Riding in snow and ice

newpot

How are you all doing it, I ave riden to work everyday since September, this week I have looked outside and been terrified, then I drive to work and see lots of cyclist. How do you stop yourself from falling off in on the ice?

roger_merriman

confidence.

big solid bike helps as well.

itboffin

newpot wrote:

How are you all doing it, I ave riden to work everyday since September, this week I have looked outside and been terrified, then I drive to work and see lots of cyclist. How do you stop yourself from falling off in on the ice?

you dont... you fall off.. dude shit happens, sometimes it really hurts sometimes its just funny :?

Jay dubbleU

Lower your saddle so its easier to get feet down quickly
Lower tyre pressure a little - wider footprint - better grip
Do everything slowly - no sudden changes of direction
Trust to luck - sometime sh*t happens

spasypaddy

i did it one day, can now barely walk from the two big crashes i had. that was three days ago.

sliding 20metres on your arse along the ice really hurts your pride and your side. the rest is damaged from impact injuries

fnegroni

spasypaddy wrote:

i did it one day, can now barely walk from the two big crashes i had. that was three days ago.

sliding 20metres on your ars* along the ice really hurts your pride and your side. the rest is damaged from impact injuries

Riding on ice is not easy, and takes a lot of effort.

I recommend slowing down even if it seems the path ahead is clear.

As with all winter sports, balance is key, trying to keep the weight central on the bike, and avoiding sudden movements helps.

I also hover my right foot on the ground in situations where I feel a fall is likely to take place.

Practicing snow/ice/mud riding is also very helpful. Do that at night on a local road when noone's around. It's an excellent workout and will improve your confidence.

LostInTheWoods

Invest in a set of studded tyres, they will last you years and you can cycle with confidence and without bruising.

cjcp

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Lower your saddle so its easier to get feet down quickly
Lower tyre pressure a little - wider footprint - better grip
Do everything slowly - no sudden changes of direction
Trust to luck - sometime sh*t happens

+1. Gentle braking too. Use tyres that have some tread, too. I'm using 30mm cyclo cross tyres. These help in the snow, but do not help in the ice.

Stay out of the gutter and the slush - ride primary if needs be.

+1 to Fnegroni's idea too - does no harm to go out and practice on weekends too if you have the chance to ride on traffic-free paths .

UndercoverElephant

Just give it a go. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be the other day, and that was on 23mm road tyres at full inflation. Try to read the road ahead, no sudden changes in speed or direction and you're fine.

fossyant

Lethal in South Manchester...got studded tyres though so fine for me....just stay away from the cars......

newpot

I forgot to mention I live in Jersey and there isn't that much snow here, I know whimp, I am taking the bike out this morning, lots of padding is the theory, thanks for the replies

newpot

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/425 ... 3711_b.jpg

went out in the snow and on the beach easy[/img]

itboffin

Happily riding along this afternoon in the snow and ice both on and off road, until I hit a totally different kind of snow, well at least I think that's what happened.

Tell me what you think could have caused this.

the trail path was the same maybe slightly less tree cover, and perhaps the depth of the snow was an inch more at the most, reasonably packed in the middle down to 2 inches and 10-12 inches elsewhere, soon as I hit this section the bike became completely unmanageable, the rear just span wildly gripping nothing and the front jarred 45 degrees left/right/left etc etc you get the picture, before long I was out of gears and sweating wildly, exhausted and broken I had to keep stopping to catch my breath :?

How I envied the walkers with their simple no effort method of travel

Anyway I struggled on for five miles of this torturer before noticing the two other bike tracks were in the fresh deep snow, so I tried the fresh "powder" at what do you know back to manageable handling, but frankly by then I was spent, finished the last couple of miles ago the horrific busy A346.

hells

Stay loose on the bike so you can shift your weight when needed, look far ahead so you spot hazzards early, don't harsh brake. I went mountain biking in the peak district today (Ladybower classic) bit difficult when the snow comes up to your knees! Most main roads seem to be quite well gritted and I havent slipped once riding in any citys yet. I have alos found car drivers to be much more considerate to me.

0scar

I have one bike, one expensive jacket and one bum so I'd rather not destroy any of them on the ice. I've ridden to work all week but with decreased agility on black ice I didn't want to risk it with the eejits (I'm looking at you WMVs/Addison Lee people carriers/ bendy buses) so I took public transport home. Left my Oyster card in the house - £2 for the bus and £4 for the tube! Still cheaper than a new fork/ RD/ Gore Phantom though..

mark_d

newpot wrote:

How are you all doing it, I ave riden to work everyday since September, this week I have looked outside and been terrified, then I drive to work and see lots of cyclist. How do you stop yourself from falling off in on the ice?

