Snow - safe to ride?

rgrc28

Sort of an open ramble really, but it's looking like it might finally snow here soon (South Coast).
I commute 18 miles along a fairly major A road, quite a bit of traffic, lights and roundabouts in normal conditions.
Riding a racing bike with 700 x 23 tyres how dangerous is this likely to be if it does dump down, i only have experience of riding mountain bikes in snow?
In normal conditions it takes me just over an hour, i could ride my mountain bike in (super fat tyres, the polar opposite of my svelte road commuter bike) but it hasn't got any lights and I wouldn't be able to ride it in traffic so would be reduced to pounding the pavement most of the way, quite illegal.
My gut feeling is i don't think it's a wise idea to try, not just the danger i pose to myself riding anything out in slippery conditions, but 18 miles of slipping and sliding commuter drivers each easily able to punch my ticket with an impatient mistake.
The odds are not in my favor, I'm going to have the conversation with my employer tomorrow and just wondering how he's going to respond. The end of the day it's not him taking the risk to get there.

stealf

Persoanlly I would take a break from it, 18 miles is normally a great distance to commute, but in the snow down right dangerous on roads. All the slush/ snow collects right where your wheels should be and this makes it a constant battle to go in a straight line opposed to being flung about sliding off ice (on a road bike that is, MTB are better as more tyre to deflect over it)
Pavements are horrible as well stop start, wait for dog to get out way, stop again etc. a royal pain.
MTFU: not on this occasion. be safe out there

rubertoe

On an A road, i'd expect it to be gritted no?

I personally would go for it, unless of course it is not gritted. just take a more primary position in the road, which your more than entitled to do and avoid all the obvious hazards, Drains etc.

wod1

the bit about not having lights fitted to the mountain bike was the same as my dilemma this morning. We have had a covering of snow since Monday, Commute 5 miles in on Monday on the road bike. Very heavy snow fell Monday night and cycled home in it and it was brilliant fun, all the cars were stationary and I just cycled passed them ( a little slower than usual) but much faster than any motor vehicle and it was great fun in the fresh snow.

Walked into work next two days as it melted a little and then froze (this is the bit I dont like when you get the ridges of ice / compacted snow forming that skew you about)

After two days walking needed to get back on the bike and planned for the mountain bike, but without my good lights fitted and also the bike in a bit of a state as it was lacking use I just ended up jumping on the road bike.

Most of my route is busy enough to be gritted and the tyres tracks from cars were fine to ride down carefully. Was a bit worried about getting my bike covered in slush but at a dry -7 it was fine. Now looking into better gloves as my hands were a bit cold!

rolf_f

It is unlikely you'll ride much on snow on any main roads but it can happen. Usually, the cars clear a tyre line fairly quickly and riding in that tends to be fine (though I'd be on my MTB in these conditions). The problem is that anywhere there is snow lying tends to result in gridlock to the traffic. At this point the cars will be parked on the tyre lines and you'll either have to sit in the queue (and that ain't happening!) or you'll have to ride through the fresh snow - and that is a) not particularly dangerous as you'll be falling off all the time at less than a couple of mph and b) probably not going to happen on a road bike with slicks.

As said, the nasty stuff is the partly melted snow which you tend to have to deal with when the traffic is gridlocked.

The best time I had of this was when it snowed at lunchtime a couple of years ago and gridlocked everywhere. It was slow progress getting past the stationary traffic but once I got passed the cars getting stuck on a hill I had the road to myself - fantastic! Took me an hour to do 6.5 miles but the cars would have taken three or four times longer I reckon.

The Rookie

Also if the snow is melting there is shedloads of mucky water sitting in the melted tyre tracks, you will get wet and you will be filthy!

I put the bike away for snow, out for icey as most my commute is grtted just fine (more chain lube though as the salt will soon give you the orange chain of shame).

brianandrews

I am wondering whether to commute myself tomorrow. Snow is forecast for the evening rush hour. I'd be tempted to pass on the commute - not worth being out of action for months on end just to prove a point.

ricky1980

snow gritted or not...not the best idea to be cycling! skinny tyres on snow....hmm, sounds like skiing to me. No, if I see snow or ice on the road I do not commute on bikes. imagine you turn and there is just a bit of black ice...boom you are under a truck the next second!

cookeeemonster

I've got a similar dilemma tomorrow as regards to take the road bike (my only bike). As I'm on untreated cyclepaths for around 6 miles of the 18 I probably wont risk it.

As for the lights bit...seriously can it take more than a few minutes to take a light off one bike and put it on another?

So that shouldn't be the reason not to use your mountain bike - the other reasons not to are fair enough though

ps. I hope you're not saying it's ok to ride on pavements or cyclepaths without lights - its a real bugbear of mine. Had too many of these idiots in dark clothing with no lights or reflectors and so on come out of nowhere towards me whilst I'm cycling against the flow of traffic (i.e. headlights in face)...pr*cks... :evil:

rolf_f

CookeeeMonster wrote:

ps. I hope you're not saying it's ok to ride on pavements or cyclepaths without lights - its a real bugbear of mine. Had too many of these idiots in dark clothing with no lights or reflectors and so on come out of nowhere towards me whilst I'm cycling against the flow of traffic (i.e. headlights in face)...pr*cks... :evil:

The idiots in dark clothing should stand out beautifully against the snow! Unless they have white kit specially for snow days

ricky1980

Rolf F wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

ps. I hope you're not saying it's ok to ride on pavements or cyclepaths without lights - its a real bugbear of mine. Had too many of these idiots in dark clothing with no lights or reflectors and so on come out of nowhere towards me whilst I'm cycling against the flow of traffic (i.e. headlights in face)...pr*cks... :evil:

