A windy 44C commute in Melbourne last week was tough….-14C night rides in Scotland were a pleasure compared to that! 🙂

Ride in all temperatures and temperatures (no car). Cold fog is the worst.

i will confirm that winter marathons really do work – when they go silent you know they are gripping on ice – noisy buggers the rest of the time …..

even used them at the puffer last year on my ragley.

Just arrived, it was cold. Not helped by cycling with my wife at a slower than average pace. Luckily though we have a pretty much traffic free ride and the ice was only on the drive, roads all seemed OK. Toes and fingers are just about back to normal.

Out of interest, do the spiker tyres really work?
I’m considering a set at the mo.

Yep, they do. You can ride on sheet ice if you’re smooth. They’re noisy and a bit draggy but for staying upright on ice they are, oddly enough, the biz. Great on hard-packed and thawed and refrozen snow too. There’s a point on really steep iced climbs where there’s not enough traction and the rear spins out, similar to any slippery surface with normal tyres, but yes, good things and also reasonable enough on straight tarmac and trails.

I did a lot of backroad riding on Ice Spikers and a hardtail a few years back when the trails round here were snowed up for weeks and they were great for that too. Have some Conti Nordic Spikes for the cross bike as well.

The freeze after high water is the problem obviously on the road.. It’s not the temperature that’s an issue as when it’s been dry for a couple of days everywhere’s rideable at low temperatures.. Off-road is brill when hard frozen but when half slush-mud it’s a bit of a pain.

Do have the option to ride off-road when foggy/icy but quite wet in some parts presently – if ride too quickly get to work covered in crud and takes an extra 15mins for the 14mile commute but doable.

-14 a couple of years ago. I got a mention on local radio after someone phone in to report a mad man cycling in the blizzard.

Had spike tyres on but was not comfortable with other vehicles around. There were not many on the road but I pulled off to the side every time one came along. I trust myself but not other people….

When I moved to my current location from a more coastal one in an area where gritted roads is a rare occurrence on all bar the main A roads I soon wised up. There is a massive difference between riding a road bike on a gritted and dry road at -7 Deg and and a wet and ungritted icy one even at a couple of degrees to the good. I think a lot of city/suburban dwellers would have a shock, and that’s in a car too.

A few years ago on our club forum page one member was forever haranguing and ripping the piss out of anybody who shied off from riding due to conditions with lots of MTFU, ‘bunch of pussies’ and ‘how do expect to race with that attitude’ type comments (partly tongue in cheeky but with a definite edge) followed by tails of daring do. Older, wiser heads nodded sagely. It was massively hard to be the better man and not be too smug and commiserate when he came off and shattered his pelvis and snapped off his femoral head on an icy day. He’s never really recovered, poor chap ( 😉 ); does a bit of gentle leisure cycling now I think but not been able to train hard or consistently enough to race again. Put on a ton of weight and apparently it really hurts in the cold 😉 .

Its not so much the temperature thats the problem, its the risk of ice. I’ve commuted in -10 but dry and thick frost which is quite grippy. But it can be 1degree and icy. If its cold I always check the car for ice, if its icy then I don’t ride, its not worth the risk. Having come off a few time on ice it hurts a lot.

(TBH – you’re more at danger from out of control vehicles than from falling off yourself)

This isn’t the case at all, turn, brake, accelerate, move your body on the bike on ice and you’ll hit the ground.

