Winter biking is joy! We loved seeing live feedback from members who shared their favorite things about winter biking.

Our first session was Safety, Routing, and Handling. Amanda (she/her) has been commuting in the winter for a long time, and also has experience with bikepacking events in Alaska in the winter!

Amanda gave some great tips for staying safe in the cold, tips for keeping your bike upright on the ice, and things to keep in mind when choosing a route in the winter. The slides from her presentation are linked here.

Our second session was Winter Bike Maintenance. Lisa (she/they) has been a bike mechanic for over ten years, and she has been riding through the winter since 2011.

Lisa gave us some suggestions for how to maintain your bike weekly, monthly, and seasonally. Their slides (linked here) are a wealth of information!

Our third session was What to Wear. Raven (she/her) and Jenny (she/they) both enjoy winter fat bike racing, and both commute on their bikes.

Raven and Jenny shared a long list of ideas for things to wear, and reminded us to start with what we have. It is also helpful to take notes on weather conditions, what you wore, and how you felt to get a better idea of what works for you. Raven and Jenny’s slides are here.

We loved seeing tips from people attending the event.

The event concluded with a gear swap. As always, first-time winter bikers selected items first, and no one was required to bring anything in order to participate. Thank you to our wonderful community members, as well as Angry Catfish, Free Bikes 4 Kids, and Express Bike Shop for their generous donations! And thank you to Seward Coop for providing snacks.

If you missed the gear swap, remaining items are shared with the WTFNB trading post on Facebook.

A big THANK YOU to all of our volunteers who make this event happen! Grease Rag is an all-volunteer organization, and we could not put on these events without all of the amazing people who share their time, skills, and knowledge.

Happy riding!

Help us make free warm items for our upcoming Winter Skill Share’s gear swap!  You are also welcome to make warm things for yourself. We have sewing patterns, fleece fabric, and some supplies to share. No crafting experience is needed.

When/Where:

Saturday, October 25 from 12:30-4:30pm. You can stay for part or all of the event.

Hosmer Library, Room L02. 347 E 36th St, Minneapolis

Please bring if you can:

A face mask, sewing machine, cutting mats, fabric scissors, rotary cutters, pins, needles, thread, extensions cords, etc.. 

We will provide some snacks. Food and covered beverages are allowed in this room of the library.

If you are on Discord, please send Sarah Francis a Discord message with any questions, or post in the Grease Rag events channel. If you are not on Discord, please send any questions to the Grease Rag email address (greaseragmpls@gmail.com).

HELP NEEDED:

We need 2 people to help set up and 2 people who can stay to help clean up. We need at least 3 people to bring sewing machines. Comment in the Grease Rag events channel if you can bring a sewing machine, or if you have one we could borrow for the day. If you are not on Discord, please send an email to us (greaseragmpls@gmail.com).

Masks are required. Spare N95 masks will be available. Please stay home if you have any flu or cold symptoms.

On November 10, 2019, dozens of participants of all skill levels attended and participated in Grease Rag’s 11th Annual Winter Skill Share!

At the Winter Skill Share, we tapped into the deep wisdom of our Twin Cities FTW biking community — and shared resources for riding through the Gear Swap — so that we can all have a safe, fun winter riding season.

Special thanks to our presenters Low, Liz, Patrick and France, along with volunteer reporters Kym, Noelle, France and Carolyn. And much gratitude to the incredible organizers and day-of volunteers who brought us together including Low, Patrick, Maddie, Genevieve, Lucy, Linda, JJ, Krista, Ames, Victoria, Margaret, Kat, Tina and others!

Click the links below for recaps from each of the sessions:

• Winter Self Care
• Winter Bike Maintenance
• What to Wear
• Routing and Handling
• Q&A and Group Share

If you have resources or take-aways to add to any of the posts, please email carolyn.szczepanskI@gmail.com and she can update!

Panelists for the Q&A included Patrick, Liz and France, with Low as moderator

Is it better to buy a new bike and commit to maintenance or a junker with the assumption that it will die given winter conditions?nbsp;
Liz suggested that, depending on your budget, you should buy the bike that fits your needs but even if you get a low-cost bike it’s ideal to maintain that bike so you don’t have to repurpose or buy another one the following winter! Even simple maintenance like cleaning and lubing your chain every few weeks can go a long way! 

