Dealing with black ice

[pagheca]

Over the past few days, temperatures where I live have suddenly dropped.

I ride my bike to work at least four times a week. The route starts with a 200-meter climb and then about 3 km downhill, so I was quite worried about black ice—those thin, glassy patches that are extremely slippery and almost invisible. I went down very cautiously, but it made me wonder how others handle this situation.

I’ve ridden my bike in the snow many times (see my avatar, taken at the South Pole), but this is different and honestly a bit scary, because the road I take with my e-MTB (with heavily treaded Maxxis tires) is paved and often wet during the day.

Do you avoid riding when temperatures are below freezing and there’s a chance that snow or ice has melted and refrozen? Or do you just take it slow?

Has anyone here ever gone down because of it? I never got involved in a bike accident during my whole life and would like to maintain a clean record...

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[Stihldog]

Over the past few days, temperatures where I live have suddenly dropped.

I ride my bike to work at least four times a week. The route starts with a 200-meter climb and then about 3 km downhill, so I was quite worried about black ice—those thin, glassy patches that are extremely slippery and almost invisible. I went down very cautiously, but it made me wonder how others handle this situation.

I’ve ridden my bike in the snow many times (see my avatar, taken at the South Pole), but this is different and honestly a bit scary, because the road I take with my e-MTB (with heavily treaded Maxxis tires) is paved and often wet during the day.

Do you avoid riding when temperatures are below freezing and there’s a chance that snow or ice has melted and refrozen? Or do you just take it slow?

Has anyone here ever gone down because of it? I never got involved in a bike accident during my whole life and would like to maintain a clean record...

---

Black ice on pavement would be scary …at any speed. Fortunately I only have 1-2 kms of pavement to ride on before I get to the trail entrance. But when the temperature goes below 0 degrees the ice ruts or freezing temperatures are frightening on the pavement.

All I can say is that I brace myself. Involuntary zig-zags, sudden loss of steering or grip, an extremely fast dab.

All I know is that the gravel is a short distance away. Still icy and usually rutted …but rideable. The ice season is not long enough to justify studded tires.

(More bubble wrap)

 

[steve_sordy]

The only safe tyres that I am aware of are spiked tyres. But not really practical for your needs. Not even super sticky tyres will work on black ice. Nothing works on black ice (except spiked tyres).

Try not to be leaning over or changing direction when on black ice. That advice only works of course if you know that you are on black ice!

There is a side road in my village that I have to cross. It joins the main road in a slight dip down where it meets. That dip puts it in shadow from the morning sun. The first time there was black ice there, I went down like a sack of wet cement. Ever since, when it's cold, I always put one foot on the road first to test it. I am aware that it looks an odd thing to do, but that first accident hurt a lot. When crossing that road in winter, I now follow the advice from our National Health Service to "walk like a penguin"!

 

[Paulquattro]

Black ice is a bitch and as above if you hit it and your doing anything but riding without altering anything you are ok but the slightest turn or brake etc and you could possibly be down unless lucky
Im speaking of tarmac , concrete etc nothing else and yes ive been down in black ice , i didnt see it and was in a slight turn on an innocent cycle path you go down hard as theres nothing to slow down the bike or yourself
But its part of 2 wheel transport im afraid

 

[MeatBike]

I had a high speed fall on back ice quite recently.

I was out in the local woods on my gravel bike and it was getting late/dark so decided to take a shortcut home via a new build housing estate. It's on a hill with a long road into a 90 degree corner, which then leads to another set of woods. Anyway, I was bombing down said hill and as just as I approached and leaned into the corner I noticed the tarmac was glistening under the streetlights. No sooner had the "oh shit, black ice!" thought entered my head the bike slid out from under me and I went down with it, slinding around 10-15 meters down the road on my hip and left palm. I then had to ride the rest of the way home with a fast swelling hand. Not easy in the dark woods with only a bar light.

The only consolation is the thought of me sliding down the road may have trigged the motion alert on people's Ring doorbells

As for tyres, I don't think there is really a perfect solution as it's not usually thick enough for spikes. Lower pressures and slower speed is probably you're best bet to surviving it.

 

[RickBullotta]

SImple. Studded tires. Always when it is icy. Crashed a few times on MTB and moto on ice. Not fun. Concave studs actually do pretty well on "non-ice" surfaces so I mount up a wheelset with 45NRTH Wrathchild 2.6's on icy days.

 

[Stihldog]

I don’t have any experience with black ice while on my bike. The short distance that I travel to the trail on the pavement is heavily salted (too much imo). However, ice ruts develop from the slush when the snow melts and freezes again.

That becomes tricky but not deadly. Stuck in rut and loosing your balance, then quickly adjusting to regain balance again probably looks funny for anyone reviewing their door-bell camera.

But it’s the salt that my tires pickup. Everything changes to the colour of white. My shoes, tires, frame, my butt, backpack, riding glasses and helmet. Imagine the look of a skunk. Sometimes I can taste it.

