so who's commuting in the snow?

cyclopsbiker

I'm setting off in 20 mins....hope its more snow than slush

Rooner

no snow down here in balmy Plymouth (its only -2), but icy so I've wussed out and running instead.

Might be OK by end of week, the wind is going to shift to coming from SW, temperature up to 9oC! Its Spring!!!!

kurako

Light dusting in SW London. I just went to the corner shop and it's a bit greasy out there. I was thinking of pumping up my tires but I'm not going to bother now. Take it easy!

pianoleo

I'm leaving late (I work very flexible hours) in about twenty mins. Going to wear walking shoes rather than SPDs, waterproof trousers over jeans (yes, jeans!) double up on the merino baselayers (Endura baabaa plus DHB). I say MTFU!

Kieran_Burns

I did. Maybe not such a good idea.

That was physically the hardest commute in I have ever done. Northerly wind blowing snow straight into my face and struggling with the bigger treaded tyres.

It was okay at the start, I head east then North, so the first section was kinda fun, cutting through the snow and making the first tracks on some stretches

Then it got hard, very very hard.

itboffin

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did. Maybe not such a good idea.

That was physically the hardest commute in I have ever done. Northerly wind blowing snow straight into my face and struggling with the bigger treaded tyres.

It was okay at the start, I head east then North, so the first section was kinda fun, cutting through the snow and making the first tracks on some stretches

Then it got hard, very very hard.

Now you get to sit at your desk and stare vacantly into the distance for a couple of hours before the horror as you realise you have to do it again, in the dark :shock:

nails us cyclist and ever so slightly stupid!

spen666

I'm debating how to get to work today.Any votes to cycle

soundninjauk

Not so much snow, as it was some horrible combination of snow, sleet and rain. Still, if this settles I'm massively glad I broke out the big guns (Orange P7 mtb with nice off-road tyres).

Much more fun than the tube

Blue Meanie

I'll cycle!
Problem I've seen is that although I can still take my same line (primary) the cars that are braving the conditions are less able to pass as they have to crest the snow inbetween the tyre-tracks.

Keep your awareness up and where possible try to help the traffic keep moving.

We've got 12"-15" here

W1

Not the greatest fun this morning. Cold, wet, windy and then it started to sleet - which is hard to see through, and it settles on you and then kindly melts!

Not particularly looking forward to the ride home tonight, but tailwind hopefully!

soundninjauk

As a side note, scalping people on my 140mm travel hardtail full knobbly mtb was more than satisfying.

roger_merriman

yes i'll be riding, the new bike is a 25mm slick SS but i have a MTB in the shed with full on mud spikes that its quite capable of climbing steep snow covered tracks, so if needed would cope with a flat london commute!

Canny Jock

It was fine in se London, not many cyclists about though. Left about 730 and only saw about 20 people on bikes.

SBezza

Great commute this morning, I always love it as it gets lighter on my way in, but with it snowing and being pure white, just made it magical this morning down the country lanes.

One great thing about the CX bike with knobblies on, still comfortable to ride, yet very sure footed.

As I sit here nearly an hour after work started I am the only member of the support team in work, and I am the only one that cycles in, so much for cars. The roads are not even that bad to be honest.

graeme_s-2

Most of the main roads are gritted and clear here, but I've been a bit gun shy after coming off on black ice on an ungritted cycle path two years ago, so got the bus.

Have a pair of ice tyres on order, so will hopefully be back out in it once they arrive and I get them fitted to my hybrid!

Harveytile

Rode in this morning with no real issues. A touch slower than usaul due to a combination of slush and snow on the road and legs that refused to warm up.

No need to break out the MTB unless the snow really comes down. Being London-way, little chance of that. :roll:

cyclopsbiker

got in fine, took it easy and didnt see much chaos....apart from a car which looked like it tried to get too friendly with the metal barriers as you come off Rotherhithe roundabout

leedsmjh

Decided to HTFU and give it a go on the CX bike (fresh snow = mud, right?).
It certainly took me a while to be brave enough to clip both feet in, but no real issues aside from gawping at a car that had crashed into a tree and stopping to help push a couple of cars up a minor incline.

