Based on a primer by Tom Wolf, Saskatoon, SK, winter 2010.

Winter cyclists. We see them out there. Those super hardy over-achievers. Young and flexible, impervious to cold, indifferent to hazard, and incognito behind their goggles and scarves. Winter cycling is surely not an activity for your average mortal.

But wait. Perhaps our assumptions are unfounded. Is winter cycling really a “nutty endeavour”?

What’s Different?

There are only three key things that set winter and summer cycling apart:

1. It’s colder in the winter,
2. paths have snow and ice on them,
3. and it’s dark when we come and go from work in the mornings and late afternoons.

All of these can be managed to varying degrees.

The Basics – clothing

Canadians know how to dress for the weather, and putting this knowledge to use for winter cycling requires no special education or investment. Most important are one’s extremities, and the degree of protection depends on the temperature and the expected length of exposure. Remember to add your cycling speed to the windchill.

Legs and torso are easiest and least critical – layering and breatheability are important, though. Face, hands, and feet are more critical. Hands and feet can get colder cycling than walking or skiing, because they are doing less. We recommend well insulated boots and gloves or mittens. For the face, complete coverage may be needed, and neck tubes, or balaclavas and ski goggles work well. Scarves add a nice touch, but be sure they don’t hang loose near moving parts!

The following is an excerpt from an article “How To Bike In Deep Winter” penned for Momentum, an online Cycling magazine/website, by Saskatoon Cycles member Robert Judge:

[...]

At 52 degrees North, in the heart of the continent, Saskatoon has a different take on winter biking than others.

We inhabit an arid cold here. A solid state, where dry lips never kiss the word “rain” from October to March. Sometimes the mercury drops out of sight and the normal laws of physics fly south.

At minus 40 degrees Celsius/ Fahrenheit, a cup of boiling water explodes into the parched air. And a bicycle is the most beautiful vehicle going. You cannot love a bicycle until it’s carried you through this surreal land of four-month frost.

Forget everything you’ve heard about winter biking when you come into deep winter. Fenders are pointless arches: thirsty flakes swirl off tires like sparkling feathers. Crisp is clean. You can wear your nicest clothes. Drive chains run dry and silent for months. There’s nothing to carry grit as high as your chain, and nothing to glue it on if it could get there. LED lights blink languidly in the velvet of gasping cold nights if they work at all. It’s most reliable to mix lights of different brands.

[...]

The full article can be found here.