Author Topic: The snowy commute thread (Read 21356 times)

geoff · « **Reply #50 on:** 02 February, 2009, 09:27:11 pm »

With the lanes round us a skating rink of compacted snow, I rode in across the fields on the MTB and then through the outskirts of Oxford. Took twice as long as usual and driving those knobbly tyres made me much more knackered. Mostly I hated it - so tomorrow it's back to the Kaff - I'll just make a bee-line for the nearest gritted road.

Good bits? ...the utter silence in the snow this morning and coming across a field and up a ridge into clean air tonight.

David Martin · « **Reply #51 on:** 02 February, 2009, 09:33:05 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 02 February, 2009, 09:21:50 pm

I'm glad it's not just me that's a woose:
         Helen Pidd: Quiet little backstreets and cycle lanes were a slippery disaster today. Is there a special knack to navigating white-covered roads? |
            Comment is free |
            guardian.co.uk

Riding a city bike with thin summer tyres? Anyone would fall off that in this weather. I might get out and put the studs on again.

..d

PeteB99 · « **Reply #52 on:** 02 February, 2009, 09:50:17 pm »

Fell off this morning for the first time in 3 years

Lost traction uphill when I had to slow down to let pedestrians clear the path and then forgot which foot I'd unclipped.

No damage except to pride.

Sleeting now on top of 2 inches of snow - if it freezes tonight it could be hairy tomorrow morning

Zipperhead · « **Reply #53 on:** 02 February, 2009, 09:52:24 pm »

I thought that it might be fun to come home through Battersea Park, that was a mistake, instead of snow it was icy slush that was horrible to cycle through.

Deano · « **Reply #54 on:** 02 February, 2009, 10:27:05 pm »

An icy rain started before I went home, and the lovely snow was turning to slush and sludge. I took the short way home

Kathy · « **Reply #55 on:** 03 February, 2009, 07:20:51 am »

Trying to work out if I should go to work today. Yesterday, having battled for 2+ hours through the snow, we got to work to find the office was closed, and that it *might* be closed today. Unfortunately, confirmation as to its status won't be given until after nine o'clock this morning, by which time I could have been cycling for two hours.

And I won't know if the conditions up on the downs will have got worse until I've been cycling for an hour (and quite a lot of it had to be walked yesterday).

And I can't really work from home, since I need certain proprietry programs, plus data-protection issues with removing any of the stuff from the office (and potentially leaving it in a snowdrift if yesterday's cycling is anything to go by). And if I don't go to work, I *might* be docked a day's holiday - I can't get my Line Manager to confirm yet.

To make things worse, a misplaced sense-of-duty is telling me that even despite a 2+ hour treacherous slog, I'm probably the member of the team most likely to get to work today, and it might help if somone was in...

What do I do?

*edit*

Just heard from my Line Manager who says not to risk our lives to get to work, and we won't be docked holiday for this. I don't think my life's quite at risk if I cycle, but my collarbone certainly is, especially if I fall over as much as I did yesterday. So my sore and bruised body is not spending five hours on the MTB today to get to and from work.

Chris N · « **Reply #56 on:** 03 February, 2009, 08:50:30 am »

No more snow here - just crunchy ice. Rode in anyway but got fed up of the ungritted back roads so took the main road for the last few miles - unfortunately I was on a 60" gear so it was too spinny and took for ever. Nice sunrise though.

Charlotte · « **Reply #57 on:** 03 February, 2009, 08:55:12 am »

Quote from: Zipperhead on 02 February, 2009, 09:52:24 pm

That's hardcore

I made it in this morning with no problems other than having to walk bits of our road which were icy. Everywhere else was absolutely fine. In fact, because the schools are still shut, it was much nicer than usual. The MTB stayed in the garage and it wasn't even that cold.

Tourist Tony · « **Reply #58 on:** 03 February, 2009, 08:57:48 am »

Got up yesterday at 0600, got the mtb out of the shed and rode in. No problems.
I was the only one of our team here.
Up this morning at 6 again and rode in, snowing heavily, knobblies crunching down through refrozen snow....
Great stuff!

numbnuts · « **Reply #59 on:** 03 February, 2009, 09:06:45 am »

It seems like everybody has taken the day off today all the cars are in the road and it is all very quiet like a Sunday morning

Greenbank · « **Reply #60 on:** 03 February, 2009, 09:07:46 am »

We were told yesterday that the office would effectively be shut today and to stay at home unless urgent.

Looking forward to 5-a-side football tonight. May have to dig out the hack bike to better cope with the impending slush.

Paul D · « **Reply #61 on:** 03 February, 2009, 09:23:57 am »

Knobblies & MTB again today. Slid off in the 2" of ice-snow outside our house, but no problems after that. The roads here were pretty much all slush and salty water. No fun.

andygates · « **Reply #62 on:** 03 February, 2009, 09:32:04 am »

Fettled the MTB into snowbeast mode... and it was all gritted, so I took the leisure route down the river for three miles of crunchy terror! Whee!

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #63 on:** 03 February, 2009, 09:40:05 am »

It snowed here last night, then rained. Then froze. So thick black ice everywhere.

I couldn't face riding to leeds, absolutely shattered after yesterday. So rode the 7m to the station.

