Ice Riding

[Pat "5mph"]

Absolutely @12boy, studded tyres are very effective.
I don't cycle commute at the moment, job too near, but have done so for many years.
I have a dedicated old mbike with studded tyres
I'm keeping my ice bike, in case I change jobs again or if I need to ride in icy conditions for any reason.
Many times, on that bike, I have been warned of ice ahead by pedestrian and by other cyclists, they were amazed on how I stayed upright.

 

[Pale Rider]

Another vote for studs.

If I can stay upright on them on a heavy ebike, anyone can.

Only thing to be wary of is stopping because your planted foot may slip.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Cancelled the club ride today , i am not going to put people in danger by leading a ride when its like it was today .

Got up and checked the roads at 8 am and i only just stayed upright on foot , add in freezing fog which didnt left till this afternoon i think i made the rightchoice , maxxed outat 3 c but didnt get above freezing till after dnnner.2 fell off just trying to get to the club meet and this morning was worse.

Yes, I think our policy in future will be to cancel at even the mention of frost in the weather forecast the night before. This afternoon I was surprised by the extensive areas of frost and ice remaining in shaded stretches. Cut short the ride as a result.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Only thing to be wary of is stopping because your planted foot may slip.

True that!
I have had my fair share of oppps I'm on ice moments, not came off yet

 

[Pale Rider]

I came off on ice on non-studded tyres.

Made the rookie mistake of barrelling over a bridge - the cold gets under the elevated surface and ice forms even though there's none either end.

Not too bad because the lack of friction with the road surface meant me and the bike slid for a few metres without causing scuffs or road rash.

I struggled to stand up and upright the bike without slipping over again.

A pedestrian helped me get to the side of the road where I was able to hang on to the barrier with one hand and support the bike with the other.

 

[Edwardoka]

Riding on icy roads never used to really bother me that much.

In 2015 my January ton was done on 23mm slicks, the descent from Dunning Glen where the road was covered in rutted compressed snow that had partially melted and then refrozen was... interesting. I had zero control and it was sheer luck I got down without going down.

Think injuries have killed my resolve to take such absurd risks. Plus, now that I've moved back to the west coast I don't trust drivers around here nor do I trust the councils to have treated cycle routes.

 

[Edwardoka]

I came off on ice on non-studded tyres.

Made the rookie mistake of barrelling over a bridge - the cold gets under the elevated surface and ice forms even though there's none either end.

Not too bad because the lack of friction with the road surface meant me and the bike slid for a few metres without causing scuffs or road rash.

I struggled to stand up and upright the bike without slipping over again.

A pedestrian helped me get to the side of the road where I was able to hang on to the barrier with one hand and support the bike with the other.

Microclimates will catch people out every time. Glad you and bike were ok.

 

[roley poley]

ice bad /salt bad

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I came off on ice on non-studded tyres.

Me too, in 2011, when I'd just started cycle commuting.
A wee bit of Googling led me to CC, to one of @fossyant's posts on studded tyres ... the rest is history

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes - respect/beware ice.

Once narrowly avoided death or serious injury when an unwise leader kept us out in open country with plummeting temperatures. Me and another guy lucky not to be run over in the dark on a fast road.

As others have mentioned, ice can persist in places well into the day with air temperatures well above freezing.

Londoners are pretty sheltered from ice, especially in the central areas but you need to keep an eye on conditions if venturing out into Kent etc.

I have even seen some one with spikes fall on ice.

 

[The_Mountain_Goat]

Beggar that, this is what you need,


View attachment 501137

Not fell off yet

I LOVE this!

 

[The_Mountain_Goat]

When it's icy on my commutes, I tend to stick to the main gritted roads and I take it VERY easy

 

[fossyant]

I had three crashes on one commute, when I was young and stupid. Took the MTB as it was icy, it was a 20 mile ride. I should have turned round after about 3 miles as the bike was very twitchy on main roads - it had rained overnight, then cleared in the early hours - no salt. Anyway, a few miles later, had a big off going down a hill, slid for ages but no cars. Not hurt, so carried on. Farm track near work, fell off twice. Got in, and found out one of my bosses had come off on his ride to the train station - resulted in him off work for months with fractured hip.

I stopped riding when icy, then in 2010 discovered spiked tyres. I have 2 sets, one for the 26" rigid vintage MTB, and one set for the 27.5" full sus. Worthwhile investments as I've had the 26" tyres since 2010, the Ice spikers a year. They are stored in the garage out of the sun so will last.

 

[Pale Rider]

As others have mentioned, ice can persist in places well into the day with air temperatures well above freezing.

Yes, that was another steep learning curve for me when I got back into regular cycling about eight years ago.

Seemed to me guaranteed that a few hours of single figure temperatures would melt the ice.

Not a bit of it.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Looking at the forecast I think I might be on the ice bike tomorrow