toddv@copper.UUCP (Todd Vierheller) (12/13/85)
EAT THIS!
I inquired about riding in snow and ice. My own expereince is that snow isn't
too bad if one is careful.
Hard packed snow requires using my feet as runners at low speeds. That way I
can hold the bike up until it is going fast enough to hold itself up. Stopping
gets a bit difficult. (I need to "runner" with my feet to keep the bike up,
but the back brake requires one foot. Using the front brake only doesn't work
so well on packed snow.) It can be done, but it takes longer distances.
Black ice is unsafe at any speed because it is invisible. (Sometimes it looks
like wet pavement. It's easy to be driving on ice without knowing it until you
try to turn or stop.) I did manage to become intimate with the pavement on a
patch of black ice. (But it's easy to slid on without tearing up my leathers.)
Edited replies follow. My comments are preceded by a +.
Entries are separated by a solid line. The brave, foolhardy, and the
sensible are equally protected by anonymity.
Todd Vierheller
P.S. Any insight on a good rain tire? I live in Portland Oregon where
the sunshine comes down wet most of the year.
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I often have better traction on my bicycle than walking.
I've noticed this only occurs when I'm moving at least,
say, 5mph. At 2-3mph I fall right over when cornering.
I discussed this with my friend J*** V***, who earlier this year indirectly
caused much consternation on net.cycle when I noted that he'd recently been
ticketed at 143mph. J*** agreed that speed on ice is the key. J*** rides
after all the ice storms at 50-60mph, and says it's perfectly safe.
As I understand, there's no lateral forces acting on a
two-wheeled vehicle while cornering at high speeds.
+ You mean I've been scraping my foot pegs for nothing?
When I've dumped my motorcycle on ice, I liked my
crash bars very much. I've got the big ugly ones, so
the bike only falls over halfway, and I can easily pick
it up and go one. Have you ever tried to pick up 430 pounds
that's fallen over all the way, while you're standing
on slick ice?
+ Yes, and I have the tiny crash bars. After I had the bike up, I had a
hard time getting on it without dropping it again. Black ice is slick.
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I've found a couple of things out about riding in winter:
- Riding on snow isn't too bad. I understand that it provides about
the same friction as a dirt road. You can ride on snow if you're
careful about sudden velocity changes.
- Riding on ice is *dangerous*. There simply is not enough traction
to really be in control of your bike. My recommendation is to
forget riding on icy roads and take the bus.
Be extra careful about the cars that are on the road with you.
On icy roads a car can slide for a block or more, and still have
most of its momentum left when it gets to you...
+ True, true.
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This may help some, I once rode with a guy from Alaska and he was
always asked how the motorcycling was up there. He had the answer
down cold. ( sorry about the pun ). "It's great, during the winter
we put 3/4 inch wood screws in the tires and you can go places that
cars can't get to."!!!! How he kept air escaping from his tires
with Wood Screws going through them from the back side is something
I don't know about but he is still in Alaska on his Suzuki GS 750
with full touring set up. He said that he was one of a few cyclist
that rode year round. It is so rare to see a cyclist up there that
when it was dark everyone thought he was a one eyed car. This proved
to bring about some of the most hair raising experiences he has ever
had.
+ Tubes in the tires would help. A strip to protect the tube from the screw
+ heads would be nice too.
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I ride my bike year round here in northern Illinois. About 2 months of
the year the side streets will be snow packed. Main roads are salted and
are dry within a couple of days of a snow storm.
+ These idiots in Oregon put down sand and small gravel. Guess what the
+ streets are covered with when the snow melts?
Snow packed streets (with temperatures below 0 F) aren't much of a
problem. They are very much like riding on dirt. The problem with
sheet ice is stopping distances and speeds on curves. Note that this
is a problem for you and the other drivers--even if you stay up,
other drivers become more likely to slide into you. Thus, extreme
defensive driving is a must.
The worst surface to ride on is uneven ice. For flat ice, as long
as you are vertical, you will stay up--not so with wavy ice. This
condition is often created from cars having packed snow into ice at
temperatures around 20 F.
By the way, if you do fall on ice, you will fall very quickly. Once
the tires start slipping and the bike gets off vertical, things
happen very fast.
+ "Quickly" is the operative word here folks. I never banged the ground so
+ fast as I did sliding out on black ice at a low speed.
Another thing. It is almost impossible for one
person to lift a bike with is on its side on ice--trying to lift it
up only causes it to slide.
+ A small bike (400lbs) helps lots. :-) Then one can merely lift (pull)
+ the bike straight up by the handlebar which draws the tires toward your
+ feet over the ice. (I weigh 155.)
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I ride every day. I love to ride in ice and snow! I have a nice
snow-chain for my rear tire, mail-ordered from Japan, for when
it gets too slippery for the cars to move. The trick is simple:
Install a sidecar! There are sidecars that can be put on or taken
off in less than 15 minutes (after initial setup). There are
sidecars for Vespas and 3-passenger jobs for Wings.
Check the classified ads in the back of magazines like Cycle.
Also, write to the United Sidecar Association for info.
+ That's all folks.
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