Snow?

Initialised

Just a little.

bushu

Still dark here, but definitely tryin to snow again

mudcow007

arghhh

ice!!

man down, well not me but the guy i ride with

still no snow though...bad times

walkingbootweather

Loads of snow here. Some of the biggest flakes I've ever seen. Was supposed to be at an early meeting this morning so set off an hour before in the car for a journey that should take about 35mins. Took me over an hour and a half - could have done that in half the time on the bike (well maybe not today I couldn't)

meanredspider

No new snow here and almost none to speak of. Slightly icy but easier than yesterday morning.

Kieran_Burns

Anyone else seeing forecasts of -6 to -8 tonight?

Those marathon winters are hard work to cycle on but I think I'd rather be on the bike than in the car tomorrow morning.

rubertoe

'Tis cold.

Not gonna get much above freezing at all this week with a low of about -4.

meanredspider

Depending upon what the weather has been like leading up to a really cold patch, I think really cold is actually safer (on a studded bike at least) as everything is frozen solid. There's no slush or water or ice on top of water. When it's that cold, there also is often almost no wind. Thawing ice and snow is probably the riskiest.

Initialised

meanredspider wrote:

Depending upon what the weather has been like leading up to a really cold patch, I think really cold is actually safer (on a studded bike at least) as everything is frozen solid. There's no slush or water or ice on top of water. When it's that cold, there also is often almost no wind. Thawing ice and snow is probably the riskiest.

My Harris can second that, ice is OK. Ice on squishy mud with a layer of slush in between and water on top will spit you out even on studded tyres.

Blacktemplar

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Anyone else seeing forecasts of -6 to -8 tonight?

Those marathon winters are hard work to cycle on but I think I'd rather be on the bike than in the car tomorrow morning.

Typical Beeb over-forecasting, yet again. Has anyone else noticed this trend of late? It feels as if they're making a song and dance about the slightest bit of adverse weather these days, issuing "ffs it might be cold in winter - watch out" warnings left right and centre.

Like KB we had an overnight prediction of -6C to -8C but only a little bit of frost this morning where we are (c 250m elevation) and nothing in towards the city. Thermometer read -1C at 7am.

Consequence? Virtually no-one on the commute. Same thing everytime we get a forecast for anything "extreme"

I guess the forecastsers are just covering their a$$es...... :roll:

Hot Orange

We certainly had as much snow as was forecast last night - which was quite a lot. My wife came off the road in the car this morning (no harm done) after she lost all grip. I wimped out of going on the bike, worried by what the drop in temperature to -4 would do to the melted snow on the way home, but I'm really not sure whether bike or car is safest in these conditions.

Kieran_Burns

Just checked the Met Office site and it's showing light snow and a minimum of -6 tonight. (East Midlands Airport if anyone wants to check)

Today:

Starting with ice on untreated surfaces. Scattered snow showers across Lincolnshire today, perhaps occasionally reaching Nottinghamshire, Rutland and perhaps Leicestershire. Showers will be sometimes heavy, especially across Lincolnshire, before mostly dying away later. Elsewhere dry, some sunny spells. Very cold. Maximum Temperature 1 °C.
Tonight:

Any remaining snow showers will die away, leaving a dry and very cold night with a widespread sharp frost and icy stretches on untreated surfaces. Patchy freezing fog will form. Minimum Temperature -6 °C.
Wednesday:

Generally dry, very cold with sunny periods developing. However, scattered light wintry showers will arrive along the Lincolnshire coast, and patchy freezing fog may persist all day in some places. Maximum Temperature 0 °C.

Marathon Winters tomorrow then.

Captain Slackbladder

Blacktemplar wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Anyone else seeing forecasts of -6 to -8 tonight?

Those marathon winters are hard work to cycle on but I think I'd rather be on the bike than in the car tomorrow morning.

Typical Beeb over-forecasting, yet again. Has anyone else noticed this trend of late? It feels as if they're making a song and dance about the slightest bit of adverse weather these days, issuing "ffs it might be cold in winter - watch out" warnings left right and centre.

Like KB we had an overnight prediction of -6C to -8C but only a little bit of frost this morning where we are (c 250m elevation) and nothing in towards the city. Thermometer read -1C at 7am.

Consequence? Virtually no-one on the commute. Same thing everytime we get a forecast for anything "extreme"

I guess the forecastsers are just covering their a$$es...... :roll:

2 inches of snow and its Armageddon on Sky news......hyperbole bulls**t!!!

meanredspider

Breaking News!!! Cold weather in winter....

mudcow007

like a summers day here today, well except the chillyness in the air

should be a cool (get it?!) commute homeward

Ben6899

I'm considering putting in a few laps of Regent's Park this evening. Does that qualify me as reckless?

daviesee

Currently -4.
I will make the decision based on how many slips I have waking to the office where the bike is kept.
Looking awfully shiny on the roads.
Cycle home or train & turbo. I know which I'd prefer.

