Below-zero bicycling

Whole Earth Review, Wntr, 1989 by Alys Culhane

Below-Zero Bicycling

SINCE THE LATE 1970s and the advent of mountain biking, winter riding has become an increasingly popular activity in interior Alaska, where the temperature for six months of the year is often below freezing. The use of bicycles for winter travel isn't new, though. In the late 1800s during the Gold Rush era, numerous individuals bicycled from Whitehorse, Yukon Teritory, and from Skagway and Valdez, Alaska, to the Klondike and Nome goldfields.

Not having today's high-tech mountain bikes, these stalwart wheelmen pedaled havey onespeed bicycles with wooden rims. They traveled with minimal gear, and stayed at roadhouses located about ten miles apart. There they were provided with lodging and food. (The personal accounts of several of these riders are included in Terrence Cole's book Wheels on Ice: Bicycling in Alaska, 1898-1908. Anchorage: Northwest Publishing, 1985.)

My initiation into the sport of winter off-road riding was more gradual. For several years I was a cold-weather commuter. In Fairbanks' extremely cold temperatures it was easier to start my bicycle than my truck. It was primarily during these short, ten-mile round-trip jaunts that I learned what clothing worked best for me in sub-zero conditions.

I found that I preferred to wear a number of lightweight items rather than one or two bulky items because I could, depending on the temperature and wind, add or shed layers. Now whem commuting or trail riding, I wear a medium-weight long-sleeved polypropylene shirt next to my skin. (Polypropylene wicks out sweat and has some insulating properties.) Over this I wear either a wool sweater or pile jacket since both these materials are excellent insulators. My outer layer, a lightweight nylon jacket, has a 50-percent-cotton/50-percent-polyester liner. The jacket is both breathable and offers wind protection.

I also wear polypropylene long underwear, and a pair of polypropylene pants with a nylon shell over the front for wind protection. When it's 30[degrees] F or colder, I don a pair of medium-weight pile pants.

It's essential to keep the face, fingers and toes covered in below-zero temperatures because wind and cold will cause frostbite if the skin surface is left exposed. A neoprene, down, or wool face mask will provide adequate face protection. For eyeglass wearers, prescription goggles are a good investment, because with any conventional face covering, glasses will quickly fog up. Thinsulate gloves, or wool mittens with nylon or leather sheels, and a pair of loosing-fitting boots (preferably Thinsulate) are a must.

Loose-fitting boots won't hamper circulation and will allow you to wear a few pairs of socks. Alternating layers of polypropylene and wool socks have worked well for me. Overbooties made of a water-resistant material such as nylon or Gore-Tex will keep the feet dry when creek overflow is encountered. Antiperspirant put on the feet beforehand will also reduce sweat later on.

Since the body loses about 90 percent of its heath through the head, a warm hat is necessary. Mone (a Yazoo; $24 from R.E.I.), is made of Gore-Tex and lined with polar fleece. It also has flaps which, when fastened, protect my ears from the cold.

I didn't attempt any long trail rides until I was confident that I could keep warm for extended periods of time. Since my neighborhood is used heavily by dog mushers, skiers and snow-mobilers, it was inevitable that I take to the trails. In the colder months, many areas inaccessible by foot are accessible once the trails freeze over. In Alaska, the best riding trails are the ones that have been packed down by snowmobiles or dog teams -- more than a few inches of fresh snow makes riding difficult.

Letting air out of my tires makes it easier to ride on softer snow -- with less air I have a wider tread, so my wheels aren't as apt to sink into the trail. 2.2-inch Specialized Hardpacks are currently the widest mountain bike tire available. Wider rims also make riding easier. I found gluing my tires onto the rims so that the valve stems of the tubes won't shift and tear prevents flat. Naturally, lighter riders tend to sink less than heavier ones.

Although I've ridden at temperatures of -30[degrees] F and lower, I don't recommend this unless one adds a lightweight grease or oil to the bicycle's bearing compartments. At these temperatures the grease in the bicycle's headset, hubs, and bottom bracket freezes, and pedaling and steering become difficult.

Training for the Iditabike I used conventional water-bottle containers on the trails near my house, but during the race I carried water bottles wrapped in an old closed-cell foam (Ensolite) ground pad. While my insulated containers didn't freeze as quickly as the other riders' uninsulated ones, they still forze. I also carried these bottles in panniers, which meant I had to stop and remove them whenever I wanted a drink of water. Consequently, I didn't drink as much as I should have.

Many of the Iditabike competitors carried bottles which were held in place with chest harnesses. This system, while conveninent, also had its drawbacks. Many riders noted that the water froze in the straws. And in the 1989 Iditabike, at least two riders fell and coated themselves with cold water.