Cold Weather Riding

[hoopdriver]

I don't agree.

When I used to commute previously (about 30 years ago), I twice came off on black ice, and I won't ride in those conditions any more.

The first time, I honestly wondered what had happened - I was just riding on a straight road, no bumps or potholes, about 7:45am in January and suddenly I was on the floor. I thought at first something had broken on the bike, until I tried to stand up and my feet were sliding around. Even when I had fallen on it, I just couldn't see the difference between a damp road and ice.

When the roads are generally dry, you can see icy patches - and the ones you can see aren't usually quite as slippery anyhow IME.

Been there - experienced the same thing. No amount of bike handling skills can save you. It’s over before you even know it’s happening.

 

[Venod]

I find the wind chill temperature more limiting, if the air temperature is 5c down to 0c I may venture out if road conditions are OK, but if there is a significant wind chill, I will be on the turbo.

 

[Blue Hills]

Quite happily cycle in -5° to -10°C(23°F - 14°F).

-10°CC corrected to -10°C in edit.

you aren't worried about ice?
(edit see paul got there first with his nervousness)

 

[Blue Hills]

Ive been out in -2 or -3'c. its really not so bad so long as you have the right gear on.

Im doing as much as i can now as when the snow eventually hits then i'll be stuck indoors or switch over to walking down to my local river for fishing lol.

::EDIT::

just to clarify -2 or -3'c is fine so long as the roads are clear and free of snow/black ice. I have a winter bike so i dont mind if the roads are wet or damp - it just has to be free of snow and ice.

how can you be sure there's no ice?
It is often invisible.
Londoners are fortunate in that there is rarely ice in the big big town, but you have to be careful about heading over the Downs into the countryside. Big difference in temps and ice can persist well into the day - I've seen patches out there when the air temp was 3 degrees.
I have crashed on black ice - straight road, no braking - thanks to a very unwise ride leader - it was on a busy road - not fun.

 

[Blue Hills]

Any temp is good for me, just when it gets really cold always assume there will be ice and you can't go much wrong.
Ice is not frightening or unexpected, just ride appropriately.

don't really understand this.
My fall on black ice was totally unexpected.
Not sure what you mean by "appropriately". I was riding in a straight line, no sudden acceleration (as if), no braking.

 

[Blue Hills]

I can't agree with this. Black ice is both a problem and dangerous. It can't be seen and the first one knows of it is when the bike starts sliding. I've seen several friends fall including one who broke a collar bone and another an arm.

Any chance of black ice and ride plans are abandoned.

agree totally, except
>>and the first one knows of it is when the bike starts sliding.

i didn't have that luxury of an intervening period of frictionless joy. First thing I knew i was on the ground. And one or two fellow riders. I promptly stood up (was very worried about following cars - more of a danger than the fall) and promptly fell down again.

 

[T4tomo]

Quite happily cycle in -5° to -10°C(23°F - 14°F).

-10°CC corrected to -10°C in edit.

I'm OK with -10CC but I'm not in love with it

Main issue when it gets cold is that my gloves aren't really good enough, so I get frozen forefingers and thumbs. I need to get a better pair of winter gloves, though I suppose I could use my ski gloves, provided I'm not going long enough to need the gel padding that cycling gloves have.

wear mitts underneath your ski glove, have a pair of lobster ski mitt thingys i wear when its really cold. Its a single bar end shift on the winter bike so gear changing in big gloves is not an issue.

Despite being unable to resist the open goal of a 10cc gag, I am very wary of black ice. My mate went down one morning behind me, I stopped and could hardly stand up, we pushed the bikes for 1/2 mile until we got out to a bigger gritted road. It was only at the cafe stop he spotted his little finger was pointing at a funny angle.
He got it splinted up that afternoon, it almost wrote of our boys ski weekend the following weekend, but he got sorted out with a pair of ski-mitts that he split would fit under.
Talking to another mate, 3 or 4 of his group including him went down on same stretch of road that morning.

