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Nope, ditched the bike in favour of driving.
8" snow on lanes to my house, frozen snow on my usual commute makes it just too 'interesting' and the road part of my commute I feel too exposed because the snow has reduced the width to about 1 1/2 car-widths of icy compressed snow 🙁
would be silly for me to attempt the car - the queue starts about 2 miles beyond my house and goes all the way to my work atm ... thats the haudagain r/about in aberdeen to pitmeaden drive.
works 5 miles. id spend longer defrosting car than ridingto work
Ridden every day this week. Its been tough and thinking of taking tomorrow off. 26 miles round trip taking 40 mins longer than normal with mtb and spike tyres. Not fallen off yet!
I was when it was more snowy, but now it's harder ice I'm not so keen so walked in today. I'm only a couple of miles from uni anyway so it's already only marginally worth it by the time I've got the bike out and teetered to the first rideable bit.
Glad I'm not the only one who's speed has halved 🙁 It's almost like my Nevegals are even stickier than on tarmac 😥
Stuipdly brought my normal commuter bike in this morning (old skool dawes horizon) as i couldn't fnid my rucksack. Was skecthy as hell on cycle path and road. Pulled the brakes in going down a slight hill (which doesn't have traffic) and they did nothing 😯
Will bring the mountain bike with nobby nics tomorrow
Yep, 12 miles each way mostly off road. -6 this morning at 06:00.
I am. 5 miles through south the central Manchester. This morning was painfully cold until I got into town, where it was warmer but still minus 8.
Nope. Manchester from the south is sheet ice all over the place within 2 ft of the kerb and there's no off road alternative.
It is becoming more so. The better routes seem to be the less driven, so still have some srunchy snow on. Plenty of ice underneath, though. I'm on SS MTB (33x16) running super soft 2.3 inch tyres.
On the one hand it speaks of a lack of commitment. On the other hand I've got a busy season ahead and 3 weeks of turbo training and swimming is better than 6 weeks of nowt through a sprain or worse.
For this reason, I'll ride home tonight and get the bus in tomorrow. I've hit the turbo twice already this week, and will do again tonight. And again at the weekend.
about to
Ridden in all days so far on the Airnimal (skinny slick high pressure tyres), but iffy about tomorrow - it's gonna be more slippery than today and I don't need an injury.
Riding on my commute at the moment. 10 miles but have a good choice of routes from main roads to country roads to off road. The bike is much more practical than the car and I can walk bits which get too much to ride. Very few cars on the road at the moment as well and they quite often are holding me up.
Using my old mountain bike which has some file type tread tyres on. Could do with some better choice of tyres but it's too cold at night to change them.
Was -7 this morning. Had to stop in a shop for 5 minutes just to warm myself up halfway in.
We're commuting and are open!! Bit interesting though it must be said...
Absolutely!
The normal fixed gear has been left at home in favour of the SS hardtail for the 6 miles of canal ice path followed by 5 miles of icy/slushy road. I love riding in these conditions, just wrap up and get out there.
Combination of train and walking on Tuesday (when the snow was fluffy and fresh), since then I've been doing the off-road route on my FS MTB with its normal FastTrak tyres at about 20psi.
Canal towpath then a mix of farm tracks, quiet back roads and bridleways, the last 2 miles is on road. It's been OK except that all the packed snow is now rock solid and really bumpy! 2+hrs each way for 18 miles - depressing really given that in summer I can do it on the CX in 1.20.
Borrowed my mates Giant Bowery fixey to try out on Monday... such a fearful commute in snow having never ridden fixed. It has put me off getting a similar bike somewhat!
Not me unfortunately. My bike commute is 20 miles all on road/cycle path, about half of which is across a moor. It's bad enough driving on the a road and the cycle path has very thick snow on it. It's doing my head in.
Yup, back at work after two weeks off and back onto my daily commute home today of 15 miles from Blackburn to Preston on my hardtail. The only thing that has keept me commuting for the last two years on my bike is that I am not prepared to pay silly prices for petrol or diesel like most people do. Cold, does not bother me. I would like to think I am a man and not a mouse. 🙂
Cold doesn't bother me either, sliding on ice does, as does being hit bit a skidding car. I guess I'm just not man enough.
Someone else turned up at my office on a nice Five today, only 2 bikes parked in the shed instead of the usual 30 but I think they're worth more than the usual 30 rat-commuters 😆 He said "I've been watching you coming and going and you seem to be surviving". I'll feel quite responsible when he inevitably rides into the canal.
i try to cycle to work year round but its getting harder the older i get
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thwang
Yeah, every day this week.
Black ice in bus lanes is scary as **** though so it's riding on the main roads for me at the moment.
Even had to buy some proper winter gloves after my Specialized Deflects proved useless against sub zero riding - Gore Tool III's now keeping my fingers all cosy like 🙂
Skiing in tomorrow... 8)
Of course.
