Cycling in the snow...
Discussion
Badassery aside, this might be helpful? http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/cycling-in-the-snow...
in all honesty, you are better walking, three feet of snow is a hell of a lot and progress will be painfully slow if you dont have some tread on those tyres and even if you do, three foot of snow is almost all of the pedal stroke so it will feel like cycling through treacle... dragging the mechs through the snow wont do them much good either.
MattDell said:
Oh, feet. I read/assumed that was 3 inches.
Um, I'd personally find it very difficult to cycle through an object the same height as my bike.
It's not exactly going to be easy to walk through either!Um, I'd personally find it very difficult to cycle through an object the same height as my bike.
If it is inches, then 3 inches for an MTB on knobblies with discs is a walk in the park, but I wouldn't want to do it on slicks and rim brakes.
TBH if it's really 3' of snow I would stay at home. Walking it will be borderline impossible, and if it is will probably take you between 2 and 4 hours.
A couple of years back I had a night call-out (I was in mountain rescue at the time) and I think we averaged about 1 MPH through ~ 2' of snow. I was breaking trail and could have gone a bit faster but the less fit members of team were blowing out of their arses after a couple of miles. To put it into context, this was on a flat forest trail, and the landies - with everything locked and snow chains fitted - were stuck fast within 50m of turning off the road.
Deep soft snow is a really difficult terrain to travel over because you'll sweat your tits off within minutes and if you stop you get VERY VERY cold very quickly. You'll also fatigue quickly and need a lot of hydration.
I'm guessing it's a joke post however.
A couple of years back I had a night call-out (I was in mountain rescue at the time) and I think we averaged about 1 MPH through ~ 2' of snow. I was breaking trail and could have gone a bit faster but the less fit members of team were blowing out of their arses after a couple of miles. To put it into context, this was on a flat forest trail, and the landies - with everything locked and snow chains fitted - were stuck fast within 50m of turning off the road.
Deep soft snow is a really difficult terrain to travel over because you'll sweat your tits off within minutes and if you stop you get VERY VERY cold very quickly. You'll also fatigue quickly and need a lot of hydration.
I'm guessing it's a joke post however.
sorry all - its probably 3 "inches".... I love to cycle it through the rain, just never done snow or slush before.If the opinion was "No way, you'll be arse over tit before you set off:" I'll leave it.
I've got good walking boots, so I may just charge the camera and go the scenic route....
If it's 3" you are fine - I hit a mile or so section of towpath where it was a foot to a foot and a half, it was hard going but I could make progress. TBH most of my ride tonight was in about 3" which is easier than riding on compact snow, I was riding Conti Mountain Kings at 40psi - they were a bit slippy on the icy sections but fine on the snow!
Get out there, layer up, apply rule 5 and crack on!
Get out there, layer up, apply rule 5 and crack on!
I cycled in it on Friday and it depends. Fresh powder is fine. But stuff that has been walked on, compacted in places but bumpy, then refrozen slightly - thats utterly treacherous stuff. You will notice cambers in the road you never noticed before, and be prepared for both the front and the back to try to step out in different directions simultaneously if you hit a slippery patch!
Slyjoe said:
sorry all - its probably 3 "inches".... I love to cycle it through the rain, just never done snow or slush before.If the opinion was "No way, you'll be arse over tit before you set off:" I'll leave it.
I've got good walking boots, so I may just charge the camera and go the scenic route....
Powder / softer compacted snow offers the best grip. Too compacted however and it's slippery as hell. Rule of thumb is that if you're leaving tyre prints you'll be fine.
If a car has been down the road, cycling in their tracks is fine but be VERY careful not to ride up the ridge the tracks create or drop off the compacted bit. In both instances your front wheel will wash out.
Avoid sharp steering inputs as the front will wash, so when climbing, choose a lower gear than normal so you don't weave Spin your way up to the top.
Pick your braking spots where you know you'll have grip. This can sometimes mean going faster than you feel comfortable with over the icy bits.
When turning make sure your outside foot is taking all your weight. It spreads your weight
to both wheels and the correct side of the tyre as well for maximum grip.
Lean the bike and keep your body upright.
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