Not convinced that chains would make a big difference on reasonable/off-road tyres -
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Another week of 'weather'
(243 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
-
"Edinburgh city centre is gridlocked"
R Scotland weather @ 2.00.
"Forecaster Stuart Brooks said 8cm of snow had fallen at the Gogarbank weather station this morning, with 31cm now lying on the ground."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Fresh-snow-brings-travel-chaos.6651418.jp
And it's still snowing.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Our company now looking at booking hotels for people stuck thanks to the buses
Posted 13 years ago # -
Nothing like a good bit of useful info -
"
Edinburgh_CC:Afraid we can't be more specific on schools update time at moment. As soon as we can of course but teatime/dinnertime for now.
Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/Edinburgh_CC/status/11785676471140353
"
Posted 13 years ago # -
Thinking aloud... I can't do the cable tie thing as I have rim brakes and probably insufficient clearance anyway. I can't install fatter tyres on my frame and no-one seems to sell 25C tyres with relatively low depth in the hub-rim axis (as well as low frame clearance the front mech bracket is clamped around the seat tube right in line with the rear tyre's perigee) but lots of sticky-out bits to the sides. I'm vaguely wondering if it would work if I got myself a roll or strip of grippy fabric stuff or whatever .anth's snow socks are made from and wrapped a length around the tyre and tube inside the rim...
Alternatively, I could just accept that I don't have the width for the weather and continue walking.Posted 13 years ago # -
""So, pedestrians and bikes pretty much the only things moving!"
As you've said before, the 'common' modes of transport easily winning out! What is it about today's snowfall that's caused this particular bout of chaos??? "
I dunno, people with cars have suddenly become very popular round here judging by the amount of emails flying around asking for lifts.. Doesn't mean they are moving though!
Posted 13 years ago # -
I got sent home about 1:45. That's me back now.
Reset the speedo before I left the office, 10.9mph average over 6.67 miles. That's including pushing it out of the Gyle onto South Gyle Broadway and then pushing it half way along Melville Drive back to Argyle Place. All in all that seems quite respectable.
Traffic into town along A8 / Glasgow / St. Johns / Costorphine route seems fairly quiet, I presume mainly because there's very little feed of it coming in from the West.
Glasses disposed of in back pocket by Broomhouse Road. Even without the inserts I couldn't see owt. Fortunately by this time the sleet had lessened and the wind had dropped.
Road surface along the main road was OK under-wheel, but very wet and lots of horrible grey-brown slush everywhere meaning you can't see the potholes or work out where the lumps of ice are.
Where traffic has been moving slowly (South Gyle Broadway / Meadowplace Road / through Corstorphine / Haymarket / Melville Drive) the surface is appalling and terrifying. It was safe to cycle in the tyre tracks on the way in to work, now it's lethal if you do. It's solid slush, compressed into rumble-strip like ribs of ice perpendicular to the direction of travel (rather than the usual parallel ruts). When I got to Lothian Road I notice I was sweating. I think it's from the sheer concentration.
Someone tried a potshot with a
snowballice block (I think from one of the tenements) at the junction of Lothian Road and Fountainbridge. It narrowly avoided my front wheel, but without my glasses I couldn't tell where it came from exactly. It had just come in from "up there" somewhere.Meville Drive just got sillier and sillier till I just gave up, hopped off the bike and accepted that my feet were going to flood as I pushed the rest of the way home through the slush.
Don't go out there on 2 wheels if you can avoid it! I'm going to drink a lot of tea now.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Well since you ride most of my commute in reverse i think i'll heed your advice and leave the bike tucked up in the garage and see how things go tomorrow.
Now if LRT would like to get moving again that would be wonderful.
Posted 13 years ago # -
There were a few buses moving (with passengers on them) heading towards the Gyle. 35s I think. I didn't notice any others, but then again I was concentrating 100% on the road surface.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Oh. The other hazard is big lumps of slushy snow falling out of trees / off of lamposts!
Posted 13 years ago # -
@Kaputnik - Thanks for the update
I think I will have a look at the Roseburn path for the homeward journey and if not just push the damn thing home (or abandon it in the works bike shed until tomorrow)Posted 13 years ago # -
Wow, good ride 'nik. Rule 9! :D
Do you Think We should start a riding tips for difficult surfaces thread? Im generally a roadie but living in Scotland means we all learn a bit of the slidey stuff. Id like to hear from more experienced (and equipped) off roaders on bike control. Ive had a few thoughts about commuting, cars and ice formation too.
Posted 13 years ago # -
LRT update: "Services are now gradually being restored on most routes. Full details to follow. "
Hopefully the 22 will be rolling again before i need to leave!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Id like to hear from more experienced (and equipped) off roaders on bike control. Ive had a few thoughts about commuting, cars and ice formation too.
Me too! I'm a committed roadie mainly and I was coming home on the touring bike avec Marathon Plus rubber, so no knobbles to help me grip!
Posted 13 years ago # -
No idea if it actually helps but it feels better-I pedal slowly in a high gear (not much pressure) with a very light touch on the brakes. Makes me feel much more in control.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I think rule 6 applies!
I find keeping loose and letting the bike go where it wants with in reason works well, stiffening up and trying to force a path often ends in an off. Though i'm a terrible off roader and wish i'd found road riding when i took to the trails i'd probably have been happier.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I pedal slowly in a high gear
I pedal slowly in a low gear! I find high gear just causes wheelspin on a slippery surface.
