Sawtooth

I have not cycled for two days and it is killing me! We have had some good snow/rain/sleet/fog storms over the past couple of days. While this might be the norm for most northern cities, it only happens a few times/year in Boise, so the drivers are all over the place (including off the road). I am committed to riding through the winter, but I don't think these clowns can/will see me, let alone look for me. It is not an issue of being a tough guy, I am literally scared for my safety out there.

How do the rest of you deal with slick roads/poor visibility (not dark) and the threat of being run over/slid into?

mechBgon

For daytime visibility, I personally use two daytime-visible rear superblinkies (Cateye LD1000 and NiteRider) and an HID headlight, besides a neon-yellow outer layer (and I'm wearing my orange/reflective safety vest over that at the moment).

For slick roads... studded mountain-bike tires + rapt attention to the road surface conditions + helmet mirror (to keep informed about traffic to the rear).

For collision avoidance, predictability and visibility might help motorists to at least be doing what they can to avoid a collision. The helmet mirror helps too, I can keep an eye on what's going on back there. If I hear locked-up tires sliding on pavement, I might be able to check the situation and see a way out. The rest of the time, it's up to my guardian angel

Weird that Boise drivers have problems with the winter conditions. I've visited Boise and it really didn't look that bad to deal with, plus I would've thought you guys would get plenty of snow & ice to practice on.

DataJunkie

Hey mechBgon. What part of E WA state are you from? I'm a transplanted native of the dry sh.... make that the Tri Cities. Richland specifically.

I'm not much help for this thread. Denver's bad weather lasts a day and melts. I just stay off the streets and bus it.

thdave

I don't ride in if the roads aren't cleared of most of the snow and ice. More accurately, I won't ride in if I don't feel safe. But, once I start out on that bike--I usually feel safer than I would have thought.

I once turned around on the way to work--that was when it started to downpour. My visibility was too poor.

mechBgon

I live in Spokane and commute about 5 miles each way between the South Hill and downtown using a route with a moderate hill. Downhill in the morning can be a little touchy if it's snowed, but the motorists aren't complete Seattle-class winter newbies here.

We do get routine plowing and de-icing by the city's street department here, it would be a different story if they just let the snow sit there until it went away by itself

chipcom 

There is the key point for you, the OP and anyone else - riding is not a guts issue, if you don't feel safe, don't do it. There are many days I don't ride and days that I don't even bother driving, it's not an issue of confidence in myself or my skills, the issue is the other people on the road. There are just some things we can't control, the weather and how others react to it being some of them. Don't F with Mother Nature...or human nature.

If you want to increase your confidence, at least in your own skills, you can always do what we did as kids, both on our bikes and in our cars, once the snow started falling - find an empty parking lot and have a ball!

mechBgon also makes excellent points concerning using the right equipment, being aware of your surroundings, being predictable and being visible if you do ride.

scottmorrison99

If the fog is too thick, I will drive instead of ride. People often drive too fast for conditions in thick fog and I'd rather be hit in my truck than on my bike. Cold isn't an issue here but fog is. I've missed one day already this season due to low visibility due to fog.

Sawtooth

Good points all. Boise has some good snow but it usually melts off in 1-3 days. So we don't drive on it all winter. Scottmorrison99 makes a good pooint regarding fog. How thick is too thick? My thing with Fog is that someone will mistake my blinkie for the car ahead of him/her and therby totally misjudge distance between us as well. I have ridden quite a few fog days this year (we get weeklong inversions) but once vis. gets below 100 feet I start having 2nd thoughts.

swwhite

I have a personal standard procedure that I ride only if the main road I take is plowed to the curb and the temperature is greater than or equal to zero degrees (F). I am not religious about riding because I still ride many more days than I drive. I hope to extend my range as I improve my equipment.

I just made myself some ultra-cold-weather mittens that I am hoping to try out if the temperature goes below zero.

