My tyres have the studs at the edge of the tyre
Run at 80 - 100 PSI he studs are off the road so they are no slower than say a Marathon plus.
Let the pressure down to 50 - 60 PSI and the studs come into contact and then bite into the ice or snow
Cycling on Snow and Ice?
- Thread starter Sara_H
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My tyres have the studs at the edge of the tyre
Run at 80 - 100 PSI he studs are off the road so they are no slower than say a Marathon plus.
Let the pressure down to 50 - 60 PSI and the studs come into contact and then bite into the ice or snow
Fiona N
Veteran
All you need to do is put the knobblies back on the MTB and pump them up pretty hard. This will help them to dig down deep into snow and find grip, it's the same reason why winter car tyres are narrower than summer tyres. Don't listen to the tosh about riding with low pressures, that will give lower ground pressure over a bigger area and less grip - same reason why powerful executive cars with fat tyres are so bad on snow. Or small light mid-engined sports cars with wide tyres- out-performed on snow by 30 year old 2CVs
You can ride on knobblies in slush, fresh snow and best of all, crunchy re-frozen show like you find on trails after people have walked on it and it's frozen overnight, but be wary of getting your wheel stuck in a frozen wheel rut.
The only time you won't be able to ride is on sheet ice. If you're out on refrozen snow and you encounter a frozen puddle, keep the bike upright, don't touch the brakes and just free wheel straight across keeping your weight central over the bike until you find grip again. More than a puddle though and you will start needing to steer and lean the bike to maintain balance and suddenly it starts getting risky. A fall on ice is somehow even more jarring and bruising than any other surface, it really hurts. Maybe it's because you go down so fast. But on the other hand, you do tend to slide along on ice doing less damage than on tarmac
Totally agree with this advice.
Last winter in all the snow and ice here in Kendal, I rode a mtb with quite narrow (1.5") racing mtb tyres with wide spaced steep sided knobbles and no centre ridge, inflated to 70 psi. The only problem I had was deep snow (>25cm) but that was gratuitous as I was off road on tracks high in the hills riding through drifts where no man had gone before (major fun
). Compressed icy surfaces in villages are a bit scary as you tend to slide about on the bumps and ruts but just keep it steady, don't try to steer or brake. I often release my feet from the clips if it's bad so I can get a foot down (but it's not been necessary so far). If there's a choice between compacted icy snow and fresh stuff at the verge - I go for the verge, it's more predictable (assuming you know there aren't sunken drain covers and the like).
Don't think about falling - it's self-fulfilling
peelywally
Active Member
nothing prepares you for black ice on asphalt , first i noticed any was when i woke up in the road and my hand went from under me .
Broadside
Guru
- Location
- Fleet, Hants
I used to ride in any temperature down to -10c but last winter I came off my road bike twice on black ice, not to be recommended when it's dark and you are 20 miles from home. I have since given up the sub zero riding when ice is a serious possibility but I would still go out when it's very cold but the roads are dry, you know when they are light grey from the dried salt. I have also fallen over wearing cleats while walking my bike past a large patch of ice on a country road, seriously unfunny. As someone said earlier, it hurts a lot more falling on ice and stings because of the cold.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
_aD
Do not touch suspicious objects
- Location
- East Hampshire, UK
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
In freezing temperatures you cant beat the car. Its warm, dry and comfy.
david k
Hi
- Location
- North West
thought this thread was a new disney or itv show
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
Little yellow Brompton
A dark destroyer of biscuits!
- Location
- Bridgend
Nothing, apart from being female!
Female drivers have far , far, less accidents citing "black ice" as the cause than men.
"Or small light mid-engined sports cars with wide tyres"
Indeed, although from memory 2cv tyres are 20 psi front and 26 psi rear, which suggests that it's not all about high pressure. I've been known to squirt some pressure out of MTB knobblies in the snow, just to get a bigger footrint without letting too much flex into the sidewall.
Off-road, I used to run 2cv tyres far lower than than 20/26, although I accept that gravel and sand are not snow and ice. (You need tubes in 2cv tyres to run them very low).
Not only do 2cvs chew Toyota Supras up in the snow, they can do Land Cruisers in sand and across rocks as well. Ground clearence, zero weight and 15 miles of suspension travel all help. FWD does not, but that's too bad.
I think a significant factor in the ability of 2cvs in rain, snow and (up to a point) ice is the shape of the footprint: 15" rims, 125-section tyres and deep sidewalls make for great directional stability.
Also, a lack of power means you're less likely to break traction and there are no lumps or surprises in power delivery from a pushrod flat twin.
There is a point at which the car-bike comparison weakens... cars have four wheels and are unlikely to fall over.
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
Slim Tyres and front wheel drive make driving in snow a doddle. Rear wheel drive is the worst. Fat Tyres only make a build up of snow in front if your Tyres.
My bicycle is RWD. I find it handles unhelpfully in the snow sometimes.
Having said that, the VW Beetle manages to be good in snow with RWD. Having the weight over the driven wheels might be a factor there, though....
Best ever drive in snow and ice?
For me, either a Bedford MK 4x4 or a Lada Niva.
The MK is wonderful and unstoppable (in a good way) but not practical for parking or motorways.
The Niva is the world's best-kept 4x4 secret, or was until they all rusted away and died.
To stay with the cycling topic, both of the above outperformed my MTB on snow.
Having said that, the VW Beetle manages to be good in snow with RWD. Having the weight over the driven wheels might be a factor there, though....
Best ever drive in snow and ice?
For me, either a Bedford MK 4x4 or a Lada Niva.
The MK is wonderful and unstoppable (in a good way) but not practical for parking or motorways.
The Niva is the world's best-kept 4x4 secret, or was until they all rusted away and died.
To stay with the cycling topic, both of the above outperformed my MTB on snow.