grip in frosty / icey conditions

Random Vince

about two and a half weeks i slid on a zebra crossing and came off my road bike,

since then i've gradually got to the point of being able to ride my mountain bike to and from uni / girlfriends house and feel ok to get back on the road bike, however last night walking home from my gf's i was slipping all over the place and thinking, how dangerous is a road bike in frosty / icey conditions? what should i be doing differently so that i dont come off the bike again?
any advice would be greatly apreciated, both me and my girlfriend arent that fond of hospitals

ChrisLS

...hello there Random...if it's icey I don't cycle, to me, two wheels and ice don't go together. If I'm out and come across ice, as I did riding in this morning, I get off and walk. Like you I don't like hospitals...(I had MRSA, but that's another story)

spen666

What should you be doing?

Try riding slower through places where you are likely to need to change direction

Try to avoid sudden movements/ changes of direction

Simply take care. I cycle throughout the winter on my road bike

El Gordo

Riding through the winter on a road bike is OK. Just slow down more for corners in the wet, and much much more if it's icey. Avoid white lines and manhole covers and be aware that you may lock up the back wheel if you brake too hard.

Some of my best riding days are when it's freezing cold with clear blue skies - it would be a shame to miss them.

Random Vince

the above are what i'd been thinking, just wanted to know if there was something else to keep in mind.

last year i was commuting about on my mountain bike, and generally i'm happy sliding it round speedway style where a situation allows and use snow as an excuse to practace two wheeled slides - but then a mountain bike looses grip slower than a road bike - as i found out.


I dont like hospitals due to the waiting time (been in AandE waiting for over 12 hours before)

Amelia doesnt like them because she's gonna end up working in one and its too much like work i guess.

Belv

If i suspect ice i only use the rear brake since slides at that end are controllable (and fun in the right circumstances).
Consider spikes if you are going to be riding that often one ice?

There's no secret if you find yourself on ice, though - stay bolt upright and don't make any steering/braking input unless you have to... and then prepare to hit the ground.

For examples see here: http://www.digave.com/videos/
Third line down, second from the left.

andyp

Some sound advice so far. One other thing - reduce the pressure in your tyres a bit to get more grip.

A - W

Sounds like you need a car to be safe.


Just get yourself up and get on with it. People only laugh at someone on the floor.


Edit: I came off last winter around a corner. No one even stopped to help, I got up and walked the rest of the way to work. On closer inspection I'd damaged my hip and the bruising looked like I'd been fight with a metal bar. It took weeks to go down and reduce in colour.
It can hurt, but you don't show it.

Gussio

Lots of good advice. I would add: try to keep the bike as vertical as possible rather then leaning to one side or the other. Less likely for the wheels to slide out.

Just take it easy and really watch out if it snows, thaws then refreezes...

dennisn

Ice - just plain old stupid riding on icey roads. But if you're young, invincincible, and
low on brains go right ahead.

Dennis Noward

Gussio

dennisn wrote:

Ice - just plain old stupid riding on icey roads. But if you're young, invincincible, and
low on brains go right ahead.

Dennis Noward

What utter rot

Random Vince

A - W wrote:

Sounds like you need a car to be safe.


Just get yourself up and get on with it. People only laugh at someone on the floor.


Edit: I came off last winter around a corner. No one even stopped to help, I got up and walked the rest of the way to work. On closer inspection I'd damaged my hip and the bruising looked like I'd been fight with a metal bar. It took weeks to go down and reduce in colour.
It can hurt, but you don't show it.

no, first time i'd driven during winter, on a seemingly fine day on the 11th jan i slid and crashed my dads car on some ice

i think i ought to stay indoors totally when ice is about...

tardington

Are the tyres with spikes/studs any good then? I admit they look cool!

A bit like in that James Bond where he's ski-ing away from the Bad Blokes On Motorbikes, which have spikey tyres...

timestar

When it's icy I always avoid any painted markings on the road, metal drain covers, and riding too close to the gutter (not that you should be doing that anyway). I tend to take a philosophical approach that if I'm going to slip over on the ice it's going to happen anyway. Wet leaves on the road surface can also be as slippery as ice.

Monty Dog

On my ride to work, I have to cross an exposed girder bridge over a canal - when it freezes it's a sheet of ice, but as long as I keep my bike upright and straight I'm OK - luckily I've only had one seriously slidey moment. Far worse is some level crossings in the wet - the one in Farnham is on a downhill bend and basically just smooth rubber - quite often crossing it going sideways!

Gambatte

Stick to the main roads, they're the ones most likely to be salted/gritted.

Random Vince

well, you'll be pleased to know that i'm back on my road bike, clipped in and havent fallen off it yet

slightly scary my brakes not slowing me down before my road ending the other day (downhill) so i ended up continueing past the turn!

Hairy Jock

tardie wrote:

Are the tyres with spikes/studs any good then? I admit they look cool!

A bit like in that James Bond where he's ski-ing away from the Bad Blokes On Motorbikes, which have spikey tyres...

You mean like these, although I just use slicks the year round...

tardington

Make your own, eh? I like it!