Resources for buying bikes! 

• Twin Cities FTW WTF Bicycle Trading Post
• Twin Cities Bicycle Trading Post (be ready for white men) 
• The Hub
• Cherry Cycles — closing location = deals!  
• Recovery
• Full Cycle
• Sierra Trading Post
• Backcountry
• Moosejaw
• Used gear on REI
• Repair Lair
• Midwest Mountain / Thrifty Outfitters
• Patagonia Worn Wear
• Clothing swaps
  • Queer clothing swap on Dec 1!
• City bike auctions

How do you balance the warmth and benefits of wearing goggles with the decrease in peripheral vision if you don’t have mirrors?
Liz noted that because you have to turn your head more, you have to be cognizant of not turning your handlebars, too. It can be helpful to practice during warmer seasons so you don’t have to contend with winter road conditions to get comfortable turning your head. 

What about wearing glasses with goggles?
Patrick said they just don’t wear their glasses with their goggles. But you can get prescription goggles, though they’re more pricey. There are also inserts for goggles, that fill part of the screen. They still fog up but a little better than not wearing glasses, if necessary. 

What’s the hardest part of winter biking for you?
Having to be at work at 8 a.m., France said it’s the motivation to get up and get ready. Liz said the same: getting motivated to ride to work and then wherever they’re going after work, like to see friends in the evening. For Liz, some days it’s better to drive because staying inside and not seeing friends is more detrimental to their mental well being. Winter riding doesn’t make you a better person. If it’s not going to make you feel good to ride, that’s OK! For Patrick, motivation is a challenge, as well, but saying it’s OK to ride to work and then take the bus home makes it easier, especially on longer routes. 

What about self care? What’s your top tip?
France said it’s embracing winter; finding things that you love outside and being active helps with your spirit. For Liz, it’s baths — with with scented candles! Sitting in warm water and doing a full body inventory. For Patrick, it’s getting a Ginger Shot from Juice So Good everyday to help with internal warming and immune health!

From the group: What are your favorite life hacks or DIY tips and tricks for winter?

• You don’t need to have all your winter bike gear before you try biking in the winter. You can accumulate gear over time!
• For folks who find it stressful to pack before leaving the house, it can be helpful to have a list of things to remember, i.e. gloves, thermos, etc
• Have a dedicated space for all your winter gear, like an open shelf by the door, where you can put everything when you walk in and see everything when you’re about to leave. 
• Having a sun lamp alarm clock can be great in the winter; it lights up to wake you up! If you have trouble getting up you can put one on each side of your bed!
• For waking up, you can also put a timer on a lamp. 
• Having plants in your room can help you remember living things will come back! Going to Como Conservatory can be nice, the plants and humidity, when winter feels like too much.
• To keep your hands and feet warm — to avoid getting crabby! – pack extra slippers.
• Always carry an extra pair of socks! Feet get sweaty or moist from the weather and its can be great, once you get to work or a concert to put on clean socks.
• If you don’t want to purchase disposable hand and foot warmers, you can get rice warmers, which you pop in the microwave before you head out.
• Moisturizing around your eyes and mouth, especially if you don’t like to have a lot on your face like goggles or a facemask.
• Wear waterproof mascara.
• For nose bleeds, put Vaseline on Q-tip to hydrate the inside of your nose and put a humidifier in the bedroom.
• Put some eucalyptus in hot water and breathe that in. 
• Take Vitamin D. Iron and Vitamin D don’t work well together, so take separately. Iron and Vitamin C do go well together. 
• Try meditation; Common Ground is a resource in Minneapolis with talks on the website and a POC sangha, too.
• Having a plan in case of emergency. That could be a phone charger, cash and a bus card, whatever you might need. A spare tube is helpful but in winter you might not want to change a tire outside, so know that you can put it on the bus and take it to a bike shop, or have a friend drive you home from an event if you’re feeling low energy. This can lessen anxiety and make winter biking more possible! 
• You can register with Metro Transit as a non-regular driver and get one cab ride per month through the Guaranteed Ride Home program. Info here!
• Plan meals for days you know will be hard so you have a fun reward at the end of the day, i.e. Know Wednesdays are always  tough? Treat yourself to a burger! 
• With winter biking you burn so many calories to keep your body warm, that it’s important to pack snacks for when you hit the wall or just need a little boost. Put little chocolate bars in the pockets of your bike jacket!