32-22 gearing
22psi in the tyres
flat pedals and combat boots (and tights got some funny looks today!)
perfect ice bike - until i get a pugsley. 🙂
Yep. Two pairs of gloves and two pairs of socks mind - obviously getting nesh in my old age. Snowploughs are a masjor hazard when they pass you. Snow drifts are entertaining. Riding in snow is knackering though! Probably fit enough to join Team Sky now
(Having said that I have ducked out of the last 36 hours - spent them hairing around in an MR land rover. We are the new ambulance service for Greater Manchester and the Peak District. Something not right about being in Mountain Rescue kit, and wearing crampons in Wythenshawe!)
Back tomorrow after 2 days "off" - 10 miles each way. Just put a Conti 1.5 on the front to help with steering on some of the minor roads 🙂
Ski gloves, fully charged battery and **all** my clothes at the ready for 7:00am start
I'm still riding 17 miles a day, but using my MTB instead of the road bike - taking 50% longer and killing me after a couple of weeks off over Christmas.
Seen quite a few cars struggling on the ice and snow away from the main roads, makes me feel even more irritatingly smug than usual....
I've been riding in as usual, only three hilly miles but on closed road therefore no ploughs or even farm traffic to pack the snow down. Taken journey time from 15mins to one hour
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Cold doesn't bother me either, sliding on ice does, as does being hit bit a skidding car. I guess I'm just not man enough.
If my commute was along a busy road i wouldn't be doing it either. I have the option of riding 7.5 miles along a busy A-road to work which i have never done.
Instead i ride off-road and along quiet country lanes which takes the commute up to 11.5miles but much more enjoyable. The worst bit is the 200m along the main A-road from my house. Didn't make it this morning but hoping to make it out again tomorrow.
Great pics btw. franksinatra
32-22 gearing22psi in the tyres
flat pedals and combat boots (and tights got some funny looks today!)
perfect ice bike - until i get a pugsley.
word...
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Done all but Wednesday, usually takes about 50 mins but is taking about an hour and a half at the minute.
Could have made it in Wednesday by bike but was knackered. Really takes it out of you mentally as well. Didn't fancy the slog to find I am the only one in, I can work from home just as well.
Need to commute tomorrow, keep up the 2010 record etc. Not sure what clothes work with -12 though....-6 I'm ok with.
Finding the downhills slower than the uphills is hard on the motivation 😉
Only 5 miles like but loads of fun.
Getting faster & braver on the roads ETC.
45 miles so far this week which is about usual.
Kev
Nope. The one day I tried it I hit ice and hit the road. Been walking since.
Absolutely, racing around on my paper round
Is that the Bogle burn road at Eildon franksinatra? If it is I can see why my folks a couple of miles away are snowed in. Good effort and great photos... that big dip half way along must be interesting 🙂
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Here's one from my commute from before Christmas. It's mainly hardpacked and icy now so I'm back on the 700c x 28 bike and sticking to busier/grippier on road routes. Not as much fun though.
yeah still riding. only ride 2.5 miles on cycle route, but good fun on ss.
Things I've learnt this week
-Riding on snow = good
-Riding on snow = knackering
-Ahhh, So that's what they mean when they say lighten the front of the bike
-AAAggghhh So HTF do you lighten the bike down hill ouch…
-Riding on snow off road = good
-Riding on snow on road = not good
-Some drivers are twonks whatever the weather. Especially the guy who drove an inch behind my tyre yesterday beeping the horn and yelling I should get over, onto the iced over gutter as he wasn't about to drive through all that sh*t in the centre of the road. – Lovely chap….
-What clothes for -12
Riding keeps me sane, even if everyone I've met this week including family and friends has ended the conversation with cycling in this weather you must be mad.
Is that the Bogle burn road at Eildon franksinatra? If ... that big dip half way along must be interesting
Yes it is and yes it is!
My commute bike is a roadie with slicks (I know, I know), so I'm on the train at the mo, oh deep joy!
At least when I replace my stolen hardtail this year, I'll have a decent weapon I can use next winter.
Damn public transport, I hate it.
6 miles each way a mix of road, track and offroad.
normally i would stick to the roads (ss 23c slicks) and be done in 20ish minutes
currently (hardtail) taking near enough an hour at the moment
still quicker, safer and more reliable than driving.
i gave up.
Theres enough clear road to ride on, but any overtaking car would be on the ice.
of course, they *should* just hang back and not overtake until its safe, but they don't, and i don't want to end up being knocked off!
Like everyone else, different route now and on a diferent bike.
Slightly longer but making the most of fields, tracks and backroads.
Great fun but it takes 40 mins instead of 20 and after a week now I am knackered.
I think a good question is:
Is anyone still riding in just shorts still?
(not me, as of monday this week I donned the cycling trousers under my baggies for the commute)
Well I've been riding, got some studded tyres on the 5 which are just brilliant. The only thing that caused a problem in the woods was the depth of the snow. Although I found you can kind of snow-plane if you go fast enough on a descent. Fortunately the army'd managed to get some big vehicles through the fire roads to make tracks which made for great riding 🙂
Commuted on the bike every day so far, but switched from fixed road bike on 23c's to big mountain bike with 2.5"s. Slow, but fun. Oh, and neither of my cars will move until a thaw comes.
Got pulled over and interviewed by Sky News this morning "Why are you cycling?" Should be on tonight's news 🙂