Cattle Grids!

[Big Nick]

I'm now venturing further afield and have started to encounter cattle grids

The thought of riding over them with skinny road bike wheels worries me and I've heard you can get pinch punctures, in view of this I always dismount and walk my bike across

I saw some mtb'ers today who just flew across one

Am I being over cautious or are these devices there to spoil your ride?!?!

 

[ianrauk]

They are there to spoil your ride.
MTB'ers have much fatter tyres so can cope easier then road bikes.

 

[SS Retro]

OK in dry caution in wet.

 

[HLaB]

You are being over cautious, Ive ridden over hundreds of them with 23mm tyres and never had a problem

 

[NorvernRob]

I slow down a bit and lift the front wheel slightly as I go across. I'm not worried about pinch punctures as I run over 100psi in my tyres and weigh a bit over 70kg.

What I wouldn't do is fly down a hill over one just in case.

 

[Canrider]

They can be tricky, but only sometimes.

Basically, if you go over them straight and at speed (by which I mean speed above walking pace), you should just carry straight across with no difficulties (I can see someone is cross-posting with me as I type this). 'Obviously' you need to not let go of the handlebars as your momentum carries you across.

The main way people come off on cattle grids in my experience is if they go too slow, or try to turn whilst crossing the grid.

ETA: There was one on a path leading north out of York that demanded a slight turn mid-grid. That was a bit more nerve-racking, but again if you just carried on with momentum you would sail right over the thing.

Think of your wheel. Its diameter is huge compared to a car's. The only way it's going to slip between the cattle grids is if you turn it so far that it falls down one of the holes between the bars. Were you planning on doing that? No, so carry on and ride over them with confidence.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Speed up and bunny hop them, they are pretty easy to clear.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Loads of info on this older THREAD.

 

[MikeW-71]

Keep some speed, aim straight across, lift your bum off the saddle, rattle across, job done.

 

[KneesUp]

It's never occurred to me to get off on any bike. They are lethal when they are wet, though!

 

[Crackle]

Loads of info on this older THREAD.

hah, I just went searching for that to post wot i wrote there last time..

Any speed is fine, I had to regularly ride over one going up a hill and that was a deer grid, they're even wider. Centre your weight on the bike, keep your grip firm but flexible and let your legs and arms take the vibration, don't lock them, hit the grid perpendicular, not at an angle, don't go over in the same track a car might take as often the road is worn just before the grid and it makes a hollow there, look at the other side, not at the grid and either roll over it or if you need to pedal, pedal evenly with some pressure, don't sway the bike from side to side

 

[SS Retro]

Some of the new ones round our way have 700c width expansion joint running the full length of them down the centre, there's one like this on a fast bend I regularly ride you only have half the grid to use or its game over!

 

[Canrider]

What Crackle says, although it's a bit wordy by the end there.
Go over as straight (90 degrees to the bars) and at a good speed, holding the bars firmly but avoiding either an arm-locked-death-grip or a loose-handed-weak-armed-grip. Crackle's 'firm but flexible (grip)' is perfect advice.

 

[PeteXXX]

No need to dismount and walk it, you're likely to clip in and fall over...

 

[Big Nick]

Cheers everyone, going for it next time I'm out!!

Approach square on, steady speed and firmish grip.....all received and understood!