Crashed twice in the first 2 miles, then again in the station car park. Bent gear hanger (straightened at traffic lights), black and bloody knee.

geraldc · « **Reply #64 on:** 03 February, 2009, 09:56:15 am »

One off on the way in, back wheel slipped out on black ice while cornering, and a fairly gentle slide down some black ice. As the buses weren't running yesterday, and still aren't on a normal service, some parts of the bus lanes are just giant patches of black ice.
Recieved a loud 'wahey!' from the assembled builders watching, I think they must have seen a few cyclists come to grief there, as they were all standing around in a group watching...

Also forgot to bring in my work shoes, hence me sitting at my desk in wellies...

Palinurus · « **Reply #65 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:08:07 am »

Got to work and the security guy told me to turn around. My department was closed.

My boss suggested I call before leaving in the morning but since there had been no further falls of snow I didn't bother. So I got my ride in, couldn't get into work and I don't have my laptop with me. Perfect.

Bit of ice on my route (very rare!). I was testing the surface with the rear tyre from time to time, only actually got it to slip once so I don't think it was too bad. Rode my cross bike, very little air in the tyres. Felt secure enough.

I did enjoy it yesterday while the snow was fresh. Spent some time in the park just riding around in it before going to work.

her_welshness · « **Reply #66 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:13:19 am »

Cycled in but the bus lanes were covered in snow and slush (hence why there are hardly any buses running, well on my commute) and I maintained a steady 8 mph, theres no point going all out in these conditions.

nuttycyclist · « **Reply #67 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:14:29 am »

The first back roads were very bumpy refrozen slush.

Once on the main roads the running lanes were clear but there was slushy white stuff alongside them.

Lots of black ice, especially at junctions

(yes there were also some very bent cars).

Gridlock everywhere. Not that it bothered me as I pedalled past.

vorsprung · « **Reply #68 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:15:01 am »

I live on the Devon / Somerset border and ride to work in Taunton over the Blackdown Hills.

Getting in yesterday was easy. The roads were clear and dry except for a very small amount of ice.
Getting home was a different story. I got about half way and then came off on sheet ice in a farmyard near Nicholasheign. Tried to stand up and fell over again

Walked for about 2 miles and then was back on a better road. Time to get home 1h50. Usually takes 1h05.

clarion · « **Reply #69 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:15:34 am »

No cycling for me today, I'm afraid.

Yesterday the snow was so deep that almost nothing was moving. We went for a walk, saw the station was closed, then just carried on. We saw a lot of cars that had got stuck, and a few that were driving in a really stupid manner.

Good to see so many young people out just enjoying themselves, and hundreds of folk sledging in the Hog Pit in Carshalton Park. I've never seen so many people sledging together.

There were a few enterprising (or foolhardy) kids riding over the snow on hybrids. Seemed to manage OK.

This morning, our street was seriously icy, but the main roads, while sluchy, seemed pretty clear, and there weren't many cars about. Nonetheless, we walked & took two buses, then I got the tube to work.

I'd love to be riding now, but I don't want to risk another off.

Palinurus · « **Reply #70 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:16:25 am »

One thing I noticed today was the pavement cyclists. The pavements are covered with a mixture of ice and frozen snow. It's not actually that slippy- I can walk on it OK, takes a little care- but it is a lot worse than the roads I was using (most of which are gritted- bus route- but relatively quiet). Plus they had to cross the sideroads which were definitely slippery.

Quite a few of them about. They seemed to be doing OK tho'. Probably because they never put any air in their tyres.

Palinurus · « **Reply #71 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:18:43 am »

Why does black ice tend to sit at the entrances to roundabouts? how does it know?

nuttycyclist · « **Reply #72 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:26:47 am »

Quote from: Palinurus on 03 February, 2009, 10:16:25 am

One thing I noticed today was the pavement cyclists....

Some I saw this morning had given up and were walking.

The crunchy snow does give good traction... but the lumps can cause imbalance and a fall.

matthew · « **Reply #73 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:28:07 am »

Well the journey to the station (300m) was snowy, and the trains are running on the basis that the next one will be here when you see it. But once in Reading the main roads out to the office are completely clear.

I did have a wonderful outrider through the traffic jams though. An Ambulance on Blues and twos rather parts the traffic waiting at the traffic lights. One of the best filter lanes to the ASL I have ever had.

Matthew

hawkeye · « **Reply #74 on:** 03 February, 2009, 10:40:36 am »

Nice ride in yesterday. Got splattered by the filthy slush in the middle of the road so one side of me was camouflage brown and the other side Adli yellow jacket. Stopped on the old railway bridge to admire the view and felt the tyres sink about 2 inches into the snow. Couldn't get going again because of the frozen ruts and pockmarks of thousands of hiking boot prints. After a mile or so of raw, bumpy snow the space between water bottle and bottom bracket filled with snow so I couldn't shift. Filled the water bottle with hot water and squirted the worst of the crud off the moving bits before I started work. Swimming lessons were very poorly attended. Horizontal sleet stung the cheeks on the way home. I can't even report falling off; the Marathon pluses having an adequate amount of grip for the conditions.

Author Topic: The snowy commute thread (Read 21356 times)

Chris N

hawkeye