A lot of people think that cyclists who bike in the winter must be crazy.  But are they?  Are they really?

A BlogTO columnist tried to answer this question earlier this week by posting a story named “Do You Have to Be Crazy to Ride Your Bike In The Winter?” so you’d think they’d actually try winter cycling (like Catherine Porter of the Star did with Yvonne Bambrick of the Bike Union), but instead they just asked a few people at a U of T BikeChain workshop why they bike in the winter.

Photo by Tom Cardoso for the Varsity

The Varsity reported on the BikeChain workshop, with a great list (expanded on the Varsity site) with what you need to pay attention to if you want to bike when it’s cold and frosty out:

1. Regular tires are fine.
   
2. Some days are too cold.
   
3. Ride it out.
   
4. Avoid splashing.
   
5. Be prepared to hit the ground.
   
6. Dress appropriately.
   
7. Be good to your bike.

In my opinion, the list shows that you don’t have to be crazy to bike in the winter in Toronto… you just have to be very prepared.

Catherine Porter at the Toronto Star learned a bit about winter cycling from Yvonne Bambrick of the Toronto Cyclists Union… while the article title makes it sound like an article about biking in winter (and a bit of it is), it’s mainly a piece about the need at City Hall for cycling lobbyists (like Yvonne) just like there are lobbyists for drivers, parking lots and many other things.

Hard Core Cyclists Do Not Fear Winter

We’ve met on a sunny morning and set off in search of winter’s axis of evil: snow, slush and ice. Now that we’ve found it, Bambrick instructs me to push into it, slowly, but with confidence. “Don’t lose your nerve.”

Look at her: tall, long black coat, chic red hat dotted with a delicate bicycle pin, dark sunglasses. She could be shopping in Paris.

Her bike is a grey Dutch seven-speed, the front basket adorned with bulrushes, white plastic flowers cascading off the back.

How could you spout epithets from your car window at this woman? If the old cycling crowd is Kensington Market, Bambrick is Uptown. She is gentrifying the image of cycling in the city.

Her tool is the Toronto Cyclists Union. Bambrick, 33, is its executive director, her salary paid mostly through the dues of its 800 members, proof in itself of the rising class, and commitment, of cyclists.

More at the Toronto Star.

(Also posted in the News discussion group)

There’s a pretty good discussion going on in the “How To” Group regarding making sure your winter bike stays clean if you are using it in the winter time.

Bikeroo has posted some pretty funny photos of people who are rather, um… extreme *cue rock guitar wailing* in keeping their bikes clean:

There are also some good tips being discussed by BikingToronto members, and links too!

Chicago Bike Winter
http://bikewinter.org/tipsAndResources/bikemaintain.php

Mountain Bike Tips
http://www.bikekinetix.com/bike_tips/winter-bike-maintenance.php

How do you keep your bike clean in the winter?