Got any tips for riding in the ice & snow?

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Carwash

Señor Member
Location
Visby
Never tried it, but I'd assume studded tyres would help a lot. On the other hand, I don't think any of the people I've seen cycling in the snow had them, so who knows?
 

Unkraut

Master of the Inane Comment
Location
Germany
Riding through snow is great, but after it freezes to become uneven ice it is not so pleasant. I have toppled over a couple of times with no ill effect, but last January skidded over and it really hurt. I jammed the front brake on suddently and the wheel went from under me - incredibly stupid thing to do!!
I will be much more wary of winter cycling in such conditions this year, but I don't indend giving up unless conditions are really slippery.
 

domtyler

Über Member
ColinJ said:
I don't know what I wrote that so upset spandex but for the record...

Referring to that MTB ride of mine - I went out on NY Day precisely because it was a lovely sunny winter day. The sun was shining and I'd never ridden in snow before. Well, I really enjoyed riding in the snow though it did tend to clog the bike up somewhat. I was riding with caution but what can you do when you suddenly come across a 15% downhill slope with changing camber and bends and covered in a sheet of wet ice? Answer - fall off! I went down very hard and slid for about 30 metres it was that slippery. One benefit of falling off on ice, to be fair, is that road rash is minimal, but the risk of broken bones must be high!

Despite horror stories like this :blush::sad::smile:, even I would never suggest not riding all winter. Perhaps the best advice is to keep your eye on local weather forecasts and steer clear of ungritted roads when there is a likelihood of frost. I do a lot of of my cycling on minor roads above 1,000 feet and they are lethal in very cold weather when the gritters don't get to them. If the road surface is below freezing, any rain falling can turn instantly to ice.

If you find out let me know. I tried to bait him a bit later on but he didn't take it at all :smile:
 
Unkraut said:
Riding through snow is great, but after it freezes to become uneven ice it is not so pleasant. I have toppled over a couple of times with no ill effect, but last January skidded over and it really hurt. I jammed the front brake on suddently and the wheel went from under me - incredibly stupid thing to do!!

that's the key... snow is ok (to an extent). as i said in my post, it's when it freezes again and it's lumpy and iced up.
 

Danny

Legendary Member
Location
York
I agree that snow is generally OK to cycle on, it's black ice you have to be really wary of.

Having said that, some years ago when we got real snow, I lost control on a bend, careered off the side of the road, and landed in a deep snow drift:biggrin:

Fortunately the snow cushioned my fall, but as I ended up with the bike on top of me it took some time to extricate myself.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
how cool?

'it'll slide wildly (and even spark sometimes) if you're anything less than super careful with it on tarmac'

want one
 

campagman

Guru
Location
at home
I know that at the moment riding a fixed wheel is 'trendy' but the last time that fixed wheel bikes were popular was for off season training. You have far more control of the speed which helps greatly in icy conditions.
 

nom de plum

New Member
Location
wilmslow ches.
I've got to repeat the "don't do it" theme, though fear that some inexperienced cyclist might kill themselves.
25/12/04 (3.20pm) is the last time I cycled on ice and came within inches of death. Dispite what some say (probably single guys with no responsiblities and no understanding of their own mortality) you cannot cycle safely on ice...get an imagic instead
 

wafflycat

New Member
Best thing for cycling on ice: a recumbent trike. Great fun! Much more stable than a two-wheeled upright. When my offspring cycled to school, in winter he would take my 'bent trike on the icy days. Much safer than a 'normal' bike
 
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