I like the snow …but not the hidden ice below it. I’ve been tempted to use studded tires but the ice-season is too short. Maybe a few weeks.

 

[RickBullotta]

I don’t have any experience with black ice while on my bike. The short distance that I travel to the trail on the pavement is heavily salted (too much imo). However, ice ruts develop from the slush when the snow melts and freezes again.

That becomes tricky but not deadly. Stuck in rut and loosing your balance, then quickly adjusting to regain balance again probably looks funny for anyone reviewing their door-bell camera.

But it’s the salt that my tires pickup. Everything changes to the colour of white. My shoes, tires, frame, my butt, backpack, riding glasses and helmet. Imagine the look of a skunk. Sometimes I can taste it.

I like the snow …but not the hidden ice below it. I’ve been tempted to use studded tires but the ice-season is too short. Maybe a few weeks.

I don't know what it would cost to get them to the UK, but 45NRTH has a 60% off deal on their Wrathchild 29 x 2.6 studded tires right now. They'll last you a few years.

 

[Stihldog]

I don't know what it would cost to get them to the UK, but 45NRTH has a 60% off deal on their Wrathchild 29 x 2.6 studded tires right now. They'll last you a few years.

I haven’t seen any studded tires in this area. Fat tires yes. But I don’t think I could fit a 3-5” tire in my frame. Packed snow between the tire and front fender becomes a “show-stopping-problem”. Solution; get rid of the front fender.

My arms and shoulders get a workout when I ride on the hard-water. Momentum is your friend sometimes.

 

[pagheca]

I don't know what it would cost to get them to the UK, but 45NRTH has a 60% off deal on their Wrathchild 29 x 2.6 studded tires right now. They'll last you a few years.

how do they work on sealed roads and gravel in your experience? My usual path is a mix of every and all ground conditions.

 

[RickBullotta]

I haven’t seen any studded tires in this area. Fat tires yes. But I don’t think I could fit a 3-5” tire in my frame. Packed snow between the tire and front fender becomes a “show-stopping-problem”. Solution; get rid of the front fender.

My arms and shoulders get a workout when I ride on the hard-water. Momentum is your friend sometimes.

Those are 2.6"

 

[RickBullotta]

how do they work on sealed roads and gravel in your experience? My usual path is a mix of every and all ground conditions.

They work fine (because of the concave stud design). And on wet roots they're amazing! Interestingly, the break-in period to properly seat the studs involves a pavement ride for 30 minutes, so it's perfect OK. On some wet rock slabs they can get a bit sketchy. Also, you'll likely lose a few studs on rides, so it's a good idea to get some spare studs and the associated tool. It's super easy to replace them. I usually lose a half dozen or so on a mixed surface ride, almost all on the rear tire.

I run similar tires (Wrathchild) in a 4.6" size on my fatbike for snow rides.

 

[MeatBike]

I don't know what it would cost to get them to the UK, but 45NRTH has a 60% off deal on their Wrathchild 29 x 2.6 studded tires right now. They'll last you a few years.

£195 per tyre, which is over double the cost of Schwalbe's studded tyres.

I'm sure they're worth it if you routinely have the suitable conditions to use them. Not the case for me in NE Scotland.

 

[Stihldog]

Those are 2.6"

Same here. Maxxis Assigia 2.6.
I lower the psi to 10-12 for the snow.
35mm wide rims though with a cushcore sometimes.

 

[RickBullotta]

£195 per tyre, which is over double the cost of Schwalbe's studded tyres.

I'm sure they're worth it if you routinely have the suitable conditions to use them. Not the case for me in NE Scotland.

They're on sale right now for 60% off, actually, at least here in the USA:

Wrathchild Trail Tire

From loose snow, to icy freeze-thaw and everything in between, the Wrathchild Trail Tire craves the best and worst winter conditions. Deep center lugs aggressively claw into unconsolidated snow for extreme acceleration and braking traction. Super tall side lugs dig into loose snow to provide...

www.45nrth.com

 

[Renton_Yorkshire]

I had a bad crash several years back - was bobbing along nicely when a gravel track turned into a tarmac section half way around a left hand turn......which after I'd picked myself back up again, was covered with black ice.

Cracked helmet (thankfully only that), smashed knee and sprained wrist - never again when likely to be icy anywhere.

I'll wait for it all to clear up and get a bit milder - that's how I deal with it

 

[pagheca]

Thanks for the "studded tyre" suggestions. I didn't know about them... I wonder if it is worth the expense as this is a quite unusual weather here...

The path I usually do to commute to work and back home is divided in 3 quite different sections.
1) A 3.5 km long downhill paved road in good conditions that may freeze overnight and is my main concern, because you gain speed easily here and there is some traffic:

2) another 3km section usually dry because the many cars, peatons, and bycicle passing by:

3)... and a last 3.5 km path with a canal on the sidel with many frozen sections (I saw many marks of people zigzagging here and probably falling down, but I saved myself so far by going slowly and trying not to bend):

all the pictures are screenshots from a timelapse I recorded a few days ago with my DJI.

