It's easy to get dehydrated just living up here in the winter. Exercising outdoors makes it even easier. Dehydration causes decreased blood volume which makes us more susceptible to hypothermia and frostbite. It's important to drink water frequently if you're riding for more than one hour. Some people use insulated waterbottles but the most popular and generally successful system is the Camelbak, usually worn under the outer layer of clothes.
Below zero, cycling speeds generate enough wind chill to freeze exposed skin quickly. If parts of your face feel cold or numb, stop and warm them before they get frostbitten. If you're riding with others, watch each others' faces for white spots.
Be careful with glasses, watches, jewelry and zipper pulls. Small metal and plastic objects can get cold enough to cause frostbite.
Carry emergency food in your tool bag so it's always on the bike. Energy food, like a Powerbar, works well
Carry an extra clothes layer, about 20 degrees worth. Windshells, an insulated jacket, something to keep you warmer if you have to walk for a while.
If your feet get cold, run with the bike.
Mushers always have the right of way. Get fully off the trail early to let them by. Some of them have $10,000 lead dogs and none of them want to risk tangling with bikes.
Dogsleds can be vey quiet and very fast. They can surprise you from behind or head-on.
Cover your tools with tape so you don't have to touch cold metal directly when doing emergency repairs.
Few mechanical things work well when it gets very cold (say minus 30 degrees (F) or colder). Even a well prepared bicycle isn't at its best then.
Steel gets more brittle at winter temperatures but I haven't seen any steel frames or components break from the cold.
Aluminum and titanium don't get significantly more brittle at winter temperatures.
Aluminum shrinks more than steel as it cools and on a bike with a steel fork and aluminum frame the headset will get loose when it's very cold.
Plastics do get brittle and we see waterbottle cages, toeclips, pedals and the sheathing on cable housing break all winter. If the plastic cracks on indexed shifter housing, the housing will buckle and the shifting won't work.
You can reinforce the shifter housing with heat-shrink tubing (available at electrical supply stores) to prevent this problem. The size that fits best is 3/16".
Elastomer suspensions generally stop moving between 20 F and 0 F but they don't seem to be damaged by the cold.
Oil-damped suspension systems are often damaged by operating at low temperatures You can change the oil in them to avoid this or install a rigid fork
Only bring a cold bike indoors if you can keep it there until it's dried off completely.
If you bring a room temperature bike out into cold snow and ride it immediately, the snow thrown up by the tires may freeze onto brakes and derailleurs. Some winter bike problems have very simple solutions.
As you ride through the winter questions and problems will come up. Feel free to email us; we want to help.
You have a good point there!!!