Buffalo winters don’t scare bicyclists

By Darius Crolle and Shavella Saint Preux
Bengal News West Reporters

          Fall is coming to an end and cyclists, like motorists, are preparing their rides for this upcoming winter. 

Biking in Buffalo has become a major phenomenon lately and the bikers don’t seem to be intimidated by the extreme weather during the winter, as long as they are properly prepared. 
“Biking in the winter is definitely possible and is done every year by numerous bikers,” said Tony Mueckl, sales manager and buyer at Campus Wheelworks  bike shop, 744 Elmwood Ave.  

            However, without the proper preparation and tutelage, winter biking can become an arduous task. First and foremost, choosing the right bike is essential to the preparation process. 

According to Muecki, some of the most efficient bikes for the winter include the cyclocross,  mountain, and the newly designed fatbikes. The fatbikes stand out because of their unusually large tires. 
Matt Dunning, on winter bicycling:

          “The new fatbikes are great with riding in the snow because how flat and wide the tires are,” said Nate Hill, a bike mechanic and member of GObike Buffalo.

          These bikes, however, come at a costly price. Some of the fatbikes can equal the cost of a motor vehicle, ranging anywhere between $1,500 and $3,000.

Hill also teaches after-school biking lessons at various elementary schools on the West Side, including, D’Youville Porter Campus and Herman Badillo Billingual Academy.

          Keeping your bike well maintained is another prerequisite for riding in the winter.

          “You have to make sure you keep your bike clean by greasing it and lubricating it, if not, the salt will definitely ruin your bike,” said Muecki, who has biked through the winter for the last four years.

GObike Buffalo offers workshops on how to properly prepare and maintain your bike through the fall and winter. Workshops are held every Sunday at GObike's  center, 98 Colvin Ave.

Although the proper bike maintenance is an important factor for those who choose to ride in the winter, it is also very important that riders themselves adjust to the inclement conditions. Moreover, there are certain useful techniques one needs to know when riding bikes on slick, icy roads. Body control, for one, is a way of preventing the dangers of falling off the bike.

“It’s important that you keep yourself loose and not stiffen up when riding over icy roads. If you stay loose, the bike just does its thing and you keep going,” said Matt Dunning, an avid cycler and employee at Campus Wheelworks,  who has biked through many winters.

For some, biking through a cold Buffalo winter may seem intimidating and precarious. Simply bundling with heavy jackets, scarfs, gloves and hats may seem logical. However, contrary to popular belief, undressing is sometimes better for those who bike through the winter. More specifically, fleeces and fitted thermal gear may be more preferable than a bulky winter jacket.

          “Usually you want to wear thinner clothing like a fleece because of how warm you will get from the peddling. You don’t want to end up too hot. If you dress for the right weather you will be fine,” Mueckl said.

Safety concerns, like riding with the traffic in the street, may seem more dangerous in the winter because of the icy roads. Nonetheless, riding with the traffic in the winter can be much easier than what people may think.

           “From my experience, drivers are actually a little more careful of cyclists in the winter,” Dunning said.

The new sharrow lanes that are present on numerous streets on the West Side and across the city  have also played a major role in people’s ability to bike through the winter safely. The sharrow lanes, which are used to delineate the given space between car traffic and bikers are very useful and provide bikers with their own single lane to occupy.  This single lane, though, isn’t always respected and is sometimes disregarded by drivers who aren’t aware of their significance. Hill mentioned the importance of educating car drivers on how to properly share the road with bikers.

          “I think it’s important that they are educated on how to drive with bikers and how bikers do have the right to ride along with the traffic,” he said. “Some drivers are simply not aware and are upset when they see a biker riding their bikes alongside of them.”