Roody

Brrr...How does ice affect your daily life this winter?

FBinNY 

So far, here in metro NYC, not at all. A refreshing change from last year.

Machka 

The frozen water version ground everything to a halt for a day during the winter ... back on August 3rd.

wolfchild

I use studded tires, ice has never been a problem for me.

Jim from Boston

I’m pretty capable of walking (carefully) on ice. When I drive, especially to work, I leave early and my general rule is stay away from other vehicles as far as possible.

For cycling, the possibility of ice on the road completely defines my winter cycling.

BTW, here is IMO, the best thread I have read about black ice:

And, as @PauRivers of Minnesota has knowingly posted:

These statements do seem to reflect my experience with black ice. On my worst black ice day I had to ride about bout five miles after my first fall, sans studded tires, extremely slowly until the sun rose to warm up the road within a few minutes.

HardyWeinberg

last Monday my son wiped out turning out of the driveway on his way to school. I ran to help him and went flying did a faceplant onto our concrete steps, so finally reached him gushing blood all over my face. He was fine although I wound up driving him to school (wheel in one hand, paper towel in the other, stick shift in the last...).

This morning, not really thinking about it, did a 3 stooges backflip on the backdeck wooden stairs, so slammed directly into my spine above the pelvis. No bones or even skin broken. Crazy. Son made it out of the driveway fine, and I am about to ride to work myself. It is raining so I am counting on that to disperse whatever black ice might remain. I will be going slow though.

Jim from Boston

I cringe reading this post, knock on wood. Just about two hours hours ago I got a call from my wife that my daughter slipped on ice, walking with my wife, and they went to the ER because daughter was limping.

FBinNY 

Some 40 years ago, I slipped on black ice while walking between two parked cars. I did a classic Charlie Brown fall, bringing my shinbone up into the underside of the license plate bracket. The most intense pain I've ever felt to then and since. Nothing broken, but I still have a dent if the front of my shin.

2manybikes

I get my studded tire bike ready the night before just in case there is ice in the morning. Ice then becomes easy for me to ride on, but of course that does not help drivers or anyone else. In some cases it is easier to ride with studs than walk without.

Jim from Boston

Of course you do become vulnerable to skidding cars. Another reason, IMO to wear a rearview mirror...to view cars skidding behind you, and know your options when cars skid towards you.

Shimagnolo

When I was living in the Chicago 'burbs, I got up to go to work one morning, looked out the window:
"Oh, just a little wet on the ground."

I stepped out side, made it about 3'...BAM!!! Flat on my back!

HardyWeinberg

Hope she's OK. Son and I both successfully rode to our destinations today.

corrado33

I've gone down twice this winter on my bike (with studded tires.) The studded tires I'm using (45Nrth xerxes) aren't really meant to be ridden on glare ice (which I was riding them on.) Last winter when I used different, better studded tires I didn't go down once (on ice... I hit an unseen curb once...)

I didn't get hurt either time I've fallen this year, in fact I thought it was hilarious how far I slid once I fell.

PaulRivers

@Jim from Boston Thanks for the mention, I keep wondering if there should be a general advice thread on ice and riding. Hmm.

That's interesting, you went down on ice using the 45nrth Xerxes? Were they at high pressure (studs off the ground) or low pressure (studs in regular contact with the ground?).

Really curious about real world results on the tires. I know with my Schwalbe Marathon Winters with 4 rows of studs I can ride across an ice skating rink without a problem at low pressure (all 4 rows in contact with the ground), but I've been very curious about the Xerxes.

FBinNY 

My first introduction to studded tires was nearly 50 years ago. I was riding down an icy road in a friend's Jeep. I commented on the conditions and my friend assured me that with 4 wheel drive and 4 new studded tires we had all the traction we needed. That was just before we slid and down an embankment on a reverse camber section (no turn).

Needless to say, my faith in both 4 wheel drive and studded tires was diminished for life. Not saying they're not good things, just saying not to be over confident in what they can do.

