Winter Wheels Copy
Winter Wheels is back for 2018! We are now looking for 25 riders who will commit to getting on their bikes this winter. We hope you are one of those folks who chooses to ride, to share your stories with our community, and to create a visible and increased presence of winter bike riders in the city of Peterborough. Wondering what that might look like? Check out our 2017 video here.
Want to join our riders? This year we are offering personal support in getting your bicycle ready to ride in winter. Participants will be offered up to $100 in new parts (like a studded tire) and $50 in used parts (like a replacement wheel) to winterize your ride. The program will kick-off in December, offer workshops in January, invite you out for events in February, and encourage you to keep riding through March and April. Applications are open from now until November 22nd. Riders selected for the program will be notified on November 26th. Apply online and get a grip on winter.
Riding a bike in the winter is a fun, safe, and reliable way to travel. The 2017 results say it loud and clear, riding a bike in winter is great! Want to read the numbers for yourself? Check out our Final Report from last year.
Follow our riders and learn about Winter Wheels related workshops and events on social media.
• Instagram @winterbikeptbo
• Facebook @communitybikeshop
• Twitter @cyclinghubptbo
• Hashtags you might find great winter biking content under include: #bikeptbo #ptbo #winterbike #snowbike #wintercommute
Rider Guide
The rider guide includes details about the program. Please feel free to read it and contact B!KE directly if you have any questions: Winter Wheels Rider Guide
The Idea
Our inspiration for the program came directly from the 2017 Winter Cycling Congress held by Velo Quebec in the beautiful city of Montreal. There Liv Jorun Andenes presented about a Norwegian program to encourage winter riding. The program aimed to incentivize winter riding by giving away studded bike tires. The program was successful in creating widespread conversation and excitement. We aim to do the same here in Peterborough!
Our Funding
Winter Wheels is generously funded by the City of Peterborough.
Winter Wheels stories
Winter Wheels riders have their say.
Rob Wilkes reports:
I wasn’t sure a studded front tire would make that much of a difference but I found out last week how wrong I was. A cold snap came in right after a winter rain and the roads were treacherous. After one ride where my both wheels were sliding out at the slightest provocation, I decided to try out my studded front tire. Suddenly the ship was righted! My front wheel grabbed onto the ice under the snow and it was point-and-shoot riding from then on. With the front wheel reliably getting traction, the back wheel followed and I felt a lot more confident tackling the snowy, icy streets.
I had been worried switching out wheels would be a hassle but it took barely a minute. I repaired a used disc front wheel that B!KE supplied and was very happy to see it lined up perfectly with my calipers.
I love my new studded front wheel, the fact that it sounds like Pop Rocks on pavement is a fun bonus!
Are you a Winter Wheels rider?
Tell us your story.
Send us your story of winter riding, along with any images, video, etc. and we’ll post it here on our Winter Wheels page.