Icy Weather

cbriddon

Hi there,

I've been commuting since last April so this is my first winter. Last Friday I was about 1/2 mile from home when I turned onto a suddenly icy road. I ever so gently applied the brake so slow myself down but the moment I did the bike slid out from under me and I ended up doing 15mph face first in the middle of the road!

I wasn't badly hurt or anything apart from a few bruises but this has really put me off riding until the spring. This morning I set off and my road was once again covered in ice so I went back home and jumped into the car.

How do I go about safely commuting during the winter? I ride a Boardman Hybrid so have 700cx28 slick tyres. Would different tyres help?

Any advice would be great. I love riding my bike to work and have been grumpy all day because I didn't ride in. I can't leave it until March until I start again!!

Thanks in advance,

Christian

fnegroni

Two words: studded tyres

Have a search on this forum (or my blog). Plenty of advice.

Mr Plum

fnegroni wrote:

Two words: studded tyres

Have a search on this forum (or my blog). Plenty of advice.

[/thread]

Cluelessbiker

I to am totally put off riding in the conditions we have now, in fact I dare say I am not confident at al unless it is dry road, which i know will make many a hardened cyclist pour scorn on me. I am so nervous that if I do go out on my bike I am even contemplating wearing my old motorcyclyng jacket as that has pads on the elsbows back and shoulders, if its good enough for motorcycling, then in my mind it is good enough for cycling and i don't think it wil be too heavy. good for the fact I don't intend to go very far, plus althoug I thourougly hate them, I am looking at buying a cycling helmet, something I fight and argue with myself over. Studded tyres, not seen those, can you get them for the road?

meanredspider

Cluelessbiker wrote:

I to am totally put off riding in the conditions we have now, in fact I dare say I am not confident at al unless it is dry road, which i know will make many a hardened cyclist pour scorn on me. I am so nervous that if I do go out on my bike I am even contemplating wearing my old motorcyclyng jacket as that has pads on the elsbows back and shoulders, if its good enough for motorcycling, then in my mind it is good enough for cycling and i don't think it wil be too heavy. good for the fact I don't intend to go very far, plus althoug I thourougly hate them, I am looking at buying a cycling helmet, something I fight and argue with myself over. Studded tyres, not seen those, can you get them for the road?

I'd say the motorbike jacket is overkill. Yes, see the Marathon Winter thread in this forum. I've used studded winter tyres the last 3 winters in the Highlands. I've only come off once (on the Marathon Winters last week) probably because I had them overinflated in that time. The lid is a good idea. Depending upon your objections to the lid, get yourself a skateboard pisspot style lid which, whilst normally too hot for cycling, are hard and designed to take multiple impacts.

fossyant

Unless you have studded tyres, the best option might be to walk the bike to the main road where it should be gritted. Or not ride.

Having invested in studded tyres 2 years ago, they are the best thing since sliced bread !

I've had some very nasty falls in the past on black ice - one was 3 times in a 20 mile commute (One 25 mph slide, then the others were on back lanes and I was off into the bushes).

SickAsAParrot

I used to have a Carrera Subway with fat treaded tyres and low seating, which was pretty good for icy conditions as long as I kept in a straight line and took it easy around corners. Yeah I fell off it a few times but I was so low down I didn't have far to fall. Now that's scrapped off and I've got a Trek hybrid, the damn thing terrifies me, I'm so high up and all my weight is over the back wheel it feels like any slight twitch and i'll be straight off. I'll stick to the gritted main roads and avoid the backstreets until it gets too bad, then it's brum brum time.

rolf_f

SickAsAParrot wrote:

I'll stick to the gritted main roads and avoid the backstreets until it gets too bad, then it's brum brum time.

What - the point where if you are on a bike you get to cycle past the hopeless gridlock? One of the most satisfying cycling times of the year you are missing there

bails87

That's what I'm looking forward to

Get some Schwalbe Marathon Winters and keep on riding!

rolf_f

bails87 wrote:

That's what I'm looking forward to

Get some Schwalbe Marathon Winters and keep on riding!

Ahhh, December the 1st, 2010. A pure joy

cbriddon

Thanks again for all the replies. I have decided that the Marathon Winters are whats required but I'm not sure if they will fit my 700x28C wheels.

Looking at the Schwalbe website it looks like the nearest I can get are 700cx35C. Would these fit my wheels or would they be too wide?

I don't think frame clearence will be an issue as there is plenty of space around my current tyres.

Cheers,

Christian

fossyant

If you have the clearance, then they should fit.

thistle_

The falling off doesn't worry me too much because if there's a chance of it being icy I take it easy around corners (yeah it hurts a bit when hit the deck and you can get some impressive frame shaped bruises but less road rash).

It's the falling off on the ice and being hit by someone in a car/van/truck not paying attention that worries me more.

wyadvd

www.icebike.org

CraigTheBiker

When the mercury gets down towards zero I tend to stick to the main roads. A few weeks ago I came off my bike on a cycle path down by the river - I had no idea it was even anywhere near freezing and I hit a patch of black ice. Actually, two of us went down like dominos!

I wrote about this on my blog and one guy left a comment saying that he had done something similar, but he ended up with a broken femur. Apparently he still managed to cycle for another mile with one leg! :shock:

So, my advice would be:
1. definitely get studded tyres on there
2. stick to busier roads
3. if you're still not comfortable, leave it until it warms up a bit.

Got to say though, this year i nowhere near as bad as last year. Last year the snow was 6 inches deep and I was cycling in the tracks left by the cars.

lemon7

Cycling on ice is funny and without special tyres it's imposyble

Initialised

lemon7 wrote:

Cycling on ice is funny and without special tyres it's imposyble

How I made it through last winter without my Snow Studs is a bit of a mystery, it hurt a lot but I never ended up in A&E or worse. This year I have Snow Studs and they've paid for them selves already. It's that feeling as the tyre loses grip, slips sideways, and you think "I'm going over", then the spikes hit the ice and you stay up right. £30-60 a tyre for studs but it's better than face-planting the tarmac when your front wheel slips on the ice (I was wearing a helmet when that happened, a stiff shoulder an a bleeding knee is much better than a fractured skull).

So yeah, it can be done without ice tyres but it hurts.

Clairep

The Schwalbe stud tyres 700 x 35 wouldn't stay on my CX rims - a wee bit too big .. so got the mtb ones and they're great. Much more stable in windy weather too

peat

Surely studded tyres are for digging into ice at least 2-5mm thick?

I can't see how riding on tarmac with a reduced contact patch (and of metal) can be of benefit.

bails87

Peat wrote:

Surely studded tyres are for digging into ice at least 2-5mm thick?

I can't see how riding on tarmac with a reduced contact patch (and of metal) can be of benefit.

25mm slick tyre=lots of grip on tarmac but no grip on ice

35mm ice spikers = lots of grip on tarmac and enough grip on ice

So riding on tarmac they're probably of no benefit, but not really any harm, then you hit a patch of ice and they're a huge benefit.

peat

Fair enough, never ridden them myself.