bruised

I ride regularly at the local State Park here in Fish Creek WI, mostly solo and often in the dark. It's always on my mind to be careful, given the consequences of having an accident and being unable to ride back to my car.

Yesterday I rode a new trail down in Green Bay - Baird Creek. I wasn't at all concerned as it's a fairly short trail and it runs close by housing on the City limits. But I got a flavor of what can go wrong when riding in Winter.

It was a cool day, minus 24F with the windchill, give or take. The temp in the car was at 7 degrees when I pulled up, and there was a brisk/strong wind blowing around. About an hour into the ride my chain broke. No big deal. I had a chain tool so I pushed the bike a couple hundred yards to a rail track and set about the repair. After less than a minute with my gloves off my fingers were frozen. I got enough warmth back into my hands but whilst doing so I could feel my core temp dropping quite rapidly. I was a little wet as I'd chosen to ride with a cycling jacket, which I don't ordinarily do.

After fumbling around for a few minutes I began to realize that this wasn't the best approach. So I stuffed the chain and tools into my gear pack and took off jogging alongside the train tracks, pushing the 40 LB Fat Bike along as best I could. I didn't know the area at all, I was pretty sure I was headed in the right direction on the tracks, but when I'd been jogging for 30 minutes or so I thought perhaps I'd gone too far. I knew I needed to turn off the tracks and cut through the park and across the creek to get back to the car, but I didn't think it was more than a mile or two. Whipping out my iPhone to consult Google Maps didn't work - the iPhone was frozen and wouldn't power up!

Anyway, I kept heading north and made it back to the car in one piece.

Had this happened on my regular ride in the park, it could have ended worse. The deep-woods sections I ride are remote and a good distance from the parking lots, 5 or 6 miles or more depending on the route.

So it's got me thinking seriously about the type of riding I do, and the time of day that I like to ride. Also, I'm thinking I should have a thermal blanket or some such device to keep me warm should I have an accident and be unable to walk out of the Park.

Does anyone ride in similar circumstances? If so, I'd be curious to know your thoughts and what precautions you take.

Happy New Year and stay warm/safe!

ol geezer

I'm really glad this episode turned out well for you. Here in Northern Virginia, it just doesn't get that cold so I have no experience riding in (what we would call) extreme conditions.

As a backpacker and winter camper, though, I've been out in overnight temps as low as zero-ish. I am very conscious of the amount of weight I carry but I always ALWAYS carry a space blanket and 2-3 of those chemical heat packs for each night I'm out. For cycling in your conditions, this might be a low-volume, low-weight thing to try. I'd look for the larger sized heat packs that self-adhere to your clothing (never directly to your skin - those things get HOT). It also just occurred to me that if you're having to use your hands for a bike repair, the hand warmer sized chem packs might be a good idea, too.

wolfchild

I never go in the woods without some type of a knife and a fire starter.

ThermionicScott 

The most dangerous thing that has happened to me so far this winter is almost crashing into a closed gate on the trail after spacing out.

PaulRivers

Wow, I've...never seen a phone freeze and not work before. I don't know if phones are designed to work when they're cold, but I know they're designed to not break because they get cold (would be a lot more expensive to ship them if they had to be kept above freezing).

If something like that happened again, remember that your body produces heat and put your phone next to your body to warm it up - inside pocket of a jacket, pants pockets, anywhere next to a large area of your body.

This article shows the iPhone being the first to wonk out at temps below freezing:
Sub-Zero Weather: Can Your Smartphone Stand The Cold? | TechHive

I've always relied on a combination of carrying a cell phone, and that my body produces heat as long as I'm moving so I figured worst case I could jog out and produce enough heat where I might be uncomfortable but not in any danger.

bikemig 

I ride with a pannier in the winter where I carry xtra warm clothes. But I'm not anywhere quite as remote as you describe.

auldgeunquers

No ... worst case involves not being able to jog out. Chains aren't the only things that can break.

Cel. phones make for a great safety net these days, but it was one that failed in the case of the OP. You need to find a way to keep the phone functioning. Keeping it closer to your core, as PaulRivers suggests is great advice - as long as it works. If you are going to be out in the woods at night in winter alone, you want a reliable phone for worst case - you need someone to find you before the cold gets you. If you cant find a way to get yours to be reliable, I'd say it's time for an upgrade.

