atrp2biz

We're having a Chinook here in Calgary, so temps are currently 9C. I decided to take the road bike out instead of the winter bike with studs--that was a mistake. 95% of my ride this morning was dry pavement, but 5% was sheer ice. I fell thrice but only at about speeds of 5 km/h. The last two I was actually laughing on my way down. Hopefully the ice will be gone for the ride back home tonight.

I'll probably use the winter bike tomorrow.

ptempel

No riding in the snow for me in general. So I totally understand the OP turning back in those conditions. I pushed it a bit today cycling in across the GWB. It usually still has some snow and/or ice even with the light dusting we got in NY/NJ yesterday. The commute today was ok since the roads were clear. Only scary point was the GWB south sidewalk ramp on the NY side. It had a thin sheet of ice on most of it. So I went ultra slow and kept a foot out of the pedal when I went down that part. For the rest of the bridge sidewalk, I usually use 90 psi on 700x23 tires and stay in the drops for lower center of gravity and more stability.

ZmanKC

Any snow and/or ice I drive. I'll be 62 next month and don't heal the way I used to. Too much downside. I will ride in single digit temperatures on dry pavement so I'm not a complete wuss.

Walter S

I don't ride in snow either. But that's because I've had so little exposure. And what doubles up the danger is not only my unskilled snow riding. The car drivers around here don't know how to deal with it either. But many still try and therein lies the problem. I witnessed a pile up in Atlanta once when snow hit right before afternoon rush hour and came down hard. It was a mad scene all over the city as many thousands of drivers tried to get home, with Atlanta totally ill-equipped to plow the snow. I stood at the top of a hill downtown and watched one car after another creep up to the crest of the hill and wondering if they should try going down. Me and others on the street yell "no - don't do it!" but they still go creeping down, they lose traction going down and start sliding somewhere, usually keeping the car in the road for a while but ultimately crashing into some of the other idiots that came before. It would be scary to be on that road with cars careening down the way totally out of control. To be a cyclist on the road under these conditions would be dangerous no matter who you are.

But that said, I'm dedicated to a life of bicycling many miles regularly. If I lived in an area where it snows a lot, you can bet I would learn how to deal with it. I think it would be a fun challenge. And much safer in an area where it snows regularly than anywhere around here.

I could also see learning how to deal with snow on tours. It's just that I haven't been at it long enough to run low on places I'd like to go where the weather is more temperate and to my liking.

ItsJustMe

I finally gave up on commuting by bike regardless one day when there was a good 6 inches of very heavy wet snow. I was having to pedal hard to go DOWN hills, and I had to walk the bike up the hills. I got about 2 miles from home, said "what the F am I doing?" turned around and went home and drove.

These days I commute maybe 3 days a week in the winter. So far I've lucked out and I'm still riding the road bike, the roads are still dry.

mcours2006

It ain't fun to ride in the snow. I can tell you that. And even less so when there are cars passing you not two feet away and you have to wrestle the handle bar to keep the bike from contacting said cars and the back end of your bike is all squirrely.

There are times when you just have say f@#k it. It's not worth it. Hence this thread.

BobbyG

Now 52, I don't ride in snow and cold that I used to relish in my 20s and 30s. First I don't heal as fast as I used to. Secondly it's the damn foolish drivers. When it's really icy my wife and I take the bus. We call it 2-dollar car insurance. They can't hit your car while it's in the garage (well, they can, actually). I thought about getting a trike for the snow and ice, but I've seen some videos of guys slipping and sliding in those and of course you can't control other drivers. On the other hand I know from tsl and other winter cyclists blogs I've read that there is a smart way to do it if I really wanted to (which I sometimes want to do just to prove I can). My current low temp threshhold is 23F, but I'm thinking I might do 18F the next chance I get. But not snow and not ice, I don't have the tires for it anymore.

