After a two week hiatus I finally got back on the bike and rode to work, but...had to turn around after a mile and a quarter. Even with studded snow tires the snow was too deep and the ice was too lumpy. I could have made it but it would have taken 2 hours, and I only had an hour. So I returned home and drove. But at lest I had the gumption to get up and give it a go. Here's the video from the ride:https://youtu.be/tXZCNTPoV2E

In Snowviet Rushhour, bike rides YOU.

I know the feeling!

https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...ts-secret.html

[MENTION=151366]BobbyG[/MENTION] at least you gave it a shot. I think i would be worried about riding in the snow like that because you would not have an easy way to get out of the way of slidding cars.
Hats off to for trying and perhaps you can try again. I think each snow is different so each each possible ride would be different.

It's not easy, and sometimes, it's just not possible.

good for you for giving it a go! if/when this happens to me, i'm sure i'd feel sad too, but glad to have at least tried.

Dude, that's 2 1/2 miles of biking in the snow. I'd call it a multi-modal commute, switching to your car 2 1/2 miles into your route. Who cares that the bike portion is a loop?

You chose the wrong tool for the job. I can't see your bike directly in your video (a link or embedding the video would make it easier to see) but I can see from the shadows that the bike is a rigid bike. Rigid bikes and ruts don't play well together. The wheels get trapped in the ruts and you can't countersteer to get out of them. You are just stuck until you either hit the end of the rut or you crash.

A better tool for rutted ice and snow is at least a bike with front suspension. Rear suspension helps with traction but a front suspension fork does wonders for control. I've used all kinds of forks in winter riding over the years and even the worst is better than a rigid fork. I currently use an air/oil fork which works down to at least 0°F and is perfectly happy at more moderate temperatures.

You make a valid point. However I am mostly a commuter on pavement, and up until this incident I didn't need a suspension fork. I will try again tomorrow and except for a few extremely shadowed streets I don't anticipate lumpy ice.

Lumps are different from ruts. Even on a rigid bike lumps and bumps are pretty easy to navigate. You basically just ride up and over them. The problem with ruts like in your video is that you have to ride with them rather than over them. You, literally, get stuck in the rut and can't get out of it. You probably found that out on your ride. There are some ways to deal with ruts on a rigid bike but they aren't as effective nor as easy as using a suspended fork. The techniques are a whole lot easier to learn off-road as well because you have more chances to practice them.

That said, perhaps the best way to handle rut is to treat it like deep sand (again, something that you encounter more commonly off-road). To ride in snow (or sand) you want to try and float the front wheel over it. To do this, try to unload the front bars by leaning back more...almost as if you are trying to do a wheelie...and gripping the handlebar lightly. The rear wheel will dig into the snow or sand and you'll start to bog down but that can't really be avoided. The front wheel is going to bounce around a bit but that's what you want. Let the wheel find its way through the snow ruts as best it can.

To handle the rear wheel, shift down to a low gear and spin at a fairly fast rate. Do not mash! You don't have enough power to "power through" soft surfaces so you need to depend on "revving the engine"...i.e. you...more. Spinning at a fast rate takes a lot of energy so the longer the ride, the harder it will be.

This, by the way, is stuff you learn very quickly when mountain biking. You may never have to learn all this...and a whole lot more...on the road but it's beginner stuff for mountain bike riders. That's a really good reason to own and use a mountain bike. You live in an area that has excellent mountain biking in just about any direction you care to go...don't ignore the eastern part of our great state! If you have been looking for an excuse to own another bike or you just want to channel your inner kid, learning how to ride off-road is a great place to start. And it will make you a better rider all around. You'll quickly find yourself looking at your commute as another challenge, especially in the snow. You'll become "that guy" at work

OP's video for those who don't want to copy/paste.

Thx for making the video easier to watch, I enjoyed it! Made me want to try some snow biking. But if I lived in an area that got significant snow, I'd want to try it with a fatbike.

A well kept secret about the Colorado Front Range is that while we get snow...and even epic amounts of it at times...it doesn't usually stick around for long. BobbyG's snow is probably gone by now as is the snow here in Denver. Current temperature in Denver is hovering around 60°F. Colorado Springs is around 50°F. Last week's snow is a distant memory. I've thought about a fatbike but, honestly, you would have more use for one in San Diego than I would here in Denver. They work wonderfully on sand.