Riding in the winter in Montreal is easy and a great way to get around, locals say
Cyclists at the Forum du Vélo d’Hiver encourage others to embrace pedalling in the cold months
Montreal residents are being urged to embrace the cold temps and snow by using their bikes throughout the winter to navigate the city.
During the Forum du Vélo d’Hiver, a collective of local cyclists made presentations and set up kiosks to enhance the awareness of Montrealers regarding the beauty of cycling during the winter season.
According to Chloé Baril, one of the forum’s co-organizers, that winter cycling is an activity for everyone, not exclusively for sports enthusiasts, the young, or the physically fit; it is accessible to anyone.
Baril added, “All it takes is trying it once, and you’ll be hooked.”
Montreal’s bike share pilot project with studded tires is underway
The forum provided safety tips and suggestions for adapting to cycling in cold weather, along with guidance on bike maintenance and modifications.
“It’s just mudguards or fenders because there’s a lot of snow or dirt that gets into your back,” recommended Julien Gagnon-Ouellette, a volunteer with Bike United Montreal. “So that’s the first one. Second is mostly, it’s not repairing but just maintenance, some oil to oil your chain because it gets quite rusty in the winter.”
Bike United Montreal emphasizes that using studded tires can enhance comfort when cycling in winter, but they’re not essential if you know how to avoid ice.
How (and why) does Montreal plow its bike paths faster than its streets?
“You need a bike,” Baril said. “You don’t even need a special bike, you don’t need a fat bike, you need your usual, ordinary bike. And just try it on a day where there’s no snow in the streets, which is like 90 per cent of the time in Montreal.”
The City of Montreal is also trying a winter bike pilot project this winter season, offering bike shares with studded tires to ride in the snow.
