Cycling on Ice - what is the technique?

[levad]

I too thought it had been mild overnight. Set off this morning and came off on black ice less than 2 miles into the 13! Road rash on my thigh. I think, as has already been mentioned, that my pannier hit the deck first, the company laptop in there seemed to survive. Anyway I took the next 11 or so miles much more carefully, the roads got worse but I managed to stay on. It was unnerving to hear cars skidding behind me and watching them skid across the stop line at junctions. My route is all country back lanes so there is never a chance for them to get gritted.

The technique I followed after the off was to stay in a low gear and spin my legs. Keep going slowly, make the corners as straight as possible, and pray when going downhill.

 

[J4CKO]

I was going to add J4CKO, that you are becoming a proper "mad cyclist" - i.e. going out in silly weather (ice)...... welcome to the club.....!!!!

Cheers, I like to have outlets to effect an aura of eccentricity as I get older

Have only done one day this week, one day on the train to Birmingham, one day working from home, two in the car carting my gear back and forth and only one on the bike, next week will improve, its funny, sometimes its actually quite unpleasant but I miss it, it feels real, going in the car feels so lame, no adventure and despite it being fast, not much fun.

 

[andharwheel]

We get a lot of ice up here and if you want to keep cycling; use studded tyres. I dont have the option of using the car and wouldnt want to anyway. Huge amount of grip with studs. Peace of mind as far as I am concerned. Schwalbe do two the Snow stud with studs on the edge of the tread (currently the one I am using) or the ice spiker with studs in the middle of the tread as well. They are heavy wide tryes with more rolling resistance, but well worth the extra effort. I am fit and stong enough to cope with that anyway. If it wasnt for these tyres I wouldnt have cycled much in last two weeks.

 

[briank]

black ice, bikes and large HGVs don't mix. For once I am using a misture of back roads and cycle routes... the disadvantage of this is there is actually more ice in these areas, but you can enjoy the challenge without having to worry so much about other vehicles. I like the test of cycling skill.

Yeah, keep out of the traffic if you can!
Avoiding clipless? Not so sure. Last time I found my wheels on ice I was clipped in and riding fixed wheel and managed not two panic. So as the back wheel lost traction and began to spin, I span too and kept hands well away from brakes. The gyroscopic effect of the rear wheel meant I not only stayed on but managed to change direction (slightly) and was quite elated by what remains one of my best bits of bike handling.
And I do remember a time when London was covered in black ice and the only vehicles moving were bikes with (back then) toe clips - and riders who could keep the power delivery smooth.

 

[Madcyclist]

I thought i'd mention that the cars passing me on my daily commute seem to be giving me more room than normal possibly down to the Hi Vis and road conditions. Estate roads and country lanes are either frosty or icy but main roads have been fine.

 

[J4CKO]

Back on it today, with the Laptop, 17 inch screen Dell Monster, weighs a tonne !

 

[JimB]

Black Ice project

Hi Guys,
I am doing a university project to design a product that enables safer riding on black ice without resorting to studded tyres.
I have seen that this is a subject close to your hearts and I wander if I could pick your brains with 3 short questions on the subject.

So, if you could spare a minute to reply I would be grateful.

Thanks, Jim...

1, Would an accessory, perhaps applied to your existing tyres, which would enable you to safely ride in icy conditions be something you would be interested in buying?

2, If the accessory lasted one season, would that be good enough?

3, What if the product was a use-once application that is designed just to get you home on an icy day. Would that be of interest?

Thats it...happy cycling.

 

[summerdays]

I think a one use application wouldn't be very good. Some days you would put it on and it wouldn't be needed and the reverse. (It would also have to be very quick to apply too if you had to do it before each journey.) You can't tell how back the ice is going to be when you set out - you can guess but it can be very variable depending on local microclimate.

 

[skrx]

Hmm... maybe something that sprays a gritty paste onto the tyres?

I don't think I'd use it, ice isn't a problem often enough where I live.

 

[Carwash]

I think a one-use or one-season product more easily applied than studded tyres would be ideal for the British climate; we seem to be constantly caught off-guard by snow and ice here, but it' doesn't usually last all that long.

It probably wouldn't sell too well in Scandinavia though!

 

[HLaB]

A one use/ once season product would be interesting. It would depend on the performance of the bike to likelyhood of ice for me.

 

[fossyant]

Right - you've got about 8 months to sort it.

Retractable spikes like James Bond's Aston Martin would be good !!

I don't know what you'll come up with

 

[palinurus]

1, Would an accessory, perhaps applied to your existing tyres, which would enable you to safely ride in icy conditions be something you would be interested in buying?

Yes. Because I'll never get around to getting studded tyres since it's rarely icy long enough in SE England to justify the cost.

2, If the accessory lasted one season, would that be good enough?

Yes, dependent on price of course.

3, What if the product was a use-once application that is designed just to get you home on an icy day. Would that be of interest?

Maybe, but less so.
Thats it...happy cycling.

I like it that these questions get asked. When I last had to design something for a qualification I didn't bother doing any research, I just assumed that the really heavy conical steel candleholder that got really hot if you ever tried to use it would be just the ticket. That said it's still in daily use 24 years later.

As a doorstop.

 

[sunnyjim]

Two things I notice when winter commuting on a recumbent trike are a) I didn't fall off so much and the back (drive) wheel keeps slipping on the ice on the short but V. steep hill outside my house when leaving for work on a frosty morning. Taking a cue from railway locomotive practice, a small bag of sand dribbled between the legs in the line of the back wheel was an obvious solution. A friend suggested that even more convenient would be a little stream of ice-melting warm water squirted on the road from about the same position. I might try that next year.

 

[snorri]

1 Might be interested, depending on the price!

2 Yes, I suppose fitting a new product before the onslaught of winter would be OK.

3 No. I would want the product to be permanently attached and test it out in varying road conditions in order to build up my confidence in its effectiveness. Also, if it were a one-off usage, being a thrifty Scot I would probably wait until falling off at least once before considering fitting it, by which time I would be so close to home as to feel it was not worth fitting it that day.