Hypno Toad

It's either studded tires .... or this:

Jim from Boston

You da' man, PR. IMO your thread ”Guide For Winter Bike Tires - Studded Tires and Fat Bikes” is the definitive post on that subject. My own suggestions about technique are riding on studs is like walking on ice…take it slow

and as above,

I myself keep my Marathons inflated to full pressure (65 psi) since I ride (usually) well-tended roads. I have pretty much abandoned the idea of a second road bike for winter.

CliffordK

Fortunately here, we get more rain than snow/ice.

Since I've gone mostly car-free, I can generally wait out any snow/ice storms that might blow through.

Last year, as so many people were buried under blizzard conditions, I had to do about a 100 mile RT ride to find the snow for the required winter Velo Cheapo photos (a couple of days after the end of the contest, I think). The snow was even sparse at the 5325' pass.

PaulRivers

On 4 wheel drive, that is insanely overhyped. The only thing 4 wheel drive is good at, is getting you out of being stuck in snow after you're already stuck in it. 2 wheel drive vehicles already have a 4 wheels brakes. Being able to accelerate with all 4 wheels doesn't change anything for being able to stop. Marketing people and people who don't know what they're talking about want to pretend it does - it doesn't. 4 wheel drive improves your ability to get moving, it doesn't help your ability to stop.

On studded tires there are a lot of factors:
- Are they rubber or metal studs?
- Studs help with ice but not snow - mixed snow ice is still pretty bad
- The weight to stopping power ratio that's required is noteably different with a car vs a bike. The car is much heavier and usually travelling much faster. The car does have 4 tires rather than 2, and those tires are wider - but it's different.
- The kind of person casually going "no big deal I have 4 wheel drive" is...often a bad driver to begin with

I'm mean I'm just speculating - I have not driven a car with studded tires. That's sounds terrifying to go off the road like that.

My personal experience is just on the bike, where I find that a well studded tire (like a Schwalbe Marathon Winter) on sheer ice gives me at least 80% of the grip of dry pavement. But...I'm not doing anything "crazy", and snow/ice mix is still real annoying and not handled nearly as well.

FBinNY 

Carbide studs if you're curious.

It wasn't fun, but not so bad either considering what it could have been. We managed to slide down a small embankment without rolling over, so the worst was having to climb out of a badly tilted jeep, and pay a guy with a truck and winch to haul us back onto the road.

In any case, my point wasn't to be a critique of 4-wheel drive, drivers or studs, but simply to remind folks that nothing is bulletproof and studded tires or not, you ave to respect ice.

wipekitty

The side streets where I live are pretty much ice, snow, or some combination thereof between the first snows and late March/early April, and the bike lanes become places to store snow. Playtime is over - I'm running Nokian Extremes front and rear throughout the winter.

Ice makes it difficult for me to walk places, so I generally opt to ride rather than walk even short distances throughout the winter. With the studs, I've gone down exactly twice in the last two years; both were while hauling a trailer loaded to about 70 lbs, and both were due to operator error (dragging trailer through ice rut, stopping too fast on ice while loaded.)

That said, I enjoy winter riding - a relatively short ride gives me quite a bit of exercise, as well as a fulfilling sense of challenge and adventure. For the most part, I go about my daily business as usual, keeping in mind that my travel time will increase a bit when compared to the rainy and/or warmer times of year.

Artkansas 

I just encountered some this morning that almost made me surrender. It was at the top of Cedar Hill Road. A ruptured pipe somewhere under ground meant that a lot of water was covering the road from side to side and 15-20 feet along the road. It being 23 degrees F. Naturally that water was frozen. The kicker is that that part of the road is at least a 13% incline. I stopped the bike half way across the street and very slowly edged my way towards the side of the road, sliding down some times, but eventually succeeding in crossing. Then I continued along side of the road for a ways until the danger was over.

My plan for tomorrow, should I need it. is to do a short-cut through the Baptist church parking lot and hopefully connect with the street farther down.

2manybikes

I never ride without a mirror. It's attached the eye protection I never ride without.

Jim from Boston

Thanks for your concern. She fractured her ankle.

Jim from Boston

Same here, both left and right, on my prescription eyeglasses.