate that
04:02 by keeping our bikes as clean as possible,
04:03 but sometimes it's just not possible.
04:07 If you've been out for a ride in the evening,
04:08 it's cold and it's wet,
04:10 all you really want to do is get in and get warm.
04:13 So what you can do is you can find chains
04:17 that are a bit more durable
04:18 and a bit more resistant to rusting,
04:20 often ones with stainless steel in them.
04:23 Now, they can be quite expensive,
04:25 but because they're more durable
04:27 and more resistant to rusting,
04:28 they're often worth their weight.
04:30 Now, Connex do a really good one.
04:33 This is the 11SX, it's an 11-speed chain,
04:35 and this has got stainless steel links in it,
04:38 so it should last a long time
04:40 even when there's lots of salt on the road.
04:43 Obviously, we still are going to tell you
04:44 to clean your bike as much as possible
04:46 because it is going to work much better through the winter.
04:50 But now's your time to get yourself a new chain.
04:54 (upbeat music)
04:56 Another safety tip is to do with your brakes.
05:02 So here, we're not just talking about making sure
05:05 that your brake pads are clean
05:07 and that they are in good working order,
05:10 but the actual compounds of those brake pads.
05:13 When was the last time you thought about this, for example?
05:16 Now, if you've got rim brakes or disc brakes,
05:19 you can find brake compounds that are better for use
05:23 during the wet and the mucky conditions of winter.
05:26 If you've got rim brakes, you can get brake pads
05:29 such as the Swissdot BXP that are designed for use
05:33 during the wet and mucky winter months.
05:36 So they have a compound that lasts longer,
05:39 but it also provides much more reliable braking power
05:43 during wet weather use.
05:45 You can buy them either as full kits
05:47 or as the brake pads themselves as a pack of four,
05:50 and that will be certainly something
05:51 you might want to consider.
05:53 If you've got disc brakes,
05:55 here we're talking about sintered brake pads.
05:58 Now, you can often check which brake pads you have
06:01 by taking out the brake pads from your brake
06:04 and looking at, first of all, the back of it.
06:06 A lot of them have it either printed or stamped,
06:09 whether it's a resin pad, an organic pad,
06:11 or if it's a sintered pad.
06:14 But a sintered pad is designed to last longer
06:16 and also be more reliable in wet weather.
06:19 So it's made up of not only the standards of resin,
06:22 but lots of metallic particles,
06:25 which are designed to provide that extra braking power.
06:28 So if you don't have sintered brake pads on your bike,
06:31 it's a good thing to try to fit.
06:38 Okay, so this one is a given, but mudguards.
06:42 I know they're boring,
06:44 but they are a really, really good idea
06:47 if you are going to go riding outside in the wet,
06:50 especially if you're riding with your friends.
06:52 They will all appreciate it.
06:54 Now, if your bike has got eyelets for mudguards,
06:57 then you must fit a good, proper set of mudguards.
07:02 There's nothing quite like it.
07:03 These provide the best coverage.
07:06 However, if your bike doesn't have those,
07:09 then there are still options.
07:11 You can get some really cool,
07:13 very small and discreet mudguards like these ones here.
07:17 And these are designed to fit most bikes
07:20 without those mudguard mounts.
07:22 They don't obviously provide the same amount of protection,
07:25 but they will keep your bum dry
07:28 or keep a little bit of spray off your face
07:31 when you're out in those wet conditions.
07:33 (upbeat music)
07:36 Dirt doesn't like clean bikes.
07:40 There, I said it.
07:41 Having a clean bike is a good starting point
07:44 during the winter for keeping everything running properly.
07:47 But there's one extra level of cleanliness you can go to
07:51 to keep your bike extra clean through the winter.
07:54 And that is to apply some polish to it.
07:58 Now, we're not talking about spraying it everywhere
08:00 because that would be crazy,
08:02 but applying some silicone polish to the frame
08:05 and the forks will give mud and muck less chance
08:10 to grip onto that frame, keeping your bike cleaner.
08:13 And it means then it's going to be easier to clean
08:16 at all times.
08:18 You can either apply it directly to the frame
08:20 or you can apply it to a rag and then wipe it on.
08:23 But the best thing is, because it's nice and slippery then,
08:25 that dirt just doesn't stand a chance
08:27 to stay onto your bike.
08:29 If you don't want to use silicone spray,
08:31 one thing you can do is you can get
08:33 some invisible protection.
08:34 So you can get tape that will fit onto your bike,
08:38 which will then protect it, first of all from dirt,
08:41 but also from any knocks as well.
08:43 So that could be another option,
08:45 another little extra tip to keep your bike
08:48 working perfectly through the winter.
08:50 And my last tip today is one that we've been banging on
08:59 quite a lot, and that is going tubeless.
09:03 Yes, I know we keep talking about it.
09:06 I know there's people out there
09:07 that don't really like the idea.
09:09 But if you've ever stood on the side of the road
09:12 with a puncture, when your hands don't work,
09:15 everything's covered in muck and it's raining,
09:18 it's a miserable feeling.
09:20 So anything that should prevent that from happening
09:23 is going to make sure that you're going to enjoy your ride
09:27 a little bit more during the winter.
09:28 So if you can, try tubeless.
09:32 Well, I hope you find these little hacks and hints useful
09:36 and that they should make your winter riding
09:39 a little bit more enjoyable.
09:41 Now, if you've got any different tips or hacks
09:44 that you use to make your winter riding
09:46 a little bit more bearable,
09:47 please put it in the comment section below.
09:50 And don't forget to like and subscribe
09:52 to keep up with our latest releases.
09:54 But until the next one, we'll see you soon.
09:57 (whooshing)