I Hate Ice!

[phaedrus]

Wandering out of the front door this morning, I was musing on how icy the road outside my house was likely to be. As soon as my right foot touched the driveway I executed a perfect comedy pratfall, landing heavily on my left wrist and elbow.

I left the bike and took the car...

 

[fossyant]

Wise decision.

No ice in Mcr today. Only two more 'bike' commutes this year for me - bus tomorrow as out after work for a meal. Friday I'm in the car as picking the missus up from afternoon drinks with her work.

 

[adscrim]

I feel your pain, I did a comedic 'legs straight out in front' arse plant this morning when leaving the house then a slow motion slide out on the bike as I was leaving the estate. I don't think anyone saw me but I'm sure I heard a Robin laughing.

 

[beanzontoast]

Must have happened to lots of us in the past. Hope you mend soon.

Begs a question I've thought about asking before: assuming we do cycle in such conditions (by no means a 'given': I'd swap ice for a cycling in a good thunderstorm any day) - are we better cycling on wider, more tready tyres? Would it make a difference to the stability of the bike and rider? I ask because I keep my mountain bike on standby through winter for use in the snow in preference to my road bike, but haven't used my mountain bike it when it's been icy.

 

[phaedrus]

Must have happened to lots of us in the past. Hope you mend soon.

Begs a question I've thought about asking before: assuming we do cycle in such conditions (by no means a 'given': I'd swap ice for a cycling in a good thunderstorm any day) - are we better cycling on wider, more tready tyres? Would it make a difference to the stability of the bike and rider? I ask because I keep my mountain bike on standby through winter for use in the snow in preference to my road bike, but haven't used my mountain bike it when it's been icy.

Thanks. My last "off" was a couple of years ago in similar very icy conditions. I took my mountain bike, thinking the wide treaded tyres would give more grip. They didn't. On a fast left hand corner the bike just slid away from underneath me.

 

[hackbike 666]

Awful.Ice must be the worst...apart from diesel.

 

[2Loose]

Awful.Ice must be the worst...apart from diesel.

Indeed, you know when there may be ice about, but invisible diesel is around all year long.

 

[hackbike 666]

I know I went ar53 over ballcocks the other year.

 

[beanzontoast]

Thanks. My last "off" was a couple of years ago in similar very icy conditions. I took my mountain bike, thinking the wide treaded tyres would give more grip. They didn't. On a fast left hand corner the bike just slid away from underneath me.

One dark morning last winter, I lost it on a left hand junction and slid right across the road onto the 'wrong' side, still in the sitting position on my bike - thankfully there was nothing coming the other way, but it scared the s**t out of me. A ped helped me up and said he'd seen several other vehicles do the same thing just before I came along.

 

[skudupnorth]

I was tip toeing around Cheshire yesterday morning still on road sliks on my early jaunt away from the kids......which was nice !

 

[Zippy]

I did a good hip slide on a black ice LH corner a few years back - laddered me tights I did!

Blooded my knee and I thought the local yobs who were loitering around the corner were going to put the boot in, nick my lights and run but they gathered all the bike light bits, handed them to me and asked me, "areyouraritemate?". I was blown away - in pain but blown away.

Limped for a couple of months after that!

 

[4F]

My last off was on ice and then to add insult to injury I also went arse over tit walking to the bus stop.

 

[Stephenite]

Tyres for ice

Must have happened to lots of us in the past. Hope you mend soon.

Begs a question I've thought about asking before: assuming we do cycle in such conditions (by no means a 'given': I'd swap ice for a cycling in a good thunderstorm any day) - are we better cycling on wider, more tready tyres? Would it make a difference to the stability of the bike and rider? I ask because I keep my mountain bike on standby through winter for use in the snow in preference to my road bike, but haven't used my mountain bike it when it's been icy.

Thanks. My last "off" was a couple of years ago in similar very icy conditions. I took my mountain bike, thinking the wide treaded tyres would give more grip. They didn't. On a fast left hand corner the bike just slid away from underneath me.

Generally speaking wider tyres and lower pressures give better 'grip' on ice. What you're aiming towards though, when choosing tyres for ice, is getting a lot of tread pattern on the ground/ice. The more edges in contact with the ice the better. Whilst knobbly mountain bike tyres are going to help on loose surfaces like mud and snow they are not much use on ice. Also, soft rubber is better than hard.

...in a professorial voice... Study the picture below.

Schawlbe Marathon Winter

You see that there is a finer tread pattern on the 'sticking out bits' (knaster in norwegian, forgotten the english word). This finer pattern expands under your weight and prevents*, to an extent, sliding. (*Or rather discourages).

Of course, the studs on this tyre help too!

But, remember, whatever tyre you use on ice you are going to wipe out if you take corners at speed.

 

[BentMikey]

Although some of my audax mates who've a lot of experience in very extreme conditions suggest that road tyres are better than ordinary MTB tyres for ice.

I'd love to be able to justify buying studded tyres and an MTB!

 

[hackbike 666]

Wouldn't be woth it for me.