It's slippery outside people!

I'm sure it was milder last winter?

It was very mild, quite wet. My records tell me it was cold for only 2 weeks between Sept and Feb.

We had snowstorms and ice in March and April though.

HTH.

Black Ice is Fucked.
Official statement to follow.

The exact reason why I couldn't be arsed to go out on my bike yesterday. Bad luck Andy. And bad luck to you too, BRM.

I went out yesterday but only did ten miles and cycled like a granny the whole way. About to go out today and its looks clear but I bet it was rough this morning

I crashed last night on some ice as well. F*cking lethal. Slightest movement of the bike and bang.

Now I feel like an old person as my hip is killing me!

The exact reason why I couldn't be arsed to go out on my bike yesterday. Bad luck Andy. And bad luck to you too, BRM.

More rider error than bad luck Sam but thanks for the kind comments. The corner I crashed on always surprises me by how much it tightens, you'd think I'd have remembered by now. Anyway, I was probably over confident having not seen any icy patches up until that point and was going a bit too fast. I was lucky not to do more damage.

Whereabouts is that then, Andy?

The left hand turn next to Honeypark Wood on this link;

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=biggin+hill&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=14.985334,46.230469&ie=UTF8&ll=51.318436,-0.004549&spn=0.015449,0.045147&t=h&z=15

Were I live (west Norway) we've had clear skies and freezing temps (-4 midday) for a week.
Oddly enough, as the frost layer thickens so does grip (at least with studded winter tyres).

This morning it was +5, with 10cm of snow on the ground, and light rain in the air. By the time I got to work I looked like a giant vaguely human shaped slush puppy.

If its cold tonight, the lumpy slush will turn to lumpy ice, which makes for pretty tricky riding conditions.

I love it though.
It means that my commute varies wildly from day to day, even if the route does'nt ;)

You're making me jealous!

You're making me jealous!

If it helps, I have to shovel 10m of steep driveway for the mrs, before I ride to work.

Tomorrow I will not be doing this in my cycle shoes :)

BRM / Andy, hope you guys are OK. Losing control on ice fucking sucks.

Cheers.
I am okay. I just need a cuddle and a cheese sandwich and I should be sorted.

Yeah be careful. Just found out a friend of mine stacked it at 30mph on the way home last week. Bike went from under him.

Dislocated shoulder, 3 broken ribs and concussion. Off the bike for at least 2 months. No one else involved, just him and some black ice.

I am finding that drivers are not helping at all. Its one thing being cut up on a roundabout ( as I was this morning ) in the summer. The roads are nice and sticky, so there is no danger in whacking on the front brake and changing the line. But when it slippery like now, I never want to touch the front brake, especially on a roundabout. So having to rely on the legs for breaking increases my stopping distance and increases the likelhood of a collision.

There were some terrible drivers out this morning

Yeah, my speed is down on anything that has the slightest potential for carnage. I get some clear space out in the 'burbs but coming into town.. slow it down.

out in the 'burbs

What's a "burb"? Is that like a ghetto, but for Scandinavian looking types?

How do I get into this club? Can I bribe somebody?

What about Tynan, if I pay him, can I join?

I've now found the worst possible place for ice, on the fine traction free white paint they use to make mini roundabouts. I might have made it if I weren't swerving to avoid a different patch of ice on the other side.

Palm, hip, knee and elbow still technicolour briused.

If insult needed to be added to ignominy, some annoyingly jovial person driving to work in a santa hat stopped to check I was alright and tell me to be careful on the ice. Had she not been genuinely sincere there would have been severe face smacking ahoy.

In good news, this morning's ninja-like balancing skills have returned my cockiness to their usual levels.

on the fine traction free white paint they use to make mini roundabouts.

Yea, what up with the paint they use on the road for bus lanes and stuff,
was it purposely designed to be that slippery when wet.

Uh, bad move if you want to keep your balance:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/16/3

:)

Humour fail - My Daughter has one of these

http://www.likeabike.co.uk/products/likeabike_mountain.php

Humour fail - My Daughter has one of these

http://www.likeabike.co.uk/products/likeabike_mountain.php

Yes, these are good.

Sorry, I did mean to indicate I liked your joke. Posting fail on my part.

Santa is bringing this. Grand parents have bought her stabilisers? Tossers.

Yea, what up with the paint they use on the road for bus lanes and stuff,
was it purposely designed to be that slippery when wet.

The adhesion qualities of the stuff are so fucking poor in the wet weather that it must be a design feature.

My current theory stands that The Highways Agency, TfL and anyone else who puts that stuff down are planning on making a mint off of CCTV footage in a Dave channel programme called When Road Markings Attack narrated by Jeremy Clarkson being felated by Jamie Theakston.

Santa is bringing this. Grand parents have bought her stabilisers? Tossers.

Best brand of kiddy bikes. Hopefully others will follow suit! The crapuscularity of most children's bikes beggars belief. If you want your child to cycle, you might as well buy them a proper bike. +1.

Well I went out and was expecting the usual ice-blast wind and skating rink surface but it was fucking warm as, and wet. So I stripped off a layer and gunned it. Good times

I went out yesterday but only did ten miles and cycled like a granny the whole way.

left at 6am in the morning, spent 2 hours buying sliced bread and cat food. queued for 3 hours in the post office and forgot why, followed a stray dog to work then fell asleep?