Greasy roads?
- Thread starter DWiggy
- Start date
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Arsen Gere
Über Member
- Location
- North East, UK
Me too. Salt + water + rubber + oil build up.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Yes. Salt mixed with the sugary mix (can't remember the name) they use so it sticks, add a bit of damp, slippy. Had the rear end step out twice on me today, going in a straight line due to road surface !
G3CWI
Veteran
- Location
- Macclesfield
Greasy. Ambulance and A and E for me yesterday.
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/your-ride-today.8938/post-2334136
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/your-ride-today.8938/post-2334136
wow fella!!! (G3CW1) hope your recovery is a quick one. Touch wood i've managed to stay upright so far but the last few days the roads have been worse that ever, last night on the way home the back end slipped out quite away, but like a cat I managed to save it, if it was the front I would have defiantly been off!
oldroadman
Veteran
- Location
- Ubique
Long dry spell, raods get a bit slippery due to all the rubber dust. Which is why heavy rain is much safer than a fine drizzle, because everything gets washed away and a nice clean, if wet, surface appears.
Take is steady folks.
Take is steady folks.
briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
Molasses - but as I thought that that was partly to blame for the slipperiness, I checked with Devon County Council, and they definitely don't use that additive - they do 'pre-wet' the salt so it doesn't fly off the road, but otherwise it's just salt & grit. Of course, salt does attract and retain moisture, so then the treated roads remain damp and slippery longer than an untreated road (as long as it's not icy!) Extreme caution required: a friend ended up cracking his hip and shoulder in a very low-speed slip on one of these greasy roads, and was off the bike for the best part of twelve months. Be careful out there.
Radchenister
Veteran
- Location
- Avon
Not chiefly grit, more to do with environmental influences IMO - relative humidity high (currently 91% here), N E wind cold (compared to S and S W), dense cloud cover negates sun driven evaporation in daylight hours (usually warming and evaporative when wind from S and S W), simply too humid for cold wind to help - tires don't like being cold and damp = eek.
briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
If you need convincing about how slippery those black greasy roads are, put a grippy trainer-shod foot onto one and twist your foot - it really is like someone has greased the road - they are barely safe to walk on, let alone turn corners on a 23mm tyre at any sort of speed. I approach them in the same way I would an icy road.
Radchenister
Veteran
- Location
- Avon
They're definitely greasy/slippery, it's just not the salt that's doing it 
.
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deptfordmarmoset
Full time tea drinker
- Location
- Armonmy Way
I don't know what the weather's like where you are but it's cold and very humid down here - like a cold sweat - adding to the effect of the salt. Plus, with the north-easterly, it hasn't rained properly for some time. I just had a nasty slidy moment when a pedestriarse stepped out on me without looking.They're definitely greasy/slippery, it's just not the salt that's doing it
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
The roads round here have been fine the last week or so and I've had no grip problems.
Radchenister
Veteran
- Location
- Avon
I'm not sure if people are proposing it's road salt causing the issue or not?
I am suggesting that road salt won't be the cause - take two country roads, one salted and another unsalted and it won't be any different on either tonight (or for that matter in the day today) here in the South West of the UK; similarly, take a salted urban area and say an unsalted domestic urban road, both will be slippery due to general road grime, temperature and the moisture prevalent in the current climactic conditions ... salt may have some influence but it will be negligible and won't be the significant factor.
I am suggesting that road salt won't be the cause - take two country roads, one salted and another unsalted and it won't be any different on either tonight (or for that matter in the day today) here in the South West of the UK; similarly, take a salted urban area and say an unsalted domestic urban road, both will be slippery due to general road grime, temperature and the moisture prevalent in the current climactic conditions ... salt may have some influence but it will be negligible and won't be the significant factor.
