It's cold

Pigeon Reaper

I decided to cycle the 20km or so to work this morning on the MTB. It was baltic. I don't know if I was hallucinating but the penguins waving at me did nothing to help. Citywest was -10C when I got in only to find I couldn't open the bike lockup gate as it was frozen solid. More penguins just stood there laughing at me as I struggled to open it. The main roads for the most part where fine on the MTB but I wouldn't like to try them with the road bike. The drivers on the other hand where mental speeding on black ice and there were a few cars in accidents on the way in. I'm still trying to warm up but at least the penguins have stopped staring at me menacingly through the window.

DirkVoodoo

Do you work near a convent?

Jawgap

Pigeon Reaper wrote: »

......The drivers on the other hand where mental speeding on black ice and there were a few cars in accidents on the way in. I'm still trying to warm up but at least the penguins have stopped staring at me menacingly through the window.

You should grab one of them and have them with a cup of tea.....


By the way, the M1 was pretty bad this morning.....

mtbireland

yeah it was baltic this morning...brrrrrrrrrrrrrr The only dry gloves I could find today were old summer gloves with lots of holes in them... The pain as the fingers thawed out.... Roads were okay but you had to be careful.

-7 on my way in today (so the yoke in Rathgar tells me). Would have been warming heading in if I had gotten up a good speed but with the ice I was taking it handily.

fletch

It was pretty cold out this morning....most annoying was the traffic and the fact that I wasn't able to pass it out as I had to stay in the car tyre tracks....any chance I got I booted it to try get my blood flowing. I had warmed up by the time I got to Phoenix Park but having to follow traffic crawling slowly down Chesterfield Avenue, I cooled down again. Forgot to wear my hat and felt like my ears were going to explode with the cold, won't be making the same mistake tomorrow.

seamus

Yep, bloody freezing this morning, way colder than any of the commutes last week. Somewhere between -9 and -5 for most of the way in, depending on where I was.

alentejo

Yep very cold. My breaks and gears froze so single gear cycling all the way

fletch

BAck on the bus tomorrow! Snowing heavily in D15 now

Caroline_ie

fletch wrote: »

BAck on the bus tomorrow! Snowing heavily in D15 now

I refuse to look out the window now. But Fresh snow means I am back on the MTB!!! Woooooo!!!
I hate to think I might have to start running in the gym now. FFFFFFFFFF******* ... I hate running so much.

mtbireland

just miserable wet roads this morning.... grim

doozerie

Snow, sleet, and rain all made an appearance during my commute this morning. Manky weather. But, on the plus side, newly fitted studded tyres are making for a much safer journey by bike.

Caroline_ie

well it was raining when i left he house so i walked. Both D15 roads and footpaths are leathal ...

mtbireland

Lashing snow again now in D2..... much rather that the sleet and rain....

Pigeon Reaper

It felt alot colder this morning than any other day this week even though it was technically warmer than Monday. Lots of black ice around and cars are really beginning to speed up and take risks.

RobFowl

North County is lethal this morning. First fall commuting in as long as I can remember. Nicely bandaged thumb as a result....

Icyseanfitz

mtbireland wrote: »

Lashing snow again now in D2..... much rather that the sleet and rain....

same just wish tralee would get some

anthony_walsh

roads were like glass this morning.
was contemplating a mtb ride but turned back after a couple of hundred meters

www.coffeeandcrosswinds.blogspot.com

Quite icy out this morning alright, -6 the yoke in Rathgar told me again. The speed of all traffic was up though, got in much quicker today than in the past two weeks.

christeb

I took a spill myself, car had hazard lights on in the bus lane on the Howth Rd. I spotted it when I was coming around the corner too fast, braked too hard -> splat. We exchanged some pleasantries even though I was at mostly fault, I let them know it was a ridiculous place to pick someone up
No injuries sustained, but it sure it dangerous out there

doozerie

Dónal wrote: »

Quite icy out this morning alright, -6 the yoke in Rathgar told me again. The speed of all traffic was up though, got in much quicker today than in the past two weeks.

