Advice needed- Handling in snow covered roads
#1
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Advice needed- Handling in snow covered roads
Ok, I am riding my bike year round this year, commuting to work every day, this morning we had about two inches of snow, no plows had been out, and I am heading to work. I have my Kenda Klondikes, inflated to about 55-60, and I am doing ok, but at times I would get in one of those car ruts, you know the tracks made in the snow by a car, and getting out was not easy. Any advice on this? I have ridden in snow before, and for the most part this hasn't been an issue, but we don't get a ton of snow here in PA, so it's something I've only had to do 4 or 5 times in the past. This winter is shaping up to have a little more snow than past ones, and this is skill I need to develop.
Oh, additionally, should I have let some air out of my tires? Is 55 too much? I have read that people often go down to 20-30 for the snow.
Thanks in advance for the help, oh, and the studded tires ARE all they are cracked up to be, right up every hill, no slippage of the drive wheel at all!
Joe
Oh, additionally, should I have let some air out of my tires? Is 55 too much? I have read that people often go down to 20-30 for the snow.
Thanks in advance for the help, oh, and the studded tires ARE all they are cracked up to be, right up every hill, no slippage of the drive wheel at all!
Joe
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Here is a really good site for that kind of advise.... Icebike
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Ruts are troublesome, that's for sure. I've found the toughest thing about them is resisting my instinctive urge to tense up and wrestle for control.
What works best for me is shifting my weight as far back as possible, like you do when descending. Then let the front end shift around rather than fight it. A relaxed grip and loose arms are key. Yes, the bike will shift side-to-side, sometimes quickly and unexpectedly. But never far enough to go out from under me. The studs help there.
Easy pedaling and high cadence help keep balance too, because it allows me to shift my weight faster in reaction to the bike moving. I granny right down--not because it's tough going, but to keep my cadence high and pedaling effort low.
True, I only go 7-9 mph like this, but with the high cadence, rearward weight, loose upper body, and easy grip on the bars, I can boogie right along with hardly a care.
What works best for me is shifting my weight as far back as possible, like you do when descending. Then let the front end shift around rather than fight it. A relaxed grip and loose arms are key. Yes, the bike will shift side-to-side, sometimes quickly and unexpectedly. But never far enough to go out from under me. The studs help there.
Easy pedaling and high cadence help keep balance too, because it allows me to shift my weight faster in reaction to the bike moving. I granny right down--not because it's tough going, but to keep my cadence high and pedaling effort low.
True, I only go 7-9 mph like this, but with the high cadence, rearward weight, loose upper body, and easy grip on the bars, I can boogie right along with hardly a care.
#5
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Thread Starter
Good read! Thanks for the link, I think my tire pressure (too high at 60), along with wanting to ride the cars cleared path were my biggest issues this morning. I made it, and didn't go down, so that's good.
Got the studded tires, they worked fine.
Got the studded tires, they worked fine.
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Ruts are troublesome, that's for sure. I've found the toughest thing about them is resisting my instinctive urge to tense up and wrestle for control.
What works best for me is shifting my weight as far back as possible, like you do when descending. Then let the front end shift around rather than fight it. A relaxed grip and loose arms are key. Yes, the bike will shift side-to-side, sometimes quickly and unexpectedly. But never far enough to go out from under me. The studs help there.
Easy pedaling and high cadence help keep balance too, because it allows me to shift my weight faster in reaction to the bike moving. I granny right down--not because it's tough going, but to keep my cadence high and pedaling effort low.
True, I only go 7-9 mph like this, but with the high cadence, rearward weight, loose upper body, and easy grip on the bars, I can boogie right along with hardly a care.
What works best for me is shifting my weight as far back as possible, like you do when descending. Then let the front end shift around rather than fight it. A relaxed grip and loose arms are key. Yes, the bike will shift side-to-side, sometimes quickly and unexpectedly. But never far enough to go out from under me. The studs help there.
Easy pedaling and high cadence help keep balance too, because it allows me to shift my weight faster in reaction to the bike moving. I granny right down--not because it's tough going, but to keep my cadence high and pedaling effort low.
True, I only go 7-9 mph like this, but with the high cadence, rearward weight, loose upper body, and easy grip on the bars, I can boogie right along with hardly a care.
I do the exact same thing; shift my weight rearward and power out of the rut while keeping a light grip on the handlebar. I dropped the pressure in my Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires to 35 psi.
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If you want to get out of a rut, unweight your bike. Kinda like a bunnyhop, but you don't really need to get both tires off the ground, just get your front wheel up a bit and get your body weight off the bike as you cross the lip created by the car tire.
At low speed you can do it as a two step process. Lift your front wheel out of the rut, then lean forward and unweight your rear wheel as you ease it out of the rut. I guess the first procedure is kinda like this but done more quickly so it feels like one motion.
I would run about 30 front and 35 back with the 2.1" version of those tires, I weigh 145 or so. Probably about the same for the 1.9s, a little more for the 700c I imagine.
At low speed you can do it as a two step process. Lift your front wheel out of the rut, then lean forward and unweight your rear wheel as you ease it out of the rut. I guess the first procedure is kinda like this but done more quickly so it feels like one motion.
I would run about 30 front and 35 back with the 2.1" version of those tires, I weigh 145 or so. Probably about the same for the 1.9s, a little more for the 700c I imagine.
Last edited by LesterOfPuppets; 12-31-09 at 01:55 PM.
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Lower your pressure. I run at 65 when the roads are clear or only have a light dusting of snow, drop them to 35-40 when there is any significant snow and ice.
Follow the advice others have given concerning ruts.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey
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All good tips above. My $0.02 is to just get out there and ride. Riding techniques and skill in picking your line become more and more automatic with practice. I was out riding some pretty dicey snowmobile trails yesterday and could tell that I was really having to work my core muscles, a lot more than with summer mountain biking.
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I lower my saddle height so that my feet are closer to the ground in case I hit an icy patch and need to put the feet down.
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My two cents...
If you get into trouble with loose-pack, move your weight off the handlebars and rest it on your pedals only, get your body lower and bum over the back wheel, don't steer quickly instead make very small adjustments and wait for the bicycle to correct itself while you focus on staying upright and pedaling.
With loose-pack caused by cars, studded tires won't help you because the studs can't reach the pavement. You compensate by having a lower psi in the tire helps to make the tire grip since your tire/snow contact patch is larger. Loose-pack snow is hard to deal with not only because its structure has been changed from being compacted making it more slippery, but because it tends to clump up and slide along underneath your tires when you brake or steer. It the same phenomenon with glare ice, some studs won't help you because they can't get through to the solid ice instead they glide through the half frozen sun melted ice on the top, this is even more slippery than loose-pack and very difficult to maintain balance on.
If you get into trouble with loose-pack, move your weight off the handlebars and rest it on your pedals only, get your body lower and bum over the back wheel, don't steer quickly instead make very small adjustments and wait for the bicycle to correct itself while you focus on staying upright and pedaling.
With loose-pack caused by cars, studded tires won't help you because the studs can't reach the pavement. You compensate by having a lower psi in the tire helps to make the tire grip since your tire/snow contact patch is larger. Loose-pack snow is hard to deal with not only because its structure has been changed from being compacted making it more slippery, but because it tends to clump up and slide along underneath your tires when you brake or steer. It the same phenomenon with glare ice, some studs won't help you because they can't get through to the solid ice instead they glide through the half frozen sun melted ice on the top, this is even more slippery than loose-pack and very difficult to maintain balance on.
Last edited by electrik; 12-31-09 at 03:32 PM.