If I can get a beater bike with studs, I will try going in snowy conditions. I broke my plowed-road rule once and just about fell over a couple times, so I am going to hold to it from now on. However, I do have that winter beater coming (I think) so I hope to go out in at least one snowstorm this winter, just to see if I can do it. On that day, I will take a back route that is longer than the regular route, but almost entirely on residential streets with very little traffic. The trade-off is that the residential streets are not as well-plowed, but they are packed.

banerjek

I recently quit riding ice, but I don't mind fog (part of me even likes it because it suppresses traffic noise).

Biking is like working on a roof -- you must feel confident in your skills to do it safely. If you're scared, you'll screw up and get hurt. Better to do what feels right.

You also need the right gear. At night, I have my NR rear superblinkie, HID on front, helmet blinky, reflective clothing, reflective tape on my cranks, panniers, pump, fenders, and rack. No matter what conditions you ride in, you always have to have an eye behind you so you can ditch if necessary. I'd never ride without a mirror.

Roody

I will ride in any conditions that I would drive in (if I had a car). If the roads are too bad for riding or driving, I walk or take a bus for essential trips, like going to work (I work in a hospital, so I am an essential worker in civil emergencies). A lot depends on your experience. I live in an area that is "blessed with weather," so we get lots of experience here.

My stepson and his best friend were seriously injured in an auto on ice accident, so I realize how illusory the "protection" of a car really is. I don't feel one bit safer in a car than on a bike.

tokolosh

sounds like my climate, so i know what you mean. not only are the drivers out there inexperienced every time it happens; i'm inexperienced at foreseeing whatever might go wrong with them in those conditions and where they'll go when it happens. when we had a few inches of snow and i was out experimenting, i realised that i really don't know how to tell if a car is a risk or not. obviously i'm not talking about the nimwits who are trying to drag-race in it.

but in my up-and-down city, one thing i thought of was that a bar-end mirror would be very handy on days like those. if i wasn't sure about a given car on a given slope, i'd get out of their way until they'd gone past. but that only works with the cars you can see. when i was watching my own road so carefully and balance was different, a mirror would have been an easier way to keep tabs behind me on downhills.

markf

I won't cycle in blowing snow or white out conditions, and I would avoid fog if it was a significant issue around here.

A lot of the time I find that the cars are staying in a very narrow path where traffic has melted the snow away leaving bare pavement. When this happens I find that I can ride in the snowy section next to the bare pavement with very little trouble. Motorists are extremely careful to keep their tires on bare pavement in these conditions, so just staying in the snow to the right of the bare pavement keeps me safe. Sometimes I'll move into the bare pavement stripe to pick up a little speed, then veer back into the snowed over area to let cars by.

I'm very fortunate that local motorists are quite considerate of bicyclists, I only wish the tourists were as considerate.

Satyr

When really bad conditions comes I just mount my reindeer and travel this way.

Lucky07

I won't bike in icy conditions or with packed or deep unplowed snow, but that's about it. Fog doesn't happen too often. I can see that being dangerous.

JOHN J

No Problem On the guts issue cuz its not a guts issue.

Im pretty much done commuting untill at least we get a good thaw in upstate ny.

Unfortunatly I only have 3 ways to work

(1) bike trail (too much snow/ice now) 18.5 mile ride,

(2) a busy country backroad that twists and turns for many miles and has no shoulder and lots of 2-3 foot deep rain ditches to fall in if I have to get out of way . I also have to cross a major very busy 4 LANE COUNTY road (it once took me 17 mins to get across last summer YUK!!!), I dont like riding /crossing this ROUTE in good weather LET ALONE WITH ALL THE SNOW-ICE, (13.2 MILE)

(3) a Different 4 lane major county RT. that also has no shoulder and has plenty of auto accidents to boot. (12.4 miles)

another thing If I break down in cold weather im a long ways from help with my commute.

If I was commuting in and around the Town I live in id still be riding but with my options the saftey factor is very much against me during winter for my ride into work.



So I now just ride my old Mountain bike around my home turf for excersize in the evenings.