Also not a bad idea to let someone know where you are going to be and when you expect to be back. Redundancy is good. Make sure that worst case is covered several ways - hate to have only one safety net and have that one fail you.

Other good advice above too. Basically, the longer you're planning to be out and the more isolated you are going to be, the more important it is that you can survive being out longer than planned - like overnight. Space blanket, chemical heat, knife, fire - all good advice, and not much added weight in that list. If wieght is not as big a factor ... add another layer or two of warm to the pack/pannier - like a fleece layer, and something waterproof and windproof, and a pair of mitts. They also make tube-tents from that space blanket material that are about the same size in the pack as a space blanket.

Oh yeah - and a paper map and compass & not the compass app - this is in case the phone is one of the things broken, eh?

Anyways - glad you were paying attention. Have fun, and don't make us have to come looking for you.

PaulRivers

I wasn't very clear in my post, if I could move I could jog out, if I couldn't my cell phone was backup. I actually carry it while mountain biking in a hard sided case in my seat bag, because I also figured if I got in a wreck my back pocket was a great place to break both my cell phone and myself at the same time leaving me with no way to call 911.

A cell phone freezing and not working is not something I had not considered before though...

bruised

Thanks for the comments and ideas, guys.

On the cellphone issue, that's pretty much been a constant since the temps dropped below 20F a few weeks back. At minus 24 I was pretty much expecting that it wouldn't work, and it didn't.

Oddly enough, the error message shows an image of a thermostat and the text says something like 'sorry, you will need to wait for your phone to cool down before you can use it'...ha...like 20 below isn't cool enough for an iPhone

I've found that sticking the phone under my armpit (don't laugh....it's warm and I can hold it there and still use my hands) takes around 12 - 15 minutes before it comes back online. Which is pretty poor.....I could be close to hypothermia by then if I were incapacitated and the temps were as severe as they were on New Year's Eve's ride.

So I'm going to look at finding a thermal blanket and carrying a lighter/fuel where I can at least get a fire lit while I wait for the phone to 'cool down', assuming I can't walk out of the woods.

Hydration is another issue, since even with hot water in an insulated bottle, it's frozen solid after 3 hours or so.

The issue which I really underestimated is cold hands. They're pretty much useless for repairing anything 'delicate' in severe temps. I could probably repair a flat, but messing with chain links and pins just isn't possible.

As I said, I wasn't in any danger on the New Year's Eve ride as I was close by housing, but when I'm up North in the State Parks it's a different matter.

On a lighter note, those chains sure do go out with a bang when they snap under tension - turn your speakers up and have a listen:

FrankHudson

I've heard other MN winter riders report that iPhone "overheating" message due to cold as well.

I haven't done Winter trail riding, but I carry usually my phone in an inside pocket a layer or so away from my core body and inside the windproof layer. It's toasty in there.

My phone's fairly rugged. If I wiped out, I doubt I'd even break the screen, even if I fell and landed on that pocket area--which is unlikely from the falls I've had--phones generally work with a cracked screen anyway.

Since I'm not out in the woods (urban winter rider) my B plan if I get a flat or mechanical breakdown in 0 degree F temps is: walk if it's a short distance, "the call of shame" or mass transit/cab if it's a longer distance. Even in bike clothes, walking will keep me warmer than waiting for a bus.

If it was really a wilderness trail ride, there are already some good tips here I'd think. It's no different than hiking, even if you can travel faster/farther with working bike than a hiker, you in the same straights when you don't have a working bike. And if you are far enough out or not oriented to where safety is, you may have to shelter in place.

Willbird

Yea I had never apparently hit the 32F limit on my Iphone until just recently...it was a surprise when it did that the first time.

I use the chemical toe warmers on my feet, I have been wondering if one could keep the Iphone functioning, they say they run about 100F when they are operating. I just started putting the phone in a ziplock and inserting it under some layers, has worked fine so far.

bruised

I suppose one could keep the screen on permanently. Maybe that would consume enough watts to stop the thing from freezing up. Though I doubt it somehow.( Then there's the battery drain to consider). I suppose sticking a toe warmer on the back of the phone could work, too

StephenH

Long ago, when we lived in Colorado, I got started hiking in the mountains. One bit of advice I read over and over was "Never hike alone!" Unfortunately, this advice failed to indicate who I should hike with. So I did a LOT of solo hiking and solo snowshoeing.