Kieran_Burns

daviesee wrote:

Currently -4.
I will make the decision based on how many slips I have waking to the office where the bike is kept.
Looking awfully shiny on the roads.
Cycle home or train & turbo. I know which I'd prefer.

I think we'd all prefer the former.... Is that the point you know you're a committed cyclist? 8)

daviesee

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I think we'd all prefer the former.... Is that the point you know you're a committed cyclist? 8)

Agreed.
but a look out the window shows mist. Mist and -4 makes for some slippy roads. I'd rather not be admitted.
Looking like the turbo will be getting fired up tonight.

daviesee

I can now be committed. Cycled home.

It was mad though. -4 freezing fog and that was just for starters.
Had to ride in the car tyre tracks to avoid ice the whole way, taking up primary and holding cars up. Fortunately the cars in front weren't going too much faster.
Then the coup de grace - a 2 mile hilly section with ice in the middle and piled snow at the sides. A nervous ride to say the least on a road bike & 25mm road tyres.



This is a BBC photo and not on my route, but 2 miles away and that road had been gritted, mine hadn't.
Takes me back to 2 years ago.
Train tomorrow. :x

bushu

felt sketchy today
new marathon winters bedded in now but, not as confident in them as when they were new and trying to chew up the road surface

EDIT - though a flashback from last years non studded effort reminds me i would probably be dead today if i tried that without the winter marathons

Focus-rider

Daviesee, by chance is that car picture taken on the back road from pitmedden to whitecairns north of aberdeen? It looks just like my commute road to work and there was a car just like that in a ditch this morning. Will try and take a picture tomorrow morning if its still there on my ride to work. Cant wait, -8 outside at the minute, winter spikes on and MTB all set for the 16 mile commute at 06:45. Can t flip in wait.

ta
glenn

daviesee

According to the report it is the B979 which pretty much seems to cover every back road in the area.
However, it is reported to be near Tyrebagger so I will assume the road from Westhill to the A96.

Road bike only for me so train it is. Tonight was event free but stressful enough not to be repeated.

Topaxci

Brrr, apparently -7 this morning. Just cold fingers, mainly after fighting with the shed padlock, but otherwise managed to stay quite toasty.
The roads of Norwich though are lumpy sheets of ice.
Worst I've seen in many years, down here. Brought the city to a grinding halt last night (but then just the threat of snow can do that around here some days).

First time I've ridden my Marathon Winters in proper ice and was suprised how squirmy they feel.
Good grip under braking, keeping to a gentle pace (10mph ish) and no sudden movements.
I know some of you have call to use ice tyres much more frequently - is it normal for them to give some sideways slip?
Anyway still felt safer on the bike than in the car, and at least I'll be able to get home tonight if the city gridlocks again.

meanredspider

Winters do squirm - it's quite unnerving at first. Do treat ice with caution on the Winters - I got rear wheelspin frequently on steep climbs and also came off on a hard-frozen adverse camber corner. They are good but not foolproof. It's why I run Ice Spiker Pros on the MTB instead - I can maintain reasonable speeds (15mph into work & 14mph (net uphill) back yesterday) over the 15 miles each way and, in 3 years of using them, I've never experienced the slightest "moment" as they have 3x as many studs as the Winters (and actually weigh less). I think they are overkill for most people but I face a lot of ice.

mudcow007

i can report today was fecking freezing, no idea what the temp was - but the cold air was hurting my chest as i took a breath in

ice was good fun though

Ben6899

daviesee wrote:

This is a BBC photo and not on my route, but 2 miles away and that road had been gritted, mine hadn't.
Takes me back to 2 years ago.
Train tomorrow. :x

Do you roll a car, two years ago?

Kieran_Burns

-3 to -4 'round here. Ice in patches and not roads I would ever do on anything but fully treaded or spiked tyres.

I've been getting the slight sideways slip but the marathon winter tyres are predictable (albeit very slow) and I feel way more confident on them.

Still need to try them out on proper snow / ice yet though.

daviesee

Ben6899 wrote:

Do you roll a car, two years ago?

No.
Takes me back to the weather and road conditions of November/December 2010.
I can drive fairly well in the snow and road conditions have never prevented me getting anywhere.
Numpties that can't drive is what causes the road congestion, not a little snow.
Here is a road that i was happy driving up a couple of years ago.

Kieran_Burns

Reminds me of Wales in 2009:



A landrover got stuck a little further down that road... trying to dig me out. :roll: :oops: