I took another fall today on my commute to school. I fell Monday because there was ice under a layer of snow and the studs had no grip. The front wheel went out from under me and there was no way to prevent it. I was alright but broke the mirror and light mount off the bike. Today I feel because of the same reason, but didn't break anything this time, and again I was fine. Both times, my body fell to the left into the road.

Now I'm starting to consider quitting commuting when there's snow on the roads. Thankfully both times I went down there were no cars around. I commute on roads that can get busy and vehicles could be moving at 45mph+. I keep thinking about what happens if there's a car right behind me if I took a fall. I'm sure it could be a very bad situation.

I do love cycle commuting, but I'm not so sure about doing it now with snow/ice on the roads. I commute 19 miles one-way, but I really don't mind doing the distance. I really enjoy it during the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I do have a trike, but the roads are narrow enough and even with studded tires, it's not that great in the snow. Instead of one track with a bike, there's three separate tracks to deal with.

I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'll see how the ride home goes this afternoon. Any advice or thoughts?

Are you using the front brake when you fall? That's the only time I've had problems with my front wheel dropping out from under me like you describe.

Do what feels right for you, not anyone else. If you need to take a break during the winter due to the weather, then do so. Put your bike on a trainer and ride that so you stay in shape for the spring when the weather turns.

V

I have the same problem from time to time, although I've not crashed in the snow. My problem is compounded by very little weight on the front wheel, so if snow is deep (more than a couple inches for me) or snow on snow or snow on ice/marbles/chunks, then I take a day to let the roads clear. Looking back a few years, I seem to average 3+ days per week in January and February compared to every day most of the rest of the year. +1 on doing what keeps you comfortable. Where I live, the major roads are plwoed and cleared far faster and better than any residential development, so I judge conditions in the developments knowing that if those are passable (not quite half my 13 miles) then the major roads will be fine. For me, it's not just about can I ride through a certain depth of snow, but how the local motorists are behaving or likely to behave under the same conditions. Cold no problem. Ice no problem. But the worst is fresh snow on top of all those refrozen chunks the snowplows make. If I can't make at least 10 mph on a preferred speed of 15-18 mph, then I'm not commuting by bike.

Do what you feel is best. Are there any warning signs that you can use to help determine if an area might be bad?

From experience I avoid shiny spots on the road and slow way down on turns. Its one thing to have people tell you what to look out for, but once you see (and experience) it yourself you have a better idea.

Studded tires have their limitations, they don't make you invincible. In winter you just need to slow down a little and be more cautious, you can not ride as aggressively as in summer time. Slow down when making turns, and be careful with using front brake too hard.

Exactly. If you are falling that much than you are either a terrible bike handler or you are riding in conditions that aren't very suited to a bike, studs or not. I will assume it is the latter. My basic rule is that i don't ride in anything that hasn't been plowed unless it is fresh fallen snow.

Knowing when NOT to ride is often the difference between crashing or not. Fortunately for me roads are usually plowed very quickly and I can always find places to safely ride. There is nothing wrong with riding on hard frozen pack, in fact it is quite enjoyable and doable. Riding in thicker stuff that has refrozen etc and constantly shifting under tire is not for me.

Ice, shiny polished snow, no problem but my touring bike is darn near uncontrollable in any amount loose car churned snow. The handling is so unpredictable I worry about swerving or falling into traffic. My first commute in the snow last year was almost my last. So now when I have to ride on the road, I always ride in a car tire track. Generally I'll stay in the lane and let cars go around me. I keep tabs on traffic with my mirror, if I get to a narrow spot I'll sometimes pull over and let cars go by.

Fortunately the only parts of my commute that aren't on an MUP are on fairly low traffic roads. If I suspect the MUP may not yet be plowed I leave the house by 6am so I can avoid traffic. If there is quite a bit of snow I'll take the mountain bike instead.

One thing to be careful about in general is moving from one surface to another, like the border between hardpack and loose parallel to your direction of travel. Just like pavement seams in the dry, these boundary areas can grab your wheel and trigger some nasty wobbling. When transitioning from a tire track to the side of the road I try to hit the transition at no less than a 45 degree angle, easing into it makes bad things happen. I also try to slow down before making the transition.

It's one thing to fall and another to have no safe place to commute in winter conditions. If you are not hurt too bad but can ride safely to work/school I say continue on. But if safety is a serious concern which it sounds like it is. And you don't have a way to mitigate those risks, I say find another way to commute in the worst winter months and ride the bike in the spring, summer and fall. You may even find that the break makes you feel better.

