Riding in winter

Don't lean.

Fixed, stories abound of club runs where the whole club stops puts their feet down and then falls over.
Everybody used to run fixed in this country in the winter for safety reasons, you touch your brake on ice, you're down.

+1 I rode through the heavy snow of Feb 2009 and felt a lot safer on fixed.
Here is the winter tyres thread
http://www.lfgss.com/thread10343.html

What about pedals? I have 2 sided little SPD pedals, and normally just used my SPD shoes. Pondering going for traditional toe-clips for the winter....

What do you reckon?

Stick with what you know.

damn!

i clicked on to this topic hoping it was a reference to yet another celebrity televisual extravaganza

Anyone got tickets for this, I didn't manage to see last year's 'Fixed or Freewheel on Ice' as it was sold out an hour after the sales lines opened.

+1 I rode through the heavy snow of Feb 2009 and felt a lot safer on fixed.

+1, I definitely rode on ice last winter and felt safer fixed. There were a few times where I reckon I might have fallen off if I'd been riding free.

I heard it's an epic tale of good versus evil, singalong fun for all the family.

I rode fixed and clipless last time it iced up and it was fine up to the (lowish) limits of the tyres (Vittoria Paves). In the end I got a cheapo hybrid with big fat low-pressure 29er tyres and mudguards though - much easier. The fixed/free thing is much less important than the tyres IME.

i think any issues of fixed or free are mooted by your methamphetamine habit.

Depends on your bike handling skills I suppose. Knobends holding the bars by the stem with their saddles too high are more likely to come off in the icy conditions whatever the drivetrain or tyre used...

Don't lean.

Saw the thread title and guess 'third post'. Wasn't far out :)

'Don't lean' was last winter's advice. It's now outdated and something else will soon be in fashion for how to avoid falling on ice.

The thing is, with ice and snow comes other crap weather like insane winds. So although fixed might be great and all for control over ice, it's "not great" into a 60mph gusting headwind. Also climbing icy hills, a geared bike will allow you to keep your bum on the saddle, whereas with fixed you've got to stand and hope you don't slip. And running studded tyres, etc, again it'd be nice to drop down a gear from what you rode with slicks.

I'm coping with the ice and snow on fixed, with the headwinds and the slow studded tyres, but I so wish I had some gears at the moment.

Get gears, lean

Fixed everytime. This winter is the first time I'm considering buying tires I can use in ice and snow. Studs for me!

The thing is, with ice and snow comes other crap weather like insane winds. So although fixed might be great and all for control over ice, it's "not great" into a 60mph gusting headwind. Also climbing icy hills, a geared bike will allow you to keep your bum on the saddle, whereas with fixed you've got to stand and hope you don't slip. And running studded tyres, etc, again it'd be nice to drop down a gear from what you rode with slicks.

I'm coping with the ice and snow on fixed, with the headwinds and the slow studded tyres, but I so wish I had some gears at the moment.

Where the fuck do you live.

HTFU

The thing is, with ice and snow comes other crap weather like insane winds. So although fixed might be great and all for control over ice, it's "not great" into a 60mph gusting headwind. Also climbing icy hills, a geared bike will allow you to keep your bum on the saddle, whereas with fixed you've got to stand and hope you don't slip. And running studded tyres, etc, again it'd be nice to drop down a gear from what you rode with slicks.

I'm coping with the ice and snow on fixed, with the headwinds and the slow studded tyres, but I so wish I had some gears at the moment.

I've actually gone back to riding my brakeless fixed bike with 60mm front rim and 50mm rear rim over my geared bike with low profile rims, purely because it's more fun. HTFU.

HTFU or STFU!

imho the best on ice is going to be what you're most used to/comfortable with, be it fixed/ss or geared.

Reason being you'll notice the bike change behaviour/sound/response/feel more instinctively and faster if it starts running on ice, and you'll automatically do what's right to stay vertical.

If you're on a bike, or using a riding style, you're less familar with there's more chance of an off, most likely in front of an audience. Most difficult thing for me to get head round is potentially riding on ice when clipped in....

p.s.

Saw the thread title and guess 'third post'. Wasn't far out :)
a tad harsh, it's not a bad a thread, and reasonable question imvho (in my very humble etc.)

last year 6 of us on a ride round surrey hit a patch of black ice at the top of a hill,all of us ended up skating on our arses down the hill.minor injuries.last february some clown washed his car on a main road(wind chill froze it no other ice on roads),i hit the patch of ice around it resulting in a broken nose, fucking great lump out of my left knee and a totally fucked up right hand.if your gonna ride in icy weather get studs on your tyres and only do it for commuting not pleasure

Depends on your bike handling skills I suppose. Knobends holding the bars by the stem with their saddles too high are more likely to come off in the icy conditions whatever the drivetrain or tyre used...

:D

Where the fuck do you live.

HTFU

exactly. if you man up you don't need to stand up.

exactly. if you man up you don't need to stand up.

Sexist.