Cleaning Your Bike In The Winter (Or A Physical Manifestation Of My Shame)

Jay left this comment:

“Any advice for a fool that left his bike in the snow? (Cleaning wise, anyways)”

In an effort to answer Jay’s questions I present my own bicycle as an example…the shame burns.

I have become one of those people with a rusty creaking chain…I hang my head.

So last night I gathered up my pride and a damp towel and started in on the beast. After 10 minutes and the removal of both wheels (more on that in a later post) My bike looked like this.

My Method:

Damp towel + elbow grease + liberal amounts of chain lube = clean bike.

I wipe down the entire frame, wipe down the rims, the hubs, the cranks etc. Then I apply a lot of lube to the chain, and wipe the chain down, apply more lube, wipe, repeat till chain looks like metal again, then lube liberally and wipe once more.

What I Do Not Do:

Spray water on my bike. Spraying water can drive it into places you do not want it, especially in the winter where it will freeze/rust things you care about.

Work outside. Its just too damn cold, the damp rag method seems to work just fine cleaning it inside.

Worry about getting it perfect. If you look you will see plenty of dirty left on the bike, I just try to knock off most of it. Its just going to snow again next week, so I am not getting out the tooth brush.

In a perfect world I would do this wipe down every day, but as well know the world is not perfect, and often when you come home from a hairy snow day commute the last thing you want to do is wipe down your bike. So I try to knock back the horrible at least once or twice a month. Having an aluminum bike helps.

I hope these tips help you reduce your own shame at having a filthy bike in the winter.

Feel free to leave any tips for winter bike cleaning in the comments.

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Preparing For Battle

In the olden days, knights used to have a trained armor guy who would attach all the little bits of armor to them. This guy had to be well trained because if the armor fell off, or didn’t fit right, well things didn’t go well for that knight.

On mornings like today I feel like I need my own peasant trained in armor attachment. I mean yea, I am not fighting the Gauls or anything, but it does take me a while to get all my layers on.

Generally if its above 30 out, I wear spandex with shorts over, a long sleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt, and a hoody. But on days like today I put on the full battle suit and go for it.

From the inside out:

Lower half:
undergarments and wool socks, spandex pants, shorts, a belt.

Upper half:
long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, tight hoody, loose hoody,

Head/Face:
cycling cap, wool cap, helmet, scarf around face

Hands:
Thinsulate gloves, cheap gloves that have the fingers cut out with the little mitten thing that goes over them.

Anything below 10 degrees, I swap out the converse for a pair of hiking boots.

Even with the cold today, the lack of strong wind made it very pleasant to ride to work, I saw dozens of other cyclists out and none of them looked miserable.

You can get more tips for dealing with the cold here and here.

Whats your armor regiment? Do you go high tech, low tech, something in between?

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Somerville Illuminations Bike Tour

Got this in the email, thanks for the tip Ron, looks like a fun ride.

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Please join the Somerville Bicycle Committee on Saturday evening, Dec. 18, to celebrate the coming of winter and year round cycling. We will enjoy a casual tour to see some of the city’s homes warmly lit for the holidays.

We will meet at the Somerville High School entrance at 6:50pm, departing promptly at 7:15 pm. We will tour the city in coordination with the Somerville Arts Council’s Illuminations Holiday Trolley Tour the same
evening ( click here for more details )

This is a winter evening ride, so please dress warmly and use bike lights.

Poster is here —

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Free Winter Commuting Clinic

Got this in the mail, looks like it will be increasingly more relevant, cold out this morning!

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FREE winter commuting clinic this Thursday, November 4, 8:00-9:30 PM at Bikes Not Bombs Retail Bike Shop at 18 Bartlett Sq, Jamaica Plain. This clinic is free and you can just show up, no need to register! Let us help you “endure the Brrrr” this fall and winter… come learn about our selection of gear that will help you stay toasty on the bike and off, plus general commuting gear and tips you can use in all weather and all seasons.
www.bikesnotbombs.org/bikeshop
617-522-0226

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So Many Cyclists!

Today it really struck me, our numbers are growing! I saw 30-40 cyclists today on my way to work. It is the middle of January, barely above freezing, and the streets are chock full of people ridding bikes! Two years ago during my winter commutes I would see MAYBE one other cyclist, maybe. The winter used to be such a lonely time, but not anymore! Both Boston and Cambridge report increases in ridership, the Household Survey (done by the Census) shows an increase in ridership, and my eyeballs show an increase in ridership.

The best part is, I am increasingly seeing a lot of women out there riding. This tells me that we have reached some sort of tipping point. Women are usually far more sensible and level headed than men (sorry guys, it’s true), so seeing a large number of them riding bikes indicated to me that the level of infrastructure/law/whatever has reached a point where riding a bike is no longer seen as simply a daredevil thing to do. We still have a long way to go, but we have made great strides. I actually think the number one way to keep cyclists safer, is to get more people out of cars, and onto bikes, so this increase in ridership makes me very happy.

notice that little hook downward at the end...lets hope that continues.

I can’t tell you why exactly so many more people our out riding, but I have some ideas. Gas prices have been creeping up, while wages are creeping down. Driving a car in Boston sucks. Bikes are cheep. Bikes are FUN! I think the last part is the real reason.

You see all these folk out there riding bikes every day while you are stuck in traffic and you say to yourself “they look like they are having a good time, why don’t I give it a go.” Once you try cycling you will be hooked. The freedom (both literally and figuratively from things like gas prices, parking, traffic), the way it makes your body feel and look (lets not downplay that bikers have sexy bodies) and the general sense of friendliness make biking a fantastic mode of transportation. I am not sure if it is because you are not in a little metal box, but I regularly talk to other cyclists, get waves, get howdys, and in general have much more interaction with my fellow human beings. It is actually a very pleasing way to interact. (contrast with the way motorists usually talk to each other, a series of finger gestures, and horn honks)

Stopping at red lights with 3,4, even 5 other cyclists makes me think that we might actually be changing the way people get around in this town. I see only good things in the future if this trend continues. A huge “HI!” to everyone I saw on a bike this morning, keep up the good work, and happy cycling.

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