4 Tips To Prepare For Winter Mountain Biking

Going riding in the winter can be loads of fun, but you definitely need a bit more preparation to get the most out of the winter trails. Here are Blake's 4 top winter riding prep tips.

Clothing: It’s often said, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”. So before you head out for a ride, make sure you’ve got clothing with you for whatever weather you might encounter. For example if it’s going to be really wet and muddy, consider wearing some waterproof riding trousers.

Bike prep: You don’t need to change too much on your bike compared to summer riding. Make sure your bike is always clean, with a well lubed chain, and a good amount of grease on any bearings. The only other thing you may want to consider is using a more aggressive treaded tyre with lower pressures.

Location: Winter is a great time for heading further abroad and trying out some new trails. Especially look for sandy trails as these drain well when it's wet.

Post-ride: Make sure you bring either a heavy duty plastic bag, or a plastic box with you if you drive to the trails. This way you can stop your dirty kit from getting mud all over your car's interior. Similarly a rug or tarpaulin is useful if you need to put your muddy bike inside your car.

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[jlmd]

NEW WRANGLER??? NEW RESOLUTION? *hell* yeah!

[thefreeride]

i found that ruber gloves like latex or nitrile under riding gloves really help keep your hands warm since they keep the cold air from penetrating to your hands. down side is your hands may get a bit sweaty, but they definetly stay alot warmer.

[matthewh]

You should start a new series where you review bike parks and trails scoring them

[Dolencd]

Hahaha! I love how you call it winter in UK and elsewhere we call it mountain biking in late september. I was expecting tips on what kind of face frost protection to wear and how to prevent drinks from freezing, and Blake shows up in shorts :)

[nikoheinonen]

Always funny to watch these southern "winters", love to see whats your adventure with fat bike in northern Finland going to be.

[sapinva]

Good wet weather tips. But most places do not have those mild oceanic climate winters you have in the UK. My new years day ride was 17 degrees (-8c), and that was the warmest day all week.

[mitchwarren]

I welly shred now and then ! They fit snugly in my DMR V12 pedals! It feels good to not care!

[willian.direction]

Good thing I have done to clean up my muddy bike is a water filled fire extinguisher with compressed air it does a great job to blow off crud from your bike before putting it in your vehicle.

[HarryL]

I recommend goggles for riding in the cold, when you're going fast your eyes tear so much its blinding XD

[renenavarro]

Blake that's the same tire set up I have on my hard tail, der Kaiser. Best set of tires I have ever had. I run them all year long.

[slideways]

My buddies and I bring a portable pump garden sprayer and fill it with water. Spray down all the mud off the bike best we can when it's still wet and comes off easier.

[mrrdhh]

nice video Blake, very wise words! but last time I looked winter kicked off at least 5 -6 weeks ago so your post is late!! ( and I had to sus it out for myself ) top tip - use an extra large Tomato ketchup sqeezer as a mini portable jet wash, works for me :) ps. have you noticed that you can go out in the winter and ride and the bike stays clean but your not or the bike gets clogged up and your nice and clean!! maybe thats just our devon dirt...??

[rossyrocks]

Dope! Here in Maine, US fatbikes are the only option in winter with lots of snow.

[wipaszsa]

Nice thing to have in the car is one of those small pressure garden sprayers, althrough it takes time, they can remove most of the wet mud from the bike.

[timmieskills]

If it gets really cold you also need to add a little air to your air suspension because the pressure will lower slightly

[alexkarliychuk]

Good tips, Blake, thank you! Glad to see that you have not only mountain bike but mountain car also! =)

[gibbykirwan]

Matched portable pressure washer is awesome for leaving the mud in the carpark 😁

[jamiehoskin]

keep up the good videos I like winter as well

[Falconxw]

This has got to be the first channel I've been on where there is no (noticeable) trolling or general fuckery. cent channel with decent fans! Tip of the hat to ya all!

[AlektronPrime]

Ha! Nice Jeep Blake! Very similar, I just prefer windstopper gloves as they keep a bit warmer when wet and thin rain jackets, buff around the neck. Glasses and goggles fog up quickly for me so often they are off (70-30% ratio).
Warm spare clothes for afterwards of course and heated car seats :)
Great vid!