No substitute for a car?

[GrumpyGregry]

Got ruddy soaked, to the skin, this morning. And more than a little bit cold riding back. Three miles to the nearest papershop you see.

 

[smutchin]

Have you been there? It is living proof that the city centre provision of parking will always be inadequate no matter what the mode of transport. However, the rows and rows of bikes stacked so close they inevitably collapse domino style around the main railway station is impressive!

Yeah, "no trouble parking" is perhaps not quite the full picture. But it's all relative.

d.

 

[GrasB]

You can aquaplane at low speed.

only if your car is in a river!

Not even close, the front of my Exige & the back of my 'cento will quite happily aquaplane with brand new road legal tyres at 15mph in about 2cm of water.

 

[Drago]

Took the Discovery through 2 feet of water yesterday, thanks to the floods. Damn thing failed to aquaplane at all!

 

[GrasB]

Oddly enough you're less likely to aquaplane in 2ft of water than 2cm of water! I'd also imagine you were going a lot slower than 15mph.

 

[4F]

I've just added you as a friend on Endomondo Trampy

Grooming alert

 

[CopperCyclist]

Ian is right, you cannot aquaplane on a bike. Aqua-planing is a strict definition, it is not just skidding through lack of grip. Aqua planing is when a layer of water builds up beneath your tyre, causing it to sit on this water rather than the road, and generally, lose all control. This can only happen with tyres that have a flat contact surface with the road. Bike tyres which have a curved contact point with the road cannot build up this layer of water below them and cannot aqua plane.

They CAN and of course DO suffer from the lack of grip caused by wetter road surfaces - but then cars have to contend with this AND aquaplaning

 

[Drago]

But for all this doom and gloom, cyclists still live 5 years longer on average than non cyclists.

 

[guitarpete247]

I cycled the 7 miles into and back from Coalville to sign on today. Dry going in, persisted it down coming home. Does this count as commuting even though they have refused to pay me anything for the last 3 months .

 

[terry_gardener]

i was out last year it very heavy rain and i was surprised how refreshing it was and the rain didn't bother me at all.

strong wind however is a different story.

 

[Linford]

Ian is right, you cannot aquaplane on a bike. Aqua-planing is a strict definition, it is not just skidding through lack of grip. Aqua planing is when a layer of water builds up beneath your tyre, causing it to sit on this water rather than the road, and generally, lose all control. This can only happen with tyres that have a flat contact surface with the road. Bike tyres which have a curved contact point with the road cannot build up this layer of water below them and cannot aqua plane.

They CAN and of course DO suffer from the lack of grip caused by wetter road surfaces - but then cars have to contend with this AND aquaplaning

I have had aquaplaning on a motorbike at about 60-70 in standing water. It isn't any fun, and the tyres are curved - it is all about speed.
Think of the hull of a boat ploughing through water, the faster it goes, the higher it lifts out, get it fast enough, and it will skim the top like a pebble on a pond. Cycles have to be going some to achieve this, but it is not impossible by any means

 

[Panter]

*Irrelevant post warning*

I'm sure I read somewhere that you could aquaplane a 23mm bicycle tyre, but the speed would have to be in excess of 186mph

 

[StuartG]

I'm sure I read somewhere that you could aquaplane a 23mm bicycle tyre, but the speed would have to be in excess of 186mph

Ok. See you at the top of Reigate Hill this morning
I think it was our friend Sheldon who worked out aquaplaning speeds. Theoretically that is ...

 

[Linford]

*Irrelevant post warning*

I'm sure I read somewhere that you could aquaplane a 23mm bicycle tyre, but the speed would have to be in excess of 186mph

It isn't just the speed, but also the weight (mass) over it pushing against the surface tension of the water.

Going back to the boat in the water thing, it is possible to lose contact with the road surface due to this resistance from the surface tension without actually skimming across the surface of the water above it, and I would imagine that would happen at speeds much lower than the theoretical - depending on the depth of water, the mass of the bike and rider etc etc.

 

[GrasB]

It isn't just the speed, but also the weight (mass) over it pushing against the surface tension of the water.

Both the Exige & 'cento are light cars with relatively wide tyres, with not much mass on the front & rear, receptively, of these cars. Hence why those wheels aquaplane.

Ian is right, you cannot aquaplane on a bike. Aqua-planing is a strict definition, it is not just skidding through lack of grip. Aqua planing is when a layer of water builds up beneath your tyre, causing it to sit on this water rather than the road, and generally, lose all control.

Aquaplaning requires is that a tyre can't clear the water fast enough so that it doesn't ride up over its own wake. Water being a liquid doesn't care much for a surface being curved or flat it just cares about contact area.

I know when aquaplaning is happening because tyre noise reduces dramatically as the car feels light & remote.