As a matter of interest, are you reading that temperature from a publicly visible yoke in Rathgar? I'd be curious to know where it is, if so, as I come through there regularly and I'd be interested in checking what it says.

I have a digital thermometer+hygrometer that I sat outside my house this morning. It takes forever to adjust to cold temperatures though - it was reading 18C or so when I put it out and 45 minutes later it had eventually worked its way down to -3.3C. I reckon it was actually colder than that though (and if Rathgar was -6 then my place could only have been that or colder again), I think the thermometer was just in shock.

It didn't seem as cold today as Monday though. On Monday morning I soaked a j-cloth in boiling water from the kettle and I happened to be holding it near a stream of air coming in from outside - the area of cloth exposed to the air froze into a stiff sheet within a minute or two. I suspect my thermometer would have run to someone else's house if I had put it out that day.

manwithaplan

It was lethal coming home last night and heading in to work this morning. Had a couple of hairy slides on black ice last night without going down so was particularly careful this morning (although I did pass someone I think might have been Tunney but he wasn't getting involved in any commuter racy stuff - just as well for me). My "how cold are my hands" scale suggests this morning was the coldest yet.

seamus

doozerie wrote: »

It didn't seem as cold today as Monday though.

Definitely wasn't. Roads were much slippier, but not quite as cold.

Not skinny-dipping weather either...

doozerie

doozerie wrote: »

As a matter of interest, are you reading that temperature from a publicly visible yoke in Rathgar? I'd be curious to know where it is, if so, as I come through there regularly and I'd be interested in checking what it says.

I have a digital thermometer+hygrometer that I sat outside my house this morning. It takes forever to adjust to cold temperatures though - it was reading 18C or so when I put it out and 45 minutes later it had eventually worked its way down to -3.3C. I reckon it was actually colder than that though (and if Rathgar was -6 then my place could only have been that or colder again), I think the thermometer was just in shock.

It didn't seem as cold today as Monday though. On Monday morning I soaked a j-cloth in boiling water from the kettle and I happened to be holding it near a stream of air coming in from outside - the area of cloth exposed to the air froze into a stiff sheet within a minute or two. I suspect my thermometer would have run to someone else's house if I had put it out that day.

Visible here above the shop: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=no.+84+highfield+road,+rathgar,+dublin,+ireland&sll=53.31357,-6.269395&sspn=0.006294,0.021136&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=84+Highfield+Rd,+Dublin+6,+County+Dublin,+Ireland&ll=53.313147,-6.265082&spn=0.006294,0.021136&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.313162,-6.264966&panoid=kjVpMY9XcJg1t-nFTbGD4g&cbp=12,40.1,,0,6.69

Probably not the most scientific thing but hey, it tells me the time and the temperature on the way to work, so I'm happy enough with it!

doozerie

@Dó;nal, Thanks. It's a bit off my route unfortunately. Shame, I'd be curious to get some sort of idea of temperature each day even if its only a bit rough. My current temperature gauge goes something like: frozen ears = 2C; frozen fingertips = 0C; frozen fingers up to second joint = -6C; etc.

chakattack

Presume all this slipping and sliding was on mountain or cross bikes?

Contemplating commuting on mtb in the morning but this thread is turning me off.

Pigeon Reaper

chakattack wrote: »

Presume all this slipping and sliding was on mountain or cross bikes?

Contemplating commuting on mtb in the morning but this thread is turning me off.

Did you use the MTB this morning. I've been on one the past few mornings without any real slips but last night coming home has alot of black ice which certainly made the bike handling more fun.

manwithaplan

I've been on a hybrid. Reduced the tyre pressures last week but (following a pinch flat) I have them back to normal now. This morning and last night weren't too bad but traffic was very heavy.