The idiots in dark clothing should stand out beautifully against the snow! Unless they have white kit specially for snow days

right, precursor...anyone ever seen Zoolander? also i do not do this btw, but for the sake of if someone is film i would!

but in zoolander Ben Stiller does this funny scene where he is in a coal mine and he decides to prank his old man (Jon Voight) by painting his face black and wear all black. as Jon Voight about to strike his pick into a piece of coal, ben stiller opens his eye and mouth so the white of the eye and teeth are clearly visible...and shouts "SURPRISE"...replied by "WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!" LOL

may thats what the cyclists wear black with no lights are trying to do to u

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp-qDsjJHqM not sure what language it is..but hilarious nevertheless

rgrc28

Thanks for the replies.
I've got the mountain bike running, duck taped some lights onto it and just going to see whats out there tomorrow.
If the trains don't grind to a halt (they usually do) i may catch a ride on them to avoid the majority of the grind.
The road bike is getting a well earned rest, just interested to see how long it takes me now on a full bounce kona making up the route as i go!

inkz

I went in on the MTB today, was great fun although it was annoying choosing whether to have the snow in my eyes or my steamed up glasses on. Just cycled through the snow in the middle of the road past all the cars, only a couple of small slips, all adds to the fun, only put 40PSI in the tyres :P

Road bike is having a day off cosy in the garage

Was annoying trying to transfer my lights across this morning from my OS handlebars to the skinny MTB ones. Had to wind a ton of electrical tape around the bar :S

I've made a nice big puddle in the office now where the snow has melted off my bike ha

cookeeemonster

Rolf F wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

ps. I hope you're not saying it's ok to ride on pavements or cyclepaths without lights - its a real bugbear of mine. Had too many of these idiots in dark clothing with no lights or reflectors and so on come out of nowhere towards me whilst I'm cycling against the flow of traffic (i.e. headlights in face)...pr*cks... :evil:

The idiots in dark clothing should stand out beautifully against the snow! Unless they have white kit specially for snow days

yeah dark clothing against snow is the equivalent of high viz for those conditions

I'm not a high viz advocate by the way, I generally wear darkish clothing myself, its just the combinations of no lights and reflectors with the dark clothing that pees me off...though I shouldn't have mentioned dark clothing, its the lights and reflectors (or lack of) that annoy me

Initialised

Just watch out for ice. Falling off on snow isn't too bad.

Slow down.
Deflate your tyres towards minimum.
Avoid ice.
Probably a bit late now but get some ice tyres like Nokians or Schwalbe Winters or Ice Spikes. I they do a good job of keeping you upright on ice.
MTB/CX tyres are better for fresh snow, spray them in GT85 to help them shed snow.

the first day of snow if fine but once it turns to packed ice it gets dangerous.

corshamjim

I don't mind saying I found my four mile commute home this afternoon really quite challenging. The ruts in the snow and overall slushiness made staying in an approximation of a straight line and upright a hit and miss affair for much of the time (that's on rural roads not A road by the way). I have Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres, but the studs didn't get to the tarmac most of the time - I expect Snow Spikes or whatever they're called would have been a lot better. If the snow is still here on Monday I'll take the A road route which should be okay with these tyres.

cyberknight

Been off the bike for a week as its just to dangerous on my commute on unlit country lanes that sometimes do not gritted, came off before x mas on a big piece of ice i did not see .
Round here the road that goes past my house which is a bus route is unrideable unless you have studded tyres so my 23 mm slicks are not going to cut it .

father_jack

ricky1980 wrote:

snow gritted or not...not the best idea to be cycling! skinny tyres on snow....hmm, sounds like skiing to me. No, if I see snow or ice on the road I do not commute on bikes. imagine you turn and there is just a bit of black ice...boom you are under a truck the next second!

no problem with 700 x 28mm tyres

twoshots

18 miles is a good length to be out it gets tough going. I did 10 miles this morning on 23mm slicks on rural country lanes and was fairly tough. Worst part was the fact my left cleat wouldn't clip in so my foot kept trying to slip off the pedal. Don't think I would have volunteered to 20 miles in it. At least not against the clock.

I did a trial ride last night on both MTB and road bike and chose the roadie for this morning.

Coldcorn

How's the roads in Richmond park atm? Itching to cycle to work tomorrow...

Lassic

Riding home last night got pretty dicey, but only on the University boulevard though (Nottingham).

The whole stretch (about 1km) was iced over. I must not have been going at more than 5mph and my wheels were sliding around all over the shop. I was on a hybrid with 700 x 32c wheels and had next to zero grip.

patrickf

The foot path/cycle track along university boulevard has in my mind been dangerous for a good week or so.

That's why I'm currently cycling along the road on this stretch.

Nottingham City council haven't bothered gritting or treating/clearing any of the major foot paths/cycle tacks around this area.

slowbike

Riding in snow can be quite fun - if you take it easy and use the right kit.

The problem is with rural roads where the snow isn't fresh you often get ice ridges - these can knock you off balance - so tend to be unclipped.
On main roads if it's fresh snow it's not too bad - but my concern is with the idiot drivers who don't know how to drive. I saw quite a few vehicles going at speed and tailgating which is dangerous at the best of times and totally insane when its snowing hard and there's slush on the road! All it would take is for one of these to go wrong and you'll be taken out.
If there is quite deep snow on the main road then I wouldn't ride it, not because you can't physically ride it, but because if you stick to the tyre tracks then the vehicles overtaking you have to be more evasive when they're already struggling, would you trust them?

As for kit, I don't have studded or spiked tyres so I'll stay off the ice as far as possible. I'm just using a CX bike with 32mm tyres, nothing special.
Oh, last tip: when climbing hills on snow, don't stop because its a bum to start again.
Ah, final tip: lower the saddle a little as it makes it easier to get your feet on the ground and get your bum on the saddle to start off .