Whats the weather like near you?

[Big J]

 

A fantastic photo from yesterday morning by someone else in the village. It'd be about minus 12-15 at the point this was taken. Extreme cold here really doesn't feel especially cold. It just makes you want to go outside, preferably on cross country skis! 

[sime42]

Looks lovely.

But Cross Country skis, really! They always look much too hard work to me, I'd rather let gravity do the work!

 

 

[Paul Cleaver]

Surveying snowed off today in North Staffordshire 

[Mark Bolam]

2 hours ago, Big J said:

 

Brilliant car. Always loved Panda 4x4s. Being a bit skinnier now (with all the cycling) I might even have a chance of fitting in one.

 

I know I bang on about winter and all season tyres, but come on! That sort of snow is an absolute and complete doddle for any 2wd car with the right tyres. 

 

The one you have to watch out for here is melted and refrozen snow on the gravel roads. That's nasty. It took me off my bike and onto my chin a month ago, and I was on studs! Lesson learned though. Avoid the gravel roads if there is any chance of ice. 

What in God’s name would possess anyone to think cycling in snow was in any way a good idea?

[Big J]

30 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

What in God’s name would possess anyone to think cycling in snow was in any way a good idea?

 

If you like cycling and it's snowy you don't have much choice!

On the right tyres, you're pretty secure if you are sensible. I reckon I've done a couple thousand kilometres on snow over this winter. Including 47km today.

[Mark Bolam]

AAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH!

 

Bloody snow!

 

 

[Big J]

11 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

AAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH!

 

Bloody snow!

 

 

 

It sounds like a cliché, but the biggest difficulty with cycling in snow is learning all the different types. How cold was it when it fell? Has it melted and refrozen? Has it been ploughed or just driven on? Did it fall onto a frozen base or not? Is it tarmac underneath or gravel? What is the current temperature.

All these things and many more affect the way it behaves. Next winter I'm going to shift more towards my mountain bike with much fatter tyres. The 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres aren't really aggressive enough, especially for the gravel roads.

[Mark Bolam]

It’s not so much the cycling that would bother me, more the drivers on the snowy roads.

People like my wife, for example.

[Stere]

Schwalbe Ice Spiker look alot more noobly.

 

Always like any folding bead tyres better they are  worth the extra cost.

 

People call the rigid wire bead ones "hosepipes" 🙂

 

 

[Big J]

2 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

It’s not so much the cycling that would bother me, more the drivers on the snowy roads.

People like my wife, for example.

 

You've got to think differently about it here. 

 

For a start, we have maybe 3% of the traffic you have. And on much bigger roads.

 

80% of people here have studded winter tyres. The other 20% mostly have full winter tyres, and a few all season (but Nordic rated). 

 

People are used to driving on snow. We're in the south and we'll still have had 8 weeks of snow cover this winter, in what has been a less snowy than average winter.

 

In just over 2hrs on the bike today, I think I saw 10-12 cars in total.