What’s your top snack?
For Patrick, it’s a fruity sweet snack like a Clif Bar. Because they have a long ride and often get hungry after breakfast, they make overnight oats with fruit and nuts and chia seeds so they can eat half at home before they leave and the other half at work. For France, it’s foods that are higher in fat and protein like hard-boiled eggs, sardines or avocado. Liz said they struggle with making a good breakfast in the morning so, knowing this habit won’t change, they eat a simple meal like a bowl of cereal or toast and, at work, they have a stash of bagels and cream cheese and lunch meat so they have something to eat if / when they’re hungry when they arrive or later in the morning. 

How do you carry your bike up and down the stairs?nbsp;
Remember to carry it at an angle with the heaviest part of the bike closest to your body. This could mean putting your shoulder under the saddle or under the top tube and your hand on the down tube. Take it slow and remember to manage for turns. If you have a back rack, consider taking the bike up or downstairs backwards!

Some of us Grease Rag Friends attended a free saddle and fit workshop put on by the Hub, Surly, Midwest Mountaineering, and Gladys Bikes. This post isn’t a recap of the event, but a combination of some things I know and some things I learned, from my perspective as someone who wants biking to be as accessible to you, FTWs.

Images from the event via Surly Bikes

Images from the event via Surly Bikes

Does something hurt?

Here are some things you can do that don’t involve touching your bike:

Did you fall/injure yourself?

Take some time off. Recover. Care for yourself and come back when you are ready.

Could it be fixed with a clothing adjustment?

Is something too tight, not allowing your skin/you to breathe? Is there a seam that is rubbing or pinching you? Are you washing your clothes enough to prevent infections? Change it! Some people really like padded shorts, and other people hate them- it’s really individual. If you’re having pain, consider switching it up. Your tastes could change over time, even seasonally!

Are there things you can do off the bike to help?

Stretch. Drink water. Eat food. Strengthen your core muscles. Allow injuries to recover. Regularly do other physical activities besides biking.

DIY Bike Fit Tips

If how your body and your bike work together still doesn’t work, it’s time to look at bike fit. There’s this combination of your machine, your body, your clothing, and your riding style that make you very unique. How all this stuff fits together is “bike fit.”

Golden Rules Guidelines

• Bike fit is all about guidelines. There are no rules
• Biking should not be painful. Although it can be uncomfortable at times
• Fit your gear to your unique and beautiful body, don’t try to change your body to fit your gear
• You know you best. Be confident and assert yourself- remember, there are a lot of bike shops out there and it is not worth it to work with anyone who does not respect and validate your knowledge of yourself
• Love at first sight is probably not real- take two rides to see if you like your setup
• ONE THING, JUST A LITTLE. Just change one thing at a time, and make small adjustments. If you change too many things or make too big a move, it will be hard to determine if you’re moving in the right direction
• Fit is frustrating. Pain sucks, and it is easier to give up on biking than to fiddle and tweak what isn’t working. Come to Grease Rag for emotional and mechanical support. We get it. We got you
• Change what makes sense. Where does your body contact your bike? Those are opportunities for change. Handlebars/shifters/grips, stem, head tube, saddle, seat post, cranks, pedals…

Bike Saddle = Bike Seat = Cinderella’s Slipper

One of the things that can be fitted to you, and something that can really be a dealbreaker, is your saddle. To find the right saddle, Leah from Gladys Bikes in Portland, OR asked us the following questions. All of these things will help you narrow your search. The final step is trying things out until you find one that does the job.

• Does your bike fit?
  • Is your frame the right size? Does your riding position feel good? Are you experiencing pain elsewhere?
• What are you wearing?
  • If your pants are rubbing you the wrong way, it’s going to be hard to find a comfy saddle.
• Do you ride more upright or leaned over?
  • This can dicatate the shape of your saddle. More weight over the saddle can mean wider.
• What is the intent (distance, speed, cargo, etc.) of your ride?
  • This can dictate the padding for your saddle. If you’re wearing padded shorts you might not need so much padding on your saddle.
• Where does your soft tissue contact the saddle?
  • You might want to try a saddle with a cutout or keep it in mind when you test ride different shapes.

