This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Years of life left in those.

#allbrakesaredead

At least you're not sat on a train next to someone with the world's shittiest earbuds blasting Radio 2 classics.
It's too early for build me up buttercup.

Sorry to hear, make sure you report it

https://www.fillthathole.org.uk/hazards/report

..

Kinda cold all of a sudden, not helped by forgetting my cycling cap.

Winter gloves on, it's also a lovely sunny day here in Belfast and the seals are out again near the quays, so it's been a good commuting week last week and today.

Did shout "you are far too close fuckwit" at a Ford GT (not many of those here...) driver cos they were far too close just for balance ;)

didn't fancy the commute today so caught a dose of COVID. (3rd time...😮‍💨)

Ouch...! Hope it's not too bad a dose...

seals are out

Jealous!

It has been snowing on and off for the last few weeks, lots of drifting about.

First cycle commute in a loooong time and first time riding fixed in what feels like a decade. -2 degrees, but managed to wrap up well. Success! I'm only pushing 70 GI and it was hard enough, I have literally no idea how I used to ride up the hills of Newcastle with 85. Oh the folly of youth.

do cycling people switch to alternate modes of transport in sub zero temps, or just get on with it?
I wimped out and got the bus today as I was a bit nervous about ice (and also feeling a bit grotty post COVID)
parts of my commute are fairly rural and unlikely to be gritted.
maybe I'm just making excuses. 🤷

You're a disgrace and should be ashamed. My friend Trevor carried on cycling after losing both his legs and an eyebrow. He wasn't as fast as before but he wouldn't be seen dead on a bus, like some sort of vagrant pensioner. My other friend Lionel carried on riding a 102 inch fixed gear well in to his 80s and he lived in a river. Literally, in the river, right in the water.

I think that you are lying about the 102 inch fixed gear.
It was less (fewer) than that.

Lol :)

I worked from home, no due to the temperature but the lack of gritting where I live.

Main roads are ok, most cycle lanes too but didn't fancy the "is that dry or black ice???" paranoia for part of the route :)

I rode but not coz I'm 'ard. I just didn't have a choice and it was shite

No retreat, no surrender

But seriously, wrapping up, having the right clothing and an appropriate bike goes a long way - if you're comfortable (relatively speaking) it becomes a lot less of a nightmare. And having a bike that doesn't feel really treacherous on the snow takes a lot of the unpleasantness out too.
Suffering through it can be rewarding, but it can also be totally unnecessary and counterproductive. I've had lots of fun doing it in previous years, but now I'm older I think I'm better at spotting the turning point where the returns are too diminished for it to be worthwhile.

clothing and that isn't the issue, and I've cycle commuted through the winter before as well, and like you say I enjoy the perverse 'suffering' of a rough commute now and then.
it's just the fear that's got me at the moment.
I'm sure if I stuck to the roads then it would be fine, but the amount of distracted phone cunts lately really puts me off the roads when there's a viable alternative.
luckily the last 5 or so miles of my usual commute can be done on bike paths away from the road, but these are the bits that are most likely to be icy.

@PhilDAS the bus was shite as well.
I spent longer waiting for a bus than my entire door to door cycle commute.

WFH tomorrow, but if it looks dry on weds I'll probably ride...

@WillMelling kudos to Trevor and Lionel, inspiration to us all 😂

I have a spare set of wheels for my commuter with Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tyres.

When I used to commute I'd switch to those if it was looking like it was going to be snow/ice.

Bit of a faff but I decided it was less of a faff than getting the train.

Generally only needed them for the first 1km or so as the rest of the roads were red routes that were gritted, but the studs gave that confidence that was needed in case there was any black ice anywhere (especially on the way home as it was dark/colder/etc).

Clothing was just more layers as required.

Getting fat as WFH 100% now.

having the right clothing and an appropriate bike goes a long way

100%, which means fixed for me. It may be coincidence but I've never wiped out on ice without gears, slowly nearly fallen off yes, but that sudden crashing to the ground nope.

I'm too old and sensible to take any real risks now so this morning's commute was mostly gritted roads with about 10% pushing over frozen snow that felt very slippy, will go main roads all the way back tonight.

Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tyres

I have these as well, they're awesome. But you have to make sure most of your route is snowy/frozen otherwise you find yourself doing 25 miles on mostly tarmac with the world's slowest tyre on (as I did last winter).

They're not too bad on tarmac if they're properly inflated. (And you don't need to let them down when you are riding on snow/ice, they work fine even if fully inflated.)

I'd do 12km each way with only the first/last km really snowy/icy.

My normal commuting tyres were Schwalbe Marathon Plus so I was used to heavy tyres anyway.

It may be coincidence

My only times sliding out have been fixed :)
But it was oil so probably would have hit the deck regardless

I've done the studded bike snow commute in The Big Snow about 12 years ago, on an ungritted walked lane.

And while it was cold and 8 miles, you heat up and it looks pretty cool to be among all that snow. Less cool is having to clean the bike every time due to the salt/grit being very, very bad for it.

It is the sneaky patches of black ice that have slow floored me a few times, and both in areas that were gritted. Now if somebody invents a tyre that doesn't slide on black ice, I am game to go out any weather :)

Hate the fucking shitty compressed snow ice compound on all the roads and pavements now. Riding 32mm gatorskin hardshells (they came with the bike and I didn't want to scrap them for no reason) and it feels like I'm going to slide out riding in a straight line.

Is it going to be the same if I take the mtb out tomorrow ? Or will the 2.3" mtb tyres actually make a difference?