I’ve lived in Madison off and on since August of 1993 and, with the exception of that first winter (I moved here from Texas via New Mexico); I have biked through the winters here. When I arrived, I was completely ignorant of all things winter and of all things bicycle commuting. I started from scratch and made my way completely on my own. It wasn’t until many years later that I ever took a class on bicycle commuting or talked to another bicyclist about winter tips and tricks. As such, I feel like I’m something of a self-taught expert on winter biking.

Here’s a quick course on making it through winter on your bike:

1. Clothing: If you live in Wisconsin and you ever go outside in winter, you have all of the clothing that you need to ride your bicycle in winter. You can buy fancy gear, but you don't have to. What goes for ice skating or skiing or ice fishing or walking the dog goes the same for biking: dress in layers and remember that cotton kills. Basically, what you will discover is that, after five minutes of bicycling, you will be much warmer than you expected. You may even start to sweat. Don’t overdress. Dressing in layers will allow you to adapt if you over estimated your clothing. Synthetic fabric or wool will keep you warm when sweaty.

Key body parts to protect while winter bicycling are your hands, feet, and face. It seems that people’s sensitivity in these zones is very personal, and preferences for how to cover the areas vary widely. However you deal with these three areas, don’t take them for granted.

I find that there are temperature breaks where I need to increase my protection. Roughly, for me (it may be different for you), those breaks are at:
a. Below 75, light jacket
b. Below 50, medium jacket and maybe gloves
c. Below 35, heavy jacket, gloves, a scarf, and ear warmers
d. Below 20, same as 35 but add long johns
e. Below 10, same as 20 but wind proof over-pants, extra shirt and heavier gloves, scarf, and ear warmers (I’ll often exchange ear warmers for a full head cover)
f. Below 0…this is when I start thinking about taking the bus, but I believe that heartier souls could safely bike below this temperature.

It should go without saying that you should always wear a bicycle helmet when riding. If you fall off of your chair at dinner and hit your head on the floor, it can kill you or give you permanent brain damage. Add in speed and cars…and for $25 and helmet hair, why risk it?

2. Eyes: When you are riding a bike your eyes are exposed to all kinds of debris which only gets worse in the winter. It’s a good idea to wear glasses or goggles to protect your eyes. You may even want to carry sunglasses with you, as the glare off of snow can sometimes be blinding. You’ll soon learn that preventing your glasses from fogging is a key pastime of the winter bicyclist.

3. Visibility: In the winter it gets dark earlier and stays dark longer. If you bike during traditional commuting hours, you’ll likely be biking to and from work in the dark. In the winter, motorists’ view of the road is often impaired by a combination of darkness, precipitation, and poorly cleared windshields. It is important to be visible. It’s a good idea to wear reflective materials and to have both a front and rear light (a front white light is required by state law, along with a red rear reflector). A great line of bicycle lights are distributed by a company headquartered in Madison, Planet Bike (they donate more than 25% of their profits to bike advocacy too).

4. Traction: Conventional wisdom on tires in the winter is varied. Some people prefer slick tires to cut through snow to pavement, others swear by big knobby mountain bike tires. I’ve settled into a having a studded mountain bike tire on the front wheel and a regular mountain bike tire on the back. The studs keep me from slipping on ice, and unless the snow is really deep, the mountain bike tread can handle it. I biked for many winter without a studded tire, though, and plenty of people don't use them.

My personal comfort level keeps me off the roads directly after a significant snowfall or when the roads are particularly icy. Mostly, I do this because I do not trust auto drivers to control their vehicles in these conditions. I’ll walk, take the bus, or stay home. Everyone has to make that call for themselves.

5. Fuel: Like any kind of exercise, eat before you’re hungry and drink before your thirsty. It is easy to get dehydrated in the winter and not realize it. It doesn’t have to be warm outside to sweat.

6. Skills: The most important thing about bicycle commuting in the winter is learning the proper vehicular cycling skills. You have to be confident riding your bicycle in traffic in order to be able to safely ride your bicycle in traffic when the weather is poor. The League of American Bicyclists have folks all over the country teaching classes, but the main thing is to follow all traffic laws, ride in the same direction with traffic, and practice riding in a straight line and checking over your shoulder for traffic behind you. Practice in good weather so you will be ready when it gets nasty.

Not everyone is interested in commuting by bicycle all winter long, but I think that it is far less unpleasant than most people believe. It is a great way to keep exercising all year long and I like keeping connected to the goings on outside too. Besides, it really is fun, and in so many ways, easier than driving to work in the nasty weather.

For more ideas on biking through winter, visit the Bike Winter website.