Stuff still hurts and I don’t have a lot of money/time…

When you buy a bike at a bike shop, they should help you with basic bike fit to get you in the ballpark, and then you can tweak and adjust from there. But a lot of us aren’t buying from bike shops, so what can we do?

Often, when we say we feel pain while biking, we are told to engage the expensive medical healthcare establishment, or to “spend money on a professional fit,” and then spend more money and time on parts. This is not accessible to a lot of us. So what can we do?

Some guidelines from Leah at Gladys Bikes in Portland, OR.

Ways to work on your bike fit that are free/cheap and not too hard

• Read over this recap of a Grease Rag bike fit skill share with Tina Cho
• Come to a Grease Rag Open Shop
• Ask Grease Rag
• Ask if people have extra stems/saddles that you might be able to try out instead of buying new
• Buy used parts to try out- you can always upgrade once you get your fit right
• Try to address non-bike things as well as bike things when fitting (see list above)
• See if your health insurance (if you have it) covers physical therapy which can include bike fitting
• Most shops have a “test saddle” or 20 so you can try before you buy
• Share what you know with us!

How to speak “bike fit”

Finally, here is a list of some non-bicycle words to know. Bike shops can assume you know these terms, and it can be really confusing if you’ve never heard them before! This isn’t exhaustive, and I’d love to know what you would like added to this list.

Casey (Grease Rag organizer, faciltator, mechanic, and Hub employee!) made this amazing glossary with even more high tech words!

• Aggressive v Relaxed– “Aggressive” means leaned over riding position (like on a road bike) and relaxed means more upright position (like on every other bike). These terms are rooted in toxic masculinity and imply that aggressive is more a serious and legit way to bike, and that relaxed is somehow lesser. I will never use these terms, but they are in this glossary because they are common
• Bike fit– How your bike fits your beautiful, unique body
• Chamois (pronounced shammy)- this is the padding in your padded bike shorts. You don’t wear underwear with them, and chamois cream is optional
• Contact points– Where your body “contacts” the bike- hands, butt, feet
• Dialed in– This means you got perfect-for-you bike fit. If your fit is “dialed in” it means you feel like a boss while riding and you don’t need to make any adjustments. This is a fantasy because your body is always changing but people like to pretend perfection is achievable so there’s a word for it
• Female v Male– Gender is over, but the bike industry knows that it can sell more product by shrinking and pinking, so we get gendered product lines. Fuck that. Try stuff to see what works for you, and walk out of any shop that tries to tell you you’re looking at the wrong part of the store. (They are wrong.)
• Hot spot– This happens where your body meets your bike and causes a literal “hot” spot where your nerves are being compressed. Typically this refers to your foot/pedalMeasurements– Always ask people how they are measuring things because the standards for how people measure bikes and bike stuff are a little squishy. Some measurements will change over time. Measurements are typically in cm or mm. And sometimes inches. Because squishy
• Neutral position– the “middle” position. If something can be adjusted and you don’t know where to start, you can start in the middle, or neutral position and go from there
• Responsive– When your front wheel is “twitchy” or “responsive” it means that little handlebar movements make quick/big changes to your direction and is generally what you look for on a mountain bike
• Setback– on a seat post, this means the seat post has an angle in it to allow you to get your saddle even further back. Not all seat posts have set back and not everyone benefits from setback
• Sit bones– stand up and press your hand into the meaty part of your butt. Feel the pointy bone in there? Those are your sit bones!
• Sit bone measurement– You can measure the distance between your sit bones to estimate whether you have narrow/wide sit bones, but this measurement is just a guideline and second to your experience sitting on things like bike saddles
• Slammed– This means putting something all the way in its lowest position. Slamming a stem means the stem is really close to the headtube, there isn’t a lot of steerer tube
• Soft tissue– Your junk. It’s a polite word for your junk. It’s not specific to whether you carry your “soft tissue” in between your legs or facing forward above the pubis (or both/neither!). It is certainly better than gendering/assuming anatomy but it is limited
• Stability– The sibling to “responsive,” “stability” means that small handlebar movements don’t make quick/big changes, and is generally what you’d find on a road/touring/cargo/cruiser type bike
• Standover– When you straddle the bike, with one leg on each side, does the tube in the middle hit your crotch? You want a few inches of “standover” gap between your body and the bike

This morning I was whining and whinging like a colicky baby about how I didn’t want to get out of bed.  I didn’t want to put pants on.  I didn’t want to ride my bike into work.  Because I was getting distracted by the numbers: -17, -37, 9.  That’s air temperature (F), windchill, and the speed of the NW wind this morning.

