Ride a Bike in the Snow
Biking in the snow can be useful and fun to do. This is how to ride a bike in the snow.
Contents
Steps
- Stay calm. When you are biking through snow, it may seem that you cannot control your bike. If you do start to slide, just relax and turn out of it. If you tense up, you could react too quickly, causing the bike to slide out from under you.
- Ride either standing up or sitting down. You want to keep your weight shifted back to keep the rear wheel down. If you are standing up, bend your knees and elbows to keep control of the bike in case it slides or you hit something. If you are sitting, keep your arms bent and try not to move around. Hover slightly over the saddle and lean forward alittle bit to go faster over rough ground.
- Avoid turning too suddenly. If your bike starts to slide, turn slowly. To avoid understeer, either lift your front wheel onto a grippier surface beforehand or turn into it if you're already sliding. The safest way to make sharp turns on ice and snow is to skid the rear wheel while holding out the foot towards which side you wish to turn. Obviously you shouldn't attempt this at speed.
- Always look ahead to where you are going. Keep an eye out for ice or obstacles that can cause you to slide or stop quickly, causing you to wreck. Also, watch out for ruts in the snow. If you do start to slide in a rut, try riding in fresh snow.
- Start out slow and gradually build your speed. If you are not sliding, you can go faster. If you start to slide, slow back down to get control again.
Tips
- Bike in low gears and keep your cadence high
- Sometimes, it helps to drop your seat
- Ride a low-sitting bike
- Any tires will work but it will be more difficult to ride the less grip you have, snow tires or knobby tires are the best choice for snow
Warnings
- Not all snow is the same, so be careful when biking and be ready for all possible scenarios.
- Wear a helmet because biking in the snow can be unpredictable and dangerous.
- Don’t go biking if the snow is too deep because it will most likely be impossible to ride.
- Try to avoid biking in icy conditions because it is harder to maintain control.
