Cold snap on the way

[gonzo]

It's just started snowing on the south coast of France. Boo hiss. Still I suppose it was appropriate as I was out playing on the cross bike!

[mrcharly-YHT]

What does work on ice then?

You can get ice tyres, even in 700c. Schwalbe do a roadish tyre that has studs on part of the tyre, so you just drop the pressure for icy conditions. It's 35mm, tho' so won't fit on my bike.
The studs work on thin layers of ice ok (so I'm told by 'mericans who deal with ice every winter).

These?

Without tempting fate too much, cos it's still very white here, they work well even here

you'll find they grip in places where you can't even stay on your feet, though they aren't infallible by any means.

My technique for steep downhills is freewheel at 0mph with both feet out just in case - not cool but works for me (so far!)

Yeah, those.

I so wish I'd been able to afford a Spec Tricross last year, when I was getting a new bike. <sigh.

[alexb]

I cycle a few cycle paths into work, but they are across the Commons, so there is no road to follow.  The road routes are significantly longer, so I've stuck to the paths even with the icy conditions.

For some reason, councils don't seem to think that cycle paths need to be gritted.

Despite direct e-mails to ask why they are not gritting them!

[nuttycyclist]

It's not just gritting, you need the traffic over the path to make it work.

Riding home Monday night along Southend Seafront where there are painted lanes in the road I was interested to note that the road was well gritted, the traffic lanes were clear of ice, and the cycle lane was covered in grit and black ice.

Had the cycle lane not been painted there then the traffic would have been nearer the kerb and so helped move the grit around to make more of the road surface ice free.

[TimO]

I guess it also depends partly on the type of gritting they are doing, and the nature of use of the gritted surface.

They certainly do sometimes grit footpaths, and it does stop ice from forming (at least on some occasions), so I guess of the right sort of material is used, then it will work.

I remember a few years back seeing a little tiny gritter being pulled along in Wandsworth on the pavements around the Wandsworth Gyratory.  I forget what was pulling it (some sort of small motor vehicle), but it was essentially a scaled down version of what you see on the roads, small enough to drive on most pavements.

[smegger]

After my question about what tyres for ice and all the great answers there is now dull, drisely weather where I am now, after all that!

[TimO]

So, it's time for another thread then, "Damp, windy, slightly cold, miserable weather on the way", or is that just another way of saying it's a UK winter?

[nuttycyclist]

So, it's time for another thread then, "Damp, windy, slightly cold, miserable weather on the way", or is that just another way of saying it's a UK winter?

I don't like the FTFY posts, so please consider that I have changed your last word to read "summer".

[TimO]

More realistically "...it's the UK climate".

(Although there is a saying about climate being what you want, and weather being what you get. )

[Notsototalnewbie]

My fault, I ordered the Lobsters after freezing my fingers off on the WARTY, thus ensuring mild-ish weather for the forseeable future.