Icey- ouch.

[alsmith]

I've had 2 falls on ice this winter up to now. Patches of ice left on otherwise clear pathways. First one was a banged and scraped knee, the second (almost 2 weeks later on a different pathway) I smacked down hard and I've got a big purple patch on my right elbow. Anyone use those elbow protectors? Bike relatively unscathed, just the aluminium bar holding the rack to the seatpost broke on the second fall.

For those curious....

 

[liveforphysics]

Nice bruise! Ive had a few dozen like that myself, it should last about 2 weeks or so.

 

[hydro-one]

Nice! do it every year. after that its very very careful riding on ice.

NOW


Hear this. if you havent tried studded tires on ice. try it now. they are pricey but- i can take a corner at 50kmh, and maintain a perfect drift, with great control on shear ice. i havent gone down since (except highsiding on a few high speed spinouts. studded snow tires for the win

all you ice bikers out there, tell us your secrets, sheet metal screws, etc etc i know madrhino must have something to say on this

i use to wear knee pads for the first few weeks of iceybiking

 

[leffex]

I've had 2 falls on ice this winter up to now.

Man you dont wanna fall at all. I did coming full speed slowing down with my brakes .... Hit my right axle nd it still hurts obe month after allthough no bruises. Had no protection back then since the ice and snow hadn.t arrived so went w/o protection. I dont want to fall of again so will use all protection I can get.

I rather say whether winter or summer wear protection for elbow, axle (back protector) and helmet. I will think about knee protection ain.t cheap if the knee cracks open as well as a free handicap for life. Maybe not but chances without protection the stakes are higher.

If you havent tried studded tyres you should. Minimum about 150 studs or so. Scwalbe and nokia are best. They work so that you feel the tyre gripping almost like normal. As long as you dont buy some nonamed studded tyre with without metal carbid studs they will last a few seasons. The other advantage is that the material of studded tyres are more soft, in the cold it will give more grip than summer tyres.

 

[melodious]

I've never lived in an area where you have a permanent ice/snow pack on the roads. Would it be easier to have 2 bikes An ice/snow bike for the winter and a regular bike for the spring/summer/fall. You wouldn't have to change out your tires.

 

[Farfle]

I can vouch for studded tires, they are oddly effective on bicycles. Try the Kenda Klondike.

 

[Kirk]

I can recommend the Schwalbe Winter tires. Those suckers make Winter riding fun on a trike. Only problem is that a trike becomes a snowplow if it gets over 4 in. deep.

 

[dogman dan]

Hard to believe, but I swear frozen asphalt is harder than summer asphalt. I guess in fact, you just hit the deck harder when it's slippery. That's a really nice bruise.

 

[alsmith]

That's another embarrassing bit- I have Continental TopContact winter tyres just sitting there.......
I'm not sure how much grip they would have on wet sheet ice (they aren't studded) but they certainly couldn't be any worse than normal tyres.

And the bruise has got a bit bigger too.

 

[electr0n]

I bought a Schwalbe Ice Spiker for the front and a less expensive Snow stud for the rear and they worked amazing last winter. I was able to ride on ice confidently with the studded tires. Before using studded tires I wiped out a couple times taking turns, even trying to ride carefully. The tires were expensive at $100 for the Ice spiker and $65 for the snow stud. I'd like to find less expensive tires for when I have to replace these but even being pricey it beats wiping out and potentially breaking bones or worse. I ride year round in Southern ontario, icey ruts, freezing rain, deep snow etc.

 

[MadRhino]

...
all you ice bikers out there, tell us your secrets, sheet metal screws, etc etc i know madrhino must have something to say on this

Coincidence, I am just making a set of ice tires right now :wink:

First, all the ready made bicycle ice tires that are available on the market, are way too short on knobs for my off road need. Best tires for winter use are Nokian, and Schwalbe are not bad, both do offer hard gum tires. Chose a hard gum mud tire and stud it yourself, nothing can beat this.

The studs need to be hardened, so if you want to use screws your best bet is to chose self drilling metal screws. Here is what I am using right now:

Cut the head off, and stud your tire so the drilling tip of the screw is out of the knob about an eight of an inch. Start the tread in the knob with a normal screw of the same size, then screw the stud holding it with small Vise-grip long nose pliers. Many patterns can be done, the more studs giving the best ride. You can also use the head side of the screw on part of the knobs if you plan to ride on mixed surface, this will help the studding job to last and work better if you ride on surfaces other than ice. If you want to use the head of the screw, best is to cut a cross in them with a Zip disc after they are set in the tire knobs. The heat produced by the metal cutting on the head will glue them strong in the knob rubber, and this cross cut will make them screw heads more aggressive too, according to how wide and deep you do it. The screws that you want to use the head have to be cut too, according to the height of the knob, you want to leave about a third of the tire thickness intact inside.