CrankyOne

I won't ride on any roads once it's snowed and until its melted. I've seen too many cars sliding completely out of control. Even safe drivers loose control sometimes. It's not worth it for me. It's also a lot more of a pain for drivers to deal with slow bicycle riders in snowy/slushy conditions than dry.

Fortunately I can get many places (cafe's, grocery, hardware store, wine store, etc.) on paths and our city does a pretty good job of keeping them below a couple of inches or so between about 5a and 11p so snow is usually not a problem, but if they can't keep up and the paths had 4" I'd likely not ride unless it was really lite powder. I do have Schwalbe Marathon Winter's on which help with ice and hard pack. Depending on wind I'll also use alternatives if it's below about 0 to 10f.

delcrossv

Sometimes a trike makes more sense: "Snow? What snow?"

PennyTheDog

Fresh snow is the scariest condition for me. Those are pretty much the only days I don't ride. It'll be way better tomorrow!

wolfchild

We got 20 cm of snow here in Mississauga. I used my singlespeed mountain bike today with 2:1 gear ratio and 26x2.0 studded tires mounted on wide rims. I kept my front tire at very low pressure, 10 psi or maybe even lower, my rear tire at around 25 psi, it was a slow ride but traction was great.

wolfchild

I know what you mean. There is always an element of danger and the danger is magnified when the roads are as bad as they were today. Nothing wrong with driving or taking a bus when you don't feel safe riding a bike.

bubbagrannygear

congrats on having the courage and wisdom to break that streak - at some point they transition from an accomplishment to an obsession/burden leading to no good end

mcours2006

I think we got about 25cm here in Scarborough. Yeah, 10-15cm my butt!!

mcours2006

That is almost no pressure at all! It must look like you're running flat.

cyclokitty 

Dear Fellow Torontonian,

I understand. And you were right.

I rode my bike on a snowy day several years ago and while the roads were cleared on the main streets, the quieter side streets were a mess. Somehow I managed to pedal the upper portion of Poplar Plains Road even though it was choked with snow. I had an 8km commute home and the last 2 km I pushed the bike thru the snow. I've tried riding on snow filled streets and it takes forever, the rear wheel slides around like a drunken sailor, and I was not enjoying myself.

Once the streets are clear, the ride is totally different.

Yours truly,

Another snow walloped Torontonian.

TransitBiker

There is no limit....... as long as i can make the bike go, i'll be riding.

- Andy

iTripped

I don't mind riding in the snow - it kind of reminds me of my childhood a bit. But I don't have a strong appetite for riding if the weather turns cold. Once I'm cold, I'm done. But snow, well you can work up quite a sweat pushing through that stuff.

iTripped

This thing is straight up bike porn.

TransitBiker

That fat trike needs a rack for panniers and lights etc. :|

- Andy

delcrossv

They're available.

Fizzaly

I ride regardless, we got a freak storm last month in boise got 7" in two days then the temp dropped into single digits so everything froze and actually made riding easier. I bought a new pair of nokian extremes last year and am glad I did, it doesn't get too crappy here that often but when it does Boise is completely unprepared and the snow stays on the roads for ever. Granted my ride isn't 10+ miles any longer but that never stopped me in the past, last two years ago my daily commute was 24 miles and I only missed three weeks of riding due to a back injury where I had to get rides from my wife and coworkers.

imi

There are different kinds of snow... kinda hard to explain to a SoCalifornian .... maybe if you think about the difference in dry and wet sand on the beach, and the stuff in the desert... OH I HATE YOU!!!!!

Paramount1973 

I won't ride in icy conditions. The thought of going down in front of a car...no. Not happening.

noglider 

We all have limits. Nothing wrong with that. I used to have a hard and fast rule of not riding on snow or ice. I don't remember what my temperature limit was; I think it was around 25º or 30ºF. Yesterday, I rode quite a bit on ice, though that was unplanned. I'm going to see what my temperature limit is this year. I'm going to push it, but not too far.