Started commuting since September

[arthurfarr]

My wife and I work as teachers at the same school however, due to the nature of my job I have to regularly work longer hours. It' only a 10 mile round trip so I took the plunge, got rid of the second car and bought myself a Specialized Sirrus Hybrid. Now commuting most days but I'm becoming wary of the darker mornings/nights after half-term and cycling through the winter. Determined to stick to the plan though and thus make the need for a second car redundant.

How precarious do conditions need to be before you draw the line? What about when it's frosty/icy etc?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Very much your personal preference, the weather shouldn't be a problem clothing wise and softer pressure in your tyres and more conservative acceleration and braking will see you ok for worsening weather. If you are really determined you can get snow/ice studded tyres for the depths of winter but realistically on road particularly they are a luxury on all but a few days a year, paths and trails see them getting more essential.

I ride year round but am always wary on the relatively few slippery slush road days for cars fishtailing and just not anticipating their braking enough.

Good grippy walking type shoes can help to keep you upright too if you do slide and need to get your feet planted fast.

 

[Racing roadkill]

My wife and I work as teachers at the same school however, due to the nature of my job I have to regularly work longer hours. It' only a 10 mile round trip so I took the plunge, got rid of the second car and bought myself a Specialized Sirrus Hybrid. Now commuting most days but I'm becoming wary of the darker mornings/nights after half-term and cycling through the winter. Determined to stick to the plan though and thus make the need for a second car redundant.

How precarious do conditions need to be before you draw the line? What about when it's frosty/icy etc?

Get a trike with good lights. Problem solved.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Studded ice tyres get good reviews on here from a few of those in harsher weather systems. Can't think of anyone in particular though,
@Pat "5mph" ?

 

[mjr]

How precarious do conditions need to be before you draw the line? What about when it's frosty/icy etc?

I'll ride through almost anything if I need to go somewhere. If it's icy, I'll only cycle on the MTB with studded tyres - if it's iffy, I'll use the beater and keep my fingers crossed. I've ridden over stuff northbound and been cursing myself for worrying and taking the harder-to-pedal MTB, but then riding southbound a half-hour later, I've been able to see the sun shining off ice I'd ridden across!

The main thing that stops me is extremely high winds, but they generally tell people not to drive in them either!

 

[boydj]

Good lights, mudguards and decent winter clothing should see you through all but the worst weather. In eight years commuting I only missed a few days when either the wind was gale force or there was snow or solid ice on the ground. This was done on a standard road bike with normal tyres. Roads near schools will be gritted in cold weather, so no real reason not to commute all year round.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Studded ice tyres get good reviews on here from a few of those in harsher weather systems. Can't think of anyone in particular though,
@Pat "5mph" ?

You called?

I'll ride through almost anything if I need to go somewhere. If it's icy, I'll only cycle on the MTB with studded tyres -

Absolutely same here!
I don't have a car and need to go to work even when it's icy, which here can be till March.
As a matter of fact I took a tumble a couple of years ago, in March, a beautiful sunny early morning, I was still half asleep and took the hybrid.
A few yards later, down with a bang, a big sore bleeding hole just below my elbow: sheet ice!
Nowadays I check the bird bath for ice before choosing which bike to ride
Spiked ice tyres are very effective.

 

[slowmotion]

Are you in the country or in a city? Cities tend to grit and de-ice the main roads. I've never needed to abandon the bike when it snows in London, and that's riding on regular 23mm road tyres. I've needed to walk a few hundred yards to the main roads though. Get some warm and waterproof clothing and you can enjoy your bike all through the winter.

 

[Theseus]

Studded ice tyres get good reviews on here from a few of those in harsher weather systems. Can't think of anyone in particular though,
@Pat "5mph" ?

After the big freeze in 2010 I got myself a set of ice tyres ... yet to use them in anger.

 

[annedonnelly]

I wouldn't try to second guess the British winter weather. We may get virtually no ice/snow or weeks of it. Last year I missed only a handful of days - when there was frozen snow. And I am a complete wimp when it comes to ice & snow. I actually discovered that the bike is steadier on ice than I am on my feet!

Get yourself prepared for dark, cold & wet - we'll definitely get those! You're lucky that your wife is going to the same location. If the weather is so bad you can't cycle then one or both of you can alter their hours for a day or so so that you can share the car. You may find that you ride everyday. It's much easier once you're riding than peering out the window at a wet, windy morning.

 

[400bhp]

A lot of it (commuting throughout winter) comes down to experience and your ability/willingness to learn.

When the weather is changing, try to learn something from every experience, be that a particular corner is a little less grippy when slightly damp, leaves falling may mean that a particular leafy road with bends should be avoided if bendy, but fine if straight etc etc.

I've all to often (in particular the last year when being involved in a fledgling club) seen how many accidents relatively new cyclists have. Some clearly learn from it but there are a fair few that don't, and it comes as no surprise when I hear of them having another off.

 

[arthurfarr]

Thanks for all your advice

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Just to add a bit more info on ice tyres since the conversation has gone that way. You can get different 'grades' with more/less studs and where they are placed.

Schwalbe Marathon Winters are a good general purpose UK bad weather tyre that can be ridden in non icy conditions too, pumped well up, a little bit of click clack stud noise and not quite as nippy as a regular tyre but definitely rideable if you are in rural more extreme parts of the UK where the weather is going to be a bit more unpredictable and chilly

They generally need the stud bedding in prior to use on ice, 50 odd miles at full pressure and you'd expect to lose a few studs in the process, Schwalbe are good for sending out a bag of replacement studs if you ask them nicely and once you get the knack of fitting them they're easy enough to do. I would assume other makers are similarly user friendly.

Unless you're hard-core ice riding on really studdy tyres then their principal use is keeping you upright taking corners and changing direction with a bit of a lean on the bike, you still need to be more careful when riding and smooth in your actions but they are quite something of a revelation the first time you put your faith in them to grip and you don't hit the deck.

They're a worthy investment if you are really determined to become a one car family and are very soon pay you back in time and money over getting the bus on bad days.

 

[Slick]

I wouldn't worry about the winter, you will soon come to love the quiet peace of the dark mornings and the weather conditions just become part of the challenge. My commute is 12 reasonably flat miles each way and I managed to commute regularly all last winter. I've left the house before and immediately regretted it, as the wind and rain battered my face, but by the second mile determination kicks in and I soon realise I'm having the time of my life.

There is a down side though. I sometimes get the feeling that the poor standard of driving becomes even worse as more drivers sleep drive to work.

 

[bikingdad90]

The clocks go back tonight so it will be lighter in the morning and darker at night for for a bit before the mornings start to close in. Expect most people next week to have forgotten how to drive as I find it takes a while until people adjust to the darkness.

As for winter commuting. If the weather remains like it is, it will just be like October weather all the way through to January.