Poll

When riding on the road that is covered in ice or has patches of ice, what sort of bike provides the optimal riding experience and why?

Geared road bike.
4 (6.5%)
Fixed wheel road bike.
6 (9.7%)
Single speed road bike (free-wheel)
4 (6.5%)
Mountain bike.
48 (77.4%)

Total Members Voted: 53

Author Topic: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?  (Read 12421 times)

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #25 on: 07 December, 2011, 11:17:33 am »
I don't know about a change of machine or studded tyres etc; I'd change my age.  When I was 20 (40 years ago) I'd ride everywhere on all sorts of surfaces.  I recall a solo 80 mile ride in the lanes with snow clogging the mudguards and spraying out of the sides to coat my shins.  I used fixed of course for all the advantages of control and feel.  In those days I was invulnerable and what I regarded as "just frost" then is now definitely " a bit of ice".  An upright trike is fine as long as you can keep the front wheel pointing where it needs to go.  On real sheets of polished ice it just slides down the camber.  Fortunately those circumstances are rare.

tonycollinet

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #26 on: 07 December, 2011, 01:04:38 pm »
Plus in conditions you are sliding down the camber on a trike, you are already on your arse* on a bike.


* if you are lucky.

David Martin

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #27 on: 07 December, 2011, 01:09:20 pm »
Any bike with studs. Though for comfort and practicality an MTB is best (IMHO)
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Charlotte

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #28 on: 07 December, 2011, 01:18:58 pm »
I'm amazed at how every year this topic comes up, and people post how they would never ride in icy conditions, and are apparently totally ignoring the existence of studded tyres.

Not me  :demon:
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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #29 on: 07 December, 2011, 01:42:11 pm »
I voted mountain bike, but I fit mine with Schwalbe Winter Marathons for winter and I had a happy few weeks riding around in perfect control on the ice last winter.
The performance of studded ice tyres has to be experienced to be believed. You can ride, turn, brake, stop, accelerate on sheet ice with absolute confidence. The downside is that drivers assume that the road is perfectly grippy when they see you and do the same stupid things they do in good conditions (i.e. tailgate you etc.) when in fact they have effectively no brakes and no steering (only they don't know it). Very unnerving!!!

Kim

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #30 on: 07 December, 2011, 02:59:46 pm »
If that option is off the menu, I'd be tempted to take out a 2-wheeled recumbent.  Closer to the ground so less far to fall.  If you do fall, you're less likely to land on your head.  Handling is more responsive (excepting the long-wheelbase monsters such as the Linear or Peer Gynt) so one can get it back vertical quicker once the tyres decide to grip.

After converting to fixed to minimise the number of expensive control components to land on, presumably?   ;D

Mine's going to be hibernating for winter.  I've only just replaced one of the shifters.

I'll be on the hybrid/tourer with studded tyres and lowered saddle (which is close enough to "mountain bike" that that's what I've voted for), and perhaps the odd spin on barakta's trike, if only because the braking setup should make for some awesome fun on an icy car park.

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #31 on: 07 December, 2011, 04:15:46 pm »
Where are the Hub-Geared Bike and Brox buttons, then?

Si_Co

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #32 on: 07 December, 2011, 04:24:54 pm »
MTB with studs, assuming i ever get round to fitting them  ::-)

Regulator

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #33 on: 07 December, 2011, 04:26:00 pm »
Now that I have spikes for Regina, I can confidently predict there will be no snow or bad ice in this area this year...  ;D
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I completely agree with Reg.

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #34 on: 07 December, 2011, 05:23:33 pm »
Last year I tried Schwalbe snow tyres on a touring bike. This year I put a Winter tyre on the drive wheel of my winter trike & the older snow tyres on the front & idler. Worked well on the ice this week. Noisy & slow on tarmac, (just like I always ride).

I found I fell over easily when I dismounted from the spiked bike as I could ride over stuff I couldn't stand on.

At my age a fall isn't an option, hence the trike especially in winter on the Wolds. Local roads are rarely salted until the A roads are fully clear.

The winter trike is a robust MTB with a Longstaff conversion (Cyclon) originally for a more disabled rider. Two plastic Bike Bins give good load carrying & waterproof storage. Cables did freeze up last year so I added Middleburn cable oilers to each cable run to squirt GT85 through.

