Winter commuting. Is it worth the risks?

[subaqua]

its the wind chill for me, and then the 1 mile walk across the olympic park. cool down a bit tooo much on the walk, a;lthough if its going to be -7 a thicker outer layer should work well

 

[400bhp]

Well I was going to do a 90 miler to morrow up to Winnats pass - giving it a miss now

I fell off a couple of times last year on the way to work. IMO it isn't worth the risk as the rewards don't outweigh them [the risks]

If the weather gets worse here (Manchester) I will take the tram next week to work.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Came back to cycling about 1979/80, been commuting ever since, I've never missed a day due to the weather, if I've been due in work I've cycled in. The only thing I curtail in the bad weather is the Sunday club runs, they are for pleasure and if the weather gets too bad they stop being fun and then there's no point doing them. This winter will be just another winter, the geared bike has been put away till spring, I'll be on fixed on all rides till then. I've dug out the woolly hat, gloves and winter jacket. When its got a little colder I'll break out the long johns as well. The only difference this winter is I'm working lates, so I'll miss the early morning ride in on icy roads, but I'll have to take care on the early evening rides home till I get to know how the road conditions shape up.

 

[John the Monkey]

Has the weather significantly changed in the last couple of years, or are all you people being hyper-cautious?

I think I missed a week due to ice on the ground in my first year of commuting. In the last two, I reckon I've lost a month or so.

Mind, a 6am commute doesn't help.

 

[sayek1]

This is what happened to me when I carried on commuting into the frosty early mornings of winter - luckily my helmet took the main impact - my teeth, lips, cheek and rest of my face had only a secondary blow!!!!!

I now limit myself to 5 degrees or above.

The bike was absolutely fine - not a scratch. Shame the same couldn't be said for my teeth!!!!!!

 

[sayek1]

This is what happened to me when I carried on commuting into the frosty early mornings of winter - luckily my helmet took the main impact - my teeth, lips, cheek and rest of my face had only a secondary blow!!!!!

I now limit myself to 5 degrees or above.

The bike was absolutely fine - not a scratch. Shame the same couldn't be said for my teeth!!!!!!

 

[potsy]

[attachment=1549:Accident.jpg][attachment=1549:Accident.jpg]

What did you look like after the crash?

 

[Cope]

About to restart the commute after more than a year off owing to being at a different client where cycling wasn't an option. I didn't ride through the winter last year - stopped in October, coincidentally, and didn't the previous winter. Before that I cycled every winter on standard 23 or 25s on a generic road bike. That was in the 1990s.

My ride isn't bad - 4 miles to the railway station, then from Waterloo to various places in London. I tend to ride my fixed-wheel bike in the winter - less to go wrong, and a combination of carbon and cheap components means it's less vulnerable to the salt than my custom-built audax (105/Ultegra).

If I don't cycle, I need to get my partner to drive me to the station, which means a very early start for her, plus the inconvenience of having to collect me, and 16 miles a day extra car usage - very ineffecient and not very environmentally friendly.

Not so bothered about the cold - I have the right gear, and though I've never come off before, as I get older, and given that as a consultant a day off means no money in the bank, I'm getting more paranoid

So whatever I can do to reduce risk I'm up for... definitely considering studded tyres. Question - do you think it's safer or more dangerous to ride fixed? I could enable the freewheel...

S.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

About to restart the commute after more than a year off owing to being at a different client where cycling wasn't an option. I didn't ride through the winter last year - stopped in October, coincidentally, and didn't the previous winter. Before that I cycled every winter on standard 23 or 25s on a generic road bike. That was in the 1990s.

My ride isn't bad - 4 miles to the railway station, then from Waterloo to various places in London. I tend to ride my fixed-wheel bike in the winter - less to go wrong, and a combination of carbon and cheap components means it's less vulnerable to the salt than my custom-built audax (105/Ultegra).

If I don't cycle, I need to get my partner to drive me to the station, which means a very early start for her, plus the inconvenience of having to collect me, and 16 miles a day extra car usage - very ineffecient and not very environmentally friendly.

Not so bothered about the cold - I have the right gear, and though I've never come off before, as I get older, and given that as a consultant a day off means no money in the bank, I'm getting more paranoid

So whatever I can do to reduce risk I'm up for... definitely considering studded tyres. Question - do you think it's safer or more dangerous to ride fixed? I could enable the freewheel...

S.

I've always found fixed to be the better option when its slippery, you can regulate your speed through the pedals and use the brakes less. I run both a back and a front brake on mine and combine leaning on the fixed with gentle use of the back brake to slow me down when its slippery.

 

[jig-sore]

got no choice really, its ride the bike or walk 8.5 miles is a bit far to walk regularly. no bus service at the right times of day.

as i said elsewhere, came off on the mud last Tuesday and i only sprained my wrist and banged my side, but now the bruises are coming out and im just aching and sore, which is not very nice. just spotted sayek1's photos and now im glad i've just invested £62 on studded tyres, just hope they arrive soon

also lost the the clip-less pedals and gone back to normals for now.

snowing here today and freezing temperatures all weekend, so Monday may be fun

 

[Cope]

also lost the the clip-less pedals and gone back to normals for now.

Was going to ask about that too - on my fixed-wheel bike I have double-sided SPDs. Am wondering if traditional toe-clips would be safer if one needed to get one's feet out more quickly...

S.

 

[jig-sore]

Was going to ask about that too - on my fixed-wheel bike I have double-sided SPDs. Am wondering if traditional toe-clips would be safer if one needed to get one's feet out more quickly...

S.

its personal i guess, but i just feel safer when im not locked in. and if you do have to put a foot down, look cleats dont exactly give good grip at the best of times

 

[HLaB]

Was going to ask about that too - on my fixed-wheel bike I have double-sided SPDs. Am wondering if traditional toe-clips would be safer if one needed to get one's feet out more quickly...

S.

its personal i guess, but i just feel safer when im not locked in. and if you do have to put a foot down, look cleats dont exactly give good grip at the best of times

As jig says its a personal thing; I actually feel more secure with spds, my foot is less likely to slip off a pedal, especially at this time of year. I found toe clips could be more restrictive whilst still slippy (if that makes sense); my foot could slide around but snag on something when I needed to get the foot out and it was pretty variable.

 

[Downward]

I don't fancy the side roads much but last year I went on 28C slickish tyres and stuck to the main roads which were either covered in fresh snow or slush. Kept speed below 10mph though. Got some M+ this year but I'll apply the same rules.
Add 10 mins to your journey and be safe.

 

[Downward]

its personal i guess, but i just feel safer when im not locked in. and if you do have to put a foot down, look cleats dont exactly give good grip at the best of times

Although if it's a bit wet you'll be slipping off the pedals.