so who's commuting in the snow?

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  • W1
    W1 Posts: 2,636
    Rolf F wrote:
    itboffin wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    ars*!

    I get a puncture whilst the weather is still OK and conveniently find a bus stop to change the tube. I then get caught in a blizzard and get blinded for a bit by snow build up between my eyes and my specs. I carry on with my extended 18 mile commute.

    I get into the office after 10 to discover the carpark virtually empty. Rumours are now flying around that the office will be shut as there aren't enough people in it!

    People these days..... Naaah, lets not evacuate Dunkirk - it looks a bit choppy out there! :lol:

    but think of the miles :wink:

    I am! Trying to work out which way to go home - do I crack another 18 miler blizzard ride (but mostly with tailwind), go for the minimum extended commute of 9.5 which has some steep climbs or go for the pathetic 6.5 which is really not much better than taking the bus home (not that the buses are running.....)

    I think on days like this you can excuse taking the shortest route possible, frankly.
  • saladfunky
    saladfunky Posts: 130
    My Cube LTD Team mountain bike got me through it last year and is doing it again this year. Cycling past the cars jammed up is a bonus when it snows. :-)

    :D
    Trek Emonda and Kiron Scandium on the road and Cube ltd Team for the rest .Also a retired Holdsworth Professional. Love Cycling!!
  • mmuk
    mmuk Posts: 398
    mmuk wrote:
    I would have cycled in, but I've got to go to Germany this afternoon, so no commuting till next week :(
    Hope it's still snowing then!

    MM

    the bad news - I missed the plane! (forgot my passport!) :(
    the good news - therefore get to bike to work instead :D
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    W1 wrote:
    Rolf F wrote:
    I am! Trying to work out which way to go home - do I crack another 18 miler blizzard ride (but mostly with tailwind), go for the minimum extended commute of 9.5 which has some steep climbs or go for the pathetic 6.5 which is really not much better than taking the bus home (not that the buses are running.....)

    I think on days like this you can excuse taking the shortest route possible, frankly.

    Which is exactly what I did! TBH, the snow wasn't a problem - fun in places with all the grip I needed on the front (Marathon Winter) and no grip at all on the back (City Jet) but the traffic was hopeless. Clearly all the offices in Leeds did exactly the same brain dead thing as each other and closed their offices at 12. So, instead of an evening rush hour possibly after the snow had stopped and thinned by people leaving early throughout the afternoon, everyone bailed straight out into a blizzard.

    Took me an hour to do 6.5 miles but I reckon the cars would be lucky to cover the distance in three.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,404
    A bit nonplused to find the City and North London almost completely free of snow. Here is what it looked like as I left for work this morning.

    Image313.jpg

    Not really suitable for 23C slicks, and the main road was a sea of black slush - noooooooo thank you very much.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Fireblade96
    Fireblade96 Posts: 1,123
    You're all mad !
    I decided to go degrease the cassette from the roadie. Working outdoors with cold running water, even with rubber gloves, had my hands numb within minutes.

    I retreated to the warmth of the house. S'not like I'm going to be using the roadie for a while anyway if this keeps up !
    Misguided Idealist
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Just spent 10 minutes pushing a van around our car park come ice rink. The rind how should be fun.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    Initialised wrote:
    Just spent 10 minutes pushing a van around our car park come ice rink. The rind how should be fun.

    Fingers numb? :wink:
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Kieran_Burns wrote:
    Initialised wrote:
    Just spent 10 minutes pushing a van around our car park come ice rink. The rind how should be fun.

    Fingers numb? :wink:
    Yed
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    Alphabet wrote:
    although saying that, the road out of beckenham to the homebase junction is ******* terrifying - where in beckenham are you? I'm on South Eden Park Road

    that was great for me I'm in addiscombe so I come over the hill Southend Road then right at the traffic lights by the station onto the croydon road (where the junction with the Annerly road is just sheet ice) then up long lane it just gets worse and worse the further south you go
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • amun1000
    amun1000 Posts: 242
    Gotta go by Landy as the bottom bracket needed renewing on the commuting bike but after its 16 years of service it doesnt want to come out - pass the gas axe :D
    When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    My tyre tracks are the only tracks in the road atm. :D
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    I have to say I'm both impressed with and envious of you guys. Even if my knees were not still hurting after the off, there's no way I would ride in on my single speed in this (mind you, from Herne Hill going north the roads look easy going). I do find myself wanting a mountain bike again for fun in the snow. Pass me another Worther's and I'll tell you about how much fun it was riding to school on my BMX in the snow, pegging it as fast as I could before locking the back brake, slamming down the left foot and sliding speedway style as far as I could. Ah, jumpers for goalposts?
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,404
    Another 2 or 3 of inches over night and still falling, and no trains, so I may be walking to Morden to get the tube. An MTB with spiky tyres would be handy.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • KnightOfTheLongTights
    KnightOfTheLongTights Posts: 1,415
    bit of slushy snow in the side-roads, main roads absolutely fine (Battersea->High St Ken)
  • SBezza
    SBezza Posts: 2,173
    More snow here last night, and thankfully the local farmers have snow ploughed the back roads. It was great on the road, but on the cycle path had to push the CX bike, snow was just too deep.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    rjsterry wrote:
    Another 2 or 3 of inches over night and still falling, and no trains, so I may be walking to Morden to get the tube. An MTB with spiky tyres would be handy.

