That horrible feeling

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Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
...when you slide and have no control of direction and speed.

Hit my first patch of ice for the winter this morning, on the wee path that breaks off the main pavement at the South side of the Forth Road Bridge, just before the petrol station.

Didn't spot it at all. Wasn't going more than about 10kph but turned my wheel and carried on in straight line, as rear wheel slid sideways for a metre or two. Managed to stay upright but totally lost any faith in tyres for rest of ride in, horrible feeling!
 

Maz

Guru
I hate that feeling. You end up riding much slower for the rest of the day, just in case you hit another ice patch.

What tyres do you have? Would wider ones have helped?
 

Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
Didn't slide, but heard that telltale crackle of going over thin ice just after setting out and was very catious for the rest of the commute:blush:
 

Ranger

New Member
Location
Fife borders
Looking at the sparkly edges of the road and feeling the temperature drop as I descended into a hollow was a bit scary, hmm and its just December!
 

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
Haven't seen any good ice here yet, but when it comes it can be a nightmare. I'm usually okay (touching wood!), but the number of cyclists I see come off in Cambridge when its been frosty/snowy is quite amazing.
 
The weather has already taken its toll on a number of cyclists at the uni here. Coming in the main entrance there is a shallow slope down to a mini-RAB, where most cyclists want to turn right and head into the middle of campus.

I have seen three crashes this year already as cyclists blithely try and cut the corner in the wet and have their bikes dissappear from underneath them on the large painted circle! Its scary watching people zoom down the road, wondering if they will

a) Ride over the painted circle
:biggrin: Cross to the wrong side of the road for 10m then make a very shallow angle up the dropped curb (kerb???) onto the tiny shared path before veering wildly back off it, and over the road again on the other side
c) Be in the straight on lane, and then cut in across you because they are going for a wider line, and not paying attention.

Madness I tells ye.

Ice tends to cause trouble for the students round here along the shared paths to Tesco, and to another part of the town where a lot of students live.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
better on a bike than car or scooter, the experience of a ton plus of car sliding gently down a shallow hill with parked cars on both sides is one I'm not keen on repeating
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
26 x 2 tyres didn't help me. You hit ice anything other than dead straight with no turning or power applied you might be ok. At all other times you'll be off especially on smooth tarmac, tyres won't help.
 

Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
fossyant said:
26 x 2 tyres didn't help me. You hit ice anything other than dead straight with no turning or power applied you might be ok. At all other times you'll be off especially on smooth tarmac, tyres won't help.
I used to have a set of Nokian studded tyres which were superb, after an incident sliding 20 yards on my back after hitting wet ice. I fitted them and it bacame the warmest winter for years and I never saw ice again. Unfortunately I upgraded the bike that spring and they didn't fit the new one.
Pete
 
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