More snow content > longest commute today?

flybywire

All prepared for usual mixed terrain 14mile ride in this morning at 6:45am..

1 foot of snow = 100metres of hard work :shock: & turn back.

Anyone ride in similar conditions & how far did they get ?

Tempestas

I ended up driving in, my usual 4 mile commute showed 8 miles on the tacho

Rear wheel drive and big bhp = fun

Just glad my route was flat and free of traffic....and I live in a city :shock:

TheBrogueadier

7 miles mixed terrain, not quite as deep going as you though - around 4-5 inches.

Only two exciting moments - The first watching a car spinning quite balleticly out of control towards me, it missed swatting me by about an inch (I'd stopped, but hadn't managed to marshal my body into throwing me and the bike out of the way).

Second was arriving at what I'd thought would be the fun bit, and realising that I had one or two miles to do across terrain that I know normally resembles a particularly well shelled battlefield, but snow had turned into a flat looking, pristine paradise.

Half a mile of surprise pot holes later I wanted to just lay down for a while.

Jay dubbleU

Not bad this am although deep snow made harder work - felt less slippery than yesterday. Not much traffic as local schools are closed - no SRMs to dodge.

squired

I was tempted to cycle as I'm confident my snow stud tyres would do the job. However the risk of what very nearly happened to TheBrogueadier put me off. Having said that, I'd already been told I could log on from home, which meant an extra hour in bed. The extra hour in bed won.

cjcp

Four miles through the snow in the Park. Tremendous fun.

saladfunky

Using a cube mtb my snowy commute in the chilterns consisted of 7 miles of main road and 2 more of woodland , field side tracks plus a dissused railway. Main roads ok as snow slowed the cars, woodland stunning, dissused railway nice on fresh snow but walkers and dogs got in the way, field side tracks dodgey due to my not being able to see the rutts, but a low gear kept me upright and my foot never touched the ground! Enjoyed being out in the elements as always. Still snowing so tonight will be even more interesting especially in the dark. Well done all those who got in and keep safe on your return trip.

Chris

Fireblade96

This morning was tough !
It took me almost 10 minutes to struggle from the cosy warmth of my bed and fight my way through to the study. I guess if I descaled my coffee maker it would make my "commute" even faster :-)


Days like this, I love working from home. Means I'll have more time to go snowbiking / snowboarding later

Runoutofgears

I saw a few brave cyclists enroute, but chose to drive in myself, took 40mins instead of the usual 20. It helped that the schools closed and the buses stayed off the roads!

cjcp

Fireblade96 wrote:

Days like this, I love working from home. Means I'll have more time to go snowbiking / snowboarding later

Complete opposite for me. So I rode to the other side of the Park to see what the roads were like. Just in case they were clear. If not, I'd have to come back. The long way. An 11 mile re-con.

prawny

4ish inches of snow, 1.5 miles to the train station :oops:

Came on the MTB so I'm prepared for the worst, but the sun's out now. Back on the roadie tomorrow

redvee

A pityful mile in 8 mins on the way home at 10am, 7.15mph :oops:

MadammeMarie

Wow, hats off to you, lot! After reading all this I'm not sure I deserve to be called a cyclist! Took the tube to work, roads too icy for my roadie..! :oops:

gert_lush

I had a great time in the snow today in Yokeltown, switched the the mountain bike and had a tootle around the woods yipppeeeeeee

cjcp

Cool pix, especially the second one.

Fireblade96

The boys are on their way round (assuming town dwellers can make it to the wilds of Caversham), then we're going snowboarding :-)

Woohoo !!!!

gert_lush

I was only about the 2nd one around the woods today which was great as you had to cut your own track, some great snow drifts to get stuck in, and some great drifting and skids being done :oops:

flybywire

some good attempts and well done to those that completed their journey.. including avoiding out of control vehicles :shock: !

it's difficult to judge what depth of snow you can ride in.. I reckon up to 100mm is doable.

We've had a great morning on the common.. made 2 snowmen earlier and the biggest snowball fight ever.

check the pics, the 456 was readied in the garden at 6:30am

http://flybywire.pinkbike.com/album/fairground-2010/

flybywire

snowboarding sounds a giggle - you've some hills around those parts, how about St Peter's hill? 8)

I wonder if Mountain High's sales of snowboards Pangbourne have increased today?

fossyant

18 miles in 6 plus inches of snow - work closed today, so up for it again tomorrow....

Mountainboy2465

I was off the bike today as I was working away from my normal place so just had a one mile walk either side of a train ride.

Will be riding tomorrow but not looking forward to all the re-frozen slush, going to do the full 20 miles but take it really steady, its not like most people even bothered to get into our place today!

iain_j

This is why I didn't ride in today



(and this road HAD been gritted :shock: )

Clever Pun

Need a 'snow' bike damnit... slicks was ummm exciting on the way home

Mountainboy2465

Has anyone tried wrapping string around their tyres to mimic makeshift snowchains? I'm pretty sure it was common practice when I were a lad...

I was thinking of trying it tomorrow with insulated wire, the thought of it coming undone, tangling & flipping me over the bars is the only thing stopping me at the moment.

iain_j

Mountainboy2465 wrote:

Has anyone tried wrapping string around their tyres to mimic makeshift snowchains? I'm pretty sure it was common practice when I were a lad...

I was thinking of trying it tomorrow with insulated wire, the thought of it coming undone, tangling & flipping me over the bars is the only thing stopping me at the moment.

I assume you can only do that with disc brakes?

Mountainboy2465

Or no brakes!

boliston

Commuted 2 miles each way on a Ridgeback hybrid - fell off once on the way to work as I hit a few hardened lumps of compacted snow in Taunton town centre. These lumps can knock your front wheel off course easily, but after about a mile I seemed to get more used to the bike handling on the compacted snow. Some people in the town seemed to be surprised to see someone on a bike and people at work thought I was mad to cycle in the snow but it's quite good fun once you get used to the way the bike slides about.

iain_j

I was considering buying some studded tyres this morning, but although I might be able to ride on the hard snow and ice, I wouldn't trust the motorists to drive sensibly enough to not run into me :evil:

Some idiots this morning. Taxis still doing 20-30mph on ice, HGV's faster than I'd be comfortable with.

Downwardi

Managed to get my longs on, Thermal vest and Long Sleeve Jersey then thought I must be mad and put my jeans on and drove in.

andy83

today i sinned and went on the pavement and across the park, but on old battered mtb oh what fun it was. best work out ive had in ages and had a smile on my face for whole of 5 mile commute (turns into 16 when whether bit better)

cant wait to do it again tomorrow, everyone thinks im mad but i love it, at least on bike have sense of when bike is slipping etc, wouldnt be as easy to stop if in car

flybywire

Good on you andy, It will be even more slippy tmrw though .. take it easy

sorry to hear about your GT mate, just out of interest what tyres were they fitted - Schwalbe slicks? (which type - I need some slicks for my trek old mtb for when the weather's a bit improved)

I've chickened riding tmrw even with wide blocky tyres fitted and run at low pressures. It will be 14miles each way all road because the snow is over a foot deep in the forestry part and towpath. The road will be a skating rink with vehicles compacted snow & -6 tonight :? . A work colleague may pick up in a little suzuki sj410 4x4.