Winter Riding - Prepare To Ride Outside In Any Weather

Even in a cold and snowy Canadian winter, riding outside is still an option.  Sometimes, you just need to get some fresh air and enjoy the outdoors.  
 

As the days get shorter and colder, riding outside becomes a bit more challenging but it's still possible.  So, let's get started.

 

 

 

Back  in May, we were watching one of the early spring classic bike races overseas back in the spring and the racers were faced with cool, rainy weather.  One of the race commentators quoted one of the racers off the front, a guy who didn't appear bothered by the cold, wet conditions:   "There is no such thing as bad weather for riding, only bad clothing choices."

 

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Fall  Riding In Three Steps 1.   Dress for it     Jacket These are the three jackets you need in your arsenal in order to be prepared to ride in just about anything.  With any of these, make sure you consider visibility and reflective details in order to be seen.     1.    Light Wind Layer           In this category, you should have a both a jacket and a vest.  Look for super light, packable pieces that you can stuff in a pocket and carry with you on those days when weather conditions might be change while you are still out there. Every run and cycling clothing brand makes one of these and we'll all need to pull them out now if we haven't already. 2.   Lightweight membrane jacket.       Look for a jacket that can stand up to actual rain. Waterproof breathable membrane jackets that keep you drier will go a long way to keeping you warmer as well.  Consider a jacket like the Garneau Commit jacket which also has a high degree of stretch.  This allows for layering as well as great freedom of movement without excess bulk. 3.   Softshell Jacket This is a heavier weight jacket with thermal protection and a water resistant coating.  Again, there are lots of players in this category.  Personally, I don't go quite this far:  if it's cold enough out there to warrant this level of protection, I'm probably riding indoors.  But most of you are tougher than me so go find yourself a winter jacket already!  If you are really serious about a jacket just for riding and not a multi-purpose piece, you can spend upwards of $400 to $500 but the Garneau Enerblock jacket be under $170 and will handle just about anything you can handle. Pants And Leggings I'd include knee-warmers and leg-warmers in this category:  basically, cover up and keep your legs insulated from cold and wet.  Look for wind resistant finishes as well as the level of thermal protection that you need.  As temperature changes, I approach this in 3 stages: Stage 1 - End of summer, beginning of fall when, I'll start by wearing knee warmers with my usual shorts or I'll switch to knicker length bike pants.   Stage 2 - When temperatures fall a little further, I'll go to a full leg-warmer.  But when temperatures fall enough that I start to fill chilly in any areas where I'm only wearing one layer of lycra, I move to stage 3. Stage 3 - Full on thermal tights.   In this stage, I usually wear regular bike shorts underneath an unpadded tight but padded full length tights are an option. Socks & Shoe Covers Again, I do this one in a few stages, starting with just adding toewarmers, then moving to full on shoe cover.  As temperatures continue to fall, I move to thermal weight full shoe covers and switch to socks with at least some merino wool.  Gloves For me, one of the most challenging things about cold weather riding is sorting out how to keep my hands warm so I approach this in a few stages as well.   Stage 1 - When temperatures are still above zero (Celsius), it's still easy.  For 10-15C, I normally just add a light liner weight glove underneath an slightly too big or stretched out pair of regular bike gloves.   Stage 2 - When temperatures fall to single digits, I'll add a heavier, light thermal weight glove. And finally, stage 3 - For full on freezing temperatures (or even anything below 5C with with some wind), I go to a full on heavy weight thermal glove with wind and weather protection.  Anything below that, it's full on lobster gloves or staying inside and riding the trainer.  I admit to being a bit of  a baby when it comes to keeping my hands warm.  I'll almost always have heavier gloves or mitts on than just about anyone I ride with.   2.   Prepare Your Bike Lights For Front & Back We are always prepared, even in the summer months, with small front and rear lights on our bikes.  The accepted protocol is to run white lights on the front, red lights on the back. In the summer months when we are riding solely in daylight hours, we'll still mount small but nicely bright little lights on our handlebars and seatpost. It's not uncommon for us to use the rear lights in the summer, especially when riding on busier roads or highways.  These lights aren't for illumination, just to make us more visible. When days get shorter, it starts to get a little darker by the time we finish our rides so we'll start switching our front lights out to something that provides a little more fire power and can add a little spotlight on the road ahead of us. For full-on fall and winter riding where we'll be riding in the dark, lighting options start to get really fun. Lighting has become less expensive, lighter weight and with more rechargeable options. It's easier than ever to put together a simple, effective and inexpensive lighting solution to meet all your riding needs. Change Your Tires If your fork accommodates wider, plumper tires, now is the time to put them on if you haven't already.  A plumper tire and one with a more aggressive tread will handle a little snow, wet and gravel.   Assess The Need For Different Lube. There are two things here to consider:  drive train lubrication and frame protection.  With changing winter conditions, you might want to have both a colder weather and wet weather drive train lubes handy so you always have what you need.   Some lubricants do a great job in a wider range of weather conditions and some of them promise to penetrate deeper and to clean and protect.  You might pay more for a good quality lube but the extra durability should pay off in harsher weather.  And if you are riding any of the Edmonton bike paths, you will have noticed the the City started spraying those roads with a solution with calcium chloride.  This solution helped keep the bikeways clear of snow but it left a wet green-tinted residue that got into the bike's drive train.  The City claims the solution includes a corrosion inhibitor but the safe option would be to try to clean your chain frequently.  The safe pre-ride option is to use a protective lubricant (like Boeshield T-9) before you ride.      And to protect your frame and all the other metal bits on your bike, keeping it clean is always the best suggestion but some protective lubricants can also be used on the frame. Again, Boeshield T-9 will provide a durable, waterproof protection layer on any metal surface, frame included.  For winter riding, it is important to show your bike some love:  clean and protect it as often as needed. 3.   Just Go Out And Ride Already It's just that easy!  It might not be fun every single ride but then we have those days in the summer where on even the nicest sunny day, we're just not feeling it.   Give winter riding a chance and you might find that the winter doesn't feel so long after all.

