5 Things All Winter Cyclists Can Relate To

January 28, 2020, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Winter Cycling – Love it or Hate it? 5 Truths

Winter cycling is popular in cities large and small throughout Canada. Some places like Vancouver have fewer very cold days, others like St. John’s have fewer rideable days. Winter cyclists share a bond, and we all snow the trials and tribulations of riding through the snow and slush and ice.

1. Your friends and co-workers will likely call you nuts when the temperatures begin to drop. Once they go below minus 10 you’ll start feeling like an odd ball.
2. Every piece of clothing you cycle in and all your gear is salt stained or encrusted. You feel like you could open your own ‘gourmet salt’ store some days. Your bag gets heavier, not just from the salt spray but from all the extra clothes you’re carrying to change into.
3. You KNOW that bike lanes are the last part of the road to be cleared. Every. Single. Time.
4. Black ice will scare the crap out of you and will send you in search of some studded tires.
5. Somehow you realize that you are never dressed right. There is a seeming conspiracy between mother nature and the weatherman to either lie to you or to change the weather exactly 5 minutes after you leave the house or work.

In all seriousness though, there are things you can do to get yourself and your bike ready for riding in the winter. Remember that the weather changes quickly, and it’s dark a lot. General tips for winter cycling from MEC

1. Tune up your bike and switch to wet weather lube
2. Put some fenders on your bike.
3. Make sure you have lights and that they work well.
4. Check your brakes and think about installing winter brake pads.
5. Use heavy tread tires or studded tires.
6. Wear bright jackets and rain pants with warm inner layers. Think about getting some winter cycling gloves.
7. Use shoe covers to help keep your feet dry and warm.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.