Kieran_Burns

The ride home should be easier - I'll have a tail wind then, but the whole dynamic of the ride has changed now.

The CX bike with CX tyres is fine, I just need to get some more experience and confidence with the combination.

As above: I'm taking the driving line now so it's much harder for cars behind me, so I much more aware (read conscious) of what's going on behind me

Downhills and bends are not my friends

The tyres make everything much harder and I'm having to accept a much lower average speed (the 12 miles took 50 minutes today)

The snow in your face is utterly blinding - but the beam from my hope vision 2 was way cool 8)

Hmmm..... cold, dark, windy, wet and slippy. Remind me why we do this?

Alphabet

me. I'm a bit damp and my feet are like blocks of ice, but it wasn't too bad to be honest. slow cars and not many bikes. the kona kula with super wide tyres did me proud.

Wallace1492

Also on a Kona Kula. Train yesterday was awful, so decided on the MTB today.
The fresh snow lying on the old compact snow was very testing.... 6- 8 inches of it where I live. But once on the main road, the slush was fine.

Was further out than usual, to be in the cleared slushy tracks rather than the thick snow/ice at the side, when I had to enter it, was all over the place....
Ended up sticking behind a bus and just taking it nice and easy....

Must have been slowest commute ever, but did it.

Worst of all when I got in to work, and jumped in the shower, it was ICE COLD!! :shock:

london_scottish

came in from bexley at 7 this morning, lovely and white when I left, first one to leave tracks in the snow in places but after Lee it turned to slush and then just wet roads in central London so wasn't too bad. Did take about 1:20 for the 16 miles and my feet have only just thawed out but good fun.

dhope

I didn't but in hindsight should have done, the roads were far better than they looked from my window at 6.15. Instead, I decided I could go to the gym after work instead, went back to bed for an hour and got the train.

Jay dubbleU

Actually felt a bit warmer coming in today - my thumbs froze yesterday but not too bad this moning. About 2cm here but reasonably soft - we'll see what its like tonight once it freezes. Racing Ralph tyres were excellent

Gussio

Does slush count as snow....?

SamWise72

Hotel to venue was only half a mile in Nottingham today, albeit half a mile of Alpe d'Huez uphill, suicidal downhill and huge roundabout, all of it unfamiliar, in slushy conditions. Wasn't too bad in the end, was just slow and careful, but not looking forward to several miles of Manchester in the dark tonight.

secretsam

I did, although mine's only an ickle one - but snow in Aylesbury (1-2cm only) and horrid painful blowy sleety stuff in London.

Not so cold as it has been, however.

asprilla

I did. Snow was fine, although made me considerably slower though the park.

Wind was a bugger though.

lost_in_thought

I did too!

Actually, it was a bit tiresome, people were driving like eejits because OMG there's precipitation! I did see 2 minor shunts...

Also, the snow seemed to be getting in my eyes a lot, and was really rather stingy, especially when it turned into sleety stuff. Yowch.

Lastly, the new bike, while very pretty, is not very stoppy. At all. :?

rebs

Rode from Walthemstow to Old street this morning on my road bike. Slid all over the place the first few miles as it was generally lesser used roads. But halfway in the roads cleared up and it was like it hadn't snowed at all!

Not looking forward to the return trip. As long as it doesn't freeze up it should be fine. Here's hoping!

fatherted

SBezza wrote:

.......As I sit here nearly an hour after work started I am the only member of the support team in work, and I am the only one that cycles in, so much for cars.

Same here .

The roads are not even that bad to be honest ..

+1

If you're in the south commuting into London I can't see what all the fuss is about. It was 3degs when I left. Snowing a bit but with glasses and a cap to keep the snow out of your eyes it was business as usual.