Bicycling in winter advice needed

[Pisces]

I am still newbie because this is my first winter time bicycling. I can't help but wonder, while going down a short and a medium range hills (which is on my way to home), what i am supposed to do if floor is icy? I can't know until i pass through if asphalt was slippery right?
I was wondering what kind of safety cautions i should take during winter?
I go to work by bicycle. If it is snowing is it advisable to ride?
thanks

 

[xtrca]

the answer is simple..the freezing point of water is zero degrees celcius..therefore, as a rule, i do not ride below 1 degree celcius. any temperature above one degree is safe. if you do come across ice...

1. DON"T TOUCH THE BRAKES!
2. try not to turn
3. put your weight centered or even slightly in back of your bike, unweigh the front of the bike.
4. relax all your muscles to avoid jerky sudden movements that could cause you to slip
5. don't stop pedaling

if you must ride blow zero, you might consider a mountain bike with bigger tires, also, you can purchase studded tires that help grip on ice

you can make your own also

get some wood screws and screw one through every stud on your tire but make sure they only pass by about one millimeter or even slightly less. You can then seal the tire on the inside with silicone so the screws wont make you have a flat. then cut an old inner tube in half and insert it as a prtecting sheath around the tire, adding even more protection.

Patrick

 

[AlanW]

Ice & Snow

There are basically 2 types of ice, "white ice" which is compacted snow and "black ice" which is frozen liquid water. White ice is quite grippy if you have tread on your tyres, as shown in the attached photo. However black ice has almost no grip and is extremely dangerous. You can spot black ice on the road by a tell-tale "gleam"; that is, the road seems to be shiny. If you see this, watch out!

You also need to be very aware of roads that are not exposed to the sunshine; shadowed or North-facing. Ice can linger in the shadows when the rest of the road is fine.

As Patrick says, if you hit a patch of ice, don't brake, steer or do anything that might upset the bike until you're across the ice and back on grippy tarmac. There's a chance that you can make it, but you may still go down uch:

Snow is, again, OK if you have some tread on your tyres, up to a few cm anyway. If you are caught out in the snow with slick road tyres, you can make progress but you need to be very gentle when braking and turning; it's probably a good idea to head for home if this happens

 

[Pisces]

Thanks for the advices

Hi Patrick and AlanW. Great advices which make me more scare of course because of the hills i have to go down on my way to home. I think i saw couple of times black ice on the roads and did stayed away.
I better keep my eye on thermometer. I guess i need to have a thermometer on my balcony to check cold outside right? Thanks a lot
chris