Winter means muddy. For mountain bikers, this means fun. Or is it?

Compared to most other mountain biking destinations (such as the Alps, Canada or New Zealand), South Africa has mild winters. In other words, the cold front will land here in winter, and heavy rain will cause muddy trails.

What is the best way to ride a mountain bike in winter? The first principle is to consider the sustainability of the trail. Those hand-made monorail sections, especially curves and climbing sections, are most vulnerable to damage when immersed.

At the wrong time, a cycling group can cause a lot of trail damage, especially when the ruts are baked into an almost permanent state by a few days of sunlight.

The responsible thing is to be careful and stay on the gravel road, away from the monorail, until the landowner or trail builder removes the dangerous tape. Or give it to continue riding.

But what about your bike? Mountain bikes can traverse rocks and make huge jumps without stress, but they are susceptible to mud because it creates a risk of wear.

The power transmission system (flywheel, sprocket) and suspension components are most exposed. Riding in very muddy conditions will shorten the mechanical life of some fairly expensive parts of the bicycle.

After a particularly muddy ride, be sure to wash your bike carefully. Take the time to wash your bike slowly and methodically instead of trying to wash it quickly and forcefully and cause damage.

Do not use the high-pressure cleaner anywhere, especially around hanging parts or bottom brackets.

All you have to do is clean the surface mud while pushing smaller deposits into deeper mechanical parts, where they can cause the most damage.

Are there any accessories that can make your riding in the mud easier? Of course, there is also: the humble mudguard.

At the recent Les Gets UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in France, even the XCO riders who are most fascinated by weight had mudguards installed on their forks.

Mountain bike tires have larger tread blocks that allow you to maintain grip in muddy conditions. As the tire rolls, these tread blocks throw a lot of dirt upward. The result is that the down tube is clumped with mud (which increases the weight of your bike), and there is a risk that the mud will fly into your eyes from below.

Cheap and easy to install, the mudguard can deflect most mud flows and provide a better deep winter riding experience.

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