 

[Giff]

Over the past few days, temperatures where I live have suddenly dropped.

I ride my bike to work at least four times a week. The route starts with a 200-meter climb and then about 3 km downhill, so I was quite worried about black ice—those thin, glassy patches that are extremely slippery and almost invisible. I went down very cautiously, but it made me wonder how others handle this situation.

I’ve ridden my bike in the snow many times (see my avatar, taken at the South Pole), but this is different and honestly a bit scary, because the road I take with my e-MTB (with heavily treaded Maxxis tires) is paved and often wet during the day.

Do you avoid riding when temperatures are below freezing and there’s a chance that snow or ice has melted and refrozen? Or do you just take it slow?

Has anyone here ever gone down because of it? I never got involved in a bike accident during my whole life and would like to maintain a clean record...

---

À company called Autosox developed in Norway make a fabric sleeve for car and truck tyres. They don’t make them for bikes but I wonder if the idea could be adapted for MTB’s.

 

[Giff]

À company called Autosox developed in Norway make a fabric sleeve for car and truck tyres. They don’t make them for bikes but I wonder if the idea could be adapted for MTB’s.

Sorry Auto socks.
The AutoSock AS_HP_600E Winter Traction Aid is designed to provide excellent traction on icy roads, as mentioned in several customer reviews.

 

[pagheca]

À company called Autosox developed in Norway make a fabric sleeve for car and truck tyres. They don’t make them for bikes but I wonder if the idea could be adapted for MTB’s.

Interesting. A problem I see is the usually reduced clearance between the tire and the mudguards. In my case just a few mm.

 

[Giff]

Interesting. A problem I see is the usually reduced clearance between the tire and the mudguards. In my case just a few mm.

Perbhaps removable mudguards. It won’t be muddy if it’s frozen! Not ideal but there maybe a workaround.

 

[Powerslider]

Black ice will rob you of your balance!

 

[Kepa]

SImple. Studded tires. Always when it is icy. Crashed a few times on MTB and moto on ice. Not fun. Concave studs actually do pretty well on "non-ice" surfaces so I mount up a wheelset with 45NRTH Wrathchild 2.6's on icy days.

i just slipped and slided today on an icy fire road while climbing up. Luckily the winter here doesn't last that long, so no reason buying studded tires. When I was living in Finland studded tires were necessity.

 

[Kepa]

i just slipped and slided today on an icy fire road while climbing up. Luckily the winter here doesn't last that long, so no reason buying studded tires. When I was living in Finland studded tires were necessity.

The best studded tires I've ever had.

Piikkisika

Suomi Tyres Piikkisika

suomityres.fi

 

[RickBullotta]

The best studded tires I've ever had.

Piikkisika

Suomi Tyres Piikkisika

suomityres.fi

Try a set of tires with concave studs also - I find them better in general than pin-style studs.

 

[Iamthearrison]

I got caught out and went down on black ice last week (twice in one journey). Was riding to work at 6.30 am, was dark, and the roads just looked wet. Both falls were the same, low side slide, landing on my left side. By half 2 in the afternoon I'd decided my back pain was bad enough that I wouldn't be able to ride home, so got a mate to take me and the bike in his car. The pain was even worse the morning after, so I took myself off to the minor injuries clinic, where they examined me and told me I'd got 3 broken ribs. Still in agony now a week later. Seems the injury was caused by landing hard on the water bottle in my backpack. Managed a walk to the shops this morning, so going to attempt a slow ride around the block tomorrow.

 

[Just gan]

Over the past few days, temperatures where I live have suddenly dropped.

I ride my bike to work at least four times a week. The route starts with a 200-meter climb and then about 3 km downhill, so I was quite worried about black ice—those thin, glassy patches that are extremely slippery and almost invisible. I went down very cautiously, but it made me wonder how others handle this situation.

I’ve ridden my bike in the snow many times (see my avatar, taken at the South Pole), but this is different and honestly a bit scary, because the road I take with my e-MTB (with heavily treaded Maxxis tires) is paved and often wet during the day.

Do you avoid riding when temperatures are below freezing and there’s a chance that snow or ice has melted and refrozen? Or do you just take it slow?

Has anyone here ever gone down because of it? I never got involved in a bike accident during my whole life and would like to maintain a clean record...

---

Crashed loads after hitting unexpected ìce thats the risk you take riding in winter I'm afraid. Never hurt myself though .But you don't get much warning if your going fast.

 

[vikino1]

Today, on the wet snow, I preferred to turn off the engine and pedal the entire ride without assistance. You need to reduce the tire pressure and speed.

 

[RickBullotta]

Or just get studded tires and have some real fun in the snow! They also rock on slippery wet roots.

 

[Giff]

Those tyres look brilliant. I wouldn’t think twice if I was riding much in the ice. Thanks for the link.