I have missed most of summer due to a back injury, so I am not looking forward to two winters in a row. I have been off a few times on ice and the last one scared me a bit, as although I did not break anything, I hurt myself enough to realise I was very lucky. For the last few years I don't set off if it is below 3 degrees, which being an early morning rider can cut out quite a number of days.
Winter rides
- Thread starter Oldhippy
- Start date
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T.M.H.N.E.T
Rainbows aren't just for world champions
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Yep. The properly dark when I get home from work kinda rides, it's just dark with no inbetween.
Cooler and dry are a bonus, anything else I'd be on the turbo or in gym
Cooler and dry are a bonus, anything else I'd be on the turbo or in gym
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
I am riding to work at 4.30am each morning. I keep expecting it to be really cold, but its not. After 5km I am warm. At the end of 20km I am boiling. It is hard to decide what to wear at the moment.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
The Trike is good fun in snow/ice
oldwheels
Legendary Member
- Location
- Isle of Mull
I use a trike so ice is not the same problem as on two wheels. Never had a bad off tho' I delivered papers by bike all year round and then worked for the post office with a 6 o'clock start and a 4 mile commute in January to February.
Later in life I hated winter because of the transport problems it caused and I had to juggle production and deliveries as well as inward supplies.
Later in life I hated winter because of the transport problems it caused and I had to juggle production and deliveries as well as inward supplies.
carpiste
Guru
- Location
- Manchester
Funnily enough I use a car sometimes too! 4 really chunky wheels with loads of tread and grip..... except on ice of course
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Ice no way no ride
Frost is bad enough
Frost is bad enough
I only rode in the snow twice.
Once in late 90's for laughs, we had good 8 inches of fresh snow. It was..interesting on slicks, no shop I knew had 27"(630mm bead) tyres other than slicks. I remember taking front brake blocks off and wrapping 3mm rope/string around the tyre though spokes to get more grip.
Second time in 2012 in East London commuting to work, buses got cancelled due to snow(and it would be nearly an hour longer than cycling). God only knows how I managed to stay up on frozen puddles, I spun out on rear 2 or 3 times but front didn't escape me.
More luck than brains you could say, but then I found myself waiting in the car park for nearly 2 hours for someone with the key...
Never again, unless catastrophic events force me to.
Once in late 90's for laughs, we had good 8 inches of fresh snow. It was..interesting on slicks, no shop I knew had 27"(630mm bead) tyres other than slicks. I remember taking front brake blocks off and wrapping 3mm rope/string around the tyre though spokes to get more grip.
Second time in 2012 in East London commuting to work, buses got cancelled due to snow(and it would be nearly an hour longer than cycling). God only knows how I managed to stay up on frozen puddles, I spun out on rear 2 or 3 times but front didn't escape me.
More luck than brains you could say, but then I found myself waiting in the car park for nearly 2 hours for someone with the key...
Never again, unless catastrophic events force me to.
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cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
4.44 ° is my cutoff. So sez my nose, toes & eyes. Okay, everyone, open season to brag about how long you ride in what ultra frigid temps!
View attachment 611393
It was 5.3 c this morning so not fasr off your cut off point , like you @steveindenmark im out a similar time on ealry shift it was a shock to the sytem this morning ! My hands really suffered today as i hant got my thicker gloves out and i didnt want to go ferretign through the cupboard so i had to suffer,
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
My record was - 12c on 23 mm road slicks which was interesting, i run 28 mm now as standard and might get hold of some 30 mm cx tyres for winter
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
-11 on 25 mm road tyres, commuting in steel toe capped boots, took ages for my feet to warm up. I'm sure I've ridden in colder than that in the distant past when we didn't record everything.
oldwheels
Legendary Member
- Location
- Isle of Mull
My problems were not caused by my own transport generally as I lived within walking distance of the office. The problems were others not being on time to catch ferries and so work schedules which were not easy to control went haywire. Fermentation does not wait on weather.Funnily enough I use a car sometimes too! 4 really chunky wheels with loads of tread and grip..... except on ice of course
I lived at the bottom of a steep hill and there was no salt used then. Only grit from a beach spread by shovel from an open lorry. There were some “ interesting “ journeys but since it was a company car I used the potential for damage did not bother me. Nothing untoward ever happened tho’.
Chief Broom
Veteran
Ive ridden motorcycles most of my life and have learned the hard [painful] way to avoid riding when ice is a possibility and will be doing the same on a cycle. Once came off a brand new Triumph Sprint where a drains path had been re-routed because of an ice blockage and the water spread across the road and made an ice rink...worse part was i couldnt pick the bike up because it was so slippery, would pick it up and then collapse in a heap again 
Gonna take the bus!
Gonna take the bus!
GuyBoden
Guru
- Location
- Warrington
I've ridden in the ice quite a few times when I'm desperate to get out on the bike, it tests your bike handling skills, but I only use country lanes.
