| Ceri JC |
25-11-08 10:25 AM |
Re: Tips for riding in ice weather?
As others have said, the main roads are usually not too bad. It's usually quicker/safer to take motorways, even if it's quite a circuitous route, rather than a shorter one across untreated roads. If you live down a cul de sac, I'd be tempted to chain the bike up on the main road and walking the last few hundred yards, rather than trying to ride it all the way home as it's usually the untreated bits nearest to either end of the journey where you come off.
If you're having to go really slow (5-10mph) for any length of time, consider stopping altogether and getting the bike off the road. Cars won't slow down anywhere near as much and there have been times where I was more in danger because of being rear ended by a car than anything I was doing. Last time I came off on ice the car who was right up my ***e (and who I was making "slow down/back off" signals to) was certainly a contributive factor.
Don't worry too much about snow, unless it is thick/has been packed down into ice by cars, it's usually not too bad. Remember, there are occassions where it does get too bad to ride on a road bike with road tyres, irrespective of your skill, but this is comparatively rare. If in doubt, it's usually cheaper to stop, stay overnight in a B&B and be a day late back than it is to crash on the ice.
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