Riding Brakeless In Ice and Snow
 

Seasoned veterans: What's the word on riding fixed/brakeless in ice? Snow?

i was riding brakeless last winter, and although we didnt get THAT much snow in philly, we still had a few icy nights. I felt MORE comfortable riding my fixie in the ice then my mountain bike. I felt too out of control when I was coasting. I say, fixie it up all winter but take it a little slower so you dont have to do any skids.

try not to skid or skip if there is a lot of ice is about all that I can say.

I tried to trackstand on an icy spot, it worked for about 4 seconds, then my pedals started flying around while my bike stayed in place. Very disconcerting, almost had a sweet 0mph fallover.

I would ride my fix in the winter but I care about it too much, and don't want snow coming in the cleat slots in my shoes either.

well I know when it snows here in hawaii, I usually-
wait nevermind


Paradise suckers!

Fun!

S/f<
Ceya!

We've only had one day this winter with scary glare ice, but I rode my brakeless commuter fixie and felt very confident. As confident as you can feel on glare ice anyway. Brake or no brake, gravity is going to have it's way with you if your front wheel loses traction. A front brake turns a bike into a sled on ice, so even when I had one I didn't use it much in the winter. Two good things: Chicago keeps the main streets very clean, so you should never really have to worry about ice if you stick to 'em. Second, I've found that wide handlebars give me better winter control when I do hit something slippery.

The other night I was trackstanding in the snow outside of the liquor store, spinning my wheels and bunny hopping around while my friends bought beer. Then I fell completely on my ass, snow all over the place, still clipped in, bike sticking in the air, looking very foolish. This went over quite well with the pedestrian traffic, who like nothing more than to see some cocky cyclist fall down. I was in a pretty good mood though, and a couple of girls even smiled at me as I lay there.

Fixies on Ice (in addition to sounding like a dazzling spectacular that the whole family will enjoy) are, as we say here in Boston, wicked fun. Skidding is dangerous in the best sort of way, and trackstanding is, well, unpredictable, but the control far surpasses a freewheel bike with brakes.

I am not a seasoned vet but it seems to me that brakeless is better because it will force you to slow down in traction and really feel the road. Also seems to me that a rear brake would be better than a front?

I ended up doing it by accident last winter. I had been making consious effort not to use the brake for months, and the one time I did, it stuck shut. There is a brake on my winter bike this year, but I don't know if it's going to stay there or not. I've found that they tend to just fill up with snow.

We finally have ice this year! Some of it is really nasty. The kind of ice where a trail warmed up enough to turn to slush, then people walked/biked through it, then it froze again. That stuff it doesn't matter if you have a brake or not. The bike is going to fall out from under you sideways, and hopefully you'll keep sliding forward from the momentum. Believe it or not, falling and sliding several feet forward on ice seems to hurt less than simply falling on dry pavement...

What about tires? Knobbies or slicks?

my advice is: dont touch your front brakes in ice/snow. im actually building myself a brakeless snow fix with 700x38 studded tires. maybe if i get dumb enough ill take it on the schulkyll river when it freezes over....or not.

a lot of people here in philly swear by narrow tires in the snow, bc they cut through to the pavement. thats all well and good until you have to ride over ice, then studded tires rule the land. last year in the snow i ran club roost cross terras, i thought they worked very well in the snow.

I'm going to keep the slicks on this winter I think. I haven't had a bike that could fit large studded tires. Last year I used some Ritchey Speedmax Cross tires (700x35c) that worked really well. Knobbies on the outside of the tire, and little ribs in the center. Cut through the snow, and the knobbies only slowed you down when cornering, which is where you actually want them anyway.

stay away from the curbs to avoid giant puddles & drifts
ride in the car tracks where there's no snow & ice.
cars are driving slow so they don't mind as much & they'll see you better.

enjoy the fact you can wear mittens instead of
messing with shifters and levers.

oh and snow plows rule until you get hit by the salt.

jeff

ritchey speedmax rock. they are great for packed snow or packed dirt, and even ice if you've got the skillz to pay the billz. the ribs are where its at! you can get 35mm nokian studded tires, they may fit. i think im gonna go with the 38mm schwalbe studded tires if they fit in between the chainstays.

The bike those fit on is nothing but rust now. It's the one that the brake rusted shut on when I used it - the skewer for the front brake is a permanent part of the frame now. I have since switched to much tighter, twitchier geometries, and none of the bikes I have now will fit anything larger than probably a 28.

It's fine. I have a brake but never use it when it's slick.

I've used speedmaxes, other knobbies, and plain 700x23c road tires. I don't think there's really any difference on slick hard stuff (short of studs), so I stick to 700x23 now. on softer stuff skinnies either cut through or if it's kind of hard they can be a pain intermittently breaking through. You've probably had this happen.

One advantage to thicker tires in snow, slush, etc., at least here in Boston where the roads are super potholey: when snow and slush cover up holes and bumps in the road, you're more likely to ride right over these obstacles; on skinny tires, this can lead to a lot of pinch flats, and changing a tire in the cold is not so much fun. I switched from 23s to 35s last winter and the difference was enormous - in fact, I left 'em on all year and haven't had a flat since (although lately I've been feeling the need for speed; I guess I'll just have to build up another rig so I can have a fast fixie and a slower but steadier fixie).

i've noticed that too.

and the bruises are more interesting shapes.

fsnl
sparky

I got out my ride this morning after 0 experience riding fixed in snow. I rode 1.5 blocks and thought better of it. I was already late for school and feeling stressed, so I backed out of my commute and went back for my car. I guess that adventure will have to wait a little while.

I feel you on the different roads, but how often do you air up your tires? it's pretty hard to pinch flat 23c tires at 120psi. I only get pinch flats when I get lazy and the tires are maybe down to 80 or 90 or so.

I've only ridden 2 or 3 times in the snow on my fixie and it is SO much fun, but only on flat terrain. Just yesterday, started to go down a sorta steep hill when I make a turn and realize the bottom of this path is all covered in snow/ice and I've got no brakes. Luckily I just locked the rear and slid into some bushes. Pretty scary. I've got 23 & 25 on right now and probably going to 32s if the frame can fit them. Slicks not knobbies b/c winters in Boulder are too dry and the knobbies/studs would just wear out faster.

yes, bushes are crucial. know where the good ones are.

I find the hardest part about riding in snow is maintaining my balance while throwing a snowball. The thrust makes me fall right. Not something I have done in years, because you can't throw rainballs.