cycling on ice or frosty mornings

[upsidedown]

The worst off I had in the ice was coming downhill in the sun. Road clear of ice until I hit a piece of road that was in the shade of a tree and still iced up.
On packed snow I've found that pedalling slowly against the brakes is really stable, obviously not very efficient but it works.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Simple advice - ride slower in general and if you come across ice unexpectedly, don't panic, don't hit the brakes and don't try to turn suddenly. You might lose traction but unless it's a massive section, you'll soon be back on to non-icy road.

In my case, it's all a bit different, here in Ontario I can expect to be riding on ice a fair bit of the time for 4 months of the year, so I switch to my Beast (single speed MTB with Nokian ice tires). I can even ride on the frozen lake - which is awesome!

 

[BrumJim]

If you are cycling on gritted roads, there should be no problem at all.

On un-treated roads, go round corners VERY slowly. Look for frost on the road, and keep steady. Even black ice won't tip you off if you are going straight and pedalling gently and smoothly.

 

[furball]

Check weather forecasts regularly so that you are prepared.

Get to know the spots on the road that the sun doesn't get to as these will stay icy when the rest has melted.

If the weather turns mild and it starts raining after an icy spell, don't ride too close into the side of the road because the ice is likely to be thicker in the gutter and it will take longer to thaw (also won't be visible if wet)

 

[gavintc]

My advice is to avoid all cycle paths when it is possibly icy and stick to the main roads. Ride in the tracks left by the wheels of the cars and look out for anything glistening on the road.

 

[beanzontoast]

Any hint of ice and nowadays I leave the bike at home and bus / walk it.

The number of cyclists I know with accounts of how they fell off one time or another due to ice - and you can't always see it before it's too late - is enough evidence to suggest that if you really want to be safe, you don't risk it.

 

[400bhp]

the really important thing is keep the wheels vertical with the saddle upermost, do all u can to maintain this and all should be well, if the road seems to be in the vertical plane you have fallen over and action should be taken to correct this!

agree

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Any hint of ice and nowadays I leave the bike at home and bus / walk it.

The number of cyclists I know with accounts of how they fell off one time or another due to ice - and you can't always see it before it's too late - is enough evidence to suggest that if you really want to be safe, you don't risk it.

Pffff... sorry, if I took that attitude to life, I wouldn't cycle at all!

There's only two occasions I ever came off in the UK due to ice and they were both in exactly the same place: where a farmer had thoughtfully decided to wash out his yard in winter, which covered the (unlit) road outside in a frozen mixture of ice and cowshit. The solution? After the second time, I rode home a different way... and for most commuters who aren't cycling on unlit rural backroads, you are safe if you cycle carefully as I suggested and even more so if you take the precautions Gavin mentioned above.

 

[ufkacbln]

All you need to know!

 

[ufkacbln]

More seriously - Listen

You can pick up a lot of information from your tyres.

The hiss of frosty surfaces and the silence that is black ice will indicate the type of surface you are on.