As we roll into the season of crisp mornings and face rain that can be anywhere from light drizzle to solid drenching, it’s a time when making some extra preparation for the ride – and the weather – is well worth the effort.
Gearing Up
Tip #1: Check the weather before you ride. Sounds obvious, but when the rest of the year presents fairly mild weather on the regular, a little reminder to check the forecast doesn’t hurt.
Tip #2: “See and be seen.” A quality reflective rain jacket in light or bright colors, gloves, and reflective stickers on your helmet all contribute to enhancing your visibility. Likewise: you may want to double up your bike lights in the winter months to shine extra-bright when it rains and on those early sun-setting winter evenings.
Tip #3: Rain covers - for you and your bike - are good investments for late fall / winter biking.
Tip #4: If you have storage options on your bike, packing a spare top and pants in gallon Ziplock bags (or another plastic bag) can save you from spending a day working in cold, wet clothes if the outer rain gear doesn’t quite do the job. Same goes for other items you take by bike (read: your laptop). Better safe in a plastic bag than sorry.
Winter Riding Tips
Bike education opportunities are available all over the Bay Area.
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) offers free classes to support riders at every level of experience.
If you live in Alameda or Contra Costa County, Bike East Bay offers year-round classes and events.
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition also offers classes, both in-person and online.
Just Keep Pedaling
It’s natural to want to jump off the bike when it gets cold, dark, and/or rainy. The allure of staying inside a car and avoiding the challenges of winter riding is strong. I, too, have those moments where I want the comfort and convenience of taking the car to work, the store, library, and to meet friends for coffee with the heater running full blast.
Here's the reality of what happens when I choose the car over bicycling:
• I still get rained on going to and from my destination
• My frustration levels rise trying to find a place to park
• Often, by the time I go through all the motions of getting into the car, driving in the rain (usually with traffic since that’s what rain is good at creating), finding parking, walking to my destination, and then returning to the car and driving in traffic again, I’ve spent MORE time than if I had just biked to my destination.
You can do this! We're here to support all who work in Stanford Research Park and bike. Please send any of your biking-related questions or concerns anytime to our team at: SRPGObikes@stanford.edu.