8 Hacks For Winter Cycle Commuting

Commuting by bicycle in the winter can be pretty hard work at times, so here are some hacks to improve those cold, dark bike rides to and from work.

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Train on your commute: To make the most of those precious moments you get out on your bike, use your commutes as training sessions.

Ass-savers/mudguards: No-one likes a wet, muddy bum when they get into work. There really is no reason to not get at least some sort of mudguards for the winter.

Reverse psychology: Having to stop at traffic lights and junctions can be frustrating. But if instead you use these stops to improve your sprint accelerations, you'll be hoping you get a red light!

Prepare the night before: Make sure your kit is neatly laid out and your bag is packed with whatever you will need for your day at work. This will stop you needing to rush in the morning

Rucksack strategy: Use Matt's magazine folding technique to make sure your clothes are nice and neat when you get to work.

Keep your valve caps on: Now this is a bit of a contentious one. Valve caps will make sure your valves aren't damaged by mud, salt, or even ice through the winter. Just make sure you take them off when the weather gets nice again.

Get yourself a town bike: If you've only got a short commute, a fixed gear, or singlespeed town bike could be a good buy. Their simplicity means that there is a lot less to go wrong!

Back up lights: It's always a good idea to, at the least, have a spare back light with you. That way, if for whatever reason your main light dies, you'll still be able to make it home.

Let us know your favourite hacks for commuting in the winter in the comments down below 👇

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Driving In The Dark - Andreas Jamsheree

Photos: © Bettiniphoto / http://www.bettiniphoto.net/ & ©Tim De Waele / http://www.tdwsport.com

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