I commute near sea level on well-used roads. It's probably trickier elsewhere.

seamus

You'd be clear now to commute from the inner suburbs (Terenure, Drumcondra) on 23's. Fully thawed this morning, just stay out of the gutter and stick to the major routes.

There's still a good deal of compacted snow & ice on part of my commute which won't be going anywhere for a week or two, so I'm still on the MTB.

Traffic is very heavy, which is the main problem, it's all overtaking on the right, so there's a lot of waiting around for oncoming traffic.

doozerie

I commuted in on MTB slicks (1.3") on Monday. I had reduced pressure in the tyres but they still slid around a bit. Staying in the main car lane was okay but occasionally dodgy, bus lanes were treacherous and bike lanes unusable. I had to walk the first couple of miles though until I got close to Rathfarnham.

By comparison, since then I've been riding on studded MTB tyres with reduced pressure, which made most of the route ridable except for the first half-mile from my house - that portion is solid ice and on a hill, which is okay in so far as it goes, but filled with trenches which are not okay even on studded tyres (managed to ride it some of the days though, just depends on how much the trenches have been churned up by traffic during each day). I've still had the studded front tyre slide a bit on some particularly icy patches on main roads, and the back wheel spun a bit too when taking off from some traffic lights near Rathfarnham but the road past Rathfarnham is usually bad in cold weather anyway. No slips or slides this morning though.

Even on days where I was sliding a bit on studded tyres I did see a small number of people casually cycling on hybrids. Maybe the roads were in great condition and my bike handling is a lot worse than it should be, or maybe they were staying upright due entirely to being oblivious to the dangers - I suspect the latter, mostly. Based on this mornings commute I would agree that the main routes on my commute are largely safely ridable on any bike, though the cycles lanes are unusable and some stretches of bus lane still have ice eating into them so you can't cycle close to the footpath - most drivers are considerate enough to leave you space in the main lanes, though that may change for the worse as speeds start to pick up generally and everyone becomes complacent again.

You still need to be wary though as there are occasional mounds of ice and slush scattered even on the main roads, possibly stuff which has fallen off the cars of people who are too stupid, lazy, or delicate to clear their roof and windscreens before they leave home.

mfdc

The sweetest graph I've seen in a good long time, nearly 7 degrees! About goddamn time! I don't think it's gone above 0 for a few days now.

Weather forum seems to think it's temporary though with the cold coming back next week

Caroline_ie

mfdc wrote: »

Weather forum seems to think it's temporary though with the cold coming back next week

That's what I keep hearing on the news as well ... I guess it's winterer than usual, but I am starting to be even more fed up with people complaining 'it's soo cold' than the cold itself. People are just a bunch of old grannies.

It's winter FFS! Deal with it People! You can be pissed off because it's icy and you can't ride your bike, but don't be complaining because it's cold...

* this is not addressed to anyone on the cycling forum - we are allowed to be annoyed to be turbo bound, because we only want the ice to thaw. Us complaining is OK.

Icyseanfitz

i would take ice snow and cold any day over wet windy and miserable irish weather pity tralee doesnt get anything but the latter

doozerie

@Icyseanfitz, Sold! I'll move to your place in Tralee and you can take my place here in Dublin. The appeal of snow wears off pretty quickly when you have to fight your way through it to get to and from work and the shops. And I'm not sure that ice has any appeal to start with.

Icyseanfitz

love snow and ice used to go skiing every winter until i was like 15, actually thinking of moving off to some place with snow all winter as soon as i finish college

cdaly_

seamus wrote: »

Not skinny-dipping weather either...

