The wimp list ...

kenmc

Slippy enough D14-D12. Came off twice, once each side, just to make it awkward enough to sleep. And that was taking it handy. Although the first was because a muppet in an SUV kept coming onto a roundabout before finally deciding that I had right of way. At that stage I was already in evasive action mode turning out of his path when I would have been fine if I'd kept my line. Fcukin tosser. Second was a left turn onto the LongMileRoad from Walkinstown road. Thought I'd be OK taking a wide turn. Nope. Concrete road surface before tarmac was lethal. Will be giving the MTB the once over and sticking the icetires on as soon as if I get home and will be taking that from now on if there's any frost out.
Ow.

buffalo

Joined the list, but only because of excruciating pain in my left knee on the downward stroke when I pedal. Had a few slippy moments walking in this morning, wouldn't have liked to be on the bike anyway!

McTigs

It's grand in galway.

Can't speak for outside town mind

rp

kenmc wrote: »

Will be giving the MTB the once over and sticking the icetires on as soon as if I get home and will be taking that from now on if there's any frost out.

I feel your pain man dunno about you tho, but I never found the ice tyres particularly good on frost, and certainly useless on black ice (I've the scars to prove it), its really snow, hardpack and ice-ice where they shine. I'm wondering if a plain tyre with a different compound might be better in conditions like today?

kenmc

rp wrote: »

I feel your pain man dunno about you tho, but I never found the ice tyres particularly good on frost, and certainly useless on black ice (I've the scars to prove it), its really snow, hardpack and ice-ice where they shine. I'm wondering if a plain tyre with a different compound might be better in conditions like today?

Yeah they're excellent in snow and hard-ice, but the bits of ice I can a cropper on today were definitely in the ice-tyre category. Could hardly stand up where I fell the second time. Unfortunately though they suck so much energy and make so much noise on just tarmac that I'd probably be as fast actually taking the road bike anyway, even accounting for taking it handier and including a couple of spills too! Fingers xxd we get a proper snow any day now, and then we're laughing.....

Jawgap

Came in - lots of frost and ice so I just took my time. Not my most enjoyable commute!

NeedMoreGears

^+1

Frosty along Clontarf so took it gingerly enough. Saw one guy take a slow spill off a road bike on the Sam Beckett bridge - he was ok but not really helped by a guy standing in the contra flow bike lane with a camera.

Will be taking the mountain bike (1.75" non-knobbly/not quite slick tyres) if this persists - 23mm slicks were not the way to go this morning.

Raam

NeedMoreGears wrote: »

^+1

Frosty along Clontarf so took it gingerly enough.

Track was fine I thought, but in East Point Business Park there are slippery spots on the pretty bricks which some genius thought would be a good idea for a road surface.

seamus

Frosty I would have said, not exceptionally icy in D16. Still made a point of avoiding the cycle lanes and sticking to the road though. No hairy incidents, took it nice and easy.

It's never nice though spending the entire spin wondering if your front wheel is about to disappear from underneath you.

fletch

Raam wrote: »

Track was fine I thought, but in East Point Business Park there are slippery spots on the pretty bricks which some genius thought would be a good idea for a road surface.

Yeh I slowed to a near walking pace through East Point. Even on a slightly damp day the brick surface has to be treated with absolute respect.

Jawgap

Raam wrote: »

Track was fine I thought, but in East Point Business Park there are slippery spots on the pretty bricks which some genius thought would be a good idea for a road surface.

We've lovely polished granite on the way into our place - so I finished my commute about 25m earlier than usual. It was still pretty lethal in cleats!

godtabh

Cycled in today. Took it easy. Its meant to be worse tomorrow so probably get the bus then

cdaly_

Raam wrote: »

<Clontarf> Track was fine I thought

I took the road along that stretch. Still had a rear wheel shimmy at one point.

Then later on Griffith Ave some wanker started blowing me out of it 'cos I was taking the lane to avoid the dodgy looking edges. Gave his details to a garda shortly after...

rp

cdaly_ wrote: »

Then later on Griffith Ave some wanker started blowing me out of it 'cos I was taking the lane to avoid the dodgy looking edges. Gave his details to a garda shortly after...

Hope you gave him a friendly wave later as you passed him out, stuck in traffic?

07Lapierre

Looked out the window this morning at 7am and the driveway looked like it was sprinkled with diamonds! ( I wish! ). My Black car was White! so I left the bike at home.

monkeybutter

cdaly_ wrote: »

I took the road along that stretch. Still had a rear wheel shimmy at one point.

Then later on Griffith Ave some wanker started blowing me out of it 'cos I was taking the lane to avoid the dodgy looking edges. Gave his details to a garda shortly after...

Were you using your spiked tyres though?

cdaly_

rp wrote: »

Hope you gave him a friendly wave later as you passed him out, stuck in traffic?

Well, the second time, I stopped to explain but he wasn't listening.

The third time I was busy talking to the Garda...

cdaly_

monkeybutter wrote: »

Were you using your spiked tyres though?

Alas no. I looked out this morning and figured "I don't need them yet". Should have turned back for them...

joker77

Rathfarnham to the airport - a fair few wobbles but managed to stay upright. Was taking it handy and not making any sharp turns at all.

Not enjoying the wobbles on the bike at the moment. Crashed two weeks ago, last Sunday was out - had a new 25mm gatorskin on the rear wheel - coming down Windgates into Bray, round the roundabout, back lost contact for a split second twice - not pleasant at 40kms/hr +
Those gatorskins sure are slippy.

bogmanfan

Surely it's time for a Idiot List thread for those 'brave' enough to cycle on these roads?
My taxi was lovely and warm at 6 this morning...