Triathlon Wetsuits & Swimskin 411 - Some Basics To Get You Started

Whether you plan to buy or rent, it's good to know what the product options are.
 

 

At Element, all of our staff are or were actively competing triathletes. We help you from start to finish:  size selection, how to properly put on the suit and how to care for it after you get it home.

 

Wetsuits

A triathlon wetsuit is different from a wetsuit made for other aquatic sports. This suit will fit like a second skin but is must still give your arms full range of motion for efficient swimming.  As well, many wetsuits are designed to give you buoyancy support to help your body position in the water.  In fact, a lot of triathletes count on the wetsuit for that as much as for thermal protection.  Regardless, in most open water swim triathlons in western Canada, you can count on needing a wetsuit, with lake water temperatures rarely exceeding 70F.  Brrrrrrr.

Things to look for in a triathlon wetsuit:

1.   Fit.

2.  Quality of materials.  Look for things like Yamamoto or Greengoma neoprene, YKK zippers, SCS coating, a variety of thicknesses of neoprene in different areas.

3.   Warranty    

4.   Fit, again, it is critical!  

But, all those things aside, if you don't put on your wetsuit correctly, it will not perform as well as it could and you will not be able to perform to your best potential.  Either you will find your mobility is restricted unnecessarily, or you may find water pooling in some areas of the suit when it shouldn't. And, yes, while we do sell wetsuits on our website, we highly recommend trying them on in person in-store.  Trying it on is the only way to really know if any wetsuit is the right one for you.  Come in, try on the best two suits we have in stock in your price range, and get it right the first time!  Different brands of wetsuits may be better suited to different body types, so don't be swayed by what your friends say or all the online marketing about the "fastest suit"...whether it is your coach, best buddy and training partner, or a pro athlete (especially one that gets paid to wear the suit).  The best suit will be the one that fits you the best. 

 Swimskins

The swimskin is a newer piece of equipment in triathlon, but for they've become almost required equipment in non-wetsuit swims since around 2007.  They certainly existed prior to 2007 but it was in 2007 that it became apparent that the triathlon world had fully embaced swimskins as a piece of essential equipment. 

