Do you go on your bike when the roads are covered with thin snow ?

[GuyBoden]

Just don't brake.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Or steer

 

[Bollo]

No

 

[cosmicbike]

Up until last year, yes, cycle commuted all year round and just took it easy. A year older and wiser and I'm afraid I have been in the car the last 3 shifts, very icy on the roads just scraping the car off so not worth it.

 

[Jenkins]

Not on a road bike as your PE teacher did, but I certainly have done on a MTB or wide tyred hybrid if the conditions were right - fresh, soft snow on top of dry roads or where it had fallen on top of previous snowfall. Where it's lying on top of ice, rutted or compressed/frozen snow then most likely not, but never say never as I've done a few miles with the roads like this in the past ...

 

[slowmotion]

Sometimes. It depends if I think that there might be a layer of ice underneath. If not, I'll go cautiously.

 

[ColinJ]

I went out on my MTB on New Year's Day once and crashed on ice 3 times in an hour! It made me more cautious about offroad winter riding.

Mind you, it didn't seem to put me off doing some winter road rides...

Sometimes. It depends if I think that there might be a layer of ice underneath. If not, I'll go cautiously.

I went out on a winter ride with @Littgull a few years back. We were aware that there might be problems with ice, but managed to avoid it...

... until we didn't!

We were on a very minor road and very suddenly came upon a sheet of black ice across its width. He managed to carry on across.

Just don't brake.

I didn't touch the brakes...

Or steer

... but the merest hint of steering had my front wheel slide from under me and I went down fast, and HARD! It was lucky that it did happen so quickly because I didn't have time to react. My hands were still on the bike and I landed on my left side, completely relaxed. Because I hadn't stuck an arm out or tensed up my entire left side took the impact, which it was able to do without injury. It shook me up though, so I was extra vigilant after that and have avoided icy conditions since then.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Or steer

Unless you have very straight roads you are going to need to steer round bends in the snow.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Just don't brake.

Unless there are no junctions, you will need to brake in the snow. Just keep it smooth , don’t grab them, and plan ahead for longer stops.

 

[Gwylan]

My bike has "custom" tyres. They look like slicks. But they do grip. Out today in rain, earlier ice and then snow.

Seemed to cope but I remain suspicious of what might happen if things go off.

Last time I had a serious bike incident I was 20 years younger and fitter Still spent time in hospital. Despite a helmet my head took it badly. Broke several bones in my hand too.
Ruined my skiing season too.

 

[a.twiddler]

The problem is, even when riding in a straight line you actually describe a series of elongated S shaped curves to enable you to balance. You only have to see your wheel tracks in the snow to see the slight deviation either side of your actual course made by the front wheel followed by the much straighter course of the rear. All well and good as long as there is even a minimal degree of grip but once you get below the minimum level there is not enough leverage between the front tyre and the road to keep your centre of balance between your wheels, no matter how straight your course, and down you go. A bit of camber, a ripple in the road, let alone a rut, and some ice or oil will do it.

Despite all this, in the right conditions, you can have a lot of fun on a bike in the snow.

 

[Stephenite]

You're mard, the lot of you.

Edit: I’m not serious.

 

[slowmotion]

When you get it wrong, it's all over very quickly. Not even a split second to wonder how painful it's going to be. I suppose that's a bit of a mercy really.

 

[freiston]

Yes but conditions can vary greatly and there's a good degree of "suck it and see". Also, one has to consider the distance and how the weather might change/progress during the ride. I find ice without snow more challenging.

Back in the 90s, I finished work at 10:00 p.m. and whilst at work, a thin layer of snow had settled. I have never known snow like it before or since: it was slippery like ice and some drivers didn't get their cars out of the factory gates (it was a maintenance shift and not many workers - I can't recall how they got home). I had an old road bike with <32mm tyres but I only had a mile to go and decided to try to do it with the challenge of not falling off. The road out of the factory went down a relatively steep short hill and I was gingerly going down, making sure I didn't gather too much speed before the junction ahead. A Land Rover driver behind me lost control, slid his back end out and came down the hill on the diagonal, pointing to the right (i.e. pointing diagonal to the direction of travel). He was moving very slowly but hit me with the left-hand side and I went down slowly, keeping the car at arm and leg's length, pushing against it until we got to the bottom and he stopped. The bike and I were fine but the driver was really shook up.

Last year, I went out in this on my 32mm road tyres - a bit deeper than a thin layer but lovely.

 

[sevenfourate]

I'm actually looking forward to getting the MTB out; off-road; and on some fresh snow.

Anything else / on the roads / after a cold night for the sub-layer to freeze etc - that's most certainly a no from me.......

Kudos to those that do though !