The Bike Bins also allow more rear lights to be clipped on to show the width. If I venture onto the A1079 towards York in the rush hour traffic it's lit up like an oil rig. Front end has a Hope vision 1 on flash & an Opticube in lt areas. In the "dark" a 5 watt Aldi torch on steady helps to spot the deers & foxes. Room for upto four Smart R1 or R2s borrowed of the other family bikes/trikes 

Biggsy

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #35 on: 07 December, 2011, 05:32:14 pm »
I'm amazed at how every year this topic comes up, and people post how they would never ride in icy conditions, and are apparently totally ignoring the existence of studded tyres.

I'm aware of studded tyres - they're much discussed on YACF after all - but I don't know if I'd be safe enough with them, and there are barely enough icy days a year where I am to justify the bother.  Studded options for 28mm tyres are limited too (though not non-existent).

I admire everyone with enough guts to cycle on all conditions.  My guts were drastically reduced after breaking a hip.  One major injury is enough for me.



How do we feel about clipless pedals?  I'd fit plain pedals if I was riding on ice, and have my saddle a bit lower than usual as well.
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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #36 on: 07 December, 2011, 05:34:39 pm »
Well, I have some sympathy with that - I bought some yaktrax last year.
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eck

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #37 on: 07 December, 2011, 05:39:14 pm »
Where are the Hub-Geared Bike and Brox buttons, then?
And one for the turbo as well?
I'm just back from getting dressings changed on a gash in my arm, for the fifth time since a tumble last Thursday.
I'll be not be riding on the roads again for a while. IMO, (and at my age) the benefits just don't outweigh the risks. Meanwhile I can get some good workouts in the garage, until I get really bored...  :-\
It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #38 on: 07 December, 2011, 06:33:50 pm »
In the last couple of years, we've had a few decent snowfalls where we live (near the Epsom Downs and Box Hill), so we've been able to experiment. My conclusions:

Fixed wheel - sounded good in theory, but was a nightmare. It's impossible to maintain the correct cadence on a frictionless surface. Every time I hit ice and I turned the pedal too fast or too slow (i.e. all the time), I came off. And (as somebody else said) you can't dab a foot down for balance.

Best road bike - OK on ice as long as you are intending to go in a straight line. If you hit ice on a bend, you'll come off when trying to corner. Not bad in snow, apart from the tendency of spray to freeze onto the brake calipers (mudguards? What are they?  :-[ ) meaning that the brakes don't work. I only found this out when descending the long steep straight road I'd chosen in preference to the less-steep bendy road to avoid the ice-on-corners issue. Plus, the heartbreak and paranoia of checking for damage after each off is not fun with a "best" bike.

MTB - generally my preferred option. My tyres are pretty grippy on packed snow, disc brakes still work, and I'm quite experienced in falling off the bloody thing.  ::-)

Windcheetah (Tim's) - impossible to fall off, and he was insufferably smug about this fact until he took it rattling down a road that was sheet ice, and spun off sideways into a ditch smashing a hub in the process.  ;D It was a long walk home.  :-[

Streetmachine (Tim's two-wheeled 'bent) - gets a bit expensive if you fall off and bend the under-seat handlebars, which is all too easy to do.

Tandem - absolutely insane idea, but it seemed to work. Extra weight on the tyres cut through the snow to solid ground, and we have a drag brake on there which can be used when the rim brakes are iced up.  :thumbsup:
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #39 on: 07 December, 2011, 07:15:39 pm »
Where are the Hub-Geared Bike and Brox buttons, then?
Never mind those, where are the 'hibernate' and 'go to Cyprus' buttons?  ;D
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #40 on: 07 December, 2011, 07:25:31 pm »
Where are the Hub-Geared Bike and Brox buttons, then?
Never mind those, where are the 'hibernate' and 'go to Cyprus' buttons?  ;D

Hibernating sounds good...  :thumbsup:

The last time the SNOpocalypse hit Mos Eisley spaceport the south coast, I took the slicks off my Subway 8 and fitted an old set of Specialized Extreme 1.75" mud tyres. I had enough clearance under the front mudguard, but needed to fit an off-road-style rear guard to stop the rubbing.

