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Tall ponderosas at Wuptaki National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona |
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Brrrr . . . South Rim of the Grand Canyon. See why chain lube should be packed? |
Water
I've had to deal with all my bottles, including those in the tent, freezing so hard during the night that I had nothing to drink until almost noon the next day. Now I pack along an inflatable plastic bag with a truly leak-proof cap, wrap it in a pair of underwear (so it isn't cold when next to me), and bring it inside the sleeping bag with me. Voila.
Stove
Take one. Use it often. Hit the sack with something warm in your belly.
Bike
I'm much more comfortable on a mountain bike any time (it's the straight bars and long bar-ends that do it for me), but especially so in winter when there's a better chance I'll be slipping around a bit.
Tires
No matter the kind of bike, you'll have greater traction with a wider tire. I like one-and-a-half-inch"cross" tires (built for road and trail both), with a tread pattern designed to shed water to the sides.
Fenders
Flakes can pack up under fenders and stop a wheel, but only if the snow is really coming down hard or you are plowing through many inches of it. Be sure you can back out your fenders a bit on the stays (that is, increase the distance between your tire and the plastic fender body), or use a pair that can be removed very easily and pack them under a bungie or in your trailer. One popular model of the sweet, lightweight removables has a slip-on extender, a kind of plastic flaired mud flap, for the front fender. It works like a champ at keeping your shoes from being sprayed with cold water or slush. Attach your own flap if yours doesn't come equipped.
Pannier Covers and Trailer Bags
Three things: Be sure they're waterproof; be sure your pannier covers will fit a fully stuffed bag (no, you can't assume they'll fit securely, because most of the people making these things have never toured self-supported in their lives); and be sure those bag covers have a grommet or other opening at the bottom to let out water that splashes in.
Cable Housings
Seal up all cracks before you head out, for water will seep in, freeze up, and cause you headaches.
Chain Lube
You're going to need it.
Where are you going?
What do you want to do?
