Slippy decisions

Wheely GR8

Is it a gamble going out in these conditions or is it just a matter of turning while remaining as upright as possible?
This will be my first experience on ice since getting back into cycling.

Lumen

The Phoenix Park is a great place to learn about falling on your arse. Nice and icy tonight

Wheely GR8

Don't mind falling really ,I don't want to fall under a bus though . Phoenix park is somewhere I had in mind ,at least theres not much traffic.

Beasty

Depends how you fall though!

The good news in my case in February of last year was I was on the turbo within a week or so and didn't have to worry about ice for the rest of the winter

The cast on my broken wrist did get very sweaty though

I don't mind gale force winds, but nowadays I stick to the turbo if I think there's a danger of ice around

Chips Lovell

Lumen's the second person whose told me he crashed in the park tonight.

Darkglasses

Keep the speed down, I nearly had two ding dongs today. Classic bit of overtaking and immediate emergency braking in front of me from a VW today on leinster road, within inches of needing a new front wheel

Wheely GR8

Beasty wrote: »

Depends how you fall though!

The good news in my case in February of last year was I was on the turbo within a week or so and didn't have to worry about ice for the rest of the winter

The cast on my broken wrist did get very sweaty though

I don't mind gale force winds, but nowadays I stick to the turbo if I think there's a danger of ice around

Ouch! ,sorry to hear about that.

I kind of think it's exciting going out and seeing what happens ,being a newb I'm obliged to be stupid

Wheely GR8

Darkglasses wrote: »

Keep the speed down, I nearly had two ding dongs today. Classic bit of overtaking and immediate emergency braking in front of me from a VW today on leinster road, within inches of needing a new front wheel

I was actually telling myself to keep the speed up and the tyres warm and melt the ice :cool:

Darkglasses

I'm very glad of my big knobbly tires these days! Well, its good to be excited about cycling Haha I'm not an expert, but I think that's formula 1 car territory!

kumate_champ07

front and rear snow studded tyres going on my bike tomorrow!

kumate_champ07

I had a great fall last year along the road that goes by bushy park towards tempelogue, came off the bike at 35km/h on packed ice. it was fun. had the road to myself so was seeing how fast I could go safely

bad2dabone

was heading at speed out of my estate on my way to work this morning and the bike did it's best to try and throw me off it, slid left, I hung onto the handlebars for dear life and somehow stayed up, but the rear wheel kicked to the right and it was only pure luck that kept me upright. I tell you the fright I got put manners on me and I pulled my horns in after that! Think i'll be using the mountain bike for a while...

Wheely GR8

I just did 20k there around by phoenix park ,managed to stay vertical aswell.
There were a few out and about and oblivious to the cold ,made it easier.

Caroline_ie

I crashed twice tonight in the Phoenix park. Through the whites gates the was completely frozen over. I turned back, slid again ... decided on the turbo.

Wheely GR8

Is it much the same cycling on ice in daylight ? ,I was thinking the shine at night makes it easier to spot??

inkedpt

Darkglasses wrote: »

Keep the speed down, I nearly had two ding dongs today. Classic bit of overtaking and immediate emergency braking in front of me from a VW today on leinster road, within inches of needing a new front wheel

Same here but on the quays
Be extremely carefull outside the car lines, estates and doing the transitions between road and cycle paths

fletch

Hmmm debating whether or not to cycle to work tomorrow or not...what's the forecast for the mornin?

Caroline_ie

I wont be cycling. Better safe than sorry.

Wheely GR8

Good few out tonight ,mostly commuters and they hadn't any trouble. Only worry is drivers pushing into the foothpath ,best to stay well out.

manwithaplan

Had no problems today but turned back home shortly after venturing out tonight. I would have had to take it so easy that I wouldn't have got much benefit. I dusted off the turbo for the first time this year. Should have taken off my roubaix tights though - floods of sweat on the kitchen floor.

fletch

manwithaplan wrote: »

Had no problems today but turned back home shortly after venturing out tonight. I would have had to take it so easy that I wouldn't have got much benefit. I dusted off the turbo for the first time this year. Should have taken off my roubaix tights though - floods of sweat on the kitchen floor.

