I’m wimping on the commute tomorrow. Wet now, rain forecast at 1am and 2-3celcius on minor untreated roads makes me too nervous. Would do it if dry or 4c.

I like to remove all the guess work, and commute in this:

I did some short commutes a few years back, it was about -5, none of the roads were treated. I managed 3 offs in about 2 miles…

At those temps all you will get is cold and miserable.

Studded tyres and it’s all fine.

I’ve been a wimp as I had an interesting back end slide riding up a hill on the road. This was due to wet leaves. I also had to bunny hop a large fallen bramch that jumped out of from the fog (I thought it was going to be a&e time). I think I need to HTFU or.something.

Was about 3 degrees this evening and I relearned the important lesson that nothing will grip a damp, greasy manhole cover. Thankfully was going slowly around a corner so when the front wheel went it was just a bump on the shoulder and knee. Not too bothered by the cold but the drizzle gets me down.

Admitted not wet but icy snow, but cold is no problem riding up this…

… and okay that’s on a mountain bike 😛

Depends who you believe here, 1C or 0.6C with a light breeze, damp roads, road tyres, and no I won’t be

I’m not so bothered about the falling off, it’s the being run over immediately afterwards that I don’t need

I’ll happily cycle in -10C if it’s dry

All weather foolhardy here but my commute is only 5% road and the rest traffic free cycle route.

My yardstick is if the pavements are slippery when walking the dog then I leave the bike at home (apart from when it is snowing – it is easier to take the mountain bike on days like that).

When I was younger I would cycle in any weather, I had a couple of ‘offs’ on black ice but shrugged it off.

The thing that eventually put me off riding in icy conditions was the Rhyll Cycling Club tragedy link.

I’ve done a few very cautious commutes to figure out where the iffy bits are and to work out when they get cold enough to be a problem… The important thing is to know what your particular route is like. It’s pretty situational rather than just being temperature though. By and large if I can walk across my driveway I’m happy to ride it on normal (fat) road tyres.

It’s the inbetweeny days that are most dangerous I think, especially since you can go fast on the clear bits. (it was one of those sunny winter days that doesn’t feel that cold, that broke my hip! Not cycling btw but same rules apply)

Coldest I think was about -10, before windchill. But everything about riding’s different once it’s decently cold so lowest temps probably aren’t that informative, it’s the freezing point days that’ll get you

I dont go near a road bike if its under 3 degrees. Too many falls on ice, which is always sore 🙁

When I was younger I would cycle in any weather, I had a couple of ‘offs’ on black ice but shrugged it off.

Same here. A couple of years ago I went out on a lovely Sunday, hadn’t been super cold, and carried on despite a couple of twitchy slips before I’d even got to the end of my road. Sure enough about 20 minutes later I came off smartly and ended up with a hole in my tights, a big annoying graze on my hip, and loads of scuffing on my LH pedal and shifter. Jacket got a big scuff but no actual hole.
So no serious damage but it did make me ask myself what the point was. Just asking for damaged kit and/or injury really.

I’ve rode in ice, snow, the lot. Usually on a 26″ rigid with 2″ semi slick tyres though. Wouldn’t do it on a road bike.

I’m not sure I’d do it now though…. Snow, I’d be getting the MTB out, as it is good fun, but ice (or week old frozen snow), I think I’d just work from home, especially as I’ve only been driving (a car) for 6 months and don’t fancy taking snow on just yet.

Eskay, that’s the first I’ve heard of it. What a tragic accident for all involved. 🙁

Wet now, rain forecast at 1am and 2-3celcius on minor untreated roads makes me too nervous. Would do it if dry or 4c.

I guess it depends what time your commute is, but if its raining at 1am and 2-3 degrees then its highly unlikely the roads will be icy at 7am for example.

Best think to do is check the ground conditions before you leave, that’s what I do.

Some days car windows can be icy but the roads are fine – Monday this week for example. I do tend to avoid riding when its icy after a big slide early this year resulting in various rips and tears to skin.

Regularly ride in below 0 in winter though and apart from a few dodgy patches where I expect ice then its generally okay.

I’m a bit of a fair weather commuter to be honest.

The exception to this is if there is any decent snow. Then I’d rather be on the mountain bike than in a car. Falling off on ice is no fun at all though

I commute in all weathers. Roads are gritted and well used. If there is heavy snow forecast I take my SS mountainbike and take the back routes.

For general riding if there is a risk of ice I don’t bother. Nasty fall a few years ago tokk me off the road for about 6 weeks. There are plenty of off road easy trails I can ride on a cross bike or mtb where the risk is less (more stable bike, better position, slower speeds).

It was 0 this morning. Roads were nice and dry though. Takes a while for the legs to start working though.

Last year I crashed on ice in a shady patch on a warm sunny February day and broke my scaphoid.

Now, I’m a nervous wreck.

I’ve got a section of 20% gradient twisty sheltered road on my commute that I’ll avoid in those conditions, which means taking a very unpleasant path alongside a dual carriageway. Any serious snow means Mrs Stevious gets the car (she’s a doctor so needs to be at work) and I’ll try and get in on the MTB (haven’t tried this yet) or hope that the school is closed.

EDIT – my least favourite are the little piles of frozen leaf litter/mud that send any bike into a spin. Terrifying.

I’ve been slacking in recent weeks on my commute(home) but brought all the gear to work and set off last night, in the dark and mist fully expecting it to be grim. I’d just missed some rain and it was 3 degrees and dropping when i left.

My extremities really suffer: fingers and toes were a bit numb when i got home a couple of hours later (new Aldi gloves, thin overshoes over trainers). Otherwise comfy. I ditched the jacket and skull cap half way.

Traffic free for the most part and i enjoyed it.

Last year I crashed on ice in a shady patch on a warm sunny February day

Riding around the lanes with high hedges can be pretty dangerous even after the sun has been up (for several hours).

I remember ‘tiptoeing’ around the lanes on one mid-morning ride (when I was younger!) and came to a hill that was in the shade and a sheet of ice. I managed to stay up when I hit it but decided to get off and walk down the rest of the hill. Around the corner was a farmer with a cow who had fallen on the ice and could not get back up. I stopped to help him try to get the beast back on its legs (along with a couple of dog walkers). Took ages but eventually managed to get it back into the field.

I’d rather live to ride another day now so go on the rollers/turbo if I still want to ride.

I’m wimping on the commute tomorrow. Wet now, rain forecast at 1am and 2-3celcius on minor untreated roads makes me too nervous. Would do it if dry or 4c.

As above, it’s the inbetween days, where you get within 100m of work (on a 8k commute) fine, then have a massive off and end up going straight for the work showers with a scrubbing brush and bottle of TCP. Hypothetically.