The deep and open tread pattern was great on snow, but the rolling resistance on cleared roads was horrendous. Flatty pedals made bailing out easier for the odd occasion when the bike tried swapping ends.
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #41 on: 07 December, 2011, 07:58:48 pm »
I'm amazed at how every year this topic comes up, and people post how they would never ride in icy conditions, and are apparently totally ignoring the existence of studded tyres.

I'm aware of studded tyres - they're much discussed on YACF after all - but I don't know if I'd be safe enough with them, and there are barely enough icy days a year where I am to justify the bother.  Studded options for 28mm tyres are limited too (though not non-existent).

I admire everyone with enough guts to cycle on all conditions.  My guts were drastically reduced after breaking a hip.  One major injury is enough for me.



How do we feel about clipless pedals?  I'd fit plain pedals if I was riding on ice, and have my saddle a bit lower than usual as well.

As I said, with studded tyres, you are not riding on ice any more. It's more like riding on slightly loose gravel, except you don't slide around.
Clipless pedals are fine, becuase you just don't lose control.

As for the economics: Train fare every day at peak periods £7 or more per day, or around £30 per week. Plus loads of sodding hanging around on freezing stations, shitty service and more often thsan nopt, long bloody walks on insanely slippery pavements.

Versus £70 and none of the above. The tyres I bought last year show absolutely no wear at all, so look as though they'll easily last 3-4 years.

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #42 on: 07 December, 2011, 08:30:08 pm »
there are studded things you can put over shoes which allow you to stay upright if you need to put your feet down on ice .i would think they would work with spds . or use bmx flat pedals .
the slower you go the more you see

Biggsy

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #43 on: 07 December, 2011, 08:33:58 pm »
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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #44 on: 07 December, 2011, 09:40:43 pm »
On the flats vs spd issue, I much, much prefer spd. It takes very little snow/ice on the bottom of a shoe for it to be lethally slippery on the pedal.
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #45 on: 07 December, 2011, 09:54:25 pm »
So what do people think about toe clips and straps in the snow and ice? The golden mean of control and allowing you to use grippy(ish) shoes, or the worst of both options?
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CrinklyLion

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #46 on: 07 December, 2011, 09:54:54 pm »
I'll be not be riding on the roads again for a while. IMO, (and at my age) the benefits just don't outweigh the risks.

Ditto - once the ice is really on the ground, I'm off the bike this year.  I had a few utterly fabulous rides in silly conditions last year (Warty-ing on the tandem, the NY xmas puds ride and bambi impersonations on black ice at Barton truck stop with a hungover Deano spring to mind!) but since then I've found out how painful and bloody inconvenient a broken bone is.  I can't afford to be off work for another month, and am not prepared to parent one-handed again - it was really rough on the boys how bloody useless I was for weeks!  Yes, accidents happen.  But I've proved myself incompetent in the use of pavements in perfect weather conditions.... riding on ice would be foolish, I feel.

Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #47 on: 07 December, 2011, 10:13:13 pm »
So what do people think about toe clips and straps in the snow and ice? The golden mean of control and allowing you to use grippy(ish) shoes, or the worst of both options?
Worst of all.  They are slow and unreliable to clip out of. You are better off using spd and strapping something round your instep to prevent slipping when walking.
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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #48 on: 07 December, 2011, 10:42:06 pm »
I've never rode a mountain bike but it seems to be the weapon of choice for a lot of people in the snow and ice. If I brought a mountain bike to keep for the snow and ice, I've been thinking about this but haven't got round to it yet, I would want it fixed. I've been an all weather all year round fixed wheel commuter for several years now and have ridden several snowy icy winters on fixed and prefer fixed to a bike with a freewheel when it gets snowy and slippery, I find I've got more control, my geared bike goes way when the clocks change at the end of October and doesn't come out till the spring and I'm on fixed for commuting and club rides..   

Biggsy

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Re: Which bike is safest to ride in icy conditions?
« Reply #49 on: 07 December, 2011, 10:44:05 pm »
You could have studded pedals if concerned about icy shoes.  I fall more awkwardly when using clipless, and usually fall on a hip.  But I can understand preferring clipless when you're confident.

Toe clips are easy to get out of when the straps are not tight.

(I only use clipless pedals now, but I don't cycle on ice now).
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