Riding a bike: How to make your bike fit for the cold season and ride safely in the wet and cold

With autumn and winter, cold, ice and snow often find their way onto German roads.

Riding a bike: How to make your bike fit for the cold season and ride safely in the wet and cold

With autumn and winter, cold, ice and snow often find their way onto German roads. Anyone who defies the weather and wants to continue cycling should check the bike for safety and roadworthiness. ADAC and ADFC provide useful tips for cycling in autumn and winter. In the following, you will find out how you can also protect your bike from the cold and wet.

If you don't have a basement or other shelter for your bike, you'll have to make do with an open-air space in winter. To protect your bike from getting wet, you can use a waterproof and tear-resistant bike cover. Even outside of winter, the waterproof coating of the cover can protect your bike from rain, so such a purchase is worthwhile for all bike owners who do not have their own parking space.

Choosing the right bicycle saddle can also be important in winter, because gel saddles can become rock hard in sub-zero temperatures. We recommend a coated and padded saddle cover that protects against moisture, cold and cracks.

It gets light late and dark early, so in winter you need to make sure you have adequate lighting on your bike. This is not only important in terms of safety and visibility, but also to better see potential dangers on the road. If that doesn't convince you: Good lighting is actually required by law. Good headlights with a white reflector, a rear light and a red reflector are absolutely necessary. In addition, the bike must have reflective strips running around the front and rear tires or yellow reflectors in the front and rear wheels or reflective spoke sticks in all spokes and two yellow reflectors on each of the pedals. Therefore, if you own an average bike with average lights, it may be worth buying a good front light for the winter. This front light, for example, can be quickly mounted on the handlebars and should enable visibility of up to 120 meters. In this way you increase your own visibility in traffic and have a better perspective.

Don't underestimate the dynamo theme in winter either. If you have a bike with a side-running dynamo, you should have it replaced with a hub dynamo in winter. Because side runner dynamos can slip on wet and cold tires, so the light doesn't work.

Winter tires are not compulsory for bicycles in Germany, but the optimization of bicycle tires can contribute to better traction in snow and ice. Therefore, make sure that the tires have a good, not worn profile. There is also the option of lowering the tire pressure very slightly to increase grip.

The ADAC recommends breathable, rain-repellent and windproof clothing for cycling in winter. This includes:

The tips from the ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club) with regard to driving behavior can also contribute to your safety:

Sources: ADAC, ADFC

You might also be interested in:

This is how you prepare yourself and your bike for the winter

Bike holder test: Click here for a bike holder comparison.

Bicycle pedals test: Here you can compare bicycle pedals.

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