-1

Azhar

Hello, I probably risk a lot of MTFU comments but is -1 degree C weather safe to cycle in? I'm thinking more along the lines of the likely hood of black ice on the road. I was driving this morning in -1 weather and didn't really notice any icy patches on the road etc and the afternoon weather seems absolutely glorious to ride in.

Do Any of u cyclists ride in minus 1 or minus 2 weather?

Thanks for any replies you can give me....

Grill

Yes.

Mikey41

As long as it's not icy, there's nothing wrong with it. Get yourself out there. I've been out in -5C.

If it hasn't rained for a few days and the roads are dry, there is very little risk of black ice.

verylonglegs

As above. It might be cold but it's a very dry cold with little or no moisture in the air. Keeping my hands and feet warm is more likely to curtail my riding than the threat of ice in these conditions.

marksteven

coldest iv'e managed is -10 last year -6 this year , i stick to the main road in the morning tho

deadhead1971

Yes just be wary of certain areas where you're more likely to encounter ice, e.g. areas which are in the shade, or don't get the sun much in the winter. Also the water levels are still really high and there are several places round here where there's almost perpetual water run-off from fields etc. This could cause some nasty surprises.
If you do hit a patch of ice, resist the urge to brake, and don't try to turn. Try to maintain a straight course until you're through it.

If it gets really bad, get the old mtb out instead. That's what I do. Big chunky tyres with lower pressures feels a lot more manageable on ice than skinny high pressure tyres.

Azhar

Cheers guys for the replies. It hasn't rained for a good few days here where I am so I think I won't hit any black ice. Looking forward to the 1mph headwind too I should have done it today as well it was a really nice afternoon for it so I felt a bit annoyed by it.

Thanks again people. I hope this weather gets warmer ASAP. Hate the icy weather.

philbar72

yep. nowtr beats a bracing windy -1 or so. ice is not the done thing however....

gloomyandy

Just take care. A club-mate of mine ended up with a very near miss yesterday on ice (been reasonably dry here for days in Yorkshire). A van hit the ice first just ahead of him, it ran into the pavement and destroyed the vans front wheel and blocked the road, he then went down on the same ice, then looked up to see another car sliding towards him. He was lucky and the only damage to him and bike was a busted up rear wheel. Very scary though!

lotus49

Yes, as long as it is dry.

danlikesbikes

You should be fine, its quite nice being out when its that cold. As long as its not wet during the day/night before or had no recent rain your unlikely to get ice.

robbo2011

Too dangerous where I am. Snow melt runs across the road and re-freezes, you never know where you are going to meet a patch of sheet ice. I will only go out if it is above freezing.

twoshots

Whimped out today but a surprising amount of ice on the roads (rural) as I drove in. MTFU is fine but it's not worth 4 weeks off the bike with a broken collarbone. You rolls the dice and takes your chance, I fell off last week on black ice, it wasn't pleasant.

sungod

as above, if it's dry

coldest i rode in last year was -7, but the roads were bone dry

aside from dressing to avoid frostbite, the only real hassle was the water bottle freezing after 30-40 minutes, if i thought ahead i'd have used the insulated bottle!

NITR8s

i believe a guy from my club summed up black ice excellently, just remember that if you see black ice on a club ride that the shout for "ice" isnt ice. It is actually "FFF***********KKK", shortley followed by a loud crash and a "aaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhhh"

ricky1980

RULE 5,
-ve temperature shouldn't be a deterrent but snow/ice is a bit scary!

billreay

When I was a lad the commonest problems were:
- Brake/gear cables freezing solid.
- tyres freezing to the road when stopped e.g. for red light.
- water bottle splitting as contents froze.
- hub/headset grease becoming very viscous.
- ice on legs (no such thing as bib tights in those days) causing cuts particularly behind the knees.
and I still got t'mill for the 4am shift. Was often just as bad riding home after midnight. You lads have easy these days.

chris_bass

i've got down to -12 before, it was a couple of years ago, was on main roads though so all gritted, just had the problem of my water bottle freezing solid!

Superbalicious

As said above, if its dry then you'll generally be ok, but beware of any rain that happens to fall on a sub-zero temp road as it'll freeze on impact.

It's also worth noting (whether on your bike or driving) that road salt is only designed to work in temps down to -7 or -8, not below.

Reane_Machine

My rule of thumb is that if it's dry I go out, if it's wet and in minus figures I will still go out but stick to main roads.

Better safe then sorry.

diy

Had the rear slide out a bit on the last few rides, tbh anything below about 2 degrees has the risk of ice. Micro climates (shaded areas) are really the highest risk and obviously roads that get little traffic or grit.

my gp4000s are not particularly great this time of year, actually getting more grip from my old ultrasports which have been shredded on the turbo