I have heard of guys using a combination of running and public transporation to commute. It might also be possible to use a combination of bike and public transportation to avoid the dangerous roads and ride the safer portions of the route. That could work for you.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I'm not giving up Winter commuting all together, but just gonna take a small break till some of the snow melts. Unfortunately I don't see that happening anytime soon because we are getting more snow tonight.

Both times I went down I was attempting to go straight and not using any brakes. Also, I was going between 5-8mph max and being as careful as I could. The snow today was soft and the ice underneath didn't help. I was definitely fighting it for a while before I fell. Unfortunately the city of Springfield doesn't do a good job at all plowing their streets. The side roads are horrible and even the main roads aren't that great. I think as mentioned above, the road conditions aren't very suited to a bike even with studs. I know when I drove them last week before the semester started, it was rough for my car, but was hoping I'd be able to do it with my bike.

Try some DIY studs if your not already running them they are more "extreme" than the commercial ones, they probably wont last as long but they for sure have more bite

Are us adults too ashamed to invent some type of winter-specific training wheels? That way, if our bikes start to slide, they'll at least stay upright.

I think some trailers that connect to bikes will keep a bike upright. Is this true? If so, it could be an advantage to pull said trailer during extra-slippery weather, just so it's easier to stay upright.

I thought about a trike for winter commuting but someone explained to me that it's a whole lot more work getting 3 wheels through the snow than two.

Exactly right. On softer deeper snow, a trike wants to do it's own thing. I was running Schwalbe Marathon Winters all around on mine. I was pretty surprised and disappointed how difficult it was to control and how bad traction was.

I'm in MA as well, and I can imagine you were on some pretty chopped-up, rutted snow/slush. It's awful terrain for a bicycle and I've had some tense moments lately as well. I'll ride on it most of the time anyway, but if it's really bad, I simply don't go to work until conditions improve-- which is sometimes in a matter of hours, sometimes a whole day. I try to stick to this policy despite the fact that my work pretty much requires me to be there during business hours, but honestly, I don't think I'd be worried about that in the back of an ambulance (or worse).

This winter we've really been getting pummeled with snow it seems. Whatever you do, I wish you the best and here's to the eventual coming of Spring

I am about to start commuting by bike, next week, but my plan is to ride only after the streets have been cleaned, otherwise I am driving. Do you have that option?

I have nokian extremes and I don't think any DYI option is going to surpass them. They are amazing in just about anything that is reasonable for a bike. Like i said before, if you have hard, rutted, crunchy or constantly shifting material under your tire, then it doesn't matter what kind of tire you have. It simply isn't suitable for the bike.

The good news is that if you have aggressively treaded and studded tires like Nokian Extremes and can't surmount the road conditions, then that tells you they aren't suitable riding conditions for a bike.

It sounds like you weren't going very fast when you went down. I say, if you don't feel comfortable, don't do it. The snow can't last forever, right?

But I am puzzled, because I've not fallen in snow, and the only problems I have are when I have to pass across a slanted stretch of my MUP when it has ice and snow. Still, I haven't gone down.

Can you predict where these problem places are? It might be worth while walking short stretches if that will get you through safely.

They make adult trikes which have two rear wheels and most of your weight on the rear end.

Training wheels on the rear wouldn't stop a fall when the front tire slips. So they'd be useless on anything but a recumbent or a very very upright upright.


A trike would be pretty rough in driven snow. Not sure I could power it through. Maybe a trike with a 250 watt pedal assist?

I'm gonna guess: It's snowed a few times, the city does a poor job of cleaning it up and several layers of partially melted snow (that are now mainly ice) are underneath a fresh layer of snow. It's hard to see when you're about to have the your tire slip off the side of some of that icy stuff because the snow hides it. And the snow probably acts as a nice lubricant to make your studs almost completely useless.

Nasty nasty stuff.


As far as the main roads, any road that people do 45 on will be in far far better shape than that.

Possible solution for winter bike commuting. Here is an incomplete and crude mock up. Trike for stability. 49cc (700 watt help) bicycle engine for speed and power boost. Studded tires. Side crash guards. Full suspension (not shown).

Yes I do and that's pretty much the plan.


Unfortunately not. I was fighting to stay upright because of all the soft snow, and all of the sudden I went down without warning. It happened so fast I didn't have time to put my foot down.


You described exactly how the city plows. I take a lot of side streets and that's where I fell. The main roads, for the most part, are in pretty good shape.

For conditions like you describe, try letting some air out of the tires.

If you're falling in to traffic, stay off the road. Period. Go practice in a snow covered parking lot until you can get your stuff together.

What kind of pedals/shoes are you using? I use platform pedals and hiking boots in the winter. The ability to put my foot down instantly without having to click out has saved me from falling many times.

Paul