Snow in the South + commute attempt = fail!
 

I tried riding to work yesterday after we got 8" of snow(a LOT in Alabama!) I don't have knobbies or studded tires(Michelin Country Rocks), and failed miserably. The tires kept slipping from side to side through the humps of mush, and I kinda wrenched my knee a couple of times catching myself before I turned around and went back to the house. But doggone it, I tried! I have even more respect for northern commuters now!

Yeah, I'm good with cold, but I don't do snow. We rarely get snow here anyway - we just get ice. Good effort!

8 inches of snow would make my commute (and everyone else here) rather difficult... I don't think much of the local drivers here though.

The type of snow make a difference, 8" light fluffy snow vs. 8" heavy wet snow, world of difference in rideability. Where you used the words "heaps of mush", I'm guessing it was heavy wet snow, extremely hard to ride in/on, especially lacking decent winter tires--studs or knobbies, BTW studs are much better on ice than they are on snow.

8" in alabama:eek: didn't know that could happen

It started out light and fluffy, then as the day progressed had a lot of melted mush under it on the road by the house. As I cut through ruts, the front tire would slice through to the pavement and take a quick slide to one side or the other! Roads are mostly clear today, so I may try to ride in tomorrow, though it's supposed to get in the teens tonight and be slick as bat poop tomorrow morning.

+1!

Rode my bike home from work the afternoon of Atlanta's Snow Jam 1982. Don't remember falling down...I may have.
Drove out to Lenox Square with my wife the next day and all the stores were closed!

Good luck to y'all down South dealing with current wintry conditions.

Mush sucks regardless of the tires you're running. I don't mind ice, I don't mind snow but preserve me from mush.

I wussed out so far this week. Forecast going into Monday was 1-3" of snow, upped to 2-4"... got less than a 1/4" of the white stuff. But we did get a bunch of black ice. Don't have knobbies or studs either. Prolly won't try tomorrow either, as the temps are going to be 5-19 F (according to Accu-Weather).

But at least you tried. If there is snow or ice on the ground, I'm sure I would even attempt it.

I tried snow riding this winter, and found it pretty tough, and not much fun! I learned that gearing choice is particularly important -- low traction really punishes being geared wrong. Also, expecting and 'riding with' a certain amount of slip is necessary.

I'll ride in the winter, but not in fresh snow. The amount of extra work just makes it not fun. I prefer to walk, snowshoe, or bus (as conditions and distances warrant) when the snow is fresh. Once it's packed, plowed, or has done a thaw and refreeze cycle that it becomes easy to bike again.

I'll be happy to post that I've kind of grown to like riding in the snow. Knobs are a necessary (studs only do good on ice) and your riding technique is critical. Once you get accustomed to having either end randomly sliding sideways and learning that if you keep the front wheel pointed about where you want to go it will almost always hook up again as long as you're not doing anything too silly. Takes a lot of practice but it is satisfying to be able to recover from the back or the front tire slipping.

I tried to ride my mountain bike one day in the snow last winter and only made it about 50 feet before I fell over. I headed back to the house after that. It was more like sleet than snow and very slippery. We don't get enough snow around here to make it worthwhile investing in the gear needed for riding in the snow and ice. Even when we get snow, the roads are usually mostly clear within a few days. Black ice is the kicker. There's not enough of it to use studded tires, but plenty enough to take you down.

They were ice skating down Peachtree Street in Atlanta Tuesday. This sure isnt riding weather down here in Dixie.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news...et-20110111-es

I'm in Athens, about an hour from Atlanta and I had my first ice commute today, an epic fail for me as well. A few days ago when we got our fresh snow I rode around some and even rode to the bank and back and did fine with that.

Today was ice not snow! and I hit a couple patches of ice and fell twice (having never fallen in nearly in a year of mostly daily commuting). The first time I fell on my butt and that wasn't too bad, the second was on my knee and that hurt like a son-of-a-gun! Oh well, tomorrow will hopefully be less icy and maybe I can decrease my falls by half!

Be safe out there.

Yea, it's kinda' crazy in the south right now. In Atlanta the streets are like sheets of glass. It's hard to even walk on the streets in the burbs and in the city; I wouldn't even think about getting the bike out. The good thing about the south is after this weekend most of the snow and ice will probably be gone.

The roads are clear now but the shoulders are piled up on the edges so I'm just waiting until next week for the route to be a little safer!

Started out in Chicago 20+ years ago and live in Mid-TN now. Much respect to you for trying. I've gone out a couple of times in this snow on my mtb w/t psi lowered, but it was still treacherous as all get out. I've got street tires on it. When I lived in Chicago I was in it all the time w/knobbies, so I was used to it. Not so much anymore. Never thought about studded tires back then...don't know that they even had them for bikes. :p