Cycling in the winter months - best option

[Hacienda71]

No 1.

Tip, put full mudguards on your bike it will make a big difference.

 

[snorri]

Tip, put full mudguards on your bike it will make a big difference.

I hadn't thought of adding that, doesn't everyone have full mudguards already?

 

[ChrisRicho]

I have been pondering this also.

What are the best tyres to put on a hybrid?

 

[briantrumpet]

Rain no problem with the right clothing, dry and frosty not really a problem but be careful, fresh snow (within reason) not really too much of problem, sheet ice or compacted snow is a problem and very dangerous unless you have the correct tyres.

One word of warning - watch out for sharp frosts if you're heading out - there was one Sunday last winter when there were multiple offs - although the roads were mostly dry, the sharpness of the frost left treacherous sheet ice all over the place - I was one of the many to go skating horizontally. Since then I'll only trust country roads if it's 3 or 4 degrees above freezing. But with the right gear, cycling in cold weather is no problem, as long as you keep the bike upright.

I carry on commuting just about no matter what - I had just one day last winter when I didn't get on the bike into town (because of heavy snow), though I'm pretty near dry, well salted roads, so ice is rarely a problem, even in sub-zero temperatures.

 

[BSRU]

Last winter was my first winter commuting, it was no problem apart from a few days when it was cold combined with heavy rain, strong winds and dark, just had to get on the bike and put up with it.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

1) stop being a wimp and get out there in any weather

...I've not had an ice/snow related 'off' yet but it does take a different riding style (slow and steady).
Find out from your local authorities which routes are gritted and go from there. Bus lanes are good aside from the frozen slush piles that drop from their rear wheels and freeze solid...

 

[Bayerd]

As everyone else has said, just get out there. I had the same concern as you 2 years ago. Then I remembered that when I was a 12 year old, I used to cycle 5 miles every morning doing a paper round.

You're not going to be beaten by a 12 year old are you?

 

[marinyork]

One word of warning - watch out for sharp frosts if you're heading out - there was one Sunday last winter when there were multiple offs - although the roads were mostly dry, the sharpness of the frost left treacherous sheet ice all over the place - I was one of the many to go skating horizontally. Since then I'll only trust country roads if it's 3 or 4 degrees above freezing. But with the right gear, cycling in cold weather is no problem, as long as you keep the bike upright.

I carry on commuting just about no matter what - I had just one day last winter when I didn't get on the bike into town (because of heavy snow), though I'm pretty near dry, well salted roads, so ice is rarely a problem, even in sub-zero temperatures.

There were two bad lots of black ice last winter. Black ice tends to happen in those very poor conditions when it's snowed, frozen/rained, temperature gone up, a melt set in and the temperature plunges very steeply. It's generally not the case at all that it just happens en masse although you can get it. The best tip is to be pounding the roads about 9pm at night and making note each day of which places frost up first, how badly etc. Once you've built a database of knowledge up (similar with snow) you can guess pretty accurately how snowed up/iced up particular roads will be. It's normally particular places that are problematic and with enough knowledge you can look out for them.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I'd also not ride on roads other than my normal route in the snow (same for heavy rain, really) as on the normal run you know where the potholes, ruts, drains etc etc are, and you can make a point of avoiding them even if they're not so visible.

 

[Arch]

In snowy weather I just revert to mountain biking; there's nothing better than the crunch of fat knobbly tyres over crisp snow and ice. You can ride on anything except sheet ice. Moonlit night riding in snow is even better.

Get a trike with studded tyres and even that is possible!

Our Maximuses at work handled everything last winter threw at them, better than the electric van did!

A recumbent trike is even better.

But otherwise, decent clothing will sort you out for most weather. I did give up riding in during the worst of the ice and snow last winter, but that's because it was easy to walk instead. If I had the trike at the flat, and not stored across town, I'd have simply switched to riding that for a month or so.

 

[marinyork]

It's perfectly possible to ride on sheet ice (not necessarily recommending it). I do so every year on marathon road tyres. The only snag if you have to do so on a flat surface. I never see why people go on about needing studded tyres, I manage and I am very much rated as not having that many 'bike skills'.

 

[briantrumpet]

It's generally not the case at all that it just happens en masse although you can get it.

It was Sunday 9 January this year that caught out quite a few people, thanks to a rapid early morning freeze followed by a deceptive sunny morning that masked the slowness of the temperature to rise above zero. I hope I've learnt my lesson.

 

[marinyork]

It was Sunday 9 January this year that caught out quite a few people, thanks to a rapid early morning freeze followed by a deceptive sunny morning that masked the slowness of the temperature to rise above zero. I hope I've learnt my lesson.

Erm yes... see my earlier post which exactly describes this. I am very much aware of what happened that day, I came off on black ice myself before sunrise on the 9th of January and had to go to hospital. What happened was the previous days there had been snow/ice, the day before it rapidly melted (not completely) with a rise in temperature and there was a gigantic spike downwards in temperature causing the black ice. I checked the local weather station which the data clearly showed this where the temperature had gone well above zero causing a massive melt and then jumped downwards to hugely below zero. That is why there was such large quantities of black ice and is word for word what I described. Through winter 2010/11 there was one other day that had these conditions. There were plenty of other slightly dodgy days but nothing anywhere near as dangerous (still possible to come off).

 

[Mad at urage]

It's perfectly possible to ride on sheet ice (not necessarily recommending it). I do so every year on marathon road tyres. The only snag if you have to do so on a flat surface. I never see why people go on about needing studded tyres, I manage and I am very much rated as not having that many 'bike skills'.

Fantastic if you choose to ride on sheet ice and can choose where. Unfortunately sheet ice has a habit of forming on slopes where there is water run-ff and can be met with unexpectedly (especially in the dark). Studded tyres help a lot in those conditions.

 

[marinyork]

Fantastic if you choose to ride on sheet ice and can choose where. Unfortunately sheet ice has a habit of forming on slopes where there is water run-ff and can be met with unexpectedly (especially in the dark). Studded tyres help a lot in those conditions.

Yes... see my earlier posts about learning where ice forms...

and it's not exactly 'choice' I have only two routes I can use out of my road and during bits of the winter both are covered with sheet ice.