That's what i don't like about the ice. ya have to take it so handy that its hard to get the blood pumping to keep ya warm.

chakattack

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

I had a great fall last year along the road that goes by bushy park towards tempelogue, came off the bike at 35km/h on packed ice. it was fun. had the road to myself so was seeing how fast I could go safely

Hi Kumate,

Was that using snow tyres? What width are they?

Kintarō Hattori

I nearly came off it earlier this week while heading to the station. Each morning after I've gone out to check the conditions and thankfully they were fine. Thursday morning however I slept in and ran out late. It just happened to be icier than ever! I was incredibly fortunate to make it to the station without falling off.

Tonight looks like it's going to be pretty cold, lots of frost on the cars here. I think tomorrow I'll be leaving the bike and walking.

Slideshowbob

Depends on your nerve / skills / desire.

Apparently Mehall Fitzgerald used to irk training compatriots by play acting when they went through patches of ice whilst out training, his skill level was that good.

I remember riding the Carrick Hamper Race one year. The brake cables ceased up with ice after the drive to get there!!

Wheely GR8

Snowing here in north Dublin at the mo.

Hmmzis

Came in alright, almost no ice on the roads. In places where there were still puddles they were frozen over but a 100kg set of bike and rider went through like nothing's there.
Watch out for metal manhole covers and the likes, they're slippery as hell this morning (even with soft knoblies).

GTDolanator

we got snow bitches!

smacl

Was out a bit this morning around Ballyboden / Ballinteer around 6:30am. Snow didn't really hit until about 7:45, road surfaces are fine but visibility was crap in the snow showers, especially if you wear glasses like me. Got back fine, and managed to come off the bike on a patch of ice turning into my own driveway. Doh!

daragh_

Light dusting here in d'burra. Expect the coast road is fine. Getting the bus anyway as I don't trust the armadillo I have on the commuter.

kenmc

Wheeeeeeeeeee!
Sneeted the whole way in from Goatstown to Parkwest, some nice dusting along the edges of the road where the stupid cars hadn't melted it away. Happy to be back on the winter tyres on the Mountainbike! Bring it on all day!!!!!!!

twinsen

Not a single living soul in Phoenix Park this morning. Cycle path slippery as hell, luckily my brake pads are so worn that they wont stop the wheel

Ryder

had a 'lively' ride in this morning on the fixed.....anyone know where to get mountain bike ice/winter tyres in dublin?

squeaky crank

I know a few of you are using the zip ties around the tyres to help grip - I thinking of trying it out as its a cheap quick fix - however, I can see the logic or physics of the rotational grip thus preventing wheel spin BUT is the opposite not the case in corners. Is the slippy surface of the zip tie not cause a slip as the traction changes to the left right axis? Am I making sense ? Now im confused - anyway are they slippy i the corners?

uberwolf

Turbo all weekend by the looks of things? or is anyone going to head out irrespective

manwithaplan

The 23s on my singlespeed didn't look promising so I wimped out and walked. By the look of the main roads, I should have walked the bike a 100 yards or so from the house and cycled.

The club hamper race is on Sunday so hopefully it will be OK by then.

smacl

manwithaplan wrote: »

The club hamper race is on Sunday so hopefully it will be OK by then.

The five day met forecast has Sunday as cold, but not as bad as today. Not much wind and no precipitation. Might get out for a spin Sunday afternoon, but that's on the hybrid with 32mm marathon supremes. Might stick on the old 37mm knobblies and give Kilmashogue / Ticknock a go, always great gas in the snow.

G rock

went up parking ramp from carpark today, saw the white stuff, turned back.

first day without the bike in about 6 months:(

glad i didn't take it though, a lot of the roads i use were still looking a bit iffy

rp

Ryder wrote: »

had a 'lively' ride in this morning on the fixed.....anyone know where to get mountain bike ice/winter tyres in dublin?