After much hemming and hawing I said forget the numbers and I got suited, saddled, and rolled out to beat my own personal record for coldest weather I’ve commuted in.  (That is not important and shouldn’t matter to anyone, but I like to celebrate my small successes even if I am totally aware that commuting is not a competition!)

STOP!  Selfie time!

And you know what?  IT WASN’T THAT BAD!  I’m not just saying that, either!  I showed up nice and toasty with a big, frosty smile.  I celebrated my successful commute with a “frost beard” selfie!  Selfies are admittedly an indulgent act, but I love to take photos of myself conquering simple things like a short bike ride.  When I look back at these photos, it makes me feel proud of myself for pushing my limits, and bonus! I send them to my out-of-state family so they can see what a nut/ bad ass I am.  =]

#feministselfie

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have been such a Negative Nelly this morning.  I should have known I would have been fine.  I mean, Rule #3…

My Rules* for Winter Riding

*Rules?!  Screw rules.  I like to keep these things in mind when the going gets tough, but by all means, come up with your own “rules!”

#1 Dress appropriately for your body and gear up for the conditions in 8 hours

You know you.  If you need a down-filled puffy jacket, or you need earmuffs or bar mitts to stay comfortable on your ride… wear that!  For maximum preparedness, pack your bag with gear that is going to help you deal with conditions at the other end of the day. Always better to be warm and dry, than sorry.

#2 Know your boundaries (And then push them a little)

If you know that your feet get cold after a certain temperature, and you’ve tried all the boot tricks you know, that’s a boundary you should respect! But if there’s something you haven’t tried just because you’re not sure you can get it right the first try… push yourself! The reward is completely worth a little fear.

#3 It always looks worse than it is outside

The most difficult part of the journey is taking the first step.  You can do this.

My coworker took this. They are very accepting of my nerdcore dorkfabulous lifestyle.

My outfit

Here is another great post from Grease Rag WTF Cayla’s awesome blog, The Bicycle Diaries, about her winter vehicle.  She includes tons of great photos and commentary.  Check it out!  (And don’t think I didn’t notice the Grease Rag name drop- thanks, Cayla!)

Below you can see that I have flat bars on this bike.  My first year winter riding I had flipped and chopped bullhorns.  They were alright, but I felt I wasn’t upright enough to be in control when on ice/snow.  So I switched to risers, however they were from a polo bike, so they were too short.  This year I went to the Hub (Minnehaha) and bought a 5 dollar flat bar from their used parts section.  5 bucks, and I feel WAY more in control that I ever have on a winter bike.

Also, note that I have a knobby tire on my front wheel.  This is because I have a 27 1 1/4″ rims.  These are and OLD size.  This means that they do NOT make studded tires for this size wheel.  Now you may be asking, “Cayla. why don’t you just buy a new front wheel#8221;  That is a fair question.  My answer is: Because this one still works!  This is the original wheel that came on the first fixed gear bicycle I ever bought 4 years ago.  It came in a pair, but the back one got taco-ed 2 summer ago at polo.  I am sure that one of these days the wheel will die, but for now, it is still working and I have no need for it on any other bike.   I will also say that this is one of the things I’d like to adjust. I’d like to buy a 700c front wheel to throw a studded tire on and then I can switch on days that are crazy icy/snowy.  But I need something on the cheap, so holler if you hear anything.

I love Cayla’s attitude about not replacing something until you get something on the cheap or it wears out.

new clips.  These guys are similar to the Hold Fast straps, but made by local polo cat, James.  I had been using power grips, which worked well for the last 3 season, but I was looking for something that held my feet in a little better and were more comfortable.  I saw that James had his own company going, so I thought I’d support a local guy.  I love them.

