snow riding

[andyscooter]

we had some berk overtake us yeasterday we were doing about 15mph on a white over road he overtook at about 50mph its a 30 limit anyway

the snow has prettymuch cleared off the roads so i will be ok in the morning

[Maxsymuppet]

I have ridden through a lot of winters and the key is to stick to the bit of the road where tarmac is showing through the snow and to keep it STEADY! Keep your speed well down (15mph or less) and when turning keep as upright as you can. And above all watch those brakes! Any more than a light touch and you're in trouble. Rear brake on it's own (as long as your scoot doesn't have linked brakes) is better than both. And what's with this feet down? Keep them on the footboards. I know it's instinctive to put your feet down but resist the temptation. It destroys your balance and it makes it more likely that if you do go over you will catch your ankle under the bike. And if your bike is heavy (250 or above) it could lead to a twisted ankle or worse.


All this is OK if the snow is only on side roads. If main roads are also snow covered then don't bother. You will only annoy other road users wobbling along at 15mph. If main roads are clear then away you go.

[Dave Weller]

My brother with 40 years+ road experience was diverted off the main 'clear' road by the police, he had an accident down the side road, in hindsight he should have asked the policeman to let him through. It was closed because of a car accident.
Some very good tips about winter riding, a good point is using a light low powered bike. Never ride with feet down and don't ride in the gutter.

[StephenC]

...
All this is OK if the snow is only on side roads. If main roads are also snow covered then don't bother. You will only annoy other road users wobbling along at 15mph. If main roads are clear then away you go.

This is my measure. My side road today was a bit hairy but there were bits of tarmac showing and I could see the main road about 200yds away was fine, so I gave it a go. All was well.

But something I had not thought of was what would be the condition of where I was heading for? Today I am working at a different office from normal (search for "operation stepchange") and the parking for bikes here is on a bit of wide pavement.

Which was completely iced-up Luckily I managed to find an out-of-the-way spot that was accessible otherwise I would have had to turn around and go home!

The other thing I did that I think was a good idea was to clear a path on Sunday when the snow was still pretty fresh and not frozen solid. I had some salt kept over from last year and so I had a lovely path from y garage up the side of the house right into the road.

[andyscooter]

problem i had is i only have ten inch wheels and the snow was 5 inches deep in places

once i got going it was fine managed to ride to work and back and im not dead so all is well

[monty9120]

i went to work this morning. it wasnt too bad. the only thing is they have started scraping the car park and pushed it all into the bike bays when i hit it i nearly fell off it wasnt snow it was about 60cm of ice now haha

[andyscooter]

was worse this morning roads were like silk in places and on way home they were worse wife then asks if i can go fetch a take away


sod that im having somthing on toast as i am not planning on riding again today

[Bluebottle]

Scooter/car accident near me today caused by snow ( for "snow" read "twat who can't drive")

Tosser in a cage taking no account of the snow on his side road and came up to the junction as he normally would, hit the anchors and drifted straight into the path of a scoot on L plates. Trashed the front panel of the scoot but the rider seemed OK apart from being shaken up, I bet he's going to be sore tomorrow though.

Lots of nobheads about with windows covered in snow, no sense that anything has changed, spinning their wheels expecting to go and then locking them expecting to stop. Its snow, ITS SLIPPY

[Ferrit]

Ok riding to the station this morning, just lots of slippery slush to work through in places. However it is now all frozen and there is an enormous patch of black ice right on the turning in my close....grrrr

[Zed]

Still patches of snow on the ground here (zone 2 London), and a few flakes dropped on me into work today... Roads are totally clear though - yay

Two cyclists have been taken out over the week; they seem just as guilty as cagers for not adjust for the conditions