SNOW AND ICE 2016/2017

Planet X · 03-12-2016 4:56pm

Be grand next week.
Big south westerly rolling in.

brownian · 05-12-2016 5:21pm

Certainly no ice of any sort on Sally Gap yesterday Sunday 4th December. Road a bit damp, wind in the wrong direction, almost zero traffic and few enough bikes.

Planet X · 05-12-2016 6:00pm

The "Weather gurus" are giving it "up to" 12°c this week.
Nice.

mhiggy09 · 06-12-2016 1:22am

brownian wrote: »

Certainly no ice of any sort on Sally Gap yesterday Sunday 4th December. Road a bit damp, wind in the wrong direction, almost zero traffic and few enough bikes.

Cycled in the Wicklow/Dublin mountains for the first time Sunday. We went up sally gap from Kilbride and the Wicklow gap and turlough from vallymont. Is it always that windy up around sally gap? There was still some small remaining patches of ice on the road up turlough with some snow in the ditches

brownian · 06-12-2016 3:02pm

Not always windy on Sally Gap, but frequently so. Worth looking at the forecast and getting a tailwind. Worse, though, by far, is getting a headwind on the Wicklow Gap - Sally at least has a lot of bends and zig-zags, but Wicklow can be one long straight suffer....

smacl · 06-12-2016 4:53pm

Blowy enough on Pine Forest road today but very mild for the time of year. Weekend weather looks good for the gaps, so will probably give them a go.

mhiggy09 · 06-12-2016 11:42pm

brownian wrote: »

Not always windy on Sally Gap, but frequently so. Worth looking at the forecast and getting a tailwind. Worse, though, by far, is getting a headwind on the Wicklow Gap - Sally at least has a lot of bends and zig-zags, but Wicklow can be one long straight suffer....

Ye we were unlucky and had a block head wind up the last part of sally gap and a slight head wind up parts of Wicklow gap

Planet X · 10-01-2017 5:40pm

Incoming.
Biggie.

Annie get your Run · 10-01-2017 5:43pm

Planet X wrote: »

Incoming.
Biggie.

Snow? Didn't look to pleasant on the weather last night alright :eek: So, who has cycled in snow? Should we all leave the bikes at home the next few days or just carry on as normal...?

P_1 · 10-01-2017 5:44pm

Planet X wrote: »

Incoming.
Biggie.

Yep, looks like I'll be using the fat bike for the commutes towards the end of the week. Bring it on!

smacl · 10-01-2017 5:52pm

P_1 wrote: »

Yep, looks like I'll be using the fat bike for the commutes towards the end of the week. Bring it on!

Might stick the studs on for the weekend myself, though met.ie has it in and around freezing rather than below zero so more like slush, wind and muck.

Planet X · 10-01-2017 5:52pm

Audax on Saturday..........eh......
However.......seems temps up on Saturday... Possibly.

smacl · 10-01-2017 5:54pm

Annie get your Run wrote: »

Snow? Didn't look to pleasant on the weather last night alright :eek: So, who has cycled in snow? Should we all leave the bikes at home the next few days or just carry on as normal...?

First day it snows is usually ok if you're careful, once it freezes and you've a real risk of frozen ice underneath the snow I personally wouldn't be cycling without studded tyres. YMMV.

mr spuckler · 10-01-2017 5:56pm

i remember commuting on a single speed in the heavy snow a few years ago, was great craic

although my helmet did take the brunt of a few snowballs from kids in the city centre :mad:

ice is less fun however, i might end up walking as far as the main road if things are bad!

Planet X · 10-01-2017 6:15pm

Never not cycled in snow. It's good craic and a relatively rare event.

kenmc · 10-01-2017 7:25pm

Planet X wrote: »

Incoming.
Biggie.

Yippee!

Wishbone Ash · 10-01-2017 7:39pm

Annie get your Run wrote: »

So, who has cycled in snow? ...