    If the snow's much above 4", spiky tyres or not, a bike (MTB or otherwise) isn't going to get the job done. I ended up pushing mine at one point yesterday and, particularly over the Kessock bridge (artic lorries one side, drop into the Moray Firth the other) I was barely quicker than the lone pedestrian I passed.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • woodford2barbican
    woodford2barbican Posts: 1,505
    On the tube today - have a boozy lunch with a supplier and don't fancy my journey home with the energy sapping effect of a couple of pints of Guiness.
  • Wallace1492
    Wallace1492 Posts: 3,707
    Back on bike today thankfully. Not too bad apart from cutting through the hard packed snow on my estate. The main roads very slushy, but plenty of grip. Remembered my ski goggles today, so eyes were saved in the snow. Woolie Boolie on feet and merino liner gloves, kept me nice and toasty.
    "Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"
  • Butterd2
    Butterd2 Posts: 937
    I had to walk the first 1/2 mile today, no way I was going to set off down my hill to find ice at the bottom!
    Once on the main roads it was ok but certainly the worst this week. Met Cyclopsbiker, dhope and Hatbeard and rode in together from Greenwich. Was nice to not be the only fool out on the roads.
    Scott CR-1 (FCN 4)
    Pace RC200 FG Conversion (FCN 5)
    Giant Trance X

    My collection of Cols
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Made it in ok. 23mm slicks aren't ideal I'll admit but things were ok as long as I stuck in the car tracks and kept to bus routes all the way. Had to dismount a couple of times and walk, but really no bother. Will ask to leave while it's still light though, no way I'm riding back in the dark, eapecially if things freeze.

    All alone in the office at the moment, despite the fact that one colleague lives in Waterloo and we're in Borough, it's a 20 minute walk he doe every day but no sign of him, or the other lazy f*ckers yet.
  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    Chickened out. WFH.
  • surreyxc
    surreyxc Posts: 293
    Was riding cross country when the roads were ice and slush but now the roads are covered in snow and empty back on the roads. Was tempted to try the CX thought it would cut through the snow, but the rims and brakes were balling up. The MTB is running on Maxxis Crossmark and Aspen, surprised at the grip, not great but it does the job, may put the Cinders on tonight.
  • mybreakfastconsisted
    mybreakfastconsisted Posts: 1,018
    A light covering in Norwich, like icing sugar on a cake. Slippy, but I made it.
  • Sewinman
    Sewinman Posts: 2,131
    I saw a motorbike rider come off this morning outside St. Clement Danes Church. Bravado aside, I am not sure it is worth risking it in these conditions. I did not.
  • ktaylor
    ktaylor Posts: 58
    Rode in again today on my Van Nicholas with ultra sport tyres. Faster than most cars (except the 4wds). Not really much point though as Gatwick is dead. Got to protect the border though eh? Apparently there is free food in the canteen...

    To be honest the only reason I attempted the 7 mile journey was for bragging rights.
  • jeepie1999
    jeepie1999 Posts: 78
    Hoorah! Made it 9 miles from Bookham to Surbiton on MTB with slick tyres (I wonder if santa will bring me some knobbly ones???). Found this to be more successful than my 1980's Puch with 27 x 1 1/4 tyres - mainly because I could reach the ground. Kept to the car tyre tracks - but did wonder about the abllity of some car users to drive around me under control.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    A doddle this morning. Took my 9.5 mile route in and it took 40 minutes which isn't far off normal for the MTB.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    No problems on the main roads riding fixed on 23's. Bit slushy in places, especially off the driven lines.
  • ketsbaia
    ketsbaia Posts: 1,718
    Nearly had an off within seconds of getting on the bike today. Walked the bike down to the OKR and slushed along at a gentle pootle that saw me scalped by a MB on nobblies. Still, I passed a couple of geezers on road bikes, so I'm up on the game. Am soaked, though. Where on earth did I put my mudguards?
    One more gear

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