Cold Weather Riding

[PaulSB]

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 seen it happen once and fortunately for me I was far enough back to stop before hitting the ice.

Only been on two rides which had to be abandoned encountering ice when we expected the roads to be clear.

We stick to main roads if it's a 50/50 call.

 

[fossyant]

Any temperatures, but below a few C its MTBs with ice tyres. Insane fun.

I won't risk the road bike if near freezing.

 

[fossyant]

Some years ago, I was on the way to meet some other forum members. We'd had snow, but the roads were clear. That soon started to change and became covered in snow. I decided to turn round when a landrover skidded behind me. I don't fancy skiddy metal near me.

 

[Jody]

4C on road. Whatever off road/on big tyres.

Same here. But I try to avoid road riding if possible.

 

[MichaelW2]

During extended freeze ups I fit my DIY studded tyres and ride on.
I have ridden in US winters, very cold but dry so -10c was quite OK.
Even in damp UK I dont have a temp cut off but tend not to enjoy freezing rain.

 

[gavroche]

If it is less than 6 degrees, I don't ride.

 

[mpemburn]

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.

You forgot to mention drawing your Bowie knife from its sheath and carving your way through a wall of living flesh.

 

[RoubaixCube]

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.

well London being London, main roads are always gritted. Black ice only forms when there is either sleet, snow or it had been raining a day or few days before while temperatures still being at freezing temperatures and road vehicles churn things up.

99% of my trips are always fairly local unless its a fridays or DD ride.

If there has been heavy sleet or snow then i may just relax an extra day before going out the next day to give the local authorities time to grit the roads

 

[MichaelW2]

During extended freeze ups I fit my DIY studded tyres and ride on.
I have ridden in US winters, very cold but dry so -10c was quite OK.
Even in damp UK I dont have a temp cut off but tend not to enjoy freezing rain.

I do worry a bit with studded tyres, obviously cars dont have the same control and most drivers dont know how to drive on snow and ice. Secondly, if a cyclist without studs sees me monkey see, monkey do, monkey falls.

My studded tyres are based on cheap mtb knobblies, which ( un modified) are good in snow but on slick ice no better than anything else. With metal studs, I can ride on slick surfaces.

 

[GuyBoden]

It's been very mild this winter (UK), I hope it continues.

 

[cougie uk]

It's been very mild this winter (UK), I hope it continues.

I think it's usually February where we get the really cold weather ? Not out of the woods yet !

 

[Blue Hills]

If it is less than 6 degrees, I don't ride.

THAT is going to be limiting, unless Wales is more tropical than I thought.
Days on end in lots of the north can be lower than that - in fact at times 5 feels positively balmy.

 

[Alex321]

It's been very mild this winter (UK), I hope it continues.

Meteorologically, Winter only starts today

 

[Alex321]

THAT is going to be limiting, unless Wales is more tropical than I thought.
Days on end in lots of the north can be lower than that - in fact at times 5 feels positively balmy.

Indeed. Even in South Wales we often get temperatures lower than that. I've been out in 3-4C quite a few times already this Autumn.

 

[Blue Hills]

So long as the roads are dry, any temperature we are likely to get round here (very rarely below about -3C but I have ridden in colder). If the roads are damp, then once you get below about 3C there is a risk of black ice, and then I won't ride.

thanks for the caution - yep I undstood that you didn't have to be down to freezing - it's why I'm particularly careful when in the north west - damp is almost normal.