Just came home from Waverley, it's snowing heavily but sleetily, but it is lying especially on untreated surfaces (like Middle Meadow Walk, and the labyrinthine infrastructure at the foot of Argyle Place)
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
2012 Snowday - Number 1
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Posted 11 years ago #
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Proper fine snow, and lying, South of Falkirk. Ochils have had white tops all day.
Posted 11 years ago # -
It was like this at lunchtime (though admittedly not in Edinburgh...)
Balquhidder Lunch by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrI'm reckoning all gone by the morning (which is my way of trying to jinx it so that there's another 6 inches and I can play on the commute).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Good coat of slushy gunk over Glasgow. Passed two failed buses in 5 minutes...
Posted 11 years ago # -
Bad in our estate as usual, but the roads were fine - although NEPN had a nice coating of snow. Gone by lunch I suspect?
By complete coincidence I fitted the studs last night (without knowing the forecast) so I was in seventh heaven.
Am clearly going to need to build the freedom plough, if only so there is no more snow this winter.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Snow in the Kingdom. Got up at 3 for the loo and with the clear sky, bright moon and white coating everywhere it was very bright! There is snow lying around now but less so as its starting to rain.
Dave, build a bigger trailer and put a heated shelter on it! Then charge it out to cold hyperthermic Audaxers.. ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Broomhouse had a coating. I can't tell if it was slippy under wheel because of the studlies, but it was certainly slippy in the car park.
The tyre tracks along Broomhouse showed the split of ped half and cycle half use.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Quite interesting to see how many ride NEPN so early in the morning - I left around 7am and there was a huge worn through mass of bike tracks.
Interestingly, at 5ways the popular movements are Leith -> Canonmills and Canonmills -> Roseburn, with very few people doing anything else (including Canonmills -> Leith and Roseburn -> Canonmills)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Leamington walk quite slushy and slippery . Not obviously gritted. MMW better.
Canalpath looked slushy, especially near edge, but a few bikes moving at a good clip.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Only one real bad point on the Roseburn-Granton stretch, the big puddle of water near Selex is now pretty slippy.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Looks like its back to the main roads for the next few months. Getting out my street was traditionally hairy after that gritted roads and steady traffic mean its fine even with 23c.
Bigger problem was my apparently under-inflated rear tyre and an overly heavy Carradice meant it felt like the rear tyre was going to roll off the rim at points.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I stuck to the main roads on the road bike. If the temperatures drop tonight then the melt + additional sleet might turn everything into an ice rink for the morning, so the studded tractor is on standby (and fugly though they are I might have to get a front crud catcher just so the ride isn't too wet - the Carradice on the back acts as a nice wet break).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Not too bad coming in from the Kingdom, no snow on Fife side of A90 cycle path. Snow on Edinburgh side but only maybe 1cm and pretty slushy, got worse closer into town on untreated side streets where it was a little slippery.
I had taken the precaution of not pumping my tyres up this week, so they are sitting about 95 -100psi rather than usual 115psi, and going a wee bit slower (if that were possible ;) ) made the journey quite pleasant. Only took 6 minutes longer than normal.
As pointed out already ice tomorrow may be a bigger issue when all this melts, so may be forced onto main roads.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Had intended to stay on the roads, but turned into Bruntsfied Links on autopilot. Lost my bottle about half way down and got off and pushed. Some other brave souls rolled past though. One chap actually pedalling down the slush covered slope came a cropper as he took the curve between Marchmont Road and Meadow Place - seemed okay. Must stick to the roads tonight because if this freezes then it'll be a skating rink.
Posted 11 years ago # -
If the temperatures drop tonight then the melt + additional sleet might turn everything into an ice rink for the morning
That was my exact thoughts of the Broomhouse Path. The real frustration is that it's not THAT bad currently, and a light gritting/salting would help dispel the slight slushy coating before it has a chance to freeze it into an icerink. However, as we've found out, it (the Broomhouse Path) is not the council's problem.
One chump in a lime green metallic Corsa attempted to overtake me at a traffic island pinchpoint outside Fountain Park as I was overtaking another cyclist. A swift slap on the rear wing as it cruised past about 2 inches from me. It seemed to back off after that and I left it in traffic at top of Ardmillan.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Some snow fell last night around powderhall/canonmills area but it appears to have melted by this morning :( Just wet here now.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@morningsider I took it very easy on studded tyres and had a girl on a road bike overtake me. She was being careful and just gliding, but still going about twice my speed. I caught up with her at the lights despite my extra caution.
"the curve between Marchmont Road and Meadow Place" was definitely slushier than path before/after. looked at it and thought 'someone's gonna fall there'
Posted 11 years ago # -
Took the road today too, as far as the meadows - where I went off-track completely. I figure also if I fall over on the grass it won't hurt too much :)
minimoth gave up on the bike: We assumed NEPN wouldn't be gritted, and cycling from Gorgie to Leith through town's not her sort of thing. (CEC take note! - this is the info you need to keep people riding bikes!).
We've both got fairly skinny tyres now [for hybrids], but it might be worth investing in something more grippy. As long as it's not too expensive. Pedals (the bike shop) suggested I bought some studdy tyres, but they were £55(I think??) each, so I didn't bother. The only modification I made was to let some air out this morning (made the cobbles nicer to ride over too).
