Very apprehensive...advice needed

[JiMBR]

I know it's been covered to death in other posts, but I'm afraid it's another one about ice.

I started cycling earlier in the year and I love it, however I'm back at work tomorrow and the conditions are making me nervous.

I've not been out on the steed for a few weeks, due to the bike being sent away for repair and then the on-set of the festive season.

I know a lot of people will give the advice of 'don't risk it' but I fear that if I don't get back on the bike soon, I'll be too bloody heavy to climb up onto the saddle!

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Arch]

I dunno what it's like up there, but here in York the main roads are clear, while little side roads are still icy to varying degrees. How much of your route is likely to be untreated? If it's not much, then you can always get off and walk if it looks tricky.

 

[potsy]

I know it's been covered to death in other posts, but I'm afraid it's another one about ice.

I started cycling earlier in the year and I love it, however I'm back at work tomorrow and the conditions are making me nervous.

I've not been out on the steed for a few weeks, due to the bike being sent away for repair and then the on-set of the festive season.

I know a lot of people will give the advice of 'don't risk it' but I fear that if I don't get back on the bike soon, I'll be too bloody heavy to climb up onto the saddle!

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I'm in the same boat Jim,desperate to get back if only to work some of this weight gain off,but feel it's just not worth risking a nasty fall which could potentially stop me for weeks.
Looking like early next week for me now.

 

[ComedyPilot]

What Arch wrote +1. Just be sensible and safe. Ride when you can, walk if you must.

 

[fossyant]

All depends upon your local conditions..... I'm not riding locally - just seen loads of cars sliding on the first little incline on any non main road....

If you can wheel the bike to a good clear road, then you should be OK.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Most of my commute is via un treated roads, its just too risky so I will wait, theres plenty of months yet to come !

 

[palinurus]

Depends on what your route is like. Cycle paths and side roads may present problems, main roads which are gritted may well be fine.

 

[GrasB]

kevin_cambs_uk, in all honesty it really wasn't that bad around cambridge, just had to keep an eye out for the frozen puddles,.

If you've got a mountain bike then let some air out of them tyres & be careful When you get onto the main roads you can then relax a little but don't let your concentration drop. Of you don't get out there & learn that you can or can't really handle the conditions you'll never know. Just take care in what you're doing.

 

[longers]

If you've not been out at all, even round the block, to see how you and the bike handle the conditions then I'd say think about giving it a miss. I had two test rides in the snow over the weekend to check I was happy with how it was riding.

 

[beanzontoast]

Second what longers says. Personally, if I'd been off the bike for a while, I wouldn't want my very first ride in weeks to be one in icy conditions that I'm not sure of.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

kevin_cambs_uk, in all honesty it really wasn't that bad around cambridge, just had to keep an eye out for the frozen puddles,.

If you've got a mountain bike then let some air out of them tyres & be careful When you get onto the main roads you can then relax a little but don't let your concentration drop. Of you don't get out there & learn that you can or can't really handle the conditions you'll never know. Just take care in what you're doing.

I live in St Ives so its 17 each way, when I went out the door this morning the drive was an ice rink

and the thought of trying to get the rest of the 17 miles was not an option, but in Cambridge its fine, its such a shame....

 

[JiMBR]

Well...the overnight snow made the decision easy in the end and I took the train.

 

[beanzontoast]

Don't feel too bad. You'll enjoy it all the more when the weather picks up.

Thing is, even if you just have ice to contend with, it's not that easy to 'just get off where you can see it's icy' - black ice doesn't give you any such warning. By the time you know it's there, you're in trouble.

 

[semislickstick]

I live in St Ives so its 17 each way, when I went out the door this morning the drive was an ice rink

and the thought of trying to get the rest of the 17 miles was not an option, but in Cambridge its fine, its such a shame....

St.Ives eh!? That wasn't you in town with an airzound was it?

Kevin, have you cycled along the guided bus route yet?

 

[mark i]

I agree that ice is not always fun. I have always found that the white frost that you can see is OK, dont brake or lean hard and you are fine. The problem is usually the stuff that you cannot see, and others have said your first warning of black ice is often the fact that the bike wheels are higher than most of your body! If you are lucky you can feel the front wheel go light or shimmy in which case just concentrate on keeping the bike right way up. Bar one 100m stretch Solihull and Coventry have been OK so far, Solihull has run out of grit judging by the roads. It has however snowed today so will judge on the way home cycle or cycle/train/cycle....