Cycling UK Forum

Been really fed up not being able to ride due to a) Snow and ice and b) fractured wrist. Had a chat with the engineering department at work, and we now have a solution: New hand crafted stainless steel splint that transfers pressure from handlebars to my shoulder, and an emergency MTB bought from the bloke in the local aquarium shop. 12 psi int he 2" tyres, and off I went....

I can't remember the last time I misbehaved so badly on a bike Ain't it fun to ride a bike like a kid again? Lots of skids and spins involved. I was truly knackered by the time I got home

I too have had a small wrist fracture a month ago and still use the plastic cast done in hospital (although the wrist seem to have healed now). It was fine this morning (I lean on the bike as I sit on the rear rack as I go downhill) so not much pressure goes to the wrists. I have lowered the saddle to minumum as well, this way centre of gravity is low making the ride more stable and a possible fall slightly less dramatic.

I must look mad from outside!

I'm still cycling to work and back, one battles on. On the cycle-path I use, I feel lonely, with no other cyclists on it, who normally do the commute like me. I'm getting used to it now, taking it in my stride. Not feeling cold either, only the fingers are a touch numb, but I can live with that. My work colleagues say I'm brave to cycle in such conditions, hey life as to go on. Well, it's that or getting a bus to work and a taxi back or worst still walk 4 miles there and 4 miles back. No, I will stick to the bike.

Cycled in for the first time since before Chrimbo yesterday. The roads were mostly fine, followed a bus route most of the way.
On the way home woman driver coming up behind blew her horn at me before passing at about 5 mph more than I was doing, and I was having an of day and going slow, trying to avoid the slushy stuff at the side of the road.

Why are so many drivers so imcmpetent that they drive at 15 mph on well gritted road with not a trace of snow more the 2 feet from the kerb? Don't know when I'll be riding in again util after the thaw as the local council has announced it only has 5 days of grit left

I find the cars trailing me very stressfull while I negotiate the slush on the road. Studded tyres or not there is still danger of being hit by a car ( I had a near miss today)

I've been using the weather just to have fun for a change, got the MTB out, no fannying around with the worry of potholes and mud, not fussed about how long it takes to get anywhere, just messing around and taking the most enjoyable route, even if it is a small mini drift of just over a 1ft of snow... you can't cycle through it, but you can cycle INTO it

under -10c on my thermometer yesterday

cycled to work today - no great shakes (other than being rear ended on a bridge.

-5C in Northern Ireland this afternoon. Still can't stop me!

41.25km done (including a lot of big hills) @ avg. speed 27.9km/h (obviously with caution) without even eating properly before the ride.

I thought I was in good shape last summer when I started riding for real in a very warm, dry month of April- can't wait to see how far and fast I can go in Summer 2010 if I'm riding this well in -0C temps in January!

It certainly bodes well...

paulcuthbert wrote:-5C in Northern Ireland this afternoon. Still can't stop me!

41.25km done (including a lot of big hills) @ avg. speed 27.9km/h (obviously with caution) without even eating properly before the ride.

I thought I was in good shape last summer when I started riding for real in a very warm, dry month of April- can't wait to see how far and fast I can go in Summer 2010 if I'm riding this well in -0C temps in January!

It certainly bodes well...

I do far better in the winter than the summer. In the winter I can control my body temperature easily with layers, in summer I simply overheat and there's nothing I can do about it.
It's more a problem running than cycling though - more breeze whilst cycling to keep me cool, plus easier to rest.

paulcuthbert wrote:-5C in Northern Ireland this afternoon. Still can't stop me!

It certainly bodes well...

The colder the better for me as the studded tyres like solid ice but not the slush. Early morning commute is always safer and faster as it is -6 and this is when the cars have not crushed the ice yet

Finally I got out today(firs time since new year's eve),only "A" roads rideable so drove to High Legh, Cheshire, parked on the car park opposite the school (for those that know it)then just rode down the A50 through Knutsford as far as Allostock and back,21miles,not much,but its very cold, I was glad to just get the legs turning again .

[XAP]Bob wrote:cycled to work today - no great shakes (other than being rear ended on a bridge.

more details, like are you OK? I was riding in to work yesterday when a car behind me locked up on the snow after realising he was not going to make it past me before the oncoming vehicle got there, but I use a mirror on my commuter and could see he was not near enough to be a danger, fortunately.

Despite more snowfall Thursday night & small amount last night(Fri), our roads are pretty okay round here apart from the really bad potholes of which the're many. (I'll keep telling the highways that chucking in tarmac & getting stampit & bodgit to shoe it in doesn't last long in winter-time!) Temps around 0 to -1 or so today & we've had lovely sunshine(got me washing partially dried it was that warm...lol)
Consistant problem I'm having is the slush collecting in the mudguards but a bunny hop soon gets rid of most of it I'm still running the 25's so it's only when I get to loose compacted snow on top of ice on side streets that it's a problem staying upright.
Main issue I had today on my shopping trip was a range rover driver cutting me up on approach to a central pedestrian refuge island. He came in at a very steep angle and barely missed my elbow, lucky for him he got away or I would have pulled the dangerous idiot from his car The next car (another 4x4 by chance) gave me loads of room when coming past, though I was still shaking my fist & shouting obscenities.
Just going to risk cycling over to the other halves house on t'other side of town. This'll be fun..lol
Stay Safe everyone.

** edit by Graham.

niggle wrote:

[XAP]Bob wrote:cycled to work today - no great shakes (other than being rear ended on a bridge.

more details, like are you OK? I was riding in to work yesterday when a car behind me locked up on the snow after realising he was not going to make it past me before the oncoming vehicle got there, but I use a mirror on my commuter and could see he was not near enough to be a danger, fortunately.

Single lane bridge, controlled by lights.
On the approach to the bridge the driver overtook me over double white lines, then stopped 50 yards up the road for the red light and the van which was already stopped.
I pulled alongside the drivers window of the van and let him go when the lights changed, making sure I was in the middle of the narrowing road.
She then tries to overtake, but once pretty much alongside me realises that she can't so sits behind me revving her engine.
I stop at the top of the bridge* to ask her where she thinks she can overtake / why she is revving her engine so aggressively and she is sufficiently close that she simply drives into the back of me. I got nudged a few inches, no more.

So a minor collision really, v low speed. Basic driver impatience/incompetence.

She then asked what I was doing as "she was trying to stop, the road is icy". I wish I'd had the presence of mind to say "so why were you driving so close behind me" but I didn't.
Not that the road was icy at all, a bit damp, but it's a fairly busy road so it was all melted...


Bob

* I remembered another thread (not searching for it though) where someone did this and left a car facing an oncoming line of traffic on a similar bridge...

Oh - managed a nice fall today as well, misjudged the speed of a volvo as I approached a minor (hence compacted snow) T junction and grabbed a little too much brake, decided to stop the bike on it's side.

No damage, just a dislodged chain - passers by were nice and concerned though.
Oh, and the helmet managed to miss the floor as well