Cayla, will you send us more info on how to get these local polo-made toe straps?  Thanks!

Cayla goes into more detail on her blog about fenders, her top tube pad, and closes with her thoughts on having a “winter” bike.

Because Winter bikes often get the salt beat into them, I tend to go for things on the cheap, because they will have to be replaced in a few seasons (more often than not.)  Even if I clean my chain every day and take great care of it, in time Ill need a new one anyways. That is just sort of how I look at all things winter bike related.

By Kat

At Grease Rag’s 2nd Annual Winter Maintenance Skill-Share, Kat explained the difference between tires and the importance of fenders.  Here are her thoughts.

Everyone has preferences for the equipment they use.  Simply ride what you feel comfortable with.  During the winter, each tire category has strengths and weaknesses.  Give them a try and see what works for you and your bike.

Via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_lahey/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Studded Tires:  32mm- 2.5 inches with metal studs

Studded Tires are my number one recommendation for winter riding.  They are essentially a knobby tire with metal studs, which grab the ice and give superior traction and control in a variety of conditions.   They tend to run a bit more expensive compared to normal tires, but they are worth the investment because they perform brilliantly in the snow and on ice.  You will be surprised at the conditions you can ride in with studded tires.

Via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curt/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Via: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curt/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Knobby Tires:  32mm-2.5 inches, knobby tires

If you don’t want to invest in studded tires, your next best bet is knobby mountain bike tires.  These have a thick tread, which is ideal for plowing through snow.  The shape of the tread is designed to deflect snow away from the tire, thus giving a smoother ride.  Wider tires give you more contact with the road, and the lower air pressure makes them less slick on ice.  Go with tires as wide as your bike frame will allow for.  Make sure to check the rotation direction on the tire before mounting them to the wheel.

Skinny Slicks:  22-28mm, smooth tires

Some people like these because they can cut through slush and snow with little resistance.  However, because they are so thin, they need a higher air pressure in the tire, which results in a smaller contact surface with the pavement.  Slicks also have very little traction and are not good for riding over ice.

Fenders

A full set of fenders on a winter bike is essential.  It will keep the snow and slush off your clothes and your bike.  A set costs around $40, which is totally worth it.  You can use them the rest of the year for when it rains.

Many of the standard fender sets require eyelets on the bicycle to mount on.  If your bike doesn’t have the eyelets, you can go with a clip on fender, or make your own.

I used to use a piece of coro-plast (what lawn signs are made of), cut about 4 inches wide.  It was zip-tied to the downtube.  Simple.

The first shorts were developed along with the safety cycle to minimize the drag caused by pantaloons and huge knickers. They were knitted wool shorts with a sheep-skin chamois. Thus, the name “chamois” (pronounced “sham-ee” or “sham-wa”) after the breed of sheep the produced the leather deemed softest and most wonderful against the buttocks. We have evolved this simple and timeless contraption into a highly technical piece of clothing. Made with lycra (spandex) and high tech wicking fabrics, cycling shorts now come in so many styles, shapes, and qualities it’s hard to decide what to get!

We return to diapers as cyclists and are more than happy to have that chamois between us and our saddle. It’s not as easy as getting any pair of shorts, however. Like everything adult, there are technicalities and geeky designs and an optimal pair for each unique butt. Let me give you a few metrics by which to judge your shorts.

1. They should fit tightly. The lycra should sit smoothly and the chamois should have no folding or bunching. Seams should be in the right place and not where they can cause terrible chafing. Also, do NOT wear underwear under your shorts. It negates the entire thing and causes massive discomfort. The point of bike shorts is to maximize a cushion that is right where you need it to be and eliminate things like seams. So go bare!

2. The waist and leg openings should fit comfortably and the chamois should match your body shape (ie. sits bones, pubis). Some shorts for women have a soft panel at the front of the waist so they’re more comfortable to wear when you’re bent over in an aerodynamic position. There are shorts, as well, that have minimal amounts of sticky rubber at the leg- a very nice feature if your skin gets irritated by the no slip hem. The con of the softer, no-grip hem is that the shorts will ride up as you move your legs. Professionals and fairly serious cyclists consider this to be bad form and prefer to wear shorts that stay put and ride smoothly. As far as chamois shape is concerned, women’s chamois tend to be wider in the rear, narrower in the front and shorter overall than men’s (just like women’s saddles!). The panels of the chamois are designed differently, too with a groove in the middle to “alleviate pressure on soft-tissue” (euphamism for “doesn’t hurt your vag”). Try on as many pairs as you can until you find a chamois that fits your body.

