{"id":44686,"date":"2022-12-16T17:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=709671"},"modified":"2022-12-16T17:41:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T16:41:57","slug":"why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Why gravel riding is better than road cycling in winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Oscar Huckle\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 16 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Winter has arrived in earnest for many of us in the northern hemisphere, with temperatures plummeting below freezing paired with daily lashings of frost and the odd sprinkling of snow.<\/p>\n

Around my neck of the woods, the trails have been particularly muddy in recent weeks, but the arrival of frosty conditions has changed their characteristics for the better.<\/p>\n

I typically ride more on the road in the winter, because many of my local clay-based trails become boggy. It\u2019s never fun cleaning a bike<\/a> after every winter ride, let alone a mud-encrusted one.<\/p>\n

However, with the frosty and icy conditions, I\u2019ve left the road bike<\/a> stored comfortably inside to avoid the risk of slipping on black ice. Instead, I\u2019ve been upping the mileage on my gravel bike<\/a>, and loving every minute of it.<\/p>\n

Here are four reasons why you should follow my lead and head off-road when the temperatures plummet below freezing.<\/p>\n

Frozen mud = anything goes<\/h2>\n
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It\u2019s a relief not having to contend with copious amounts of mud.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Previously sloppy trails take on a totally different character once frozen, and cold weather means you can ride trails you would typically avoid when they\u2019re wet and boggy.<\/p>\n

The surface becomes hardpack-like and line choice on technical sections isn\u2019t quite as critical \u2013 a cathartic experience that (almost) reminds me of summer.<\/p>\n

Tyre choice isn\u2019t so critical compared to when riding in the mud \u2013 gravel tyres<\/a> designed for hardpack conditions are hopeless in the mud but rideable in the snow.<\/p>\n

You will need to adjust your tyre pressures accordingly to the conditions \u2013 I found I needed to increase my pressures slightly because I was running them a bit softer to conform to the mud.<\/p>\n

Your bike doesn\u2019t get as filthy<\/h2>\n
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While riding in the mud can be fun, the post-ride clean often isn\u2019t.<\/span><\/figcaption> Andy Lloyd<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Once frozen, mud<\/a> won\u2019t cake your bike in the remnants of the trail.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing worse than riding sodden trails and having to stop regularly to de-clog the underside of the fork crown or the stays.<\/p>\n

Finishing frozen rides with the bike more or less in the same condition it went out the front door in is a thrill \u2013 after only a brief wipe down, the bike is ready for its next sojourn.<\/p>\n

Cold weather breathes new life into familiar trails<\/h2>\n
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Views like these make venturing out in the cold more than worth it.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

It\u2019s easy to get stuck in a rut riding familiar trails but, when frozen, it affords them a new quality that can make you fall in love with them all over again.<\/p>\n

Getting to ride in these conditions is an infrequent treat in the UK and the Narnia-like aesthetic not only makes for arresting vistas, but also prime content to share on Instagram.<\/p>\n

Less expectation on performance<\/h2>\n
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Winter riding is all about getting out and enjoying the ride.<\/span><\/figcaption> Robert Smith \/ Immediate Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Braving Arctic temperatures is an achievement in itself, so any thoughts about training go out of the window.<\/p>\n

Some rides are just about getting out and enjoying the scenery and reminding you why you took up cycling as a sport in the first place.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to sit on the sofa and eat Christmas chocolate, and heading out on the trails will help you earn the sweet treats.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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By Oscar Huckle Published: Friday, 16 December 2022 at 12:00 am Winter has arrived in earnest for many of us in the northern hemisphere, with temperatures plummeting below freezing paired with daily lashings of frost and the odd sprinkling of snow. Around my neck of the woods, the trails have been particularly muddy in recent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":44687,"template":"","categories":[1,36],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter.jpg",2016,1345,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/12\/why-gravel-riding-is-better-than-road-cycling-in-winter.jpg",2016,1345,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Oscar Huckle Published: Friday, 16 December 2022 at 12:00 am Winter has arrived in earnest for many of us in the northern hemisphere, with temperatures plummeting below freezing paired with daily lashings of frost and the odd sprinkling of snow. Around my neck of the woods, the trails have been particularly muddy in recent…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/44686"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}