Wet, cold and fun as heck
Still fun: Rob, Brandon and Luke on the climb from Aptos to the Demo forest.
The air is colder, the rains are rolling through and the soil is tacking up just right. "Winter" in NorCal isn't so rough, but it does call for some tweaks in our riding setup:
Bike setup
Tires
Yay! We have a real reason to change tires, you know, beyond catering to our tread/compound/casing fetish.
When the dirt gets wet, it's time for a tire with pointy, widely spaced knobs. The points penetrate the mud, and the wide spaces help the mud fly off rather than cake up.
Our favorite winter tire is the WTB Moto
Raptor in the 2.24" size. You can get a light cross country version or, for
insane grip even on wet rocks, go for the sticky rubber version. By the way,
the Moto Raptor is an excellent all-around, all-season tire. It won't hook
up like a Mutano Raptor on hardpack, but it's pretty darn good. 
If you want ultimate grip, or if you
think a 2.24 looks puny in your dual crown fork, give the 2.5 WTB Timberwolf
a try. This is a big, pointy bully of a tire. Lars and Lee have been running
them lately, and they hook up unbelievably in our moist forests. The pointy
knobs seem to penetrate the leaves really well. As Lars says, running a Timberwolf
is like running male Velcro. If mud packs in your frame and fork, you might have clearance issues. Give the 1.7" Specialized Extreme a try. This little guy pierces all sorts of muck and leaves the gooey stuff right where it found it.
Fenders
Back in the day, fenders were straight-up dorky. But now, thanks to better designs and all those B.C. rain warriors, fenders are cool. They are also the A-1 best way to keep mud and glop out of your face. If a bit of grit gets in your eye, then you rub your eye, you might lacerate your cornea. You'll know it if you do: It feels like a tree is stuck in your eye -- for a full day. Definitely worth avoiding. Fenders prevent this disaster, plus they improve vision, control and comfort.
Front fenders are mandatory. Rear fenders
are cool, but only necessary for people with their names stitched across their
butts. Check out our Mud Machine and SKS eye-savers.
Body setup
Extremities
Arm and leg warmers
keep your extremities toasty without baking your whole loaf, if you know what
we mean. Lycra or polypropylene are great, but, as Lars says, "In the winter
I get to wear my arm and leg warmers, and they have plastic in them. My knee
warmers, they're made by Fox; they're called 911s. Same with my elbow warmers."
In plain English: Lars wears his pads for warmth, not to mention protection.
Great idea. If you don't want the bulk of a hard pad, the Fox Radius knee and elbow pads are awesome. The light neoprene protects you in a fall, yet it's flexible enough that you forget about it. Around $30.
Cool tip: Cover your knees whenever it's below 65 degrees.
Torso
Now that your arms and legs are covered, it's time to wrap your torso in a nice vest. Vests keep your core warm and make it easy to regulate your temperature, compared with jackets. Jackets trap heat around your armpits and usually end up back in your jersey pocket. If you buy a jacket for really gnarly weather, make sure it has pit zips. For normal NorCal dreariness, go for a vest. We carry Race Face, Fox, Nema and Pearl Izumi.
FeetYou cannot beat the Sidi Winter Storm boot for warmth and dryness. We carry Pearl Izumi neoprene shoe covers so you can make your own temporary winter boot. Gore-Tex socks are rad, but we don't carry them.
Hands
The Fox Thermalpaw glove will keep your fingers warm and dry on long, non-technical rides. But winter gloves feel clunky compared with summer gloves, so most of us run normal full-finger gloves, but on rainy days we bring two pairs: one to get wet on the climb and a dry one for the descent.
Dry tip: Carry those spare gloves in a plastic bag or a sack made from an otter's spleen.
Head
If your mellon tends to chill, run a Coolmax Headsweat under your helmet.
Dealing with
a muddy bike Some people practically disassemble and rebuild their bike every time they ride. But as Lars says, "After a ride I'm more interested in a shower and a beer than working on my bike." Most of us feel the same way, but there are some things you definitely should do before you hang up your steed. It all depends on the level of filth.
Normal yuck: little bits of wood on your frame, clean tires and a wet chain. Even when they're sopping, most of our forest trails are great to ride on.
- Saturate your chain with Triflow.
- Bounce your bike on the ground really hard. If you have a plush beast of a bike, you might have to throw it off your roof.
- Wipe down the frame with a rag (bonus points for t-shirts from your old bike shop)
- Hang to dry.
Mega yuck:
mud caked all over the frame and tires, chain seems like it's made of clay,
bike weighs 80 pounds. First of all, if the dirt sticks to your bike, you shouldn't be out riding in it. Riding is difficult, hard on your bike and, worse, it ruins the trail. Pick a different trail or ride the road. But if you're on a nice ride and you encounter some yuckiness ...
- Saturate your chain with Triflow. This will start to loosen the yuck.
- Turn your bike upside down.
- Spray the tires clean with a high-pressure hose. This is the only spraying your bike should get.
- Fill a bucket with hot water (it's easier on your mitts than cold). Get a big, soft brush that holds lots of water and a bunch of rags. Soap is optional; this is more about displacing mud than dissolving oil.
- Scrub your frame, rims, etc., and dry with the rags. Do not clean your brakes with any sort of solvent or cleaner. Just scrub them with water and leave them alone. Ninety percent of the squealing problems we see in the shop come from overzealous brake cleaning.
- Remove your seatpost and leave the bike upside down to dry. You'd be amazed at how much water gathers in your frame.
Riding style
The top downhillers say to ride mud as if it isn't muddy. if you try to go slow, you brake too much get all stiff and make your bike handle poorly. This applies to all conditions. As Steve Peat told Lee on a recent trip to Whistler, "When you ride on hardpack with sand on top, your tires slide a bit, but you expect it and you get used to it. Same with mud. Stay loose and ready for your bike to slide, and you'll be OK."
If you're running those Moto raptors, your bike will hook in Santa Cruz mud better than on Big Bear loose-over-hardpack. Just have faith in your bike, stay loose and practice.
Sloppy tips:
- Steer gently.
- Pick smoother, straighter lines.
- Let the bike go if it decides to change lines. Fighting it will only make you crash.
- If your tires let go, steer the front in the direction of the slide to get it tracking again. The rear will follow suit.