Yes, there is some extra hazard. I tried to prepare as best I could, took as much extra clothing as I could reasonably carry, took the fire-starters and all that. And I limited where I went. An avalanche beacon doesn't do much good if nobody misses you until the next day, so I tried to take some extra precautions on stuff like that. Of course, I always had map and compass along (no cell phone, no internet).

Do you ever do cold-weather car-camping? That kind of experience can help in getting used to doing stuff (lighting fires, staying warm) and you can still hop in your car and go home if it all goes wrong.

With the phone, maybe put it in a baggie and keep it next to your skin?

Willbird

that was kind of what I was thinking, stick it on the back :-)

Juha

I've read of iPhone warranty service denied because the phone had been used below 0C. Which would basically render all iPhone warranty null and void around here as our weather regularly drops below that for months. It's not clear if that kind of limitation to the warranty is even legal... below 0C can be considered normal conditions where I live.

As for OP, I suggest a more rugged phone for your trips. I got a Samsung Xcover 271 for emergency use on XC skiing trips, paddling tours and whatnot. I pretty much never use it otherwise. It's old but very reliable as a phone. It's not "smart" by any stretch of imagination, but it works in cold, it's (barely) usable with gloves, it's IP rated for water immersion and the battery lasts for ages. It's still a good idea to carry it close to your body to maximize battery life and to make sure it's within your reach in an emergency. There are other similar devices from other brands, and Samsung even makes rugged smart phones. Their battery life sucks though, from what I hear.

--J

chadwick

I live in rural Colorado and have had to learn the hard way, more than once, to be extra careful on solo excursions, even close to home.

In my first season riding a fat bike in the winter here I was riding along a XC ski trail, groomed, in a new subdivision along a major US highway, maybe only 2 miles from my house. It was a relatively warm and sunny day, maybe 30º F, so I was dressed for those conditions. Along the trail I came to an intersection with another and immediately plunged through the snow, into some ice, through the ice, and into knee-deep icy water.

Apparently, that intersection of the trail gathers snow melt underneath the snow pack and it was warm enough to be liquid underneath. I had no idea. The 2 mile journey home was agonizing, and by the time I got there and in the shower (maybe 15 minutes?) I couldn't feel my toes anymore and they were very blue. No damage in the end, but eye opening to know just how dangerous it can be when the temperatures are below freezing.

After that, I started carrying an extra pair of socks, gloves, and hand/toe warmers in my gear pack. They don't take up much space but can save my bacon if another incident occurs.

Outside of that incident, I ride a lot on the summer MTB trails and forest service roads up here that are also used for snowmobiling. A normal route is a good 10-15 mile ride up and into the forest and near the ski resort. I frequently will not see a soul on these rides outside of the trailhead. Since the start of the ride is usually going uphill (starting at say 9000 ft and ending up at 10k to 11k ft depending upon my route), and then returning is downhill, I have to be extra careful about how I handle clothing, as there's a huge difference between in physical exertion and wetness in those situations.

As more time has passed (I'm in my 3rd season up here now), the more I appreciate how dangerous these conditions are and how much more I need to prepare. An "hour workout" doesn't seem risky and yet sometimes I am going places where it would take 3-4 hours to hike out if I had a problem with the bike (post-hole hiking sucks). I haven't done it yet, but considered packing snow shoes with my pack just in case. At some point it seems ridiculous how much gear and weight you'd wind up carrying though.

As far as the phone, I've had great luck keeping my iPhones warm. I put them in a plastic ziplock to keep out condensation and usually keep them in my inner breast pocket (my winter jerseys tend to have those). That keeps them warm and functional. I also tend to ride with an extra portable battery for the longer rides in winter, since battery life can be a real issue in the cold and in places with intermittent cellular signal.

intransit1217

This is not helping my already accumulating reasons not to ride in the winter and making me think getting the roadbike sorted and buying a trainer would have been a better idea.

bruised

Nah. Don't let it put you off, just use the info to get better prepared. Cycling isn't really renowned for its safety aspect anyway. You could get hit by a car coming out of your own driveway on a warm summer's day (I know this as it almost happened to me!).

