Tips for Riding in Snow/Adverse Conditions

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  • October 10, 2014 at 1:05 pm #915967
    Tim Kelley
    Participant

    I’m putting together a piece for winter riding, with a focus on how to ride when it’s snowing or when there is snow or ice on the ground.

    I’d welcome any suggestions you have for your favorite tips. Like:

    -If you are riding through slick areas, try to apply pressure to the pedals evenly. Don’t mash the pedals up and down or else the rear wheel can spin out.

    -If you see a short slick patch ahead, enter it with your front wheel pointing straight and don’t turn while you’re in the slick patch to keep from losing your balance

    -Wider tires, or tires with studs in the can provide more traction on slick or loose surfaces

    -If it’s really icy, sometimes the best course of action is to get off and walk your bike.

    Anyone got anything to suggest?

    October 10, 2014 at 1:10 pm #1011950
    OneEighth
    Participant

    Tread is sometimes more important that tire width. I’ve found that, in wet conditions, tires with any kind of knobby tread are far less sticky than road tires. I’ve lost the front end in wet corners far more frequently on cx tires than on thinner road tires.
    I also think studs in the wet are about the least grippy tire you can run.

    October 10, 2014 at 1:24 pm #1011951
    Phatboing
    Participant

    Wider tires yes, and on snow, run em at as low a pressure as you dare.

    October 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm #1011952
    dbb
    Participant

    I find fresh snow easier to ride in than the rutted icy sections. Choosing your line is much more important in snow.

    Flintstoning works for short stretches

    October 10, 2014 at 1:52 pm #1011955
    DismalScientist
    Participant

    Studs work on ice, not any slick surface. They are no help at all on loose surfaces.

    October 10, 2014 at 2:10 pm #1011962
    Geoff
    Participant

    @Tim Kelley 96714 wrote:

    …try to apply pressure to the pedals evening.

    So, don’t ride in the morning?

    October 10, 2014 at 2:26 pm #1011965
    vvill
    Participant

    Use the rear brake more than the front brake, and keep weight back more than you usually would.

    Also:
    http://www.icebike.org/Articles/techniques.htm
    http://practicalpedal.com/winter2008/feature2.php

    October 10, 2014 at 2:28 pm #1011966
    Tim Kelley
    Participant

    @Geoff 96729 wrote:

    So, don’t ride in the morning?

    Got it. Thanks.

    October 10, 2014 at 2:31 pm #1011967
    Arlingtonrider
    Participant

    Capital bikeshare bikes have nice wide tires. ;) Also, multi-modal transport.

    I used bikeshare bikes a lot after last winter’s multiple snows, and several times would use bus, metro and bikeshare to come into town, then bikeshare to get all or part of the way home, depending on conditions. (This also eliminated the need for constant chain and drive train cleaning for my own bike. Hiking boots and bikeshare ‘s flat pedals for the win too.)

    October 10, 2014 at 4:40 pm #1011999
    hozn
    Participant

    Personally I like riding through rutted snow in a tall gear (and with studded tires). I imagine this is similar to why it is recommended to use a big gear for cobbles — easier to keep pressure even and on back wheel when not spinning at high cadence.

    And I’m not sure I would exactly call this “good advice”, but I find that going fast / with confidence also means less turns of the wheel, which are always disastrous on ice. Of course playing chicken with the snow/ice like that can be a little terrifying. I would say, though, that riding with consistency and confidence — and not making any sudden braking or steering changes — is really the most important thing.

    October 10, 2014 at 4:45 pm #1012001
    TwoWheelsDC
    Participant

    Memorize the bus schedule…

    October 10, 2014 at 4:53 pm #1012005
    Phatboing
    Participant

    @vvill 96732 wrote:

    Use the rear brake more than the front brake, and keep weight back more than you usually would.

    Also:
    http://www.icebike.org/Articles/techniques.htm
    http://practicalpedal.com/winter2008/feature2.php

    And don’t forget the painful re-orienting of your braking brain once the ground’s clear. It’s like you’re still turning on the hot water tap in June.

    October 10, 2014 at 5:13 pm #1012008
    OneEighth
    Participant

    @vvill 96732 wrote:

    Use the rear brake more than the front brake, and keep weight back more than you usually would.

    Also:
    http://www.icebike.org/Articles/techniques.htm
    http://practicalpedal.com/winter2008/feature2.php

    Rear brake…hmmmm.

    October 10, 2014 at 5:20 pm #1012011
    Greenbelt
    Participant

    Fresh untrodden snow under an inch or two is really fun to ride in with MTB-ish or gnarly CX tires. Don’t miss those days! You’ll track fine. I promise. Unless there’s ice under — remember where the puddles were.

    One of the nice things about snow days lately is that they’ve been shutting down the government commuters/requiring telework for even small accumulations. So there’s more room to ride on the treated (usually) streets if the trails are too rutted up for comfort/safety.

    Don’t forget to unclip, run flat pedals, use your hiking boots for better and quicker Flintstoning as needed.

    October 10, 2014 at 5:27 pm #1012012
    TwoWheelsDC
    Participant

    @OneEighth 96776 wrote:

    Rear brake…hmmmm.

    5 bikes in my shed, but only 3 rear brakes…

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