how cold is too cold to commute on the bike?

When it’s icy

Just TTFU 😉

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Snowy Commute 1[/url] by simondbarnes[/url], on Flickr

Cold isn’t a problem, ice can be.

This was half way round my 15m commute a couple of years back…

As others have said it’s never too cold but after coming off in the ice a couple of times last year then I give riding a miss when it’s icy.

-10 was the coldest last year. Can’t say I’d ever think it was too cold to be honest and fresh snow is fine to ride on, black ice is the worst and pretty much impossible to predict though knowing your route well helps as much as is possible.

I’ve just put some cross tyres on the Airnimal and taken off the slicks so I’ve a bit more confidence in the wet and ice…

It’s never too cold in the UK, as the others have said. As far as ice goes, it’s just a matter of leaving early and taking your time, and not being afraid to get creative with route choices.

I can’t wait for the super cold, beats the wet every time.

Never too cold for me. Its an adventure!

Last year when it got really snowy I switched to the SS mtb and took my time. The ice on the canal path was interesting – came off a couple of times but never at speed, so it was more comical than anything. Ended up making a snow tyre with an old conti vert, some wee screws and some gaffa tape. Worked a treat. The only time I remember having to walk some of the way and get the train home was the day my chainring snapped in two. That was a cold day.

Around me Ice prevents me from riding all the way – untreated roads, so I do the country lanes in the car and then ride the remainder into town.

acjim – I think I may be doing the same thing.

Those saying you can commmute on untreated roads when it’s icy are talking through your aerosols.

Are you saying that you know where the ice will be? Or that you can ride on it safely?

Sounds like you’ve never hit any proper black ice…you only need to think about changing direction/speed and you are DOWN.

Ice
Ice
Ice

It’s not nice

When you fall
On

Ice
Ice
Ice

I actualy commute more when it’s icy/cold/snowing/gritty! As there’s less alternatives (car is downright dangerous/rusting, busses arent running, train is packed).

When its nice I’m on the road bike or tourer. When the ice and snow comes it’s usualy some sort of hardtail mountainbike with mud tyres (specialized storm dual compound is a perenial favourite, closely followed by maxxis swamp things when it gets really bad).

Not stopped me yet 🙂

when the snow is deeper than the brompton wheel…. then it is time to stay in doors… train will be cancelled anyhow

I have to admit I normally commute a lot less at this time of year, combination of the missus wanting a lift (she has to take the bus when I cycle) and me worried about ending up on my face after sliding on an icy patch.

I’m more determined this year to commute more through the winter. I commute on an old Stumpjumper hardtail with completely slick Schwalbe Kojaks, if I switch to fat offroad tyres is this a better option on icy roads?

If its too cold / dangerous on a bike its too cold / dangerous on any vehicle.

If its too cold / dangerous on a bike its too cold / dangerous on any vehicle

BS I have never fell off my car because its too icy

If you google you might find instructions on how to make your own winter spikes. People on here did it last year.

As above really, it’s never too cold but ice can be a problem, stick to gritted roads if at all possible or stay offroad. I switch to my mountainbike when it’s snowy and icy (As opposed to a 26″ racy commuter). It’s no better on ice but fat tyres help on snow. The flat pedals wide bar and relaxed geometry make it more controllable and in the worse cases, easier to ditch.

Those saying you can commmute on untreated roads when it’s icy are talking through your aerosol

Funny, did it pretty much every day on untreated or gritted country roads and lanes last year throughout the winter, snow, ice and all. If I want to get to work then I don’t have a choice unless I want to get up even earlier to face a 6 mile walk…

Just had to take it very slowly / carefully in places – I’d be lying if I said I didn’t end up on my arse more than a few times but it was certainly doable. I was more confident riding about on the bike than I was in the car on the same roads.

Really? Black ice?

I have been commuting in London village about a year and generally it’s been better than rural stuff. As everybody has said it’s not the temperature or any snow that causes a problem, but it’s the ice. In London you’ll be able to worry less than in other areas as heat from buildings etc helps but you should still watch out on back roads and in the suburbs. I’ve fallen from an Mtb hitting some black ice. It flippin hurts. Now I commute on a cross Nike with road tyres. Eek.

Falling on black ice is in another league to most ‘offs’

All of a sudden – from nowhere – you’re thrown to the floor like someone has picked you up & slammed you down as hard as they can

You’ve absolutely no chance to react or do anything about it, it certainly isn’t a gentle slide off sort of crash

falkirk-mark – Member

“If its too cold / dangerous on a bike its too cold / dangerous on any vehicle”

BS I have never fell off my car because its too icy

But you are at least as likely to crash and when you do you have a tonne of metal out of control into the scenery / pedestrians / cyclists.

I agre black ice is hard to avoid falling on ( but not impossible) but what youcan do is look out for it/ know when and where it is likely

When there is ice on the road outside our house and on the car windscreen then the backroad i use is unsafe. Hilly, twisty and never gritted. So my sensible option is the busy main road sat in a car.
Its all down to your route choice, ive used the main road very early at -7 when there is no traffic and it has been gritted. On the other hand if its snowy the backroad is fine regardless of temp.
To be fair i am tired of commuting and so i am getting a 2nd hand car tonight, to ease thing a little. 5000+ miles commuting this year has dissolved my love of riding so hopefully a choice to drive will help things. Might make me less tired to get out and run more to. hopefully!

