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Anyone tried it? I'm talking hard packed road snow rather than general ice etc.
yes with studded tyres, works quite well in fact. Wouldn't want to try it without though, especially if any cars were about
On normal 23s? I wouldn't even think about it.
MTBs are much more fun in the snow anyway.
studs are for ice only are they not?
I did it a bit in the last freeze, on bery hard packed snow it's just about do-able, but your tyre is continually cutting through the snow so it's a bit skecthy
I had to do it a few times over this winter (not through choice), and it was dicey as hell. Absolutely terrifying when a car comes past too fast and you know if you have to turn sharply you'll be falling off.
(normal 23mm tyres)
I only have the road bike with me, and there's not enough clearance for studs, more's the pity.
Did the Duke's Pass above Aberfoyle in the snow a couple of years ago.
Fun, in a stupid/slow sort of way, and long sections with one foot off the pedals because even the road camber was enough to have the bike drifting ditch-wards.
I did it on normal slick 23's winter before last: I bought some studs this year.
Very marginal, you're only just in control, and if the surface turns from soft snow to rutted mixed snow and ice, it gets pretty sphincter tightening.
Horrible IME. On fresh snow it was mostly ride-able but every so often the compacted snow under the tyre became like ice. No heavy braking, no tight turns, no hard pedaling and you might be alright. As above, I had to do quite a bit of one foot riding, one foot sliding when both wheels were locked up. Good for exercising the sphincter muscles.
No problem with cx tyres.
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I've found it very difficult to get traction on fresh snow, compacted snow is okay. Done a few commutes in light snow which is fine, rode in to work last year when it was snowing and it was okay, unfortunately it snowed all day which meant the cycle path, a77 for anyone that knows ayrshire, impassable. I just stuck to the tyre track on the road and was fine. Quite surreal really riding with very little traffic on the road with the snow falling, one of my favourite rides.
Yes but sketchy/scary. Going downhill was even worse, and the whole thing wasn't fun after a while imo.
Done it round london a few times this & last winter. Absolutely terrifying. There's a [u]very[/u] small window between thinking "this is OK" and being on your arse in the middle of the road.