Black Ice

itboffin

Greg66 wrote:

ride_whenever wrote:

The thing i've found is to go out on the MTB and spend an evening skidding around on the ice. You get an awful lot better at controlling skids with your bodyweight and it becomes instinctive.

Don't have a MTB, and living in the London urban heat dome, ice/frost is that request.

But that said, how easy is it to use what you learn on a MTB on a road bike with skinny little treadless tyres? Just curious.

Damn good question Greg, how transferable are those skills? from the little personal experience of MTB I have i'd say riding off road is the best way to learn how to handle a bike, I found myself skidding on ice and wet roads yet still staying upright, not by chance more because riding for a whole year in the mud, wet and dirt taught me to correct and control the bike and more importantly when to brake and how hard.

I also learnt to do small bunny hops using flat BMX pedals on a heavy full sus not easy to do but very effective when needed, seeing an roadie hopping over potholes always raise a few eyebrows.

ride_whenever

I'm agreeing too, particularly off-camber riding off-road in the slippery stuff is really good to move onto ice/snow. Just pressing a knee against the TT can be enough to keep you in a straight line at times.

greg66_tri_v2.0

ride_whenever wrote:

I'm agreeing too, particularly off-camber riding off-road in the slippery stuff is really good to move onto ice/snow. Just pressing a knee against the TT can be enough to keep you in a straight line at times.

Hmm. Will have the option to try DH MTBing this summer - full sus with ludicrously long forks and low saddles. Reckon that will be a good place to start? If it's wet?

dsmiff

neil² wrote:

Based on the state of my elbow and hip - you have at least three weeks before things start to feel close to normal again.

I am still very nervous round each and every corner on the road bike, and I have not taken it out when there is a risk of sub-zero since, but I have clocked up a lot of miles on the mountain bike, which I am used to riding on slippy surfaces

Ditto! Got my old hardtail out, still feel really nervous on the road bike, 4 weeks on and my knee and hip still hurt.

It seems far worse than any year I can remember (well at least the last 3 since I have been riding to work!) seems to be a combination of very wet roads in the day followed by low temperatures at night - never had a problem riding on frost which is what we normally get, but ice...... Went in the car again today the small local roads were awful.

Been reading in What MTB that you should be stood on the pedals (as you do riding a Mountain bike downhill) as this lowers the center of gravity and also means that when you do go down (which you will!), it will be more progressive as opposed to sitting on the saddle which raises the center of gravity and acts as a lever and you end up going down very fast.

All well and good however if you hit black ice unexpectedly, which is not uncommon at night (guess that is why it is called black ice) there is not much you can do.

itboffin

Greg66 wrote:

ride_whenever wrote:

I'm agreeing too, particularly off-camber riding off-road in the slippery stuff is really good to move onto ice/snow. Just pressing a knee against the TT can be enough to keep you in a straight line at times.

Hmm. Will have the option to try DH MTBing this summer - full sus with ludicrously long forks and low saddles. Reckon that will be a good place to start? If it's wet?

I hope you have more luck staying relaxed flying DH than I did

roger_merriman

itboffin wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

ride_whenever wrote:

The thing i've found is to go out on the MTB and spend an evening skidding around on the ice. You get an awful lot better at controlling skids with your bodyweight and it becomes instinctive.

Don't have a MTB, and living in the London urban heat dome, ice/frost is that request.

But that said, how easy is it to use what you learn on a MTB on a road bike with skinny little treadless tyres? Just curious.

Damn good question Greg, how transferable are those skills? from the little personal experience of MTB I have i'd say riding off road is the best way to learn how to handle a bike, I found myself skidding on ice and wet roads yet still staying upright, not by chance more because riding for a whole year in the mud, wet and dirt taught me to correct and control the bike and more importantly when to brake and how hard.

I also learnt to do small bunny hops using flat BMX pedals on a heavy full sus not easy to do but very effective when needed, seeing an roadie hopping over potholes always raise a few eyebrows.

i've only started riding on road a few years ago when i moved up to londonish. i've had the hybrids front wheel sliding a few times it's all be recoverable. thus far i've not lost it on the roadie either had wheels locking up when braking in the wet but nothing too serious.

i'd say one advantage with MTB in the mud is learning to push past the limits of traction, which in mud can be very low indeed!

ride_whenever

Bring on two wheeled, no brake drifting 8)

Starwasp

Came off on a country lane on ice just before christmas. Straight over, no messing. Hip and shoulder smacked down hard as I did not have time to unclip. Given the adverse camber, me and the bike, still attached, then slid slowly into cold water/ ice filled ditch by side of road. Only a foot deep, but when you are lying down in it, a foot is deep enough. Needed a plimsoll line on my kit. I was somewhat dazed but with 5 miles to get home, I felt the need to push on regardless as hypothermia didn't appeal. My altura soft-shell hi-vis looked a bit odd when I got home...with one half stained oily black and the other pristine hi-vis yellow. One bent rear mech, but nothing a lump hammer couldn't fix.

laertes

I came off on Wednesday morning in Wimbledon. Coming down a steep hill to a junction with a busier road, so was slowing down, which helped, but wheels locked, which did not. A drain overflow had frozen into a big patch that I did not see until too late. Bike just went under me, and I slid along on my nether quarters for a few yards. Luckily no cars and no damage to me or bike other than a sore wrist which took the impact.

PS Dont tell the missus or my commuting days will be over

woodgob

Came-off going downhill at the end of 2007...hit black ice when I braked for a car coming towards me and the back wheel just went from under me. Landed on my coccyx, then skidded for a bit tearing a hole in my nice new Gore Phantom jacket, went dizzy then threw-up. I guess it was shock that made me puke but I could barely walk for a week after that it was too painful to get on my bike for about 2 months (and sitting normally was a real problem). Now and again it still feels tender if I sit in a particular way....but at least riding is no problem. I tend to p*ssy out when it's icy now. :oops: