Cold weather advice thread

[Greenbelt]

@hugopatacon 183982 wrote:

What about black ice? any suggestions?:confused:

Goes back to suggestion 1 I think, just take your time and slow way down. I had to ride over quite a few icy patches this morning — all the puddles and overrun from last weekend’s rain froze over on trails and in some parking lots on my route. Any attempt to lean or steer or brake or hard pedal on wet ice is going to be futile. So don’t resist, just try to glide or soft pedal slowly very straight and level and you’d usually get through upright. Lower tire pressure helps a little. Studded tires are the only real way to get grip on ice, but if it’s that bad I turn to suggestion 5 and just ride over to the Metro or work from home, although not everyone has those options.

In sum it’s often better to glide upright and straight over a patch of ice even if you run off a trail than to go down trying to steer or brake. Except when it’s not, of course, and the alternative to staying right side up up is riding into a river or barrier or something! -Jeff

[mstone]

@Greenbelt 184042 wrote:

Goes back to suggestion 1 I think, just take your time and slow way down. I had to ride over quite a few icy patches this morning — all the puddles and overrun from last weekend’s rain froze over on trails and in some parking lots on my route. Any attempt to lean or steer or brake or hard pedal on wet ice is going to be futile. So don’t resist, just try to glide or soft pedal slowly very straight and level and you’d usually get through upright. Lower tire pressure helps a little. Studded tires are the only real way to get grip on ice

I love studded tires. If you ride mainly on trails they’re great fun. On streets, the question is whether the cars around you will lose control.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I recently purchased a set of Twin Six Winter Bib *Pants* and holy shit they’re amazing. I’m generally not a fan of Twin Six apparel, but these are definitely an exception. Warmer and less constricting than my other cold-weather tights, and they fit over winter boots, which my other tights do not (the exception being the Amfibs). Highly recommend.

[ChristoB50]

@TwoWheelsDC 184056 wrote:

I recently purchased a set of Twin Six Winter Bib *Pants* and holy shit they’re amazing. I’m generally not a fan of Twin Six apparel, but these are definitely an exception. Warmer and less constricting than my other cold-weather tights, and they fit over winter boots, which my other tights do not (the exception being the Amfibs). Highly recommend.

Like the look of those very much! Not a full-on skin-tight lycra look, but not floppy pants either…
Glad I tell myself that my budget resets on Jan. 1 — the amount of wish-list gear this one thread has been generating for me to ponder, could break the bank

[Steve O]

@hugopatacon 183982 wrote:

What about black ice? any suggestions?:confused:

I wrote a long post on riding on snow and ice previously. Feel free to refer back to it.

[Tania]

I picked up a pair of the REI Co-Op softshell pants – they’re similar to the TwinSix ones above but on clearance they were only $35. (And no bibs – bibs…yuck)

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Tania 184086 wrote:

(And no bibs – bibs…yuck)

[IMG]https://media1.tenor.com/images/9f23ec9925904db8ccecf57659e8c44c/tenor.gif?itemid=5109282[/IMG]

[huskerdont]

I haven’t worn a onesie since I was a toddler and I’m not going to start now.

[amym2410]

What tips do you have for biking on ice? There were lots of ice patches on Mtn Vernon this week in the morning, I was lucky and didn’t crash. But, last year I had several wipe outs. Do I need to get better tires?

[Paytonb33]

@amym2410 184128 wrote:

What tips do you have for biking on ice? There were lots of ice patches on Mtn Vernon this week in the morning, I was lucky and didn’t crash. But, last year I had several wipe outs. Do I need to get better tires?

I’d suggest coasting over ice. Don’t lean the bike. I’d even suggest to not pedal. This has worked for me.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ltierstein]

Got an email from Jan Heine/Bicycle Quarterly/Compass Cycles today, rating tires for winter use. Worth reading. He basically concludes that the only thing that really works on ice is studded tires. I tend to agree.

Also: re: pedaling over ice. It’s tough, because any unevenness in your stroke could cause the bike to slip. The thing that helped me most learn how to cycle over ice/slippery surfaces was riding a fixed-gear bicycle — it really evens out your pedal stroke.

@Paytonb33 184284 wrote:

I’d suggest coasting over ice. Don’t lean the bike. I’d even suggest to not pedal. This has worked for me.

[ChristoB50]

Not specific to ice here (though perhaps just as slippery as ice can be)…
I took my first spill on the bike last week, when my rear tire slid out from under me as I was making a pretty broad and thankfully slow turn (picture a U-turn on a dead-end street) — and the rear tire crossed over a wet manhole cover.
My front tire just barely skirted the perimeter of the manhole cover, staying on the asphalt — but should’ve planned an even wider berth to ensure the rear tire would clear the cover also; it did not!
Lesson learned – down I went, hard onto the pavement on my left side, with a doozy of a knot in my left shin, where the bike frame clobbered my leg.

[Steve O]

@ltierstein 184286 wrote:

Got an email from Jan Heine/Bicycle Quarterly/Compass Cycles today, rating tires for winter use. Worth reading. He basically concludes that the only thing that really works on ice is studded tires. I tend to agree.

Bet he wants to sell you some, too.
I’ve never owned studded tires, and I don’t think they are really necessary in the DC area. But if they are the difference between riding and not riding for you, then I encourage you to get some.

[LhasaCM]

Speaking of studded tires: because I’m a sucker for Kickstarter, I’m awaiting the arrival of my reTyre ONE modular tire system (hopefully next month) that’ll include studded winter zip-on skins. Will report back on how they work when they arrive.

[PaulH]

@hugopatacon 183982 wrote:

What about black ice? any suggestions?:confused:

I put my studded tires on in mid-December and take them off in mid-March. For decades, I used Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106, which are the most durable. After changing offices to one primarily served by a rutted MUP, I switched to Schwalbe Marathon Winter, which deal with ruts better, roll easier, but wear more rapidly. Still, with use only a quarter of a year, they still last at least 5 years.

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