Here is one that is not finished. The screws that I use the head are all set and the cross cut done on them. All the remaining knobs of the tire will have a screw tip, like those that you can see on some of them already.

 

[The fingers]

8)

 

[john7700]

Studded snows for the win. I ran some cheap store boughts last year but am going to spend some money for a good set this winter.

Out ice fishing on the frozen river. 100% control at 20 mph.

Heal well alsmith !

 

[scotticeberg]

Studded tires for the win. If you're electric you won't mind the added rolling resistance. If we're talking pedal power alone its nice having two bikes for when the studs are not needed.

I recommend Nokian brand studded tires. They have whatever to suit your needs. The schwalbe marathon are only good for mild conditions, in my opinion.

 

[alsmith]

I think it got as big as it's going to get, now it's the wait for it to go.......

Strangely, it doesn't actually hurt much!

 

[whereswally606]

wow thats a nice bruise. pretty lucky, on a meetup with another ES member bobc the other day at a pub equidistant for the both of us, the plough and flail in mobberly, I managed to highside the bike from a near standstill on sheet ice i didnt realise i was stood on. Funnier still was seeing Bob trying to stop on the very same ice patch about 5 minutes afterwards. I Cant have made the best first impression to make laughing at someone you have never met before but it was funny and to be fair id done the same thing 5 minutes before. I was lucky that i wasnt going any quicker was using hookworms and they are no good on ice.

 

[Farfle]

daaaaaaamn thats a good one.

 

[Lessss]

What happens to studs in snow? The cracks and crevices fill with snow of course rendering them pretty useless on asphalt.
That is why I went to three wheels for winter driving.

Hard to believe, but I swear frozen asphalt is harder than summer asphalt

It is harder. In summer it is more flexible and springy. Just think Shuttle booster O ring.

 

[kfong]

I can attest to that, having clipped a fence at over 25mph on a hot summers day without a helmet. I was fortunate enough not to break anything. Looking back the asphalt walkway I landed on must of allowed me to bounce a bit. I ended up sliding and rolling a bit. Just bruises and a sore shoulder for a week to show for it. Really dumb not to be wearing a helmet at the time, over 90 degs out and I had just finished trail riding. It happened at the least likely part of the ride. I was also tired and less attentive thinking the ride back to be a breeze. Don't let your guard down and do wear a helmet!

 

[MattyCiii]

Had icy roads this morning - took "the ice bike". That's the spare bike fitted with Schwalbe Marathon studded tires for winter, or with a quick wheel set swap, for guests/friends when the weather is nice (At 20*f, few of my friends bike, and those that do bring their own bike).

Those suckers gripped the icy roads like velcro, but I must say running them at 40psi was a real drag. I'll be adding some pressure for next time, I can always vent some off if I don't have the grip...

 

[alsmith]

My bruise has almost gone- there's just a bit of the border at the edges of where it was but there's a swollen lump still on my elbow. The lump doesn't hurt now but the for the first week or so it hurt when on the bike - it seemed to feel every lump and bump on the road. It's wet today and I noticed I'm riding more carefully and slower than I usually do!
I'm a bit surprised at how quickly it's healed- liveforphysics estimate of around 2 weeks was pretty accurate. I take it that's experience.

 

[miro13car]

how many people ride their winter route only on snow cover surfaces, sooner or later you encounter clear asphalt or maybe worse concrete.
I cannot imagine that all winter route is on snow or ice.
Studed tires hate this when ridden on concrete for sure.
So I am in winter country -- Canada, Alberta with SEVERE winters and I have doubts about using studed tires. Often bike paths are clear off snow down to bare asphalt for kilometers.

 

[DrkAngel]

Homemade studded

A great compromise design ... usable all Winter.
Good on moderate snow to glare ice with enough rubber for good clear road grip.

3rd Winter ... replaced inner rows once.

Good grip on the straight, better grip on slight turn, great grip on heavy turn.
Keep tire at max pressure for good conditions and least rolling resistance, lower pressure for more stud contact - better grip on ice.

DANGER! On bare roads sounds like microwaving popcorn. Might give you the munchies?

 

[MadRhino]

how many people ride their winter route only on snow cover surfaces, sooner or later you encounter clear asphalt or maybe worse concrete.
I cannot imagine that all winter route is on snow or ice.
Studed tires hate this when ridden on concrete for sure.
So I am in winter country -- Canada, Alberta with SEVERE winters and I have doubts about using studed tires. Often bike paths are clear off snow down to bare asphalt for kilometers.

Right.
Most of the winter days are on pavement, either dry or slushy with melting agents. Studs are not good for speeding on the street. I use stud tires on one of my bikes, only for off road riding.