3. The more expensive the short, the longer the shorts should last and the denser the chamois will be. A denser chamois will get you through the longer/longest rides and a thinner one is perfect for hot, short rides or spinning. And sometimes, less is more! If you are looking for a short to wear commuting or under skirts during casual summer rides, you might even look into getting a pair of triathlon shorts. They will be a little cheaper and have very minimal padding. A $20-40 pair of shorts is a great investment if you’re doing 10-20mi/day and like to wear your shorts under something, like a skirt. The more expensive shorts, since they have a denser chamois, will feel diapery if you wear them walking around. You also don’t want to keep a pair of wet, sweaty shorts on for very long. Take care of your lady-parts and change!

4. No short is complete without chamois cream. Period. It seems gross at first, but trust me, you want an anti-chafing cream for those long rides. Regardless of how nicely your shorts fit, or how much money you invested in them, if they’re dry when your riding they will eventually become a sweaty chafing mess. Try Butt Butt’r if you want something simple and unscented. DZ Bliss is a high end cream for the ladies (DZ Nuts is the men’s version. It’s mentholated, so stay far far away from it, unless you like to have the tingles). Belljum Butter is an all natural cream that is paraben free and niiiice! If you have saddle-sores after your ride, use some zinc oxide cream overnight. It’s essentially baby-diaper cream (which you can use, too) without the baby-scent.

Go try on as many pairs of shorts as you can muster the patience for! If you are still unsure about wearing cycling shorts but are having problems with discomfort and chafing, there are a couple things you can do to help. Wear a wicking underwear, like the ExOfficio travel boy-shorts. Or you can wear stretch pants/shorts with no underwear to minimize the seam problem. Wearing skirts while in the city is also a breezy and classy way to aid in solving the sweaty nethers problem and will let you air out the parts during and after riding. All in all, ride in something comfortable and you’ll want to ride more! I highly encourage everyone to have at least 1 pair of nice cycling shorts in their closet. When someone suggests a longer ride, you won’t be held back by your wardrobe! Get out and have fun, go on adventures, and don’t hold back!

****Note: Yeast infections, UTI’s, and jock-itch are all related and upcoming articles! The prevalence of these conditions in the hot summer months is a confluence of saddle/shorts/overall health. Having nice shorts will help, but getting the right saddle is even more important!

April and May are the months to start thinking about Spring biking! It’s never too early to dream about the snow melting and the roads clearing and the bike trails calling out “Ride Me!”. In preparation, I will be writing a series of articles on bike parts and how to out-fit your bicycle so that it is comfortable and fun to ride by the time you are all ready to clean up your spring/summer bike and get out in the spring weather.

One of the most important components to your bicycle is your saddle. The saddle or seat, both terms are acceptable, is your first and major point of contact with your machine. Therefore, it is important to get it right or you will be in constant discomfort. You never know how much, even until you hop on a different saddle and realize that the one you have been bearing with is actually causing chafing, sore pressure points, and keeping you from really loving your ride.

A quick anecdote from the Dr., since the Dr. loves anecdotes. My first 2 bicycles came with pretty standard used bicycle components. The saddle on the first was a white, faux-leather cruiser seat complete with the sitz bone bruising spring loaded action so common among old saddles. I bore with that one and eventually came to ignore all together that my butt bones felt like someone had been jack-hammering them all day long. A year later, when I got the love of my life, a real old-school Fuji roadbike, it came with a vastly upgraded saddle from the 80’s, smooth black acrylic cover over foam and plastic. It even had a groove to cushion the tail-bone. High tech as it was (sarcasm), after several weeks of intense commuting in the hot hot heat of summer sent me to the doctor with an odd condition similar, or so I imagined, to a non-bike related illness. The doctor snickered at my concerns and recommended diaper cream. Later that summer, on impulse, I was wandering in a shop and happened to come upon a women’s saddle for $30 in the sale corner and after 2 seconds of debate, snatched up and slapped it on my bicycle, riding away with whoops of joy and plenty of air flowing through the cut-out, making me realize what had been missing from my ride for so long- comfort!