Raam

bogmanfan wrote: »

My taxi was lovely and warm at 6 this morning...

So was my bed.

doozerie

I missed my Marathon Winter tyres this morning, the 33mm slicks on my MTB were no match for my local roads. My usual test of the state of the roads is to walk the bike onto it and gently pull the front brake - the speed at which the front wheel shoots to the side gives my face an idea of the rate at which it'll be heading for the ground at one of the three 90-degree turns that I encounter in the first kilometre of my commute. Two of those turns are on a hill, the speed bumps on the hill add another interesting dimension. This morning my face pleaded with me to walk that first kilometer, so I did.

I'd hoped to postpone putting on the spiked tyres until December at least, but this morning might change that. I don't mind riding on them, they just signify crap weather for cycling so the longer I avoid them the happier I am. I've used them for at least 2 or 3 months on the bike for each of the last two winters. They're great tyres, but I agree with the views already expressed that they are perfect for packed ice (ironically, pedestrians sliding on the footpaths have yelled warnings to me as I've safely cycled up the ice covered hill into my estate), but they are of limited use on thin layers of ice, but still preferable to slicks.

Incidentally, you can buy replacement carbide spikes too. I bought Nokian ones which fit the Schwalbe tires perfectly well. I've had to replace several that have disappeared from my tyres, mostly due to braking too hard on tarmac I suspect.

rollingscone

Ditto on the gatorskins. Just replaced my rear bontrager hardcase with one and nearly skidded out last night when a mooooootorist turned into the cycle lane because she wasn't competent to complete a basic joining manoeuvre.

Was ok out to UCD from the city centre today although I did see one guy knee-plant on the left turn opposite the Milltown house.

joker77

doozerie wrote: »

I missed my Marathon Winter tyres this morning, the 33mm slicks on my MTB were no match for my local roads. My usual test of the state of the roads is to walk the bike onto it and gently pull the front brake - the speed at which the front wheel shoots to the side gives my face an idea of the rate at which it'll be heading for the ground at one of the three 90-degree turns that I encounter in the first kilometre of my commute. Two of those turns are on a hill, the speed bumps on the hill add another interesting dimension. This morning my face pleaded with me to walk that first kilometer, so I did.

I'd hoped to postpone putting on the spiked tyres until December at least, but this morning might change that. I don't mind riding on them, they just signify crap weather for cycling so the longer I avoid them the happier I am. I've used them for at least 2 or 3 months on the bike for each of the last two winters. They're great tyres, but I agree with the views already expressed that they are perfect for packed ice (ironically, pedestrians sliding on the footpaths have yelled warnings to me as I've safely cycled up the ice covered hill into my estate), but they are of limited use on thin layers of ice, but still preferable to slicks.

Incidentally, you can buy replacement carbide spikes too. I bought Nokian ones which fit the Schwalbe tires perfectly well. I've had to replace several that have disappeared from my tyres, mostly due to braking too hard on tarmac I suspect.

Got any recommendations for a good all round winter tyre to do me from now until Spring (will stick the gatorskins back on then maybe)?

Edit: I've mavic aksiums on the commuter

kenmc

joker77 wrote: »

Got any recommendations for a good all round winter tyre to do me from now until Spring (will stick the gatorskins back on then maybe)?

Edit: I've mavic aksiums on the commuter

Gp4000s? Found them great for winter training last year, no punctures I can remember.... plenty of grip too

joker77

kenmc wrote: »

Gp4000s? Found them great for winter training last year, no punctures I can remember.... plenty of grip too

Cheers Ken, not really for training - thinking something more for commuting right through the winter, and any ice we may get. Looking like it'll be a cold one this year

kenmc

joker77 wrote: »

Cheers Ken, not really for training - thinking something more for commuting right through the winter, and any ice we may get. Looking like it'll be a cold one this year

I was suggesting them for commuting.
as for the ice, then you're onto the MTB

doozerie

joker77 wrote: »

Got any recommendations for a good all round winter tyre to do me from now until Spring (will stick the gatorskins back on then maybe)?

Edit: I've mavic aksiums on the commuter

I second kenmc's suggestion of Continental GP4000S's, and they are available in 25mm too for the same price as 23mm (from RoseBikes.co.uk, and some of the other German sites too I think), if your bike can take a slightly wider tyre. I see that the GP 4 Season's got a good write-up in Cycling Plus recently, I think they rated them as having the best grip in the wet of the tyres they tested - however, they didn't include the GP4000S in the test, and Cycling Plus reviews aren't always the best either.

More radically though, the Marathon Winter tyres are available in 700x35c so if you have clearance on your frame you could go with those. I've only used the MTB variant but the 700c versions should perform similarly I'd expect.

Surveyor11

Braved the new commute from carpenters town to city west in my first frosty commute of winter 2012 - avoided the strawberry beds, must have been like an ice rink with all the recent rain and standing water, and went the long way round through westmanstown. took a few skids at Lucan in the cycle lane heading towards baldonnell, hoping it thaws today and doesn't freeze to early tonight

Hmmzis

Headed out at around 7:15 today. Was a fair bit of frost and ice in town. The bike lanes were unusable, stuck to the left side trail that cars had cleared of ice. Tried a bus lane - was cycling sideways for a good bit, so not much use.

Funny enough, when I went up the Cruagh climb the ice was gone after Edmondstown rd. The upper bit of Stockings lane/Military rd was actually dry and no sign of frost or ice anywhere just lots of fog. It also felt a lot warmer up there than in town.

Btw. If you're heading up there in a foggy morning watch out for the sheep. The white wool makes very good camo gear in foggy conditions.