Like amir, I took the spare bike with spikes this morning so found the ride super-grippy, if a little noisy. And like amir, I found that the bike could use some work.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
"Severe weather warning"
(7379 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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I might swap over my CX bike to take spikes then. I tried lastnight on my Dawes but these Gilles Berthaud gaurds have a sticky out bolt where the spare goes onto the tyre instead or going up in the air,...
I have two Dymano hubs through, (well 3 if you include my MTB).
Posted 8 years ago # -
Next week - unseasonably warm(?)
http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/Scotland/Edinburgh/long.html
Posted 8 years ago # -
Typically I have just spent the evening fitting studs to the bike. Not a completely trivial exercise on a bike with a hub gear and Marathon Plus tyres on it, so they aren't coming off again until spring.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Next week - unseasonably warm(?)"
All those studded tyres should help chase the cold away
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'll chance a trip to PY on slicks then before postponing the studs a little longer.
Posted 8 years ago # -
It didn't seem any worse today, probably because the ice and frost hadn't thawed out yesterday to then potentially refreeze more icily overnight. I took it slow and smooth on the canal towpath and had no problems, although I did find myself having to brake harder than I'd have liked on the frosty surface on a couple of occasions when other cyclists emerged from under bridges without any warning.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I saw two people scraping cars' windscreens this morning, compared to only one yesterday morning. WoL between Sandport and Warriston still icy-puddle-free. Slope down to Warriston Crescent covered in frosty leaves but manageable with care. Inverleith Park frosty and ungritted but not slippy. Craigleith Hill Avenue frosty and icy-puddled. Roseburn between Craigleith and Roseburn icily-puddled at the edges. No grit on the slopes at Roseburn.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Definitely frostier today in Gilmerton. Today's fun included a driver hunched over the dashboard to see out the little wee defrosted gap as he was going round a corner, and a van driver on his phone going up the hill directly into the low sun with a partially defrosted windscreen.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"I saw two people scraping cars' windscreens this morning"
In the small section of my street there were nine of my neighbours noisily scraping away this morning whilst their cars thickened the air with fumes.
All were single occupancy apart from one (with baby) and I know six of them are making a journey of less than 5 miles. And this in an area with very good bus links and direct access to NCN1 (although admittedly, most people would find it extreme to cycle to work on a day like today).
At least they were getting a little exercise this morning.
Posted 8 years ago # -
At least they were getting a LITTLE exercise this morning.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I was cycling up through Barnton Ave yesterday morning the still air was thick with acrid smoke from someone burning garden waste. Not too bad on the way home as I free wheel holding my breath, but on the way in having to gasp up the hill, it was horrid!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Found yesterday a bit trepidatious even on main roads so chickened out & caught the bus. However I'm an iceophobic. Otherwise love these white frosty days.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Posted 8 years ago #
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"Icephobicity (from ice and Greek φόβος phobos "fear") is the ability of a solid surface to repel ice" - I wish I had the powers to repel it, but it defeats me.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"...the still air was thick with acrid smoke from someone burning garden waste..."
The cold seems to have finally stopped the allotmentators at Warriston from wafting combustion products across the path every day. Maybe they're collecting damp leaves ready for a big weekend-afternoon smoke-out.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Having decided that two days of frost/ice riding on the road bike was two days too many, I decided to refurbish the crosser last night...but duly got sidetracked by domesticity and announcing 'Oh I need to fix my bike' at 10:45pm didn't go down well.
So...at 5am this morning...I was fitting new chain, cassette and inner ring and making a notional attempt to fix indexing. Seeing your bike in bits on the kitchen floor with only an hour or so to rebuilt it and clean the floor/self/sink/soap dispenser/light switch/everything else I inadvertently touched is quite an experience (NB: must buy more latex gloves...).
The more confident, surer-footed ride on 33mm tyres was worth it and seeing a frost-caked front tyre always makes me smile for some reason (but only when I'm actually upright on the bike - the lying in the gutter wondering 'what just happened' view is less pleasing).
And just to affirm my recycling credentials, I'm thinking I can easily repurpose the old 39 tooth inner ring as a ninja-style weapon. Handy if a gang of rogue kung-fu artistes decide to break into the bike shed.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Tuesday evening:
After removing one year old Marathon's (nearly bald) and fitting the old Schwalbe Winters, I found they had large cracks in the side walls. So I removed these and fitted the new identical Schwalbe Winters. Then when I put them on my Dawes they did not fit under the guards without rubbing on a bolt...
So I put on a new set of Marathons (same size) and headed out on yesterday, with trepidation. 10 mins added on to my commute for carefull cycling.
So last night I put the New Winters on my other half's flatbar bike, and they fit with no rubbing.
This morning looking out at -5 degrees Centigrade, I bailed and decided to take the train.
Tomorrow, tomorrow.....
Posted 8 years ago # -
I rode in today, verrry tenatively. But it was a beautiful morning and I did enjoy the commute. I did pause at Cramond deciding whether to risk the untreated paths via Barton/Blackhall or the low sun conditions on Queensferry Road. The former won.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Took an extra 4 minutes on my commute due to gingerliness over "wet" looking patches.
That's 4 mins of my life I'll never get back.
I'm going to demand Hamza Yousaf is sacked for this.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Very frosty on the meadows. pleased to see SMW and LW freshly gritted.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Towpath very white this evening. Nice crispy noise under my tyres!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Trying to think of valid reasons to not spend money I don't have on an 'ice' trike to pootle through the frost. Oh yes, thump followed by divorce. Better leave it for now.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Oops , I forgot to use the #blamehumza hashtag
Posted 8 years ago # -
Two gritters on the NEPN this morning. One had gone up Hawthornvale from Lindsay Road and might have been about to turn up to Victoria Park. The second was heading east towards Five Ways.
Posted 8 years ago # -
How icy is the NEPN at the moment? Am I going to be taking a risk cycling there tomorrow morning earlyish?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Others may disagree, but I've found the NEPN to be fine the last few days, as long as you avoid the icy puddles at the edge. The white frost is actually relatively grippy and I've found that it's been OK even at normal speeds, though I have been more cautious than usual on the bends.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Though I've been chickening out I'm really heartened by the number of cyclists I've seen in these fairly discouraging conditions. So the "too cold, too wet, too hilly" mantra is not true, & the numbers are gaining.
Posted 8 years ago # -
It was too much for me today - too tired and cold so I came in by bus. But I'll be back soon.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Daughter and I waved at one of her school friends today.
"Has she been cycling to school long?" says I.
"No, she's just started - she's already hardcore!" says daughter.
Surely we're doing something small right in the city if a schoolgirl takes up cycling in November!
Robert
Posted 8 years ago #
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