Second the light touch on the brakes, where possible, particularly rolling downhill. It's better to be going slower to begin with rather than letting speed build up only to see something, apply lots of brakes and begin to slither.
I let the car infront of me move about a car length ahead, so you can actually get a fighting chance of seeing a pothole / lump of ice looming out from nowhere and take avoiding action. Unfortunately too many drivers take this as a gap in which thye can pass you and sit. Meaning you have to drop back again. Repeat. Ad nauseum.
Posted 13 years ago # -
What Min and Steveo said, also keep looking up and remember to always look where you want to go and never at the scary obstacle ;-) Also don't be afraid to stand up on the pedals and move your weight around, try to keep the front end light generally so it will ride up over stuff rather than digging in. I'm also rubbish off road btw so take my advice at your own risk ;-))
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I pedal slowly in a high gear
I pedal slowly in a low gear! "
That might be what I meant! A higher gear than I would normally going at that speed. But then the slow pedalling suggests that anyway. I'll stop before I confuse myself...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Went out on my 'cyclo-cross'. No real problems. Surprising amount of packed slush at Bruntsfield - must be the buses that shift it.
NMW has actually been ploughed very well - but not the link to Valleyfield (or the Street itself) of course!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Trip home took more than two hours (but included a side step to Tesco for messages). Usually it's 30 mins. Extra time was nothing to do with me and everything to do with cars on the ice rink roads. I couldn't always get past them on the trike. For the first section I went east bound on the west bound side of the road but I couldn't do that where there was a central reservation or lots of oncoming traffic.
Outwith that I might fit Marathon spikes on the front wheel because sometimes the braking is vague and the steering is more like a boat than a road vehicle. If I'm feeling flush then spikes on the back wheels might stop fish tailing on ice but the front wheel is more important.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"people expect too much of their cars" Alan Douglas, Motoring Journalist speaking on Radio Scotland
His (borrowed) 4x4 was held up by loads of lesser vehicles...
With public transport non-existent in many areas expect sales of 'weatherproof' vehicles to soar.
The fact is that many motorists are having the type of delays and frustrations that they would had have if they had used Scotrail...
Radio listeners are turning the heat onto the Scottish Transport Minister. Compare and contrast with the relative silence when the rail network goes down. £300 million has been spent on upgrading the route to Livingston and Bathgate - but not on weatherproofing.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Made it home the road ways after deciding the path would take too long, nothing major except the usual getting too much wheel spin halfway up Gloucester St and having to push, Haymarket wasn't as bad as I expected, a few lumps of frozen slush but other than that home OK. Don't like the idea of frozen fog and more ice tomorrow morning though, and I badly want to pavement test these Pogu shoe spikes...
Posted 13 years ago # -
I went out snowcling* at lunchtime and made a perfect little "person riding a bike" snow print when I fell off.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/20050314/snowprint.jpg
* A bit like cycling in the snow except mostly consisting of fishtailing wildly through the snow while screaming.
Posted 13 years ago # -
BBC news scotland website is rotating picture of cycling bloke - any of you guys?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Posted 13 years ago # -
I can confirm Min's 'screaming'. I could tell she was still riding close behind by the occasional yelp.... Must upload a piccie.
Posted 13 years ago # -
It was pretty awful this morning but I thought the conditions 5pm-ish were ok for cycling, at least on the west side of the city. However a driver behind me decided he absolutely had to overtake, and attempted this as I was approaching a pedestrian crossing. Driver didn't like it at all when I moved to a very primary position as he began his overtake, and then the lights went to red. Once I got a green light I was targeted by kids with snowballs. Driver then tailgated me all the way into the Tesco car park, and as luck wouldn't have it, left shortly after I did, caught me up and tailgated me again, and then overtook with mere inches to spare.
It's hard enough biking in this weather without also fearing for your life. I did try to memorise the reg and make of car, but to no avail now.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I went out of town on the towpath this morning. It was easier than Friday, as more of it is packed down, but it still turns to singletrack beyond Sighthill and the bypass. I saw two other cyclists coming into town. My Marathon Winter spike tyres are still brilliant: I think I'm in love.
Coming back was slightly harder work, as the towpath wasn't rideable until Sighthill. There were also more pedestrians about, which is disconcerting, as it's important (for face-saving reasons) not to fall off in the front of them, and the sheer fact of concentrating on not falling off makes it more likely to happen.
I made a brief pause to hack a route through one of the trees that's blocking the towpath, and was soon after overtaken by a German(?) chap I sometimes see who I think comes from Heriot Watt. He normally tows a trailer, but he'd foregone it today and was using panniers. He was zooming along, and confirmed that he too had spike tyres.
There were a couple of slushy moments on the way back. I'm not sure how good the spike tyres will be in slush.
At the Myreside Road/Colinton Road junction there were two cars and two bikes. I was on the only vehicle I saw to make it up the steep hill by Craighouse (identified on this forum as not one of the 12 steepest rideable streets in Edinburgh).
All in all, a good day on a bike. If I hadn't had it with me today I would still be at work.
Posted 13 years ago # -
SnowTronGuy. :-D
Posted 13 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
posts