 

[Fat Lars]

I used to get up in the middle of the night before I went to bed chip the ice off the handlebars and pedal into driving snow through blizzards to get to work at temperatures of minus 30 degrees C when the only traffic was teams of huskies pulling sledges. You tell people that these days and they don't believe you.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You were lucky

We had to cross glaciers we did. Sometimes we had to sleep in a crevasse before climbing out with our bare hands dragging our bikes up behind us. It were so cold we’d get frostbite most days. Aye we didn’t have gloves and all these modern comforts. That’s just the way it was. But tell the youngsters that these days.

 

[cougie uk]

I can't agree with this. Black ice is both a problem and dangerous. It can't be seen and the first one knows of it is when the bike starts sliding. I've seen several friends fall including one who broke a collar bone and another an arm.

Any chance of black ice and ride plans are abandoned.

I've done winter rides when you set off and it's warm enough. No frozen puddles - fishing ponds free of ice - all looks good. Then you come round a corner and it's sheet ice. Sharp turn and head back. There's no riding over sheet ice.

 

[Chief Broom]

Ice is always the deciding factor for me not temp. Picture this scene...im going down the road on a brand new Triumph 955, up ahead a roadside drain has blocked causing the water to flood across the road creating a 30ft ice rink.....could i stop in time? could i hell,,,,down she goes with much scraping/grinding/shattering followed by much 'ouching' and cursing!
***** i was due to pick up a sacrificial 'lamb' [honda 250] winter hack the very next day
Nope i dont do ice anymore

 

[Mo1959]

Terrified of black ice and don't listen to these people that say take a mountain bike with nobbly tires. Doesn't make a blind bit of difference. I've come off once on a road bike and once on a mountain bike a few years back. Luckily just a hole in the knee of my tights and some bruising, but I won't even contemplate going out in it now. In fact, unless we get an exceptionally mild spell, I think I will leave the bikes tucked up until spring now.

 

[Blue Hills]

Ice is always the deciding factor for me not temp. Picture this scene...im going down the road on a brand new Triumph 955, up ahead a roadside drain has blocked causing the water to flood across the road creating a 30ft ice rink.....could i stop in time? could i hell,,,,down she goes with much scraping/grinding/shattering followed by much 'ouching' and cursing!
***** i was due to pick up a sacrificial 'lamb' [honda 250] winter hack the very next day
Nope i dont do ice anymore

am sure you won't be impressed but I once crashed a Vespa in Guildford on sheer ice.
In the town.
No warning at all - wheels just disappeared.
Won't surprise you to know that I wasn't accelerating quickly at all.
I used it for commuting through the country.
After that I always took the train if there was a real risk of ice.
Once I returned to London for my Vespa commuting I don't recall ever having to take public transport because of an ice risk.
Be careful out there folks.

 

[Blue Hills]

Terrified of black ice and don't listen to these people that say take a mountain bike with nobbly tires. Doesn't make a blind bit of difference. I've come off once on a road bike and once on a mountain bike a few years back. Luckily just a hole in the knee of my tights and some bruising, but I won't even contemplate going out in it now. In fact, unless we get an exceptionally mild spell, I think I will leave the bikes tucked up until spring now.

I was leading a ride once and someone in front came off running spiked tyres.
which was useful for us less confident folk on non spiked tyres riding behind him
I know folk on here (@steveindenmark ?) do ride/commute in subzero temps but I never understand how.

I have no problems with cold itself - I quite enjoy cold if well wrapped up and of course cycling you generate a lot of heat and have the benefit of modern materials tech)

 

[T4tomo]

I've done winter rides when you set off and it's warm enough. No frozen puddles - fishing ponds free of ice - all looks good. Then you come round a corner and it's sheet ice. Sharp turn and head back. There's no riding over sheet ice.

I've come round a corner to a sheet of ice (fortunately not black so visible) on a shaded country lane. I was lucky, i didn't attempt to turn, brake etc, just rode dead straight into the verge on the opposite side of the road (LH bend).