So I give the road bike as thorough a clean as it’s ever gonna get, and the very next day it snows. It’ll get bloody filthy again.

Anyway, can’t remember the last time I commuted in snowy conditions – is it like, safe?
Your experiences from commuting today please (if you’re still alive)!

Loved it. Long, hard slog across deep snow on Wombledin Common, turning gradually to slush as I pushed into the centre of London. Cars mostly going very gently, happy to let me ride in the middle of the lane. Going very easy on the corners, ducking every time a school-less urchin slung a slushball at my head. Great fun.

🙂

depends on your commute I suppose. If its on main roads then the only thing to worry about is idiot drivers who have only used their windscreen wipers to clear the slow and can’t see what’s going on around them.

If it’s on country roads then the bike gets clogged up with snow, just stop and clear it every now and again. It’s not slippy to ride on but it is pretty hard going. Oh and if you’re riding in proper dark your lights are pretty useless in snow.

No problem in Manchester. Very congested roads this morning which makes cycling even more rewarding! Don’t find cycling on snow and ice particularly difficult but then again I did commute on bike in Sweden during the winter months so I guess I’ve had some practise!

wouldnt use a road bike in snow, a mtb should be fine though.

Why not?

Your experiences from commuting today please

Like totally awsesome 8)

Was by MB though not RB: saddle down a bit lower and using feet as auxiliary skis seemed to be the safest, spin away in low gear and sliding it round the corners was the most fun.

This was largely on abandoned back roads though, the main roads were cluttered with angry people skidding around in cars and wasn’t much fun at all………..

…oh yeah, and I was wearing my helmet so wouldn’t have got injured anyway 😉

14 miles into work (Sheffield to Peak District) this morning, heavy snow since, can’t wait for the return trip! Just deciding whether to go back via Ringinglow Road now.. (Roadrat w. 25c tires btw)

10 miles through North London on the cross bike. Awesome! Made a little detour through some woods…roads were really quiet…chatted to some fellow cyclists…work was empty…dried my clothes in the middle of the office.

Why can’t it be like this everyday?

Just about to set off home…

My front brake rapidly became ineffective this morning but otherwise fine, roads were comparatively quiet which was nice.

Roadrat w. 25c tyres here too.

Sounds fab! Definitely road bike – too far to MTB and the skinnies are grippier on the road IME.
Have a choice of back roads or main roads, so will probably take the mains on the way in.

I’m alright then. Roadrat with 28c slicks. 🙂
Seriously, what are the main roads like through Glasgow west end, its been snowing all day.

I got the MTB out today for the commute through London
glad I did too, saw one person on a road bike go over – you just can’t pedal on hardpack snow with no tread

this morning was great fun through the snow
different story on the way home through the slush and having kids pelt you with ice balls

Apart form the cars that were about, not wanting to pull out of the tracks in the road when overtaking, it was a neat ride in this morning

Not sure its going to be so nice on the return trip, looks quite slushy now on the roads.

Its going to freeze over tonight. If the temps do drop to minus, PLEASE dont try and ride in?

Er, road bike, 25c tyres (at 100psi from yesterday’s ride) and a couple of heavy panniers.

Bit skiddy on the one road with ice on (Yew Tree Road, South Manchester), but otherwise just slushy and fine.

Could do with some fatter tyres, but these are the biggest that will fit in the frame.

BD – saw your pic on road.cc. Like it.

Bloody great that was!
How smug do I feel in a half empty office (more like threequarters really)?

One sketchy bit on the fast down hill section, which I had to take slow and easy, one blizzard where I couldn’t see a damn thing, but a most satisfying journey.
😀

Bike is bloody filthy again though.

Coming in by mine this morning was fine only had one slip and got here before the blizzard came. Though the brakes don’t work so well when full of ice!

the brakes don’t work so well when full of ice!

Ah, so that’s what the problem was!

I cycled in and home the 18 miles each way yesterday.

Was very interesting on the way in as it was snowing sideways and I more or less had the back roads to myself (At 6.30am I did anyway)

The way home was slightly more dangerous as I have about 2 miles of A road all uphill with no pavement. The road was very slippy, yet rush hour traffic was still coming past too fastt and too close.

Set off again this morning and got a rear puncture 4 miles in. Not good when it is dark, very windy and -4 degrees…. eek.

Fixed it in the shelter of a bus stop, turned round and went to get the car instead ;o)

Yesterday – ss road bike (23c completely slick tyres), through a few inches of snow, no major problems and quite a lot of fun!

Today – ss mountainbike (2.1 knobbly tyres), few cms of snow with… ice underneath – hit the ground very hard! 🙁

My summary: Snow = good. Ice = bad.

32c semi slick cx tyres at about 20psi were super grippy, if a little draggy on my ride today

Roads were rather uninteresting on the way home, dry and snowless.
Didn’t feel quite so smug changing a puncture on the side of the road.
🙁

New tyres needed methinks.

Ha ha!

(Points and laughs, in a cruel and heartless manner)

Yesterday I bottled it and slipped to work in the car (not always travelling forwards) as I had beaten the plow around the ‘shire. Ir_Baboon rode in on the MTB and had a great time on the same roads! Road bike today was cold and very wet from meltwater. Icing over on the way home.

Ha ha!
(Points and laughs, in a cruel and heartless manner)

I’ll remember that

Oops!

(After Dez was so kind to give you those bearings, too… you should be ashamed. 🙁 )