Was cycling very slowly this morning: Legs aching from a very energetic ceilidh on Saturday and a long walk on Sunday :)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Just ridden the NEPN from Craigleith to the new zigzag at Russell Road. Slushy in places but otherwise not too bad at all, probably ok on slicks if you're not whizzing. I was on a spiky tyred extra-monstrousbike (good) but no mudguards yet (bad).
The zigzag is also mostly dry. Hairpins on the zigzag were only just doable on the bike.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Reflecting on cost of spiked tyres. Is there an age=caution correlation? that is, a correlation between those of us old enough to be more scared of falls and our willingness to invest in spikes?
Having had one winter with the spikes on, I find the peace of mind is more than worth the cost.
Posted 11 years ago # -
My problem with the spikey tyres is purely economics related. £60+ is a lot of bus fare, if I didn't have the public transport option I'd probably have bought a set.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'm a wet-behind-the-ears 26 and have been using them for the past three years.
I am an enormous coward though.
I think it was more of a risk decision. If I fall and damage something that stops me riding, I can't get into work. Lost earnings vs the initial outlay made it an easy choice.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"Is there an age=caution correlation?"
Still waiting to find out.
I mean yes.
If I did a 'proper' commute - same time every day - I would get some (well at least if I wanted to use off-road or mostly side-street routes).
Yesterday I was cycling carefully along Blackford Road. White sheen, but surface so bad usual plenty of grip.
Car ahead stopped at drive gate. Driver gets out and instantly falls over.
I cycled even more carefully.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I justified them by adding the time spent on the bus to the cost of the ticket. I need to leave an hour each way to get from King's Buildings to the waterfront reliably by bus, versus 20-25 mins normally.
The bus itself is relatively pricey at £2.80 but losing an hour of my limited free time is worth a lot more!
(Previous winters I just rode my MTB, but replacing the chain once or twice, plus having to recable afterwards made this unpleasant. I could do more/some maintenance but that's another time cost that I don't have on the White Fright).
Posted 11 years ago # -
I wouldn't have been able to afford them when I was younger so in that respect, yes.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"My problem with the spikey tyres is purely economics related."
yep, me too, £50 a pop is a lot of train fares for the handful of days spikes would be of actual benefit.
For days like today, adjust riding style. Big gear, low cadence, go in as much of a straight line as possible, remember REAR braking only.
When it's a bit worse, stick to main roads in, although A8 or A90 routes I appreciate aren't for everyone, you need to be blinkered, and be able to ignore the traffic to ride them.
When it's really bad, one of those 10 or so days a year. I'm getting the train, or working from home, no point in battling in just to make studs seem viable.
I'm on the wrong side of 40, how did we all manage before studs?
Posted 11 years ago # -
If it's bad enough that I might consider leaving the bike and taking the bus, it's bad enough that I don't fancy the walk down to either foot of Lothian Road or Haymarket to get the bus.
Posted 11 years ago # -
"I'm on the wrong side of 40, how did we all manage before studs?"
In much the same way as we used to manage without gears or without decent brakes or without alloy rims or without pneumatic tyres.
Everything's an evolution which 'improves' performance in a certain way. Straying into 'When ah were a lad' nostalgia is understandable (and something I often do) but it doesn't mean new products that, in some cases, give people confidence to carry on riding when they otherwise wouldn't, is a
goodbad thing. After all, there are plenty of less experienced cyclists who would baulk at the 'adjust riding style' suggestion simply because they only know one way. Riding better is a life skill, obviously, but if someone gives up over winter will they come back.Personally, yes, the last few years I've come off maybe 5 or 6 times on the ice, and given up on cycling something like 3 days in the last 4 years because of snow. The snow/ice tyres should make that 'zero', and yes, it's a lot of money to pay for that comfort, but it also makes the other days, when in the past I've been tip-toeing and wondering if I'm going to come off, slightly less stressful - and I use the bike as stress relief from work, so if I can actively enjoy the commute all year round then it's a small price to pay.
Or put it another way, do we think that winter tyres on cars are daft because we've always managed fine without them in the past, or would it be a good idea if their use was made more widespread (either through choice or compulsion)?
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Bc - "how did we all manage before studs?"
A valid question (and good justification and advice from you - above).
I suspect 'in those days' there was more of a split between those who cycled a lot (experience) and those who didn't (cycle at all).
One winter I put on really knobbly cycle speedway tyres - great on snow.
Also in the past there weren't so many tarmacced off-road paths which we know are notorious for damp/ice.
This may change when/if CEC gets its act together.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Or put it another way, do we think that winter tyres on cars are daft because we've always managed fine without them in the past, or would it be a good idea if their use was made more widespread (either through choice or compulsion)?
The better solution for the few days cars need winter tyres as opposed to them being an advantage, i'd argue the compulsion should be leave the bloody thing at home and get the bus.
Like 4x4, compulsory winter tyres wouldn't make the user a better driver merely one who is more likely to take a risk and end up on their roof. At the moment the driver who goes to effort of fitting winter tyres is more likely to be decent driver any way and again probably makes little real difference.
Posted 11 years ago #
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