My OP wasn't intended to scare people, just to get folks thinking a bit more about the risks. All that's been said here is useful, and as 'chadwick' points out above, it doesn't cost a great deal in terms of additional weight to prepare for when things might go wrong.

Leebo

Couple of thoughts. I too do some solo winter mt biking. Thermos of hot chocolate. Works well. Carry a lighter plus 1 extra layer to keep warm. Thin wool liner gloves under latex ones work well for some cold weather bike work. Sometimes an extra base layer to switch out with a wet one.

KenshiBiker

Most electronic devices aren't too happy below 0 deg F. It's one of the real downsides of digital photography. I remember taking my film cameras out to document work we were doing in December at Minot, ND. The sub-zero temps reduced the battery life considerably, but the cameras themselves functioned just fine (temps got down into the -20 to -40 range that year).

The use of chemical heat packs is a good one, as is keeping the phone next to your body. If your phone has a mini-audio jack, corded ear buds will allow you to use your phone while keeping it bundled up (especially if you have voice-activated dialing).

Also good idea about carrying a space blanket, change of socks and base layer.

Hezz

Thanks for telling us your story Bruised.

I've found that in situations like you were riding in there are certain realities. First you need a lot more insulation to stay warm when you stop and get off the bike in cold weather and you are sweating underneath. At 7F you can go into hypothermia real fast. Especially if you are fatiqued.

In my experience there are a few things that I would always carry with me when riding in those situations. Yes it's a little bit of weight but not more then 7-8 pounds.

1. Down or Primaloft parka with hood. You won't need it unless you have to stop and do repairs. But if you do it's absolutely necessary.

2. Windproof pant shell to put over winter riding tights.

3. Thick wool fingerless gloves for doing repairs.

4. Pocket knife.

5. Lighter

6. Backpacking folding saw.

7. Vacuum flask water bottle in one cage or both cages. Carry warm water or tea to drink and warm up.

8. Something light to boil water in.

Burton

Sounds like all your riding kept you in pretty good shape - glad to hear things turned out OK for you.

Fortunately I haven't had to deal with any serious mechanical issues myself but I do a complete drivetrain inspection and cleaning once a month and have caught damaged links on occasion.

No remote rides for me but the usual outing is a 25km round trip anyway and I did find its a good idea to bring extra gloves and insulating layers to change into when the others get wet.

Batteries all lose capacity in cold weather and the iPhone battery is pretty small to start off with so I picked up a couple mophie juice pack PROs a while back. It helps but it's still critical to keep the phone warm inside your coat - the extra mass and battery capacity just buys you some time to actually expose the phone to sub zero temperatures long enough to use it.

A thermos of hot water is something I usually carry when travelling but not around town. Do you think soaking that area of the chain in hot water before trying to rejoin then might have sucked less heat out of your hands?

Campagnono

In far Eastern Siberia I once had a broken chain on my beach cruiser, 90km from the nearest road, 20km from the nearest trail, white out blizzard conditions, -30 C. When the chain popped I felt stupid for only wearing bib shorts and summer gloves.

I had to kill a bear with my bare hands and fabricate a quick link from a few of it's orbital and inner ear bones. I also built a coke smelt and forged by own steel from some decent ore I mined from a nearby cliff face using the bear's femur as a shovel.

From there it was only a 70km ride through fresh snow to the Bering Strait, where I saw a Korean crabbing boat about 20km offshore. I have 20/2 vision, some people say I'm lucky. I am a strong swimmer and speak fluent Korean, so I just strapped the bike to my back using some frozen kelp and sinew from a dead walrus (also killed bare handed) and swam out to the boat for the ride back to Seoul. The vegan kim chi was incredible.

More stories!!!

tarwheel 

If I lived somewhere with snow and consistently cold weather, I would take up cross country skiing in winter. Seems like there would much less chances of equipment failure, and it's an excellent workout.

i get your points, though, and have had comparable experiences backpacking and hiking in winter. It's scary how quickly your hands lose functionality when they get cold.

2manybikes

I did that yesterday.