Damn ice!

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Curlybars1972

Active Member
Location
South Wales
I enjoy my commute to work, it's around a 21 mile round trip, over the Welsh Heads of the Valleys. However, due to the exposed terrain, ice is a a real problem and last week i came off my bike 4 times.

If its icy, I now tend to sadly use the car. Has anyone else had similar issues?
 

Supersuperleeds

Legendary Member
Location
Leicester
Invest in studded tyres. They are the dogs dangly bits when it comes to ice.
 

Heigue'r

Veteran
Ive avoided the bike since dec 15th.There was one week in january when I did commute but the other weeks have not been worth the risk.49 mile round trip.Im hoping to start back fulltime commuting from monday.
 

flake99please

We all scream for ice cream
Location
Edinburgh
I had an off this morning and was barely 100 metres from my house. Suffice to say the remaining 7 miles were done at a much slower rate.
 

hoopdriver

Guru
Location
East Sussex
I took a heavy fall a few years ago on a patch of invisible ice at a roundabout and injured my shoulder in a nasty sort of way - it’s still not right even after all this time. It happened so swiftly and unexpectedly. Put the wind up me in terms of winter cycling - although I used to love going out in frosty mornings, I no longer do. It is just too risky. The same day I wiped out a friend of mine also wiped out on a frosty roundabout while riding near London - ended up in surgery and getting seven pins in his hip.

Now on frosty mornings I just head to the gym for a hard slog on the cross trainer...
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
As Mr Leeds said, get studded tyres.
Luckily here the the Garden of England and London, ice is rarely a problem.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
How long do they last before the studs come out on tarmac use ?
Not lost any in two winters on one set here so my answer has to be "I'll let you know"!

I think it's important to follow Schwalbe's instructions and not make any sharp moves in the first 25 miles, to bed the studs in.
 

biggs682

Touch it up and ride it
Location
Northamptonshire
Not lost any in two winters on one set here so my answer has to be "I'll let you know"!

I think it's important to follow Schwalbe's instructions and not make any sharp moves in the first 25 miles, to bed the studs in.


mmm might be worth getting a set for the winter mtb
 

Drago

Legendary Member
My commute used to be almost entirely rural. However, about 2 miles from here is Hanslope Park, home of the real life Q branch, and the Government keep the roads uber gritted so their eggheads can get to work. When it snowed they even paid a local farmer to do snowplough duty.

As a consequence it could be ten below zero, but the roads for most of the route were pretty safe, albeit hideously dirty.

Hope you didn't hurt yourself of the bike coming off like that.
 

Bodhbh

Guru
How long do they last before the studs come out on tarmac use ?

Ive had some Marathon Winters going for 6 winters now. I put them on a spare bike around December and leave them on till Easter, and use it when there's any risk of ice - which is generally below 3-4C. Obviously, in the UK this means they're used mostly on bare tarmac. I've lost a handful of studs, but loads of life left on the existing ones and the tread is still fine - I'm sure they're good for another 6years with the current usage.

Schwalbe used to send out free bags of spare studs if you emailed customer service and asked. Not sure if they still do this. I've only bothered to refresh the tyres once anyhow and that was only 3-4 studs.
 

Welsh wheels

Lycra king
Location
South Wales
I enjoy my commute to work, it's around a 21 mile round trip, over the Welsh Heads of the Valleys. However, due to the exposed terrain, ice is a a real problem and last week i came off my bike 4 times.

If its icy, I now tend to sadly use the car. Has anyone else had similar issues?
4 times in a week? Yep, definitely use the car for commuting! You might have got away lightly last week, but don't risk it in the future. If you have the option to use the car, do.
 
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