Snow rides

[Noel]

Hiya everyone

Like most places in Britain at the moment, Devon has had lots of snow! Anyway after three days of being snowed in, today I decided to risk an icy car drive to try and get some emergency food supplies. All was fine until I met the first steep ungritted hill.....

An attempt to drive with some snow chains merely resulted in a broken snow chain! Special plastic traction grips designed for snow proved useless as the car happily slid backwards down the hill. Only a preplanned emergency supply of cat litter (kept for such a reason) provided enough traction to get me and the car back to the house. Basically the car was going nowhere.....

Happily though the bike was another matter! Wrapping up warmly to look like a cross between a hunt sab and the Mitchelin Man in a cycle helmet, I set off down 3 miles of untreated icy roads to try and get to the nearest main road. This proved "interesting" especially on a small stretch of open moorland where you couldn't actually tell where the road ended and the moorland started. Added to this some moorland sheep decided to play "chicken" by walking straight towards my bike.....

However after 3 miles of literally cycling on ice I made it to the main road. 4 miles on from that and I was being congratulated by a shop assistant who was impressed that anyone had braved the weather on a bike!!!

The conclusion of all of this? When two wheel drive lets you down, get out the one wheel drive!!!!

Anyone else had any recent fun snowy bike rides?

[fredrikw]

I train on my bike all year around, and during the winters this means riding in snow and ice. This is quite common among cyclists up here in the north where we have winters with snow every year

[the crazyest vegan]

I've been cycling to work and back every day this week, had to get out a huge ass mountain bike with 3 inch tyres to get through the ice and snow though lol

[richie_b]

I've been having immense fun sliding round corners on my recumbent trike. Unfortunately, the ice has now melted & I have to corner properly...

Bikes are far better than most cars in the snow!

[flightlessbirds]

I've been keeping up my commute through the snow this winter. Even when it gets down to -20 (which is damn cold with the humidity!). Also doing some training outdoors still though I haven't gotten out on a proper outdoor training ride since it snowed here. Hitting the roads tomorrow though!

I like the way riding in the snow makes everything feel like an adventure, even the commute.

[razzmatazz11]

I love riding in the snow! I commute by bike all year around. We get some snow, but it usually doesn't stick around long here, in Ohio. This winter is a bit different. I don't have proper tires, which has proven problamatic this winter, but I have learned my lesson for next winter! There are a few of us here, but none seem to go to the gym that I do, as I had to shovel my own parking place at the bike rack! lol

[Is it really so strange?]

Snows no big deal, its kinda fun. Its rideable with road tires, but ice is another matter. I couldn't fit cross tires on my track bike I used for commuting, so I learned the hard way that ice isn't a pair of road tires best friend. Though fixed gear does let you feel around a bit more for road slickness. And skiddings as easy as coasting when its slick.

Black ice though watch out for it. Its easy to tell when your climbing and you spin out a bit and think I can't be torquing it this hard.

Edit: I should say a little snow coverage is no big deal for road tires, heavy snow a bit problematic. Luckily they plow the roads often here so its more of a salty slushy mess. If you don't have fenders you'll look like you've feel in the mud.

[Noel]

I should say a little snow coverage is no big deal for road tires, heavy snow a bit problematic. Luckily they plow the roads often here so its more of a salty slushy mess. If you don't have fenders you'll look like you've feel in the mud.

Sadly they don't grit or plough the rural back lanes around here on Dartmoor and during the last lot of snow the village got snowed in for four days!

[Is it really so strange?]

Sadly they don't grit or plough the rural back lanes around here on Dartmoor and during the last lot of snow the village got snowed in for four days!

You should see the grocery store queues when its about to snow here, even when its not going to be much. Its like people are preparing for world war 3!

Hopefully you had some nice stout (if you're into beer), a fire, friends and warm drinks to get cozy with.