Slippery leaves

bluesparx

Although previously I have been encouraged that road tyres are perfectly fine for winter as it has been scientifically proven that they grip tarmac better than a knobbly MTB tyre, I have had a couple of nasty spills recently that have alsmost put me off commuting.
Incident 1: Hit tram lines at a slight angle in the wet, thefront tyre went sideways, I came off and dislocated my shoulder.
Incident 2: Riding in a fairly wet leaf covered gap between kerb and traffic, again front tyre went from under me somehow. I managed to stay on but only just managed not to be run over.
There were also another couple of skids and slips due to the leaves this week, I don't know what to do. I cant really get any different tyres on my allez road bike.
Is it just me with no sense of balance or do others have these issues with slick road tyres?

Headhuunter

In those sorts of situations you're likely to have problems with a lot of tyres. Certainly riding on metal be it tramlines or manhole covers is to be avoided at all costs, especially when turning. Turning on a wet manhole cover is a sure fire way to go down. Same with wet leaves, they're usually OK if you're moving in a straight line but don't turn on them unless you have to and if you do have to, turn slowly without to much lean

roger_merriman

on a road bike once you loose the front it tends not to be recoverable, plus you tend to have more weight on the front.

this said wider tyres will give you a bigger contact patch plus you can run lower pressures.

Tom Butcher

Skinny tyres are fine - you just need to watch what you are riding over. You can ride over leaves so long as you aren't banking the bike over on them - sometimes being nervous can make things worse - grabbing the brakes at the wrong time is more dangerous than just riding over things.

rjsterry

Headhuunter wrote:

In those sorts of situations you're likely to have problems with a lot of tyres. Certainly riding on metal be it tramlines or manhole covers is to be avoided at all costs, especially when turning. Turning on a wet manhole cover is a sure fire way to go down. Same with wet leaves, they're usually OK if you're moving in a straight line but don't turn on them unless you have to and if you do have to, turn slowly without to much lean

Yep, wet ironwork and wet leaves are much the same as ice from the point if view of a cyclist. There's not much you can do about them (and ice spikes won't even help on manhole covers). As HH says, avoid if possible, if not hold a straight line until back on clear tarmac. If you absolutely have to turn, then get a foot ready to touch down, because you WILL slip.

cougie

You have to hit tram lines at 90 degrees. Or bunny hop them at speed.

As for wet leaves - round here they're pretty much confined to the gutter - are you being too cautious and riding too close to the kerb ? Further out would be a better bet.

gaz545

metal work and wet leafs = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J7YNNpvvYI

jeepie

I had an off this morning on my mountain bike - the first one in over 2,000 miles on it, so I don't think it's to do with a road bike. Got one of those too and not had an .... . My mtb has huge 2.2 inch tyres too.

I came round a very sharp corner a bit too hot and lost the front wheel and plowed into a wire fence which was the perfect safety net. Bonus!

I feel it was my fault as I was riding too fast for the conditions. So don't worry just chalk it up to experience and carry on. Your roadie will be fine as a winter commute as I ride my road bike on 23s all year round.

Jay dubbleU

My local council insists on putting what they call tactile paving across cycle paths at regular intervals - basically they are yellow ridged patio slabs and are lethal if you hit them whilst braking - spring and autumn they are slimy with algae and winter they seem to hold ice when the rest of the tarmac surface is clear. They are never level with the path surface so you bang up or down onto them and if you hit them at a slight angle your wheel flicks over and drops into the ruts - can't understand the mentality behind them. Accident waiting to happen if you ask me :roll:

wizzlebanger

Normally on my cycle home along the A6 (Manchester) I don't use the cycle lane as ;

It's not part of the road but on the path and so used by pedestrians.
Is broken every few hundred yards for access to farms / industrial estates
is poorly maintained.
I have to join back to the main road a lot and this causes issues itself when traffic is at 50mph.

Now that it's dark I've decided that as it's a main road the cycle path is a lesser of 2 evils.

Cycling home last night it was full of leaves....basically a carpet of wet leaves. It was also clear that some street cleaning device had gone down the gutter and cleared / moved all the leaves from the road onto the cycle path.

I feel an angry email to the council coming on!!!!

jthef

Like every one has said avoid the manhole cover or go over them straight, as for the leaves I have just moved out further to where the traffic has cleared the leaves as the cycle track/road narrowing strip is covered in leaves then move back in when clear.

roger_merriman

rjsterry wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

In those sorts of situations you're likely to have problems with a lot of tyres. Certainly riding on metal be it tramlines or manhole covers is to be avoided at all costs, especially when turning. Turning on a wet manhole cover is a sure fire way to go down. Same with wet leaves, they're usually OK if you're moving in a straight line but don't turn on them unless you have to and if you do have to, turn slowly without to much lean

Yep, wet ironwork and wet leaves are much the same as ice from the point if view of a cyclist. There's not much you can do about them (and ice spikes won't even help on manhole covers). As HH says, avoid if possible, if not hold a straight line until back on clear tarmac. If you absolutely have to turn, then get a foot ready to touch down, because you WILL slip.

Not so, my MTB has some very soft compound mud spike tyres which run lovely at 30 PSI, now do we think that at tyre that will stick to muddy off camber wet roots and rocks, will get up set by a manhole cover? clearly not.

To be honest even on the hybrid with marathon pluses as long as I don't push my luck, ie bank right over, or turn sharply, it likewise isn't bothered by them, the roadie on it's 23mm blades you do have avoid them as really doesn't like them. but even so they are a long way from being ice like.

arthur_scrimshaw

Jay dubbleU wrote:

My local council insists on putting what they call tactile paving across cycle paths at regular intervals - basically they are yellow ridged patio slabs and are lethal if you hit them whilst braking - spring and autumn they are slimy with algae and winter they seem to hold ice when the rest of the tarmac surface is clear. They are never level with the path surface so you bang up or down onto them and if you hit them at a slight angle your wheel flicks over and drops into the ruts - can't understand the mentality behind them. Accident waiting to happen if you ask me :roll:

+1

Around here they use them at cycle path/road crossings. Went down on one of these last week when my front wheel just broke away.

vorsprung

How to ride on wet leaves and mud on the road

* Go a bit slower. Don't push it * Tyres with lower pressures and/or a bit of tread will give you a tiny amount more traction * Don't steer on wet leaves. Certainly don't lean * Don't brake on wet leaves. Certainly don't brake and steer * Keep it smooth * Seated climbing works better as there is more weight/traction on the power going through the rear wheel

Blue Meanie

Alternatively - MTFU!

I've got a metal drain-cover thing on the final left before work, always enjoy locking my rear wheel over it to get slideways a bit. Have lost the front a good few times, but never been down.

Can't recommend riding fixed enough to give that feedback from the rear wheel.

jeremyrundle

First of all my SINCERE thanks to the persons who have been talking about leaves as a novice I never ever thought a leaf could be so dangerous.

Since reading this thread, as I cycle on a foot/cycle pathe covered with leaves so bad you can often see nothing else, I have taken extra care especially when turning.

No doubt this thread and advice has saved me from coming off.

Thank you.

KonaMike

Ive not come off yet but had a few little moments on wet leaves ,I'm trying to stay a bit further out in the road to avoid the slippery piles of leaves that gather next to the kerb but I think you just have to slow up a bit on really wet days.