I didn't notice the ice last night until I turned into the estate, and then did a spectacular sideways drift: if I wasn't on a fixie I'd have stopped pedalling and hit the ground, but keeping a bit of drive on (no choice but to...) saved my ass.

I've never seen ice-spikes in the shops here, I order online from Starbike. But until we get real ice & snow, the 23mm Durano pluses are staying on.

Lumen

Spent so long fitting the studded tyres this morning that all the ice in the Phoenix Park had melted by the time I got there.

Stupid sunshine, why do you mock me!

Feck it, they're staying on until March.

ciotog

I came off my bike yesterday evening (6:30pm), road in the business park here (Dangan, Galway) was extremely slippy. No serious injury thankfully - shoulder and side of neck on my left side (landed on my right) a bit sore though. A cyclist coming along behind me also came off when she slowed while calling out to check if I was alright. Roads around Galway aren't great at the best of times so I might call a halt until the new year.

Ryder

rp wrote: »

I didn't notice the ice last night until I turned into the estate, and then did a spectacular sideways drift: if I wasn't on a fixie I'd have stopped pedalling and hit the ground, but keeping a bit of drive on (no choice but to...) saved my ass.

I've never seen ice-spikes in the shops here, I order online from Starbike. But until we get real ice & snow, the 23mm Durano pluses are staying on.

Thanks........whatever about snow, there was plenty of real ice heading through town this morning.

kumate_champ07

chakattack wrote: »

Hi Kumate,

Was that using snow tyres? What width are they?

it was a schwalbe snow stud rear which is 37mm wide, had it on a 20mm wide rim. on the front was a 28mm schwalbe delta cruiser, that was the problem, need both front and rear studs otherwise the front end gets whipped from under you.

with just the rear it made a huge difference but this year Ill have a front too

Lumen

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

it was a schwalbe snow stud rear which is 37mm wide, had it on a 20mm wide rim. on the front was a 28mm schwalbe delta cruiser, that was the problem, need both front and rear studs otherwise the front end gets whipped from under you.

with just the rear it made a huge difference but this year Ill have a front too

You want more grip at the front. Rear wheel slides are at least possible to control, in theory.

My Marathon Winters corner very strangely on normal tarmac. As the wheel leans, the contact patch moves on to the studs, and the wheel gets steered back upright again. Also, the studs skate across kitchen tiles like there's no grip whatsoever, so I am not sure what will happen on those metal man hole covers.

I think we should mummify ourselves in pipe lagging and head over to the Corkaigh Park track when it's nice and icy to do a bit of testing. With video cameras.

Chips Lovell

+
=/=

Lumen

A bus broke your turbo?

Gavin

Whoever showed you that not equals sign deserves a kickin.

It's "!="

rp

Gavin wrote: »

Whoever showed you that not equals sign deserves a kickin.

It's "!="

Na it's 'NEQV', bloody kernighan & richie!

Plastik

Sooo, what's it going to be like in the morning along the east coast!? Am I going to be the only one turning up for a club spin... !

killalanerr

ill be sticking to the main roads after 10am we should be ok

Mr. Grieves

Real mixture of conditions in South Dublin/Wicklow this morning. Military road was fine until Lough Bray, where there was bit of snow. We decided to turn back at the Kippure gate, as it was getting worse and we had to go so slowly.



Headed down towards Eniskerry from Glencree instead - this road was fine. Turned left for the Devil's Elbow, getting a bit icy. I came off at the bridge at the very bottom. I attempted to warn my friend who was a minute behind me, but there was no stopping the inevitable, and he fell in exactly the same way. No injuries, I'm more annoyed about ripping 4 pieces of clothing and denting a shifter.

Fun spin overall, not many out though.

Plastik

Chilly but fine in Wicklow this morning, though we kept away from the higher ground.