Riding in snow on two wheels? Are you crazy? It’s hard enough of four. How do you stay balanced?

I started writing this blog last winter, and just found it in my drafts folder. I’m getting a kick out of finishing it on this day I hope to be last heatwave day of the year.

I never thought I would ride my bike in the snow, but this is my fourth winter coming up on my bike, and I have learned that snow is surprisingly sticky.

Riding your bike in the snow is like walking in the snow. Have good treads and avoid exactly the same things. Make no sudden moves. You can’t be in a hurry. You can’t count on staying upright while braking or swerving at high speed. Well, I wouldn’t. I don’t when I’m on foot, and my elbows are even higher off the ground when I’m on my bike. I like my elbows. Avoid bumps or steep hills, at least those hills rising up on one side of you. Take hills at a 90 degree angle. It’s that simple if you stay clear of some specific terrains.

There are three trouble terrains for winter riding.

Sleek ice – Probably the black kind. You can still ride it if it’s a tiny patch on even ground. Just glide across, but don’t try to make any adjustments.

Also tricky, a very deep layer of fresh snow. By very deep I mean about as high as your pedals, and if that snow is the sticky wet kind, not even that high. It will get into your fenders or between your wheels and the body, and the heavy clumps will bog you down. Forget about it. This is when you shimmy into the centre, ride in the ruts that drivers have kindly made for you, and show them just how much the road belongs to everyone, including you. They can go around you – just make sure you’re visible! Avoid doing this during rush hour if you can.

And finally, once I rode on a very cold night behind a snow plough that was leaving behind about an inch of semi-packed snow, not hard enough for my wheels to sit on top, but not soft enough to sink into. This turned out to be exactly like riding on a beach. I flailed and fishtailed for about a 100 yards, before I finally gave up, completely spent and out of breath, and pushed my bike the rest of the way home.

Bonus: Streetcar tracks need even more attention than usual. Sometimes you can clear a track with your front wheel, but the back can slip and hit the groove if your angle of attack isn’t steep enough (at least 45 degrees).

Otherwise, I enjoy being outside in the winter. I prefer it to sitting on an over-crowded, over-heated bus. I like the snow on my face, being snuggled up in my winter coat like a sleeping bag up around my ears, connected to the elements.

I do get a slight feeling of ownership about my bike path, and spring is always a little disappointing when the temperature brings out the fair-weather masses, and I suddenly have to share.