-4 this morning on the cycle in

Lovely

It’s only too cold to commute when you run out of extra layers. That hasn’t happened to me yet.

Haha I wouldn’t rely on city roads being gritted, riding in Manchester was hilarious last year! I gave up when I started braking for red lights and ended up sliding straight through with one foot on the floor to stop me stacking it. Suddenly became unenjoyable, especially when the buses decided to follow 6ft behind.

My advice is if you worry about it, you crash, if you don’t and stay loose you’ll probably be ok. you get numb bits but its not bad once oyu get going. One day it was -16! that was cold..

Don’t kid yourself – when you hit black ice and stay on you might start believing that was down to experience and skill. But it was luck.

At the very least you need a good margin for error and mishap when you’re riding on the road, and icy roads reduce the margin to next to nothing. Even if you accept the odd slip and hitting of the deck, one day that’s going to be on a left hand bend with a car coming the other way, and that very car is also operating without the usual options for safety, so it can’t swerve and it can’t brake quickly. Which means (for me anyway) if there is widespread ice the back lanes aren’t good enough for road cycling.

But you are at least as likely to crash

Really?

I must have slid on ice in my car hundreds of times last winter but managed to avoid crashing at all
I fell off my bike at least 4 times on ice over much less mileage

It’s never been too cold around here, cold enough to freeze my water bottle a few times, but never too cold.
I’ve hit the deck once from black ice but just had a bit of a slide down the road before picking myself up and getting on with it.

WARNING
I switched to the MTB last year when the roads were snowy, which was fine until 2 weeks later when I discovered my drivetrain badly corroded from all the salt that I never washed off – Doh!

I’ve hit the deck once from black ice but just had a bit of a slide down the road before picking myself up and getting on with it.

Like I said, that’s all very well (notwithstanding that it bloody hurts when you hit the tarmac) – until the place you’re having a “bit of a slide” into also contains a couple of tonnes of sliding metal! That that hasn’t happened yet is entirely to do with luck, surely?

We had freezing rain last year, couldn’t walk let alone ride, 900 people treated for fractures at the hospital before 9am, hundreds of car accidents in the same period

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But you are at least as likely to crash and when you do you have a tonne of metal out of control into the scenery / pedestrians / cyclists.

“whoosh”

Really? Black ice?

I’ve come off on black ice a few time, does that count? I’m sure if all 15 miles of the ride to the station was black ice from verge-to-verge then I might give it a miss but generally that doesn’t tend to be the case. As mentioned before I know the route reasonably well so I’d hope I was aware of the areas likely to be prone to ice.

Going back to the O.P the point being that there wasn’t a point last winter where I’ve thought “bugger this for a packet of biscuits, it’s too cold to ride to work”, more along the lines of “it’s cold and icy, best be careful today and set out earlier, take it easy etc”…

Keep on truckin!
one of the -18 mornings last January,great fun and it got better once the gritters ran out of salt and roads were just ploughed and snowpacked nice and firm.
Problem with a snow bike is you always get to work!

drifts were good fun…4 psi in the 4″ tyres, i took a normal mtb in one morning and it was ok with tyre`s at 18 psi for a comparison and it got through most of the drifts but was alot harder work.

Ice on this wee hill was dodgy but just road up in the gutter,

great fun and preying for more this winter!, spikes going on a spare Endomorph tyre 😉

Sounds like you’ve never hit any proper black ice…you only need to think about changing direction/speed and you are DOWN.

I have a drive at around a 30 degree angle, onto a slightly less steep road, with a hard left hand bend. I usually launch out of the garage batman stylee , legs a-flailing as after I’m round the corner the ‘main’ road kicks up fairly steep.

Guess where the black ice was.

Can still feel the bruising on my hip 🙁

I try and go offroad as much as possible, but the rest of the commute can be pretty lethal on virtually unused backroads.

WARNING
I switched to the MTB last year when the roads were snowy, which was fine until 2 weeks later when I discovered my drivetrain badly corroded from all the salt that I never washed off – Doh!

Surly stainless singlespeed chainrings for the win!

Or a hose pipe and a bit of shivering when you get home.

But you are at least as likely to crash and when you do you have a tonne of metal out of control into the scenery / pedestrians / cyclists

I do not agree with the first part of the statement (for a car to skid and lose control you need at least 2 wheels to lose traction,only one on a bike and you are on yer 4r$3) so the outcome could be worse in a car but I think driven sensibly it is not near as likely to happen. It is also very much a journey specific decision i.e when I go to work there are a lot of cars about but very few pedestrians and if I am hitting another car I would much rather be ncapped up ta very much.

-4 this morning on the cycle in

um I take you don’t live in Shawlands anymore then bob. It was above zero in Glasgow and around zero in Kilmarnock.

Riding on proper black ice is just crazy though, the slightest move and you’re down and sliding. If the pavement outside the house is slippy then I don’t ride – it’s no fun, I will fall, I will slide a long way and it does hurt. Patches of ice are fine but riding when there is a proper covering of ice is way too dangerous.

Are people confusing ice with frost?

I biked all through last years winter, but just 5-6 miles each way. on an old orange clockwork with 1.5 armadillo’s. i must have had about 4 slips/crashes on icy roads and paths, and already two this year. but still beats getting the bus.