If there's ice you can't avoid don't ride. It's treacherous and not worth the risk of falling off or into/under something. Snow is fine to ride on, particularly with treaded tyres, but as soon as it's compacted down to ice it's a death trap. Even if the roads look clear you need to keep your wits about you. Don't make quick changes in direction, brake smoothly and early (fixed gear is good for this) and watch out for the middle of the road, the gutters and other bits which aren't driven on much where snow and ice accumulate. Stay on the clear, dry bits even if you hold people up briefly.

The London authorities have done a great job of gritting the London roads in my area this week. My commute is all on main roads and has been fine -- clear and dry each day.

roger_merriman

itboffin wrote:

Happily riding along this afternoon in the snow and ice both on and off road, until I hit a totally different kind of snow, well at least I think that's what happened.

Tell me what you think could have caused this.

the trail path was the same maybe slightly less tree cover, and perhaps the depth of the snow was an inch more at the most, reasonably packed in the middle down to 2 inches and 10-12 inches elsewhere, soon as I hit this section the bike became completely unmanageable, the rear just span wildly gripping nothing and the front jarred 45 degrees left/right/left etc etc you get the picture, before long I was out of gears and sweating wildly, exhausted and broken I had to keep stopping to catch my breath :?

How I envied the walkers with their simple no effort method of travel

Anyway I struggled on for five miles of this torturer before noticing the two other bike tracks were in the fresh deep snow, so I tried the fresh "powder" at what do you know back to manageable handling, but frankly by then I was spent, finished the last couple of miles ago the horrific busy A346.

how knobbly is the tires? the very old mud tires on the MTB make short work of all snow I've ever shown it, though ice as ever is nasty.

itboffin

roger merriman wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Happily riding along this afternoon in the snow and ice both on and off road, until I hit a totally different kind of snow, well at least I think that's what happened.

Tell me what you think could have caused this.

the trail path was the same maybe slightly less tree cover, and perhaps the depth of the snow was an inch more at the most, reasonably packed in the middle down to 2 inches and 10-12 inches elsewhere, soon as I hit this section the bike became completely unmanageable, the rear just span wildly gripping nothing and the front jarred 45 degrees left/right/left etc etc you get the picture, before long I was out of gears and sweating wildly, exhausted and broken I had to keep stopping to catch my breath :?

How I envied the walkers with their simple no effort method of travel

Anyway I struggled on for five miles of this torturer before noticing the two other bike tracks were in the fresh deep snow, so I tried the fresh "powder" at what do you know back to manageable handling, but frankly by then I was spent, finished the last couple of miles ago the horrific busy A346.

how knobbly is the tires? the very old mud tires on the MTB make short work of all snow I've ever shown it, though ice as ever is nasty.

roger_merriman

itboffin wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Happily riding along this afternoon in the snow and ice both on and off road, until I hit a totally different kind of snow, well at least I think that's what happened.

Tell me what you think could have caused this.

the trail path was the same maybe slightly less tree cover, and perhaps the depth of the snow was an inch more at the most, reasonably packed in the middle down to 2 inches and 10-12 inches elsewhere, soon as I hit this section the bike became completely unmanageable, the rear just span wildly gripping nothing and the front jarred 45 degrees left/right/left etc etc you get the picture, before long I was out of gears and sweating wildly, exhausted and broken I had to keep stopping to catch my breath :?

How I envied the walkers with their simple no effort method of travel

Anyway I struggled on for five miles of this torturer before noticing the two other bike tracks were in the fresh deep snow, so I tried the fresh "powder" at what do you know back to manageable handling, but frankly by then I was spent, finished the last couple of miles ago the horrific busy A346.

how knobbly is the tires? the very old mud tires on the MTB make short work of all snow I've ever shown it, though ice as ever is nasty.

wider and less knobbly but even so I'm supprised could just be that mix of snow. do get bits like that some times, really sticky stuff can be really hardwork.

the_village_idiot

if i was commuting i would ride in the car tracks on the road- although the risk then is a car looses control as it over takes you....

scally56

Hey

Just got back from riding home from mates house. On the way there was riding along a small side road ( Rectory Lane/Road, Oxford), i was coming towards the top of it just past the pub on a slight bend. Bang I was off in a second, sliding down the road on my side with the bike shooting off into the distance. Nothing bad happened, no cuts bruises not sure about bike i'll have to check in the morning, just damaged pride.

What I was thinking of was, would it be a good idea of having a section in the commuting section of where the bad icey roads are in each city/county. This way people can adjust their routes to leave out these areas, or go on them if they so wish to.

Be safe.

Simon