Cycling on ice... a guide

ha,

• For a bit more traction let a bit of air out.
  
• Leave plenty of space between you and the person in front
  
• Carry a big lock just in case its too bad to ride.
  
• Fresh pair of rear light batteries.
  
• Fresh pair of pants.
  
• Call a cab
  
• To keep warm piss yourself.
  
• Ride with one hand in your pocket, switching at every other light.
  
  

[fuck it, got bored with the bike radar response]

^ take that back or work it out.

My top tip for rear wheel traction, would be to tow a trailer containing a 20Kg child. But my nippa's got an ear infection so Mrs Smallfurry wont let me tow him around.

Soft get.....when I were a lad......grumble...

aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!

I dread to think what happened next.

I'm confused - How can you turn without leaning?

From http://www.icebike.org/Articles/TechniquesBlackIce.htm:

Black Ice

  [INDENT]        Black Ice, that thin layer of ice covering roads, perhaps only in shadowed area, can be        one of the most insidious winter risks to deal with.  You can be riding along on bare        pavement one minute and sliding down the road the next instant.  
    Black Ice is called Black, because it takes on the color of the underlying pavement.          It is very thin, and often gives the impression of having some surface        irregularity, and therefore appears to supply some traction.  These looks can be        deceiving, because as soon as you apply brakes (or make significant turning movements) you        start to slide.
  [/INDENT]              **Turns**

    [INDENT]          Turns on Black Ice are best accomplished by keeping the bike as upright as possible.            This may involve offsetting your upper body to the side (toward the direction you          want to turn) while at the same time keeping the bike upright. 
      The principal reason to keep the bike upright is NOT to keep more of your tire tread          (or studs) in contact with the road, but more simply, that a leaning bike necessarily puts          lateral forces on the tire at the contact patch.  The contact patch (where the rubber          meets the ice) is that preciously small area providing all the traction.  Black Ice          frequently does not supply enough traction to counteract this lateral force, the tire          slips out from under you, and down you go.  
      Turns with the bike mostly vertical also imply slow turns.  That, more than          anything is the name of the game.
    [/INDENT]        **Braking**

    [INDENT]          Braking on black ice will cause a slight melting of the surface layer of the ice,          producing a very thin layer of water.  Water on ice is a lot more slippery than just          ice. ([See: How Slippery Is It](http://www.icebike.org/Articles/howslippery.htm)).  
      Braking must be done with great care, and principally with the back brake.  The          front brake of a bicycle supplies way more braking power than the back brake.  The          more it works, the more weight is transferred to the front wheel, and the more the braking          force applied to the contact patch.
      The problem in winter is that you will quickly break traction with the front wheel.            Once you do, your chances of remaining upright are minimal.  Reserve the          limited traction of the front wheel solely for steering.  Brake with the back wheel.            Transfer weight rearward, (stick your butt out behind the seat), to keep as much          weight over the braking tire.
      As long as you can steer you have a good chance of remaining upright.  This is why          if you only have one studded tire it belongs on the front.  It is also why you want          to avoid braking with the front wheel on black ice.  Even with a locked up rear          brake, and the rear wheel skidding, as long as you stay off the front brake, you can steer          all the way down icy hills too slippery to walk.
    [/INDENT]        **![](http://www.icebike.org/images/TractionInTheSnow.jpg)Ride the Grit or Fresh Snow**

    [INDENT]          At the side of the road, there is usually an area covered with sand and other debris          swept there by car tires.  Sometimes there is just fresh untracked snow there.
      In Black Ice conditions this grit becomes "glued down" by the same ice that          is covering the road.  Its like riding on sandpaper.  There is far more traction          in the girt than on the Black Ice itself.
      Similarly, when there is some snow around, the snow will often provide more traction          than the ice.  Even light snow directly on top of Black Ice may provide better          traction than just the Black Ice.  This is because snow is angular, and the angular          particles catch and bind on on another, your tires, and the ice below.  
      Once melting starts, snow can add to the slipperiness of the underlying ice, so          occasional tests with the rear brake give you a good idea of  the traction below.
    [/INDENT]        **Studs**

    [INDENT]          Studded tires are great on Black Ice.  In fact, this, and hardpack are the best          areas for stud use, they are largely wasted in deep snow.
      Studs will provide amazing traction in black ice, and the more studs the better.           In fact, you can get down right cocky with the amount of traction you get, and that's when          you find out that all good things have limitations.  You still need to be careful          with turns and braking.  But you can at least consider using just a little front          brake.  
    [/INDENT]        **Techniques**

              As mentioned above, look for the traction, stay off the front brake, and wear your          studs.
      Test Black Ice conditions when going straight, by slowly applying the rear brake till          you get a feel for how slippery it is.  As soon as the back wheel skids, let up on          the brake.  Its best to do this early in the ride, so you will have an idea of how          long it will take you to stop.  Watch hills.  Especially watch sharp corners,          slow down, drag the foot that is on the inside of the turn.  DO NOT BRAKE in the          TURN.  Your back wheel will spin out if you do.
      Finally, watch it when you come to a stop.  Bike tires, with or without studs,          always seem to have more traction than shoes.  Its embarrassing to blithely handle 10          miles of black ice and fall on your butt at the front door.  

My top tip for rear wheel traction, would be to tow a trailer containing a 20Kg child. But my nippa's got an ear infection so Mrs Smallfurry wont let me tow him around.

Soft get.....when I were a lad......grumble...

[misogynist]women do tend to give you an ear infection[/misogynist]

I see that you managed to persuade your girlfriend to have a snow party in the moonlight last night Tommy?

I think GA2G's advice of leaning away from the corner is fantastic :)

I forgot to mention that its best to release the handlebars when negotiating this manoeuvre.

Its failsafe.

And what's wrong with black ice? You never hear me complain about honky ice do you?

Racists. The lot of you.

I see that you managed to persuade your girlfriend to have a snow party in the moonlight last night Tommy?

yeah I did but the snow made my willy too small. :(

hahaha

So did everyone managed to get the whole 'leaning' thing then?

So did everyone managed to get the whole 'leaning' thing then?

lean?

do not want!

yeah I did but the snow made my willy too small. :(

is it cos you lean the other way?

F=m.a

A body at rest stays at rest if there is zero net force, a non zero net force is needed to cause the turn.

F is the friction offered by the road / tyre interface pointing towards the center of the turn, the resultant acceleration is inwards, hence you turn.

is it cos you lean the other way?

Maybe, as I had no problem later on when we made snow angles together.

I originally thought this thread was about some reality tv show where VB is that schofield chap. ah in my dreams.

i thought it would be like disney on ice, but with bikes.

i'd love to see you ice skate... how much to make it happen?

Four pints I reckon. :p

Tip #1 - Get an MTB

Richies more like a 8 pinter surely...and gingers arent my type.

This is going to sound dull, but:

After washing bike, a quick squirt of

on the chain, dry it off, then follow with my latest favourite winter product

Best thing I've ever used on my chain in shit weather, and I know shit weather. I live in Leeds.

Well, that was possibly the ugliest post I've ever done. Can anyone beat it? Ugliest post wins?

whats the second can? it looks like SG85. Is that like bootleg GT85?