A Brief Guide to Winter Mountain-Biking

Winter will still be upon us for many months and for a good number of seasoned cyclists, this time of year is the optimum time to get out on your bike! From looking out for your mountain bike chainrings to getting warmed up and more, let us give you a brief guide on mountain-biking in winter. A part of the reason many people enjoy mountain-biking in winter is that it presents more of a challenge as rides require more skill to manoeuvre when the trademark British weather has been pouring and left some tough terrain in its wake. We know our readers can already navigate the proper handling of singletrack trails and downhill riding, so we have picked a few maintenance must-do’s for both your body and your bike. Warm-Up Do a warm-up before you set out on your bike. While you might know what temperature it is when you start cycling, British weather is temperamental, and you want to be physically and mentally prepared. Check Your Chain Properly lubricate your drivetrain - without adding too much! A simple hack is to use a cloth to protect from over-spraying as you will then be directing moisture away from components while still lubricating your bike. It is essential to be precise with where you spray your lubricant. The wear rate of your chain ring increases during the colder months of the year, so you will need to remove your chainring bolts in order to start cleaning off the dirt your mountain bike chainring accumulates during winter cycling. Then you should re-attach your chainrings firmly without allowing them to seize. Pro’ Tip If you encounter a puncture – which is likely, then a pro-tip would be to clean up any excess moisture lurking within your tyres as it can add excess weight onto your bike that turns winter mountain-biking from a fun challenge to an obstacle. The state of your drivetrain and tyres are crucial aspects of winter mountain-biking that shouldn’t be overlooked, so make sure you take our advice and contact us for more advice on any of our derailleur hangers, mountain bike chainrings, bearings or any of our other CNC machined components.