Tips to Ride in Cold Weather

The cold weather is usually accompanied by people hanging their bikes and missing out on winter cycling fun. Winter cycling provides an incredible boost to your health. It is a great way to improve your metabolism and burn body fat. Additionally, cycling in cold weather benefits you by improving your cardiopulmonary health and enhancing your mood.

Despite the numerous benefits of riding in cold weather, several people are usually scared that such rides make them prone to injuries. You could have a superb winter cycling experience with the right tips in your sleeves. We have a curated list of tips to help you have an amazing winter ebike ride. You could catch up with these tips by reading through this article.

Watch Out For Your Dressing

Your dress is important in determining how well you will enjoy your ride in the cold weather. Like different weather conditions and activities, there are certain precautions you should pay attention to when winter cycling. The list is not exhaustive, but there are certain parts of your dressing that you are liable to ignore. This segment introduces you to essential aspects of your dressing that you should not forget to take care of when winter cycling.

Dress In Layers

Your clothing goes a long way in determining how much fun you will have during your cycling trip. Before stepping out of the door, ensure that you are dressed up in layers. It is better for you to need to take some layers off due to the heat than be stuck in the cold winds with insufficient clothing.

Start your dressing with a good, thin, comfortable base layer. Ensure that it is moisture-wicking so that it can prevent the accumulation of sweat. Hence, lowering your body temperature. When choosing a base layer, you could consider fabrics made with polyester, polyethylene, microfiber, polypropylene, and wool. In your best interest, stay off wool because it absorbs moisture and will easily get wet when you sweat. Additionally, it does not dry easily and would make you uncomfortable when you sweat.

Top up your inner layer with a fleece or wool mid-layer. Afterward, you could seal your dressing with a wind-resistant, waterproof outer layer.  

The waterproof layer will help lock out moisture and keep you warm throughout the trip. You have possibly been hearing about dressing in layers for a long time. This is because Dressing in layers helps regulate your body temperature. Consequently, ensuring that you stay cozy as you start the trip.

Ensure The Clothes Fit

There is often a misconception that bigger clothes are better for cold temperatures. You don’t want to discover how untrue this is when you are out in the cold. Bigger clothing gives air more room to circulate. Consequently, as you ride, the wind gets under your clothing and could make you get cold. Hence, defeating the essence of dressing in layers.

On the other hand, ensure that your clothing is not too tight. Wearing tight clothing could restrict your blood flow and make it difficult for warm blood to circulate your body. The best clothing while cycling is clothes that fit perfectly. They should not be too big, and they should not be too tight as well.

Do Not Ignore Your Extremities

While dressing during the cold, it is easy to forget your earlobes, the tip of your nose, hands, and feet. Interestingly, these parts get cold first during winter cycling. If you do not prepare ahead, cold extremities are enough to ruin your cycling trip.

For your face and ears, you might want to consider getting a wool or synthetic hat that protects your ears. Accompany it with a scarf or facemask for your face and gloves for your hands. A second alternative to hats and scarves is a full-face helmet. It saves you extra time and baggage and could be a cool option when you are in a rush.

If you desire an alternative to gloves, you might want to consider getting a mitten. Mittens hold your fingers together and keep them warmer for a longer time.

You could keep your feet warm by wearing socks before putting on your shoes. While socks are essential to keeping your feet warm, ensure that they do not make your boots tight. If the socks cause the boots to squeeze your feet, it will hinder blood circulation and prevent heat circulation.

Your Ebike Matters

Your electric bike is an essential component of your cycling in cold weather. Without a bike, there is no cycling; if you have the wrong bike, it won't take long before you need to change it. Before taking your bike out for a winter cycling trip, you need to be sure that it can handle the dynamics of a cold weather trip.

You also need to confirm that it can handle cold terrain without getting damaged easily. If you are not sure about what bike to purchase, consider An HAOQI ebike. HAOQI ebikes are cost-effective ebikes that give you value for your money. For a start, you could purchase the HAOQI Cheetah Full Suspension Electric Bike. It comes with a high-tech 48V 16Ah/25Ah battery. The standard battery size is the 48V 16Ah battery. However, you could expand your range by opting for the 25A Dual battery.

With the HAOQI Cheetah Full Suspension Electric Bike, you would not need to bother about getting stuck after a short distance. Its 48V 16Ah/25Ah batteries can cover a range of as much as 35-90 miles. Additionally, the HAOQI ebike is accompanied by a 6061 Aluminum frame. This ensures that your ebike has the strength to take on heavy loads easily.

The LCD screen of the HAOQI Cheetah electric bike ensures that you have a steady update about t your battery capacity. The Odometer segment of the LCD shows you how many miles you have ridden, while the speedometer shows you how fast you are riding and the average speed of the bike.

Now that you have an introduction to the HAOQI Cheetah Electric Bike let's discuss how you should prep your bike for the trip.

Get A Fat Tire Ebike

Fat tire ebikes are one of the best ways to have a blast during winter cycling. They have a large surface area which has a better grip on the ground and helps you stay balanced even when the ground gets slippery. If you do not yet have a fat tire ebike, we recommend the HAOQI Cheetah electric bike. It has 26” x 4” fat tires, which help maintain your balance.

Furthermore, these tire sizes enable the ebike to comfortably accommodate a wide range of terrains. Hence, the ebike is still very durable when the cold weather is long gone. Regardless of how slippery the ground gets, the GEMMA mechanic 180mm disc brakes are swift and efficient. Hence, they can bring the bike to a stop with ease.

Wash Your Electric Bike Often

Riding during the cold weather could cause salty and dirty water to splash on the parts of your ebike. Repeated occurrences could cause corrosion and damage to your electric bike over time. To elongate the lifespan of your ebike frame, ensure that you wash your electric bike after every ride. In situations where you cannot wash the bike after the ride, ensure you wipe and rinse to remove the dirty water.

Other Tips For Riding An Ebike In Cold Weather

1. Go Along With Warm Liquid In Insulated Containers

When you are sweating on a cold day, you need to hydrate with liquid. On such days, you will most likely be cold and need to warm up from the inside out. One of the ways to get this done is by taking along broth or hot coffee in an insulated container. Ensure that the flask is properly covered and insulated from the cold so it does not freeze. If riding with a traditional water bottle, you could insulate it by keeping it in your back jersey pocket. However, this will not be as effective as getting an insulated container.

2. Ensure That You Are Visible

During the winter months, there are longer nights than days. Consequently, it darkens quickly, and it's easy for you to be lost in the darkness. To avoid accidents and road hazards, you need to be visible to other users of the road. Hence, you should get taillights for your bike and wear brightly colored clothing when going on evening rides. The HAOQI Cheetah electric bike comes with its own bright 48V LED light. This saves you the need to work a new taillight into your ebike.

3. Take Care Of Your Skin

Do not neglect your skin when going for a winter ride. Before the ride, apply sunscreen to your face and other exposed parts of your body. This is essential, especially if you are riding in the snow. Snow can reflect about 90% of UV radiation, which could harm your skin.

Conclusion

Several people avoid riding in cold weather because they feel it could expose them to health hazards. Unfortunately, while doing so, they miss out on cycling in cold weather benefits. With the winter riding tips discussed in this article, you could enjoy the benefits of riding in cold weather without being uncomfortable.