A swimskin a smaller, thinner and non-buoyant replacement for a wetsuit that is worn over a race kit (ITU has some limitations on this general statement) when the water is too warm for a wetsuit (by USAT standards for age-groupers, 78 degrees).  A swimskin is designed to be very snug and worn only during the swim leg.  It enhances speed through the water despite lacking buoyancy by compressing the body and creating minimal friction with the passing water.  The swimskin provides a solution to maintain speed and hydrodynamics in the water while wearing a bulkier (read: not completely skin-tight) tri kit.  You should note that some races do not allow swimskins for non-wetsuit swims.  Under certain rules (ITU), whatever is worn in a non-wetsuit swim must be worn for the rest of the race.  In this case, there is often a trisuit version of the swimskin. Where a swimskin has no cycling pad, the trisuit version may have a pad and it may also have strategic inserts of more breathable fabrics for athlete comfort in hot weather racing.

Only a few races, like Ironman Hawaii, are always a non-wetsuit swim.  Here in Canada, a very popular race like the Kelowna Apple Triathlon has been declared a non-wetsuits swim a few times in recent years but it is still a rare race in this part of the world where the open water venue is warm enough that wetsuits aren't allowed.  But. the bottom line is that, if you race a lot especially in southern climates, you should consider having a swimskin for those destination races or for those just-in-case scenarios.  Before you decide to use one in a race, weigh the costs and benefits: Will the water temperature be cool enough? Is it more beneficial to wear a wetsuit?  Consider the length of the swim leg and estimate if the time gained by wearing a swimskin will outweigh the time spent removing it in transition as removing one takes at least 15 seconds.

In the end, fit and comfort are most important when picking a suit. If the swimskin fits correctly and does not restrict or impede your ability to swim, it will probably save a little time and energy. These suits are available on order only at this time. Due to very low demand, swimskins are often only available on custom order in our store, not in stock all the time.

 

Brands and Materials

For the 2018 race season, we are continuing to sell wetsuits from Zone 3, 2XU and DeSoto.  Given that there are only a handful of different materials used to make triathlon wetsuits, suits from different manufacturers are more similar than they are different.  It makes sense, then, to choose your wetsuit on how it fits you (and your budget) more than any other factor.    

And let's talk about materials a little more.  For the past 15+ years, Yamamoto has been the material most commonly used in top end triathlon suits and it has definitely delivered from a performance and durability perspective.  It stands to reason, though, as prices start to creep up on suits made from Yamamoto material, that there other comparable products would make their way to market.   De Soto switched to Greengoma a few years ago and their suits perform just as well as they always have. Greengoma is a limestone based rubber (as compared to a petroleum base used in all other materials used in triathlon wetsuits).  One of the motivations in migrating to the use of Greengoma rubber was to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the manufacturing process. 

Features and Marketing

Arms Up Design

Many brands will tout certain features as being either beneficial to your swim in some way and as being unique to their own design. The "arms up" feature is one of these. Some brands are promoting this as a new feature for 2017/2018 but it has been around for a lot longer that just the past year.  DeSoto has built their suits like this since 1999 and others have followed similar designs. If you've tried on or swam in many suits in the past 20 years, you will notice that none of them are designed to easily allow your arms to comfortably remain down and beside your torso.  

Zippers

In triathlon wetsuits, you'll see standard zippers that zip from the bottom up most commonly. However, you will also see zippers that run top down and breakaway zippers that pull apart quickly and easily with a quick tug.  Realistically, you're often undoing your suit as you exit the water and you'll be dealing with the zipper while you are on the run, the true multi-tasker that you are. While some zipper designs might help you get out of your wetsuit a few seconds faster, this might not be a feature that should be a deciding factor when buying a wetsuit.  

Graphics

Obviously, if the choice is between a plain black suit and something with a little more visual appeal and flashier graphics and colour, many of us might prefer something a little more striking.  But graphics don't make you faster. Proper fit is more important to your overall swim performance and comfort.