I still have that saddle and it resides on my favorite commuting bike, perfectly molded to my bum and continues to make me very happy. What’s so special about this seat that sets it aside from those of the past?

A lucky find is easier to come upon when you know the basics of saddle comfort and function. There are 3 main factors to saddle options. They are width, cushion, shape, and perhaps we can add aesthetics (you would not want to put a cruiser saddle, for example, on a mountain bike or a racing bike for all of these reasons). Saddles are made of a variety of materials from synthetics to leather. The main construction of a saddle is it’s frame, which will be either a plastic or carbon then covered by some layers of foam or in the case of hard saddles, very little to none. Leather saddles, such as a Brooks, will be a hard leather over a metal frame, where the cushioning comes from the leather’s flexibility and molding.

It is important to think through what kind of riding you want to do on your saddle. For short distances a casual saddle should be fine. A cruiser saddle will be highly cushioned, flat, wide, and generally have springs to absorb impact. I would never recommend a cruiser saddle on anything but a cruiser. For people who need a more cushioned, wide saddle I would generally tell them to stick with the very casual riding or consider looking into a recumbent for extra back support.

Mountain bikes generally have flat, more padded saddles that are fairly narrow. The padding will make a huge difference when you are riding bumpy terrain and perhaps have contact with your saddle that you aren’t prepared for. For riding in the city on a mountain bike, you may want to consider less padding as you are less likely to be standing and riding.

Road bikes, cyclo-cross bikes and track bikes are the most useful for commuting and riding long distances. The best saddles for these riding styles are generally narrow, fairly hard, and the most varied in terms of options. These saddles are most likely the type that are so varied that it is hard to even make a decision about what will be right for you. Why would you want a hard and narrow saddle? That sounds really uncomfortable. Contrary to the common deduction that more padding is better for comfort, saddles with less surface area and therefore opportunities for chafing and pressure points are better. You will also want to look for rounded edges vs. flatter saddles, length, cut-out vs. solid, and stiffness. Many people prefer Brooks or leather saddles over synthetic saddles because they wear in and mold to your butt. Synthetic saddles, however, require less surface care and are better to care for in bad weather. They are also easier to find in cut-out styles (which I would recommend any person with a vulva try, it will relieve the major problems of older, solid saddles).

Here are several picture of the saddles in my coterie, you will notice that they are all cut-outs for cradling the softer parts and rather narrow because of my hip positioning. They are both labeled as “women” saddles, which are generally wider at the back and a few centimeters shorter than saddles labeled as “men’s.”

 My road bike has a saddle with a little more cushioning and a curve that keeps one kind of floating rather than sinking back into the saddle. I did start out with a Brooks Imperial, but I found it too wide in the back and had resulting hip pain from the saddle working as a fulcrum against my femur/hip bones when riding. To avoid this, make sure your saddle allows for hip clearance while you are riding. Shops should allow you to try a saddle before you buy it, so be prepared to take off your current saddle and put a new one on to ride it around the block (I will also cover different attachment types below).

My commuter saddle is very hard and is better for shorter distances unless I am wearing a chamois (padded shorts). I like this one very much, though, because the cut-out is larger and the seat has a dip in it that cradles the bum. The front is a little narrower and I have less of a problem with saddle-sores when I choose not to wear a chamois.

This is my partner’s racing saddle. It is very minimalist and used only with a chamois, but has minimal points of contact which means less chafing and less pressure points. The main important factor of this saddle is it’s over-all fit with the bicycle. Seat height and forward/backward positioning is very important and will ensure your knees do not ache as much (or at all!).

One thing further- Be prepared to take your saddle on and off so you can try different types. There are 2 main modern attachment types. You will need your Allen-Wrenches (octagonal-head screw driver). Install seats level first and try them before any angling. You need to make sure the bolt is lightly greased before the final installation so it will not rust into the attachment. Tighten seat bolts as much as you can, if it’s loose your seat will wiggle and wobble and change it’s position.

Double Bolt: Allows for precise angeling