6 Winter Riding Mistakes NOT To Make | Cycling Tips For Triathletes

Published on December 1st 2017

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Sometimes it's quite easy to forget how wet, windy, and cold those winter rides are. But with a bit of prior planning, it can change your whole experience. Yeah, it usually involves a little more thought than just putting on a thicker jacket. There's quite a few mistakes that we see triathletes making. We've put together a little list. 100 PSI is a pretty common tyre pressure for athletes to be racing and riding at throughout the summer, but during the winter it's quite a good idea to drop it down to around 80 PSI. Not only will it make your ride that much more comfortable, it'll just help with the grip when you've got the slippery surfaces that you have in the winter. Don't make the mistake of riding on your race tyres in the winter. There's a lot more debris on the road and no one wants to be changing a puncture in those grim conditions. No, so investing in a pair of good, slightly thicker winter tyres will not only, hopefully prevent a puncture, but it'll also give you that added grip for nicer winter rides. And I know you might be like me, and wanna go around on your nice, deep section carbon wheels all year round, but in the winter months, carbon wheels are just not as good at braking as alloy wheels, and light, heavy-light disc wheels. Yeah, so if you can afford fork out for a second pair of wheels, just get some cheaper winter ones. It's a seriously good investment for the future. You often see triathletes trying to stay in that aggressive, arrow position throughout the winter. And I don't like to quite be in that position so I raise my bars up slightly in the winter to take pressure off my back, so that those long winter rides can be a little bit more comfortable and enjoyable. The worst thing you can do is not check the weather forecast in the winter. But there's no such thing as bad weather, it's bad kit choices. So, pack a mack, take some food with ya', and you can ride in any condition. Yeah, you definitely don't wanna be turning up to a ride in the winter wearing a tri-suit, or an ordinary arrow race kit. When you get back from a long, cold winter ride, often the last thing you feel like doing is giving your bike a thorough clean. I know I'm guilty of it. I quite like just to put my bike to the side and think I'll sort of ace and go sort myself out. - But if you haven't got time to clean your whole bike, at least give your drivetrain a good clean. It's only gonna take a couple minutes to do, but you're gonna have grit, and at worst, salt on your chain, so take a couple of minutes with a baby wipe, a bit of WD40 and you'll be glad of it come your next ride. So, avoid those winter mistakes, and your winter riding can be a lot more fun and beneficial. A little bit of forward planning goes a long, long way. Yeah, and on that note, don't forget to take lights. It's amazing how quickly the light can drop in the winter. Subscribe to GTN: http://gtn.io/SubscribetoGTN Check out the GTN Shop: http://gtn.io/4B If you'd like to contribute captions and video info in your language, here's the link 👍 http://gtn.io/4C Watch more on GTN... 📹 GTN's Winter Running Tips - http://gtn.io/WinterRunning 📹 How To Cycle Like A Pro - http://gtn.io/BikePro