Presentation by Patrick, notes by Noelle and Kym
Notes and take-aways from Noelle
There was so much community brilliance in this session! I appreciated hearing tips and even a few funny anecdotes from other winter riders. Patrick got us off to a great start by sharing what they’ve learned. Below are the bits that stuck with me most.
- Know your back up plan! Things won’t always go according to plan and it is not a personal failure. Your back up plan could be a warm place to hang out, a person to call for a ride home, or a bus route. Make sure to keep your options open.
- Double check that your winter bike will fit on the bus rack before you need it to. There are different places around the cities you can do this, including Freewheel.
- Your phone might not work in the cold— so let me again reiterate– know your back up plan (like old school memory, write it down on a piece of paper “know”, not “I can google it- Know”
- Metro transit has a Guaranteed Ride Home program. Pre-register on their website and qualify for up to $100 to reimburse you if you have to take a taxi, Lyft, or transit home unexpectedly.
- Google doesn’t always know best- Strava heat map can show you where people actually bike in Minneapolis
- Hint- it’s not on Lake Street, but nice try Google.
- Note- this doesn’t have a season specific filter, so it’s more general than “which roads have been plowed or are in good biking condition at this moment”
- Consider wearing Yak tracks on your shoes help stopping on ice
- Carbite studs are the way to go- they will last longer!
- Dark Sky weather app can give more hyper-local info about what you’ll be facing on a specific day. Consider windchill when dressing and packing back up layers.
- Ice ice baby- salt doesn’t work well under 10 degrees (F). Expect black ice in temps between -10 and 10 degrees.
- Safety gear: Be reflective. Ikea sells a cheap and effective reflective vest, and you can also find discount construction wear which can be way less expensive than “biking” gear. Fresh take- anything you wear on your bike is biking gear and it doesn’t have to cost and arm and a leg, it just has to do its job of keeping you warm (but not too warm) and making you visible to drivers.
- Your lights might lose charge faster in the cold! Bring back ups and keep chargers handy.
Notes and take-aways from Kym!
Safety while winter biking is a much broader topic than one would immediately think of. Patrick had a great handout with a couple of tips on a wide range of topics. Some of the discussions that the room got into were options for goggles and glasses as well as back up options for bussing and phones. The group gave a lot of suggestions for falling, route finding, road conditions, and reflective wear.
A great general tip Patrick gave was to simply plan more time for the transportation. It gives you more time to bike slower, take an alternate route if you find poor conditions, and manage the extra layers and gear when you arrive.