Winter poses special challenges to the utilitarian cyclist.
Those who ride purely for fun and fitness tend not to ride when
it’s dark and cold and snowy. If you consider the bike your
primary form of transportation, you don’t necessarily have this
option. You still need groceries in February, after all. There
are three main differences between fair weather and winter
cycling: more darkness, the cold, and snow and ice on the roads.
In Darkness We Ride There just isn’t as much sunlight in the
winter. Around the solstice in mid to late December, the sun
comes up after 7am, and goes down well before 5pm. The shortest
days are less than 9.5 hours long, and so you’ll probably spend
more time riding in the dark. If you have to go to work early,
it’ll be dark. If you stay at work late, it’ll be dark. Any
evening outing will mean riding in darkness. Not only will you
spend more time riding in the dark, but with snow and ice on the
ground, stopping distances increase for both bikes and cars.
Cold brake pads are harder