Oooh, ice...

[summerdays]

This is probably my second winter of commuting on the bike, and so far its been much colder and had a lot more frost days than last years warm winter. So I don't know how this compares to say the last decade when it comes to ice on the road. Last winter wouldn't of needed studded tyres in Bristol, if it carries on like this then it may be the answer. I'm too inexperienced of these weather conditions as a cyclist to know whether studded tyres are necessary.

 

[mickle]

You don't need Cols dear ... this would suit you lovely..

Awwwwww Micky wicky!

I thank you!

 

[BentMikey]

The only person here who is ignorant is you. You can easily, easily turn a bike just by using the handlebars and not leaning the bike.

LOL, no idea of balance and how it works innit. Your lesson for today is to go and google countersteering.

 

[beanzontoast]

I found the roads much better today - but as for the corner where I came off yesterday, I still took it soooooooooooooooooooo slowly...

 

[mickle]

And your lesson is how to use your weight to act as a balance.

Lee. You're wrong. Labouring the point doesn't make you any less wrong.

 

[BentMikey]

And your lesson is how to use your weight to act as a balance.

Oooh, that's an admission I'm right, that is. I said you can't corner a bike without leaning [the whole system]. Simple physics.

 

[BentMikey]

Even at slow speed there will be some lean when cornering a bike, although it might be a very small lean if both speed and rate of turn are also low.

I'm up in London this evening, I have a bunch of errands to run. Happy to meet up, say 5pm ish? I need to go to bikefix as part of that - want to meet up and look at Darth Stuart's collection?

 

[User482]

This is probably my second winter of commuting on the bike, and so far its been much colder and had a lot more frost days than last years warm winter. So I don't know how this compares to say the last decade when it comes to ice on the road. Last winter wouldn't of needed studded tyres in Bristol, if it carries on like this then it may be the answer. I'm too inexperienced of these weather conditions as a cyclist to know whether studded tyres are necessary.

I've been cycle commuting in Bristol for about 5 years now and the recent conditions are the slippiest I've ever known. That said, it's highly unlikely that these conditions will carry on through winter, considering how mild the climate is down here.

 

[BentMikey]

Yep, ok. I will meet you outside bikefix at around 5pm. If it is ok with you we'll be riding out along the A501 heading west until we come to the A5 and then heading north. Both roads have plenty of traffic on and by that time it should be peak rush hour, looking forward to it.

Great, looking forward to meeting you!

 

[the reluctant cyclist]

I'm about to email our council. We live on a hill, and for the last three mornings I've watched cars slide into the kerb trying to negotiate a bend, and both bicycles and motorbikes go over. The latest motorbike was this morning. It was an offroader, he had both feet flat on the floor and was moving at walking pace. The front wheel went and he was down.

It's impossible to see the ice. It's not white and fluffy, and it's not shiny. It's impossible to cycle over. I've had to scoot the bike up the pavement to the main road. Funnily enough, the pavement has that fluffy frost that's easy to ride over.

Is it easy to ride over? This is what I have encountered the most on my commute recently. I have found that when I am walking on the pavements they are really slippy but I have not had any trouble on the bike.

Have I just been lucky? I have left the house 1/2 hour earlier so that I can ride really slowly to work.

The thick white stuff I have been treating like ice - bit too cautious eh?!

I've never come off in the ice (touch wood) but I have turned a corner too fast in the wet and come off!

As an aside - anybody noticed more "friendliness" in bad weather? This morning two people shouted "morning" to me. One person called a warning of ice on the corner, a car kept really really slow behind me as I crawled around said icy corner in the middle of the road and the builders outside work all called "morning" too!

 

[J4CKO]

I had a friendly warning about the ice as well, couple of days the drivers have been great but yesterday, the minute it rained they assumed no ice anymore and went back to normal (too fast) speed.