GCN Tech Clinic: Numb hands, swapping tyres, and winter speeds

With a lot of riders out there firmly in the grasp of winter, GCN's tech experts,Alex Paton and Ollie Bridgewood take a look at why riding through winter months seems slower, tell you how to look after your waxed chain and the best way to get the most out of your tyres.

Why is riding in the winter noticeably slower?

There isn’t just one thing that you can pin down as the cause of this. It is a combination of lots of factors that all mean that you ride a little bit slower.

Firstly, the clothes you wear are less aerodynamic in the winter. Jackets, coats, waterproof overshoes, and so on are all going to cause more drag than a sleek summer kit.

Secondly – and something that is less obvious but no less of a contributing factor – cold air is more dense. This means that you have to push yourself through more air for any given distance.

If you have changed to winter tyres, these will also roll a little bit slower than a racier summer tyre. The compounds used in these tyres are based more on grip and puncture resistance than low rolling resistance, making them more suited to winter training rides.

The final element in this puzzle is that in the winter motivation is hard to come by. The idea of pushing on at 30 minutes at a threshold effort whilst being bombarded by rain or with your fingers and toes going numb isn’t one many of us are fans of.

Are Shimano GRX and Tiagra components cross-compatible?

As long as you are using things that are compatible in the number of gears they are designed for, you should be fine to use a hybrid of the two groupsets. If you are in any doubt, however, Shimano does have a cross-compatibility checker on its website that will definitively confirm or deny the potential for what you are trying to achieve.

Read more: Complete guide to road bike groupsets 2024

How can I stop getting numb hands on my track bike?

Track riding puts you in a far more static position than any other type of riding. When you pair this with a typically more aggressive riding position and the extra force put through your arms as you ride the banking, you are at a higher risk of developing contact point pain.

If you are using a rental bike when you are at the track, there is likely very little that you will be able to do that will properly alleviate this discomfort. If you do have your own track bike, getting a better fit shouldn’t be too big of a task.

Because track bikes are designed to be ridden on the drops, you might want to consider how high you have your bars set. If you are putting too much pressure through your hands it would point towards you needing to raise your bars a little bit to redistribute your weight away from your hands and more onto your hips. Another solution could be to fit a slightly shorter stem that brings your arms more underneath you, this will allow you to use your core to support more of your body weight.

How do you maintain a waxed chain in winter?

The best way you can look after your waxed chain through the winter months is to give it a rinse over with clean, low-pressure water. This will remove any salt that has built up throughout a ride.

Once the chain has been rinsed thoroughly the best thing to do is dry it with a clean microfibre cloth. Whilst you are drying it, inspect the chain for any signs of wear that point towards the need for reapplication of the wax.

Read more: How to maintain a waxed bike chain

Should I swap my front and rear tyres from time to time?

The rationale behind this is to prevent uneven tyre wear as the rear tyre typically wears out faster than the front. By swapping your tyres over periodically, you would keep both tyres at a similar level so that they can be replaced at the same time.

In reality, this is a lot of hassle for almost no advantage. Our advice is to keep your tyres fitted as they are and then replace each tyre individually as and when needed. This is especially true if you are using a tubeless system as each time you swap the tyres over it is going to be a messy, time-consuming affair that will also start to cost a fair bit in sealant.

Although it might seem like a good idea, in practicality there is very little to achieve in doing this and for us we would rather have another flat white in a cafe somewhere rather than get covered in sealant when we don’t have to.

If you have any tech-related questions that you need answering, head over to this week’s Tech Clinic video on the GCN Tech YouTube channel and add your question to the comments along with #ASKGCNTECH. Or leave your question in the comments below.