«All in» on everyday cycling

Ann-Katrin Pedersen from Trondheim has been an all year cyclist since 2014. She lives three kilometers from her nearest supermarket and commutes ten kilometers with a bike every day. She recently sold her carI and went all in on her bicycle as her main transport vehicle. This has meant some new daily routines:

“Since I live out of reach from the grocery home delivery service, I now need to plan my purchases. I do the vast majority of my purchases once or two times a month, and otherwise I bring food with a short expiration date like milk and chocolate in my backpack,” says Ann-Katrin.

Ann-Katrin never regretted that she sold her bike, and she sees great benefits with adjusting to her new lifestyle. She enjoys the opportunity of varying her daily commuter route - even if it means a detour.

«The best thing is that exercising and commuting are combined with cycling as a part of my daily routine», says Ann-Katrin.

Annual service - a minimum requirement for winter cyclists

With almost eight years of winter cycling experience - Ann-Katrin shares her best advice to other cyclists:

1. Take a look at equipment reviews by the magazine Landevei to navigate in the jungle of clothes and invest in good clothes and warm shoes.

2. Spend some time and money on cleaning and maintenance.  The road salt throughout the winter wars the bicycle down if it is not taken into account.

3. Leave the bicycle inside to dry after washing it off.

4. The most important advice is to oil the bicycle chain so it can resist the road salt that you are exposed to on a daily basis.

5. Yearly maintenance is the lowest service requirement. Any sounds from the bicycle should be looked at by a mechanic. Ignoring these sounds can be very costly and a safety risk.

- The cold and road salt that wears the bicycle equipment down are the two most important things to think about - and the money you save on cycling should be invested in yearly maintenance, is the concluding remark from Ann-Katrin.