Riding in the snow

ShaunL

It was an interesting commute into work this morning. I ride a Focus Cyclocross bike and the racing ralph tires are pretty rugged so I ddin't feel too worried about riding in.

I've always gone with the idea of slow and steady in the snow and it worked fine this morning and was quite amusing seeing all the car and 4x4 drivers tiptoeing along especially up and down the hiklls. It seemed i had far more grip than they did.

If it gets any worse though I'm on the MTB.

gtitim

Nice work

iain_j

Good fun isn't it - I had a hoot on my way home last night watching cars pirouetting slowly across the roads and me panicking any time i hit a grid, pothole or speed bump hidden under the snow

gpsBRM

The last 2 days commute for me have been the most fun ever. Left the Hybrid at home and took the hard tail MTB. Took longer than normal but was so much fun I went the long way home. Had to dodge a few sliding cars whose drivers can't control their vehicles properly, but that was just fun.

lastwords

i agree its great fun, very weird feeling under the tyres but loved it, came home at 10pm last night still snowing and had a smile on my face all the way home.

STEFANOS4784

Hmmmm, anyone riding on 700x23 slick road tyres, i've completely wimped out again and it costs me a fiver a day to get to work and also takes longer but my teeth are not a great fan of concrete :? Also got a 70 mile ride saturday with a mate weather should be fine by then but could do with a bit of practice otherwise i'll slow him down :x

teagar

Cycling on the snow is fine untill you suddenly hit some hidden black ice!

Do you all take a bar or so of pressure out of the tyres when you hit the snow? Or do you just hope for the best?

phearnde

Driving up the A12 towards Ipswich on Moday morning, on the southbound carriageway the traffic was at a complete hault thanks to 2 or 3 lorries that couldn't make it up what looked like a very slight incline. The a chap on his MTB when cruising passed the lorries, had to give him a wave and admire his tenacity!

phearnde

Driving up the A12 towards Ipswich on Moday morning, on the southbound carriageway the traffic was at a complete hault thanks to 2 or 3 lorries that couldn't make it up what looked like a very slight incline. Then a chap on his MTB went cruising passed the lorries, had to give him a wave and admire his tenacity!

phearnde

Driving up the A12 towards Ipswich on Moday morning, on the southbound carriageway the traffic was at a complete hault thanks to 2 or 3 lorries that couldn't make it up what looked like a very slight incline. Then a chap on his MTB went cruising passed the lorries, had to give him a wave and admire his tenacity!

deal

As soon as there is snow on the ground its on to the mtb for me nothing like a bit of xc in the snow 8)

Airwave

I was tiptoeing along at 10mph this mourn on my MTB,Nxt thing the front wheels going from under me.Sore thigh&grazed knee plus hurt pride.You know whats it's like you get up as quick as you can,look around to see if anyone was watching&make out your a part time circus performer&it's part of your act ! mind you, you always feel like a clown anyway.

STEFANOS4784

Airwave wrote:

I was tiptoeing along at 10mph this mourn on my MTB,Nxt thing the front wheels going from under me.Sore thigh&grazed knee plus hurt pride.You know whats it's like you get up as quick as you can,look around to see if anyone was watching&make out your a part time circus performer&it's part of your act ! mind you, you always feel like a clown anyway.

, great stuff, it's not just me then, let's hope a proper winter equals a proper summer 8)

Monty Dog

I've been riding my cross bike with MTB wheels and tyres - drop the pressure to allow the tyre to flex and shed the snow. Stick it in a low gear and just spin - high speed means it hurts more when you slip. On Monday, it was easier to ride through the deep drifts rather than follow previous tracks. I'd never contemplate riding a road bike when the roads are glazed - the risk of serious injury to you or the bike is just too severe.

bazbadger

after going over on some black ice on my brand new PX carbon (in the dry) there is no way I would risk it in the snow on a 700 x 23 road bike....

CiB

bazbadger wrote:

after going over on some black ice on my brand new PX carbon (in the dry) there is no way I would risk it in the snow on a 700 x 23 road bike....

I took my younger boy into school this morning (and Monday) and rode home along the cycle paths, which were a mix of packed snow & lumpy ice, on 700x23 slicks. Not much of an issue really. Stayed upright, stayed on. Didn't fancy doing 20 miles more to work on it tbh though.

bazbadger

ChrisInBicester wrote:

bazbadger wrote:

after going over on some black ice on my brand new PX carbon (in the dry) there is no way I would risk it in the snow on a 700 x 23 road bike....

