{"id":6177,"date":"2015-11-16T13:15:16","date_gmt":"2015-11-16T21:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=6177"},"modified":"2023-07-07T12:39:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:39:28","slug":"how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Your Bike Ready for Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p>For cyclists in parts of the country that become cold and snowy during the winter, there are generally two options when the temperatures start to dip: get tuned up and keep pedaling or hang up your bike and grab your ski gear. Whichever path you choose, here are a few tips to get your bike ready for winter.<\/p>\n<h4>Ride All Winter<\/h4>\n<h5>Road and Commuter Bikes<\/h5>\n<p>If you live somewhere that doesn\u2019t get too much snow or ice, your normal commuter or road bike will be good to go after adding a few accessories.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-151912\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/Winter-Bike-1.jpg?w=600&#038;resize=600%2C400\" alt=\"Winter Bike Tips\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fenders are crucial for keeping water and debris off of you and your components.<\/li>\n<li>If you don\u2019t have disc brakes and your bike frame has disc mounts, consider adding them. Disc brakes provide more initial bite and stopping power in wet and grimy conditions.<\/li>\n<li>Add a layer of wax to your frame to protect it from the elements.<\/li>\n<li>Protect your saddle with a saddle cover.<\/li>\n<li>Change to full-coverage cable housings to prevent rust.<\/li>\n<li>Front and rear lights make you more visible to drivers.<\/li>\n<li>Carry items in waterproof panniers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-151914\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/Winter-Bike-2.jpg?w=600&#038;resize=600%2C400\" alt=\"Winter Bike Tips\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<h5>Mountain Bikes<\/h5>\n<p>When the snow starts falling, mountain bikes are the way to go. The larger, knobbier tires will keep you rolling through snow, slush and mud. Not to mention the fact that the suspension will soften the ride quite a bit. But before you roll out, here are a few things to add:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>MTB fenders<\/li>\n<li>Studded tires<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/product\/882356\/revelate-designs-williwaw-pogies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pogies<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Plus all the other standard commuter accessories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>If the trail still calls\u2026<\/h5>\n<p>For those of us who have a single-track mind, even if it\u2019s snowy, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/c\/fat-bikes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fat bike<\/a> is the way to go. The wide tires float on top of snow and slush, making snow-covered trails your playground. For more read\u00a0the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/skinny-fat-bikes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">skinny on fat bikes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Storing Your Bike<\/h4>\n<h5>Prep Your Bike for Storage<\/h5>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-151915\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/Winter-Bike-3.jpg?w=600&#038;resize=600%2C400\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clean the frame and components\u2013Thoroughly wash your bike with a <a href=\"\/c\/bike-wash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cleaner<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check your tires\u2013Bike tires have a manufacturer-recommended storage pressure. You can find it on the tire manufacturer\u2019s website for info or ask an REI bike technician.<\/li>\n<li>Lubricate components\u2013After washing, allow your bike and components to dry, then apply lubricant. For more info on properly lubricating your bike, read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/learn\/expert-advice\/bike-maintenance.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this article from REI Expert Advice<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Get a tune-up\u2013Spring is one of the busiest times for bike shops, which means long waits for tune-ups. Avoid the line by tuning your bike before winter. (This also takes care of the previous two steps.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Storing Your Bike<\/h5>\n<p>Choosing the right spot to store your bike is crucial to keeping it pedal-ready in the spring. Here are three key factors to consider in order to keep your bike:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Safe\u2013Obviously storing your bike in a place where it could get stolen isn\u2019t a great idea.<\/li>\n<li>Dry\u2013Water can rust your components and your frame. If you have to store your bike outside, make sure it\u2019s covered and protected from the elements.<\/li>\n<li>Out of the way\u2013If you\u2019re short on space, check out some of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/c\/bike-storage-and-travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">these handy bike storage solutions<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Shop for all your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/c\/cycling\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cycling gear<\/a> at REI.com.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For cyclists in parts of the country that become cold and snowy during the winter, there are generally two options when the temperatures start to dip: get tuned up and keep pedaling or hang up your bike and grab your ski gear. Whichever path you choose, here are a few tips to get your bike [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[465,25,464,534],"internal-tag":[1675],"class_list":["post-6177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-biking-tips","tag-cycle","tag-derek-hamilton","tag-hacks","internal-tag-pre-redirect-cycle"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How to Get Your Bike Ready for Winter","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/Winter-Bike-Header-1500x960.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/Winter-Bike-Header-1500x960.jpg?fit=1500%2C960"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["biking tips","cycle","derek hamilton","hacks"],"dateCreated":"2015-11-16T21:15:16Z","datePublished":"2015-11-16T21:15:16Z","dateModified":"2023-07-07T19:39:28Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"How to Get Your Bike Ready for Winter\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/cycle\\\/how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/cycle\\\/how-to-get-your-bike-ready-for-winter\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/Winter-Bike-Header-1500x960.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/Winter-Bike-Header-1500x960.jpg?fit=1500%2C960\"},\"articleSection\":\"Cycle\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Angela Crampton\"}],\"creator\":[\"Angela Crampton\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"biking tips\",\"cycle\",\"derek hamilton\",\"hacks\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2015-11-16T21:15:16Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-16T21:15:16Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-07T19:39:28Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/11\/Winter-Bike-Header-1500x960.jpg?fit=1500%2C960","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6177"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":191269,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6177\/revisions\/191269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6177"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=6177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}