Hmmm

Heya everybody,

I normally ride through the Winter as low temperatures stay in the mid 30's where I'm at. Question is, when low temperatures drop to the 29-32 range, should I be aware of any sort of ice on the roads in the early mornings?

When is it safe, and unsafe to ride in these temperatures?

For what it's worth my tires are Conti GP 700x32's.

rivers

Whenever it drops below freezing. Black ice is really what you need to be watching for. It was -5C on my way to work this morning. I stuck to the main roads, which are normally fine, instead of back roads and cycle paths. The problem we have at the minute in the UK is ice as it's been raining almost non-stop since October. Only you can decide what is safe and unsafe. My normal club run still went out on Saturday. A few of us bailed in the car park, but many still went out.

WhyFi

Air temp isn't a very reliable measuring stick - you can have icy conditions at 40* - the ground temp more relevant. If it's a time of the year that regularly gets below freezing, I'm wary of all dark/wet spots on the road, but in particular I'm going to take it easy in the shade (where ice can reform and/or is slow to melt) and on elevated roadways (which are more susceptible to temp swings than the ground).

datlas 

Biggest risk for ice IMO is when there is snow on the ground, daytime temps go above freezing, and overnight temps below. That means frozen runoff the next morning. No bueno.

Be vigilant and know your roads/conditions is best general advice.

wipekitty

Here in the southeast US - where there is no snow to melt and it doesn't stay below freezing long enough for the ground to permanently freeze - the biggest risk is rain followed by a temperature drop.

Bridges, elevated roadways, and shaded areas are susceptible to ice. When it's below freezing, I am wary of anything that looks damp, which usually occurs in areas that haven't seen the sun for a bit.

Cypress

One thing I learned about growing up in Montana was that clear skies in the morning usually meant ice. Here in western Oregon we'll get cold nights with clear skies but ground fog that condenses onto the roads and freezes.

Due to being a fair-weather rider, I am rarely in a position to be riding on ice. When I do venture outdoors in the winter, I get sketched out on the organic material on the roads. We get to deal with moss that starts to grow on less-used roads and shoulders as the wet winter drags on. That stuff scares me, as it can be slick in wet/dry/warm/cold conditions and gives road paint ice-like slickness.

rumrunn6

you can always just wait to fall. then you'll see, OK, yeah, right there, that's a problem

eduskator

Ice is a result of:

1) Water on the road & temperature dropping below 0
2) Snow on the road that's compressed over time by vehicles (seen often at traffic lights, stops, intersections, etc.)

Just keep an eye on what your tires are rolling on and you should be fine. I personally don't ride during winters, because I dislike cold, but also because I don't like riding in slippy conditions.

RiceAWay

It requires a very practiced eye to see black ice on the road, so this is one of the most dangerous kinds. If the temperature where you are riding fell below freezing and is shadowed, EVEN if the air temperature is 50 F or below, DO NOT take any chances and ride as if your traction can disappear at any moment. This means to stay over your center of balance and to always be aware of the road siding. This is usually gravel or grass and will afford you traction should you slide off of the road. Usually the air temperature will heat the shoulders and that the edges of the road so that if you slide across, the edge of the road can usually restore traction before you slide completely off of the pavement. All people that ride road bike should practice gravel trails so that they can learn that with care road tires are perfectly acceptable on a gravel shoulder.

In this case the major danger is that the pavement to shoulder can have a step often of an inch or more. So you have to learn by practice the method of getting back over that step and back onto the road. Some people swerve so that they hit the road at more of a right angle and it is then like a bump. Others can bunny-hop back over that pavement hump. In either case remember that you arrived there because of ice.

NoWhammies

The notice in my Subaru to look out for ice comes on at 3 degrees, so I use that as my rule of thumb.

A couple of weeks back the temperatures was around 4 or 5 degrees in the morning while I was waiting for the bus. A cyclist took a turn at the road ahead of me and the bike just slide out from under him. I am guessing he hit a patch of black ice. The conditions in that particular spot must have been perfect for ice to form. Luckily he wasn't going too quick, so I think he came out of it relatively unscathed.

MoreLowGears

Any shade can hide ice in winter. The last snow was Thanksgiving and my parking lot still has ice sheets in it, despite many 50F days, because it’s in shadow all day. I will ride on studded tires for at least a few days after a major snow, and change back to slicks only after I see that the ice has melted on my route to work.

Carbonfiberboy 

When it has gone below freezing the night before, I don't ride until/unless the temperature has gone over 40°. This is more complicated in hilly terrain because one wants the hill tops to also be above 40°. Safest course then is to stay low. If there's been a substantial snow, I wait for a warm rain to melt it all before going out. There is of course always a chance of finding ice so don't push it. In many years of doing this I've not gone down.

Hmmm

hahahah. Thank you for making me laugh today.

Thanks everyone for the wise words. If I go out in these conditions I'll stay close to home and maybe do some hill repeats on a short hill I know very well. If not I will enjoy my warm bed and the extra hours of sleep!