I took my younger boy into school this morning (and Monday) and rode home along the cycle paths, which were a mix of packed snow & lumpy ice, on 700x23 slicks. Not much of an issue really. Stayed upright, stayed on. Didn't fancy doing 20 miles more to work on it tbh though.

The thing is that with black ice, you can be on a mountain bike and still come off as there is no warning and you can't see it (obviously) whereas you can avoid patches of normal ice. I cracked my helmet in my fall and ended up in the middle of a 60mph road. If there was a car behind me when I fell then this post may well have been coming to you from the other side

Until falling off last week I had not come off my bike for at least 15 years, it was a sharp reminder of how quickly it can go wrong...

Nick6891

i have been on the mountain bike for it, could do with studded tires on side streets but i stayed on, debating weather or not to go in the morning or not, if its snowing then you cant see a thing

ride_whenever

The owner of my lbs came in on a trek mtb with studded tyes so old it is back in fashion!!!!

Steel frame, Ti bars and post, purple anodizing everywhere!!!!


I haven't been going out on the roadie, I've been riding my mtbs with knobblies on, flat pedals and skids galore. TBH, even sliding round corners and messing about I haven't fallen over yet!

(cue crashing and dying on my way home)

CiB

bazbadger wrote:

ChrisInBicester wrote:

bazbadger wrote:

after going over on some black ice on my brand new PX carbon (in the dry) there is no way I would risk it in the snow on a 700 x 23 road bike....

I took my younger boy into school this morning (and Monday) and rode home along the cycle paths, which were a mix of packed snow & lumpy ice, on 700x23 slicks. Not much of an issue really. Stayed upright, stayed on. Didn't fancy doing 20 miles more to work on it tbh though.

The thing is that with black ice, you can be on a mountain bike and still come off as there is no warning and you can't see it (obviously) whereas you can avoid patches of normal ice. I cracked my helmet in my fall and ended up in the middle of a 60mph road. If there was a car behind me when I fell then this post may well have been coming to you from the other side

Until falling off last week I had not come off my bike for at least 15 years, it was a sharp reminder of how quickly it can go wrong...

I don't doubt that it's easy to fall of. I was really just doing a 'I have actually' response to the question 'has anyone been out in the snow on 700x23 slicks. I have, but wouldn't recommend it. The tyre size or tread probably doesn't make much difference when you encounter smooth shiny slippery stuff during a change of direction, intended or otherwise.

blorg

I've tried 700x26 slicks, 700x32 cross knobblies (both on fixies) and 26x2.1 knobblies on a MTB, the last was by far the most confidence inspiring. Put the pressure down to the minimum.

Barkiesnake

i had a blast on Monday night inventing a new sport of cycle-ski-ing. After commuting to work and back on my hybrid i then went out in the evening to the top of a local hill, quiet due to lack of car drivers brave enough to tackle it in a little snow, once at the top you simply point the bike at the bottom. put the brakes on to stop the whels spinning and then push off. Sliding the bike down the ice and snow and then releasing the brakes to get you accross any bare patches. WOOO HOOO who needs a theme park

NWLondoner

Hell I'm not risking life,limb and more importantly my bike for the sake of riding on snow.

I'll let you lot keep the ambulance/hospitals/funeral parlours busy :shock:

fooshnicken

I've been using my MTB the last few days and it's been a lot of fun. However this moring there was about 3-4 inches of snow outside and I decided to work fom home instead.

wastelander

I'm commuting in the car this week as the roads are too lethal for road or MTB - lots of hills - and the trails are so wet that I'll look like a swamp creature by the time I got to the office! A few of us are going XC riding through Sherwood Forest/Clumber Park on the weekend though - what a hoot that will be

ShaunL

Cycled in again this AM and all was well until some massive juggernaut went the other way and covered me from head to foot in freezing slush, nice.

It's stopped snowing now so the ride home should be easier.

I'm glad i went for the Focus Cross when I did our ride 2 work scheme.

stfc1

Managed to ride in all week but finally conceded defeat and left the bike in the shed this morning. While walking/sliding in, however, I did see one guy on an MTB riding one-handed and carrying a laptop in the other hand.

To his credit I didn't, as expected, see him again a bit later sprawled in the road with a broken arm and a broken computer. He must have made it. Or gone a different way!

ride_whenever

Still riding...

it was chaos this morning. Even on my fully knobbly good mtb it was really sketchy. When I got on my commuter (with a 2.1" slick rear tyre and worn out front knobbly) i just kept going sideways. Unfortunately it's also a single speed, so the amount of torque wasn't helping much.

I agree with letting almost all the air out. Just enough to prevent pinches for me.