Nonsense! The sea is lovely and warm in comparison. Plus 10 or 11 degrees Celsius out there...

doozerie

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

love snow and ice used to go skiing every winter until i was like 15, actually thinking of moving off to some place with snow all winter as soon as i finish college

In the meantime you are welcome to take all of the snow and ice from my neck of the woods. Only a few careless owners, slightly used, going brown and manky in parts, but otherwise okay. 20cents for the lot!

kenmc

doozerie wrote: »

In the meantime you are welcome to take all of the snow and ice from my neck of the woods. Only a few careless owners, slightly used, going brown and manky in parts, but otherwise okay. 20cents for the lot!

Do you deliver?

DirkVoodoo

Footpaths are still lethal, slid my way to lunch.

Jawgap

cdaly_ wrote: »

Nonsense! The sea is lovely and warm in comparison. Plus 10 or 11 degrees Celsius out there...

11.1 at 1300hrs today......

http://www.marine.ie/home/publicationsdata/data/buoys/observations.htm#M2

Balmy!

Even warmer out in the Atlantic - 11.5!!!

fletch

Dónal wrote: »

Visible here above the shop: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=no.+84+highfield+road,+rathgar,+dublin,+ireland&sll=53.31357,-6.269395&sspn=0.006294,0.021136&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=84+Highfield+Rd,+Dublin+6,+County+Dublin,+Ireland&ll=53.313147,-6.265082&spn=0.006294,0.021136&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.313162,-6.264966&panoid=kjVpMY9XcJg1t-nFTbGD4g&cbp=12,40.1,,0,6.69

Probably not the most scientific thing but hey, it tells me the time and the temperature on the way to work, so I'm happy enough with it!

I enjoy guessing the temperature every morning on this one. I'm generally within a degree or two.

Ole Rodrigo

slightly off topic - anyone know what the roads are like from Stocking Lane to Roundwood....bikeable or still too icy ??

seamus

You won't do it on a road bike.

Still very icy according to AA roadwatch. The Sally Gap is still impassable. I would stick to the main roads, up and down the N81 if you need to get your fix.

Pigeon Reaper

check out the mountain rescue website. They've had to rescue a few 4X4 drivers after they got stuck up there. I'd say it will be impassible for another while.

doozerie

kenmc wrote:

Do you deliver?

For a load of that size there is only one shipping agent to use but as recent events have shown Mother Nature Deliveries are an unreliable agent at best. Might have to just roll it up into one large snowball and lob it at Tralee.

Icyseanfitz

doozerie wrote: »

For a load of that size there is only one shipping agent to use but as recent events have shown Mother Nature Deliveries are an unreliable agent at best. Might have to just roll it up into one large snowball and lob it at Tralee.

would be great if you could do that maybe if i try to piss mother nature off she will send us some snow hmm.. time to find all my cfc's and feed the local cows some beans /hippyrage shield activated

Planet X

Been in and out every day this week on the N11, no probs. Cycle down the local road aswell, ice, 25mm's tyres.
No big deal.
Thermal gloves and ski mitts on top.

blue chuzzle

doozerie wrote: »

Even on days where I was sliding a bit on studded tyres I did see a small number of people casually cycling on hybrids. Maybe the roads were in great condition and my bike handling is a lot worse than it should be, or maybe they were staying upright due entirely to being oblivious to the dangers - I suspect the latter, mostly.

i was thinking this too - i cycled/walked to work a few of the days through town and there were loads of people just cycling normally straight across icy patches. i would delicately get off my bike and walk trying to avoid the places that i assumed (could see, damnit!!) would be lethal only to have some pro cyclist/completly oblivious person cruise through it without a problem. i was genuinely beginning to question weather i was just being a pansy!

bcmf

Caroline_ie wrote: »

* this is not addressed to anyone on the cycling forum - we are allowed to be annoyed to be turbo bound, because we only want the ice to thaw. Us complaining is OK.

OHHHH!!! Good save. For a min I thought you were gonna go on some Gallic rant

petethedrummer

Party Time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5azmkxmTc4

kenmc

petethedrummer wrote: »

Party Time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5azmkxmTc4

Have to give that a go next weekend when the snow comes back to play!