by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Boy, there’s nothing like sweating in winter. And nothing beats parking your cold, hard ass onto a bike seat for hours on end, trails of snot frozen halfway across your face and wind blasting into you, making you blind and your ears fire-engine red. Icebiking, what a blast!

Actually, if done right, icebiking needn’t be nearly that bad. In fact, it can be positively serene, almost Zen-like, according to one enthusiast.

“Each ride is an adventure,” says icebiking Beaconsfield native Ben Soo. “The air is clearer, light is sharper than in summer, the scenery is more beautiful day or night. One feels closer to the natural world because the environmental factors are so dominant. Having to concentrate on negotiating snowy roads wipes the other worries from one’s head.”

Sounds wonderful. But the idea of biking around in cold weather, or bombing down a snowy mountainside, begs some obvious questions: isn’t it kind of dangerous? And doesn’t extreme activity in winter make one sweat, then freeze?

The answer to both is no. Icebikers sustain fewer injuries than their summertime counterparts, for several reasons. First, when wiping out in winter, the snow and extra clothing provide added cushioning to a fall. Second, icebikers tend not to ride as fast as summer cyclists. Road rash for winter bikers is practically non-existent.

An online survey done in the winter of 1998/99 by www.icebike.org (“Home of the Winter Cyclist and Other Crazy People”) of 406 respondents found that over 70 per cent of riders have never had a serious injury while riding in the winter, while only four per cent ever required medical attention. Less than one per cent said they’ve sustained injuries requiring hospitalization.

As for the cold and sweat and other discomforts, Soo says that can be solved by proper clothing - fleece, breathable, wind-proof shells, proper undergarments (he likes silk and polypropylene, but warns they are expensive), and absolutely nothing cotton.

The equipment used is also far more elaborate than simple, everyday biking. Soo says the actual bike doesn’t have to be top-notch; it’s probably better if it isn’t. “Wear and tear are accentuated in winter,” he says. “One goes a lot slower anyway, and there’s no point to riding something super-light. Metal parts get attacked by salt and lots and lots of sand and grit. Lubricants get washed off. Many plastic parts get brittle in low temperatures, and leather saddles wear out quicker than in summer.” He recommends studded (and expensive) tires, but notes that because of their high price, a lot of people buy them one at a time.

“First one goes in front,” he says. “Loss of traction in the front is next to impossible to recover from, partly because one has only a split second to do it in. The rear end of the bike is much more controllable.”

There is no real icebiking club in Montreal, but there are lots of places around and outside of town to do it. For more information on this frosty, un-dangerous activity, check out www.icebike.org or www.bicyclinglife.com/Recreation/wintercycling.htm. :