Chanced the fixie down the A4 about 06:45 this morning and it was fine, Fog was condensing all over things but the road was frost/ice free…

@flybywire – I work in Newbury too, commute from the West side of Reading, in nice weather I tend to cut out the A4 to J12 altogether and take the back route out past Burghfield bridge, round the back of Theale and join the A4 at sulhamstead, but that’s been flooded and untreated lately, and the rain and flooding has put a lot of tyre cutting shite on the lanes.
Sometimes, if I’m feeling up to it, I climb up to Ufton and then join the A4 a bit further west or even take a full detour via Aldermaston to the back of Woolhampton, more miles and time, but if I’m not in a hurry then it’s worth it, when it’s cold and I want to be home ASAP I prefer to take a more direct route…

This is all on my slick tired fixie, if the Kennet tow path is clear all the way along though I could be tempted to take my SS MTB down it on Thursday instead (Forecast is for a dry morning and Damp afternoon), if I can get all the way to Newbury Racecourse then great, the real issue is time, I can see that route taking upwards of an hour and a half, where the fixie pretty much takes an hour door to door, whatever the weather…

I think I need to get some Marathons (are the “Greenguard” version any good?) for the fixie, a bit more grip and reducing the likelihood of having to sort a flat in lower temps…
Spiked tires might be overkill, I think I’d rather resort to taking the MTB when it snows.

-15c here a couple of years back it was safer to take the bike than drive, I walked as I do every shift I’m at my base station.

Then when I get to work I have to drive regardless.

When it’s below 4, I take the hack bike with Marathon Winters, as most of my commute is on rural lanes.
The pair cost me £50; not withstanding the view that a fortnight’s use covered the cost, it’s a small price in comparison to injuries in an off. I’d agree with scotroutes’ concern about other vehicles, though.
Yesterday, rode past a LWB Mercedes van which was on its side & almost completely across the road. Driver, who was talking to a policeman, called out a warning & did a comedy slip to emphasise the conditions, so I deliberately chose a line across where he’d been standing & called out thanks.

No temperature limit (just have to accept the Swedish winter for what it is), but I think twice if there’s been a big thaw of snow and then a freeze; the number of cyclists here quickly turns everything into a rutted nightmare even with good spikes. I still tend to do it though as taking the car 6km just feels stupid and the public transport would take over forever with changing buses twice.

@flybywire – I work in Newbury too, commute from the West side of Reading

It’s catching, so do I! My commute is over Walbury hill though, so any chance of ice puts it squarely in the ‘not worth it’ category, had 3 or 4 very unpleasant offs on the back roads and it’s costing me a fortune in clothing!

i ride 29er for the commute and will use the new cx bike in 6weeks when ordered from planet x 😉 will be quicker.
Up until 2009 commuted by roadbike all year road into Newbury although one February morning after Wasing Park towards Woolhampton the road was completely iced over from river flooded day before,over small bridge into left hander – had an off – slid at least 20metres on shoulder and landed in watery verge.. fortunately just bruising and muscle pain for a couple of weeks. (bike was ok).

I’d avoid the A4 when risk of ice. Towpath if passable is direct and nearly as quick,takes approx 45mins into Newbury from Ufton (off at Thatcham station).

mtb is good for snow, only time not able to ride was 2011 when it was too deep for a couple of days.

Mate smashed his hip in 2 places and had a 4hour OP yesterday to pin him back together.

This/\

A few yeas ago a rider in our mtb group went over on ice resulting in a four hour recovery form the middle of nowhere including the rider laying in the snow for 3 of those hours and being trolied half a mile down a forest road in the last hour.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a grown man scream so much for so long.

He had broken the ball of his leg bone where it connects to the hip, a year of doing nothing and never really ridden with any intent since.

I won’t ride on roads if there is a risk of ice. I don’t mind cold, wind rain etc. My commute has lots of minor un-gritted roads, as well as country park tarmac paths, but also some towpath and farm tracks that don’t get affected by ice much

One day last winter I arrived at the office after 25 mile commute covered in frost, which amused people when I walked into the office with ice all over me!

This year seems to be a bit of a black ice winter. mates have had crashes on black ice twice this year right in front of me, and I have had just enough reaction time to get feet down, but had long slides whilst doing so.

So I think I’ve ridden my luck this winter.

Was due to commute this morning, but ice and fog again, so I’m working from home.

If it clears I’ll sneak an hour in at lunchtime, but it looks like a turbo session is on the cards!

Bad weather? Pah – bring it on! 🙂