Snow Cycling FAQ

Gavin

Just a temporary sticky for during the snowy period. Chuck up questions/answers and I'll update the main post, then delete the replies to keep it clear.

Questions below:

1. Should I cycle in the snow ?
2. How do I handle cycling on ice ?
3. Tyre pressure ?
4. What about snow tyres ?
5. Are there alternative to snow tyres?
6. Dublinbikes ?

Last update: 01/12/2010 - Added Ant's links for cycling skills



Should I cycle in the snow ?

columbus wrote:

Your decision can be informed by what type of bike you have available and the characteristics of your route. A road bike can be nerve wracking (and reckless) on ice and is not recommended - you can only knock so much humour out of a face plant or heavy fall onto a kerb, into a bollard/road sign/utility pole/pedestrian, or into the path of following/oncoming traffic. A mountain bike on the other hand, ridden (cautiously and with due regard to others) on a continuous grass verge, across open spaces or 'cross country' (e.g. through the Phoenix Park) is safer and can be a good training ride. Adequate daylight or flood lights endorsed by Lumen are mandatory for such excursions. I find once you hit the City centre the volume of traffic and gritting that has usually been carried out (elevation and proximity to the coast may also be factors) is generally effective at clearing any ice once the rush hour is in full swing.

Doctor Bob wrote:

Advice from the RSA.
(Some of this might raise an eyebrow or two.)

petethedrummer wrote:

What would Rocky do?
http://www.youtube.com/v/1SUzcDUERLo
http://www.youtube.com/v/W8xHjC27YvM

How do I handle cycling on ice ?

Donal wrote:

Try not to turn too sharply. Braking is also a no-no on the ice itself, if you're on a patch of ice just try to keep the bike steady and level. Also keep the speed down.
Really if possible stay out of the cycle lanes as they'll be one of the first places for ice/frost to form. Best place to be is in the tracks that a car went through. Off-road cycle lanes should best be avoided in the next few weeks as there's no chance they'll be gritted.

Columbia wrote:

If there's any downhill stretch on your route, where your speed cannot be controlled by sitting up (i.e. no brakes), I'd definitely give it a miss.

If you absolutely have to brake, use the rear only. If you use the front and there's a patch of ice, you'll be eating said ice before you even know something's gone wrong.

macnab wrote:

Stick to routes that you know, learn what areas thaw early and what areas keep iced over

caroline wrote:

How to cycle on snow, skills - http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/skills-qa-how-to-ride-in-the-snow-24521

Ant wrote:

Two useful links
1. road.cc's tips for riding on ice and snow
2. Why Fixed Gear Bikes Are Better On Ice

Tyre pressure

gavin wrote:

Ice/snow, as low as possible. I was on around 20-25 yesterday. On our snow spin last year, I was almost completely flat to get up the steep snow.

robfowl wrote:

2 Bar or 30 PSI or so was what I used yesterday and seemed fine.
You're not as lardy as me either so should be able to get away with even lower pressures.
Read in cycling weekly that Helen Wynam was using 1.5 bar or about 20 psi in CycloCross races so don't be afraid to go low....

What about snow tyres ?

gavin wrote:

There are a few brands. The different tyres are distinguished by the number of studs. The more studs, the more expensive and the better grip. 'Snow tyres' is a bit of a misnomer as the studded tyres are really for cycling on ice. Cycling on deep snow requires very wide tyres which won't fit in a typical frame. Check out any of the usual cycling websites for studded tyres.

They work extremely well on a commute over icy roads. That is exactly what they are designed to work on.

Nate--IRL-- wrote:

Since many places don't have Ice tyres in stock, I thought I'd point out that BIKE24 in Germany have studded tires in stock currently. AFAIK they have a range of Continental and schwalbe studded tyres.

http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=...04;mid=0;pgc=0

doozerie wrote:

The following page has a very interesting, and useful, discussion of the pros and cons of various studded tyres by Schwalbe and Nokian, focusing on the routes/conditions where each tyre is particularly appropriate:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Road/Cyclocross
* Marathon Winter
* Schwalbe snow stud kevlar

MTB 26"
* Schwalbe snow stud bike components.de 40 euro Wiggle (and 29")
* Schwalbe ICE Spiker


Are there alternative to snow tyres ?

gavin wrote:

One option, if you don't have rim brakes, is cable ties. The trick is described here: http://bikeportland.org/2007/01/17/ziptie-your-tire-for-better-traction-2846

Dublin Bikes ?

seamus wrote:

I rode them last January when the snow was at its worst. They've relatively wide tyres, poor brakes and gentle gearing, so they're perfect on paper. Take it easy, stay out of the snow (cycle as much in the car's tracks as you can) and avoid using the front brake if at all possible. Ride in such a way that you never have to brake in an emergency. Never use the paths or cycle lanes.

If you're planning on using them, bring a cloth or something that you can use to wipe snow & ice off the saddle and the handlebars. Doing it with your hands, even with gloves on, is not pleasant about five minutes later when the cold gets in.

Dead handy for getting around the city when the weather's this crap because busses and cars are going nowhere.

Gavin

Thread unstuck and incorporated into the Wiki. Linked from the Frequently Asked Questions.

edit - Thanks of course for all the updates!

doozerie

Just a word of caution to anyone with studded tyres (this might not belong in the wiki due to perhaps falling into the category of "bleedin' obvious") - track standing on tarmac might cost you some studs. I've lost 3 studs from my front tyre, just on this morning's commute I believe. Although I know I had to hit the brakes pretty hard once this morning I don't think it resulted in a skid of the front tyre. So while I can't entirely rule out that incident as being the cause of the lost studs, the other (more?) likely possibility is that they got ripped out while track standing and rotating the tyre a little left to right while stationary on a rough surface.

I have another 197 or so studs to go in that tyre, but losing several per journey would eat into that number fairly dramatically. I miss those 3 little studs already, we'd become friends over the last few days

Nate--IRL--

Supposedly the Nokian replacement studs and stud replacing tool work for other brands such as schwalbe too.

http://thegoldenwrench.blogspot.com/2010/11/replacement-studs-for-studded-tires.html

Nate

kumate_champ07

it takes at least 40km of normal moderate riding on tarmac for the studs to set, you gotta 'break them in'

I lost 1 stud on my back tyre, not too bad. was going pretty hard on some roads the past week.

planet x is currently the only place in the UK with a studded tyre, its 700c size and expensive. actually they must have just got a 26" as well

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/TYCONSPK/continental-nordic-spike-120-winter-tyre

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/TYCOSPKCL/continental-spike-120-claw-winter-tyre

they seem to have sold none of the 700c since getting them in stock recently


I got my schwalbe snow stud tyre from CRC for 30euro, had a stock request alert set up and ordered it immediately!
theyre gone now, wiggle has none