Medic Zero

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Not the obvious (large enough failing hailstones can injure you directly by their impact on your person), but can just the right (wrong) sized hail be slippery to ride over?

Where I've lived I've rarely had to ride in hail, and the one time that I distinctly recall, it had happened a little earlier and the "stones" were getting soft. Hoping the collective wisdom of Bike Forums can enlighten me (and others).

I'm comfortable riding in ice (with the right tires), snow, rain, and temps from below freezing to well above 100 degrees, but I told myself that the fact it was hailing was part of the reason I didn't ride the day before yesterday, when I rolled over and went back to sleep for another hour. Of course, every time I drive into work instead of cycling, it is it's own punishment, but still, I'd like to remove this minor excuse if I can.

Thanks!



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cyccommute 

We get a lot of hail here along the front range. This picture from Colorado Springs, for example, isn't a winter picture. It's from May of 2015. Yea, that's about a foot of hail and it likely fell in less than half an hour.



It's not like riding in snow either. It's a lot more dense and a lot harder to push through.

With the exception of hail like the above, I usually wait until it has had a chance to melt. With storms like the one above, I'll take the bus or bum a ride.

noglider 

My god, those are a shocking picture and description. I've never heard of anything like that. Colorado is quite a state.

cyccommute 

The little hail is easy to deal with. It's the big ones we worry about. It closed a local mall for 9 months to repair the damage. My roof has been replaced 3 times in the 27 years I've lived at my house and I've owned many cars that look a bit like a golf ball. Bought a couple of them new for cheap because of hail damage.

88Tempo

I remember that big hailstorm we got hammered out where we are East of town. When it comes to riding in hail I think I'd have to pass since even little hail hurts when it hits you in the face.

noglider 

Wow, compared with hail in Colorado and earthquakes in California and Hurricanes in Florida, the northeast has a mild climate. We have cold winters and hot summers but not so many disasters. Hail is very rare here, and when we have it, it is brief, and I've never seen the stones get bigger than 2 cm.

CliffordK

We'll occasionally get rice or BB sized hail. Usually during winter or spring months. Usually not enough buildup to be dangerous ,but one might use some caution around corners, especially if riding on shoulders.

I just find it more annoying to ride in than anything else. Cold (usually wet too), windy, and the hail can smart a bit, especially if going at speed.

I've been hiking in Idaho with summer hail (maybe 1/4" size). It can come down a lot quickly, but doesn't seem that dangerous, at least when on foot.

I have a gradeschool acquaintance that was sheltering from a storm under a tree and got killed by lightening. There can be more to a storm than just frozen water.

no motor?

How long did it take for that to melt?

BikeLite

hail yeah it can be dangerous in texas.

cyccommute 

We'll usually have mounds of snow from that kind of hail for a few days. It tends to get cold here in Colorado after hail or thunderstorms for several hours. It's also ice which is different from snow...no dead space so it melts a little slower.

I would also bet that those trees in the right side of the picture had leaves before the storm.

a1penguin

Note to self: Cross Colorado off the list of states to retire to.

That is a lot of hail!

noglider 

But really, despite things like that, Colorado has A LOT going for it. My daughter lives near Denver, and life is pretty sweet. Frozen stuff usually melts rapidly since the temperature swings so widely. She hated the winters in the east, and she enjoys the Colorado climate.

cyccommute 

Shhhhhh! We don't need any more people here.

noglider is lying to you! We have daily hail storms with hail the size of cannon balls!* We have to wear hardhats just to go for a walk! It's cold and dark and there's no oxygen here.

*not that far off the mark Cannon balls aren't all that large.

Shimagnolo

This was an interesting photo from last month here in CO:https://weather.com/storms/severe/ne...h-from-the-air

Bug Shield

Could be dangerous to your marriage too! My wife has been caught with me in a couple hailstorms and does not find it nearly as entertaining as I do! Somehow this is always through some fault of mine.

Colorado Kid

In a word, YES!! I was riding up Lizard Head Pass (12,000+ feet,.Western CO.) and got hit by Hail. OUCH!!! I got nailed by Pea size and larger Hail. Take cover when you get hit by a Hail storm.

Colorado Kid

The road is 10,000'. The peak is about 12,000 '. Sorry about that.

Shimagnolo

I moved to CO in 1996, but got lots of stories from the locals about this one: Historic Denver Hailstorm Was Called Worst In American History « CBS Denver

One guy told me he was driving down the street, when his windshield was suddenly collapsing into his lap!

fietsbob

the collision of arctic and gulf stream and gulf of Mexico air masses, is more prevalent east of the Rocky mountains.

Much different in the West with the Pacific Ocean currents being cooler off the NorthWest.

here hail is pea sized not golf or baseball sized.

Storm cloud temperature at high altitudes is colder, updrafts stronger ,

to have a hail stone go up, repeatedly, to get so much larger , before its too heavy, and then, falls..



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88Tempo

Colorado Springs got nailed again just the other day. News had pictures of some hail that looked to be near baseball size in diameter. Busted windshields all over the place driving around town today.

Shimagnolo

We received a fresh batch just now:

RidingMatthew

I would suspect that size would be dangerous

cyccommute 

Yes. But that is small comparatively. The hailstorm that hit in 2017 punched 5" holes in car windows. And you really never know when that pea sized hail is going to turn into softball sized projectiles. Personally, I won't ride through any hailstorm here.

wipekitty

This thread is great! I used to live in CO, and had completely forgotten about the crazy hailstorms. It's fun when you get to shovel...in the middle of summer.

Where I live now (Western WI), the hail is pretty pale in comparison - it hurts a bit, but doesn't stick around long enough to be a problem. My larger concern with hail now is the stuff that accompanies it - 60+ MPH winds, tornadoes, lightning, and other nasties.

noglider 

I just misread the thread title, thinking it asked if Hell is dangerous.