I cycled a lot during the big snow of 1982 when I was young and foolish. It was great craic but seemed to be particularly hard on tyres. I recall wearing a pair down to the treads after a couple of weeks. Don't really know why they wore out so quickly. I wouldn't have thought hard packed snow was abrasive.

RobFowl · 10-01-2017 7:44pm

WA ddin't think you were old enough to remember that snow of 82.
It was great craic.
Was living in my Nans beside St annes park at the time and as an 11 yr old it was a winter wonderland

cdaly_ · 10-01-2017 9:23pm

Woo! Yellow snow warning on met.ie...

CramCycle · 10-01-2017 9:26pm

RobFowl wrote: »

WA ddin't think you were old enough to remember that snow of 82.
It was great craic.
Was living in my Nans beside St annes park at the time and as an 11 yr old it was a winter wonderland

Didn't think you were that young :pac:

Wishbone Ash · 10-01-2017 10:01pm

RobFowl wrote: »

WA ddin't think you were old enough to remember that snow of 82.
It was great craic.
Was living in my Nans beside St annes park at the time and as an 11 yr old it was a winter wonderland

I was 3 years older than you then! :eek:

(I suppose that means I'm still 3 years older!)

NamelessPhil · 10-01-2017 10:24pm

Planet X wrote: »

Audax on Saturday..........eh......
However.......seems temps up on Saturday... Possibly.

I'm feeling slightly smug at having ridden the East Wicklow permanent last Sunday in a positively tropical 12C.

godtabh · 10-01-2017 10:41pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I cycled a lot during the big snow of 1982 when I was young and foolish. It was great craic but seemed to be particularly hard on tyres. I recall wearing a pair down to the treads after a couple of weeks. Don't really know why they wore out so quickly. I wouldn't have thought hard packed snow was abrasive.

In the snow of 82 I was brought home from hospital after being born. I came early. Really early so there was no food in the house. There was also no heating as the coal man couldn't get to the house. Best I did that winter was being pushed around in a pram with a bottle of whisky keeping me company!

It was a manic couple of days that I get reminded of every year or every time it snows.

Wishbone Ash · 10-01-2017 10:42pm

cdaly_ wrote: »

Woo! Yellow snow warning on met.ie...

.....as in don't eat the yellow snow?

RobFowl · 11-01-2017 12:32am

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

.....as in don't eat the yellow snow?

I think some people get off on that sort of thing.....

Alek · 11-01-2017 5:51am

....as in don't eat the yellow snow?

Hahah, class. You made my day WA

smacl · 11-01-2017 10:26am

godtabh wrote: »

In the snow of 82 I was brought home from hospital after being born.

No excuse for not making it out for a quick spin. That said, I was 16 and don't think I made it out either

Seaswimmer · 11-01-2017 10:36am

I managed to cycle all through the snow in 2010 using the cable tie system. however I no longer have a bike with disc/roller brakes so not sure of the alternative this time in the unlikely event of heavy snow.

Just take the hybrid with the thicker tyres I suppose.

Lumen · 11-01-2017 12:19pm

Seaswimmer wrote: »

I managed to cycle all through the snow in 2010 using the cable tie system. however I no longer have a bike with disc/roller brakes so not sure of the alternative this time in the unlikely event of heavy snow.

Just take the hybrid with the thicker tyres I suppose.

You must buy another bike.

Fian · 11-01-2017 1:32pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

.....as in don't eat the yellow snow?

I will start with a disclaimer that I don't actually believe that this is true, it does make for an "interesting anecdote" though.

Someone once "explained" to me where that "don't eat the yellow snow" warning originally came from. Claimed that Eskimo/Inuit shamans gradually trained themselves to be able to cope with doses of extemely potent psychoative substances (mushrooms etc.) that would be highly toxic to an ordinary person. They would use these substances for "spirit visions" and religious purposes. Although an ordinary person would not be able to cope with the pure mushrooms, the ordinary members of the tribe would collect the yellow snow from outside the shaman's spirit lodge and would use it to get intoxicated. This led to older persons warning their teenage kids off eating the yellow snow.

SNOW AND ICE 2016/2017

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