"John"

jz19

[QUOTE=chipcom]There is the key point for you, the OP and anyone else - riding is not a guts issue, if you don't feel safe, don't do it. There are many days I don't ride and days that I don't even bother driving, it's not an issue of confidence in myself or my skills, the issue is the other people on the road. There are just some things we can't control, the weather and how others react to it being some of them. Don't F with Mother Nature...or human nature. QUOTE]

Right on advice. There is no point in risking getting hurt and then been forced out of your bike for weeks. If you wake up in the morning and think it is risky day to commute you are probably right. Why push it? After all, you can ride the next day or when the conditions improve.

Diamond

Like others, I think I've got the equipment part down pretty well but I don't have a great solution for other drivers. Defensive driving sounds great but in reality I think your risk factor goes up.

Two weekends ago I was driving my girlfriend's SUV up by Mt Hood and managed to put it into a snowbank. We hit a patch of ice and, even with studs, it was over in an instant. I'd claim that if a bike was at the wrong place then there is no way they could have gotten out of the way in time.

Normally I ride in on road with a very wide shoulder but with a relatively high speed limit (45 mph). I don't think this route is safe in bad weather. I have these visions of large SUV, out of control, spinning towards me at 35 mph and me seeing it in my mirror a second before it hits me.

My plan, when the conditions are icy, is to take an alternate route through neighborhoods. Problem is there are still sections of this route with traffic. So this isn't perfect.

Kind of a bummer. For the one ice experience I had this winter it was a real joy to pass up a lonnng line of cars that were stuck in a gridlock due to the weather. In bad weather it is actually possible to commute home faster by bike than by car but I'm not sure how safe it is.

-Scott

mechBgon

Two more remarks:

1) there's always indoor trainers for people who want to keep up on their cycling when the roads aren't OK to ride

2) On your commute, take a close look at any side streets that your route crosses. Note which ones could be hard for motorists to stop on. On my route, there are some that are steep downhills with a STOP sign at the bottom, and I try to pay close attention to those so I can stop short if a motorist is coming down and cannot stop on the snow/ice. There are some others that are not steep, but still are often wicked slick. If you have good traction on your road surface, remember that others still may not.

Daily Commute

I mostly agree. But if you don't feel safe, consider whether there are things you can do to make your trip safe.


I think this is the key point. Riding in bad weather is like any other serious outdoor activity--don't exceed the limits of your ability and equipment. If either is lacking, see if you can improve so you're ready for the next time.

You should take riding in 0F or icy conditions as seriously as you would take a back country hike or mountain climb.

I-Like-To-Bike

Only useful for those who commute by telephone/Internet. And/or consider using an indoor trainer, "cycling".

vegcrow

Some people say that 365 days of the year! Ride when you feel safe. You don't win "cool" points by riding outside of your comfort zone and getting killed. You know your commute route better than anybody else. There are ways to expand your comfort zone, but the important thing is you ride when you can and you're setting an excellent example for 99% of the population who doesn't even try.

Personally, when I wake up to crappy weather, I picture myself shaking my fist at the sky, screaming "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!?" Then again, it doesn't snow here. The most dangerous weather I ever see is gusting wind that is dropping oak tree branches onto parked cars (in the bike lane) all day.

cerewa

As a teen, I spent most of my winters in Anchorage, Alaska. It's a city of 300,000, most of them car-users, and on the first big day of snow every winter, probably 10 to 30 accidents happen.

I think driving on snow is like riding a bike. It takes some experience before you can tell how slowly you have to make your turns and stops in the conditions.

Riding a bike in front of a bunch of dangerous drivers who haven't figured out how to drive safely on snow might not be such a good idea. If the drivers have either a)barely driven in snow before or b) are out of practice from half a year+ of non-frozen roads, there's no shame in staying away.

huhenio

Temp of today's ride = 25f

Dew point = -1

Dry as a bone, clear roads, puzzled looks from my neighbours. "I know he has a car ... I saw him driving it yesterday ..."

Sawtooth

LOL! I get the same thing. The other day a friend of mine was incredulous to learn that I actually had an SUV sitting in the garage and still chose to ride.