safe temperature for riding

[Rack]

OK, so it's snowing at the moment, so I'm taking the train instead of the motorbike. But I was wondering - if it doesn't snow, what sort of temperatures shouldn't I be riding in to avoid ice?

Sounds like a stupid question - 0C is freezing point of water - but 'temperatures for london' is obviously a bit vague. I was wondering if there was any more rules of thumb recommended by a Riding Association who might have actually looked into it a bit more, or something like it.

I guess what made me think of it is that if the air temperature is below 5C outside (according to the car thermometer) then the 'icy' sign comes up on the dash display.

Right now if it's above 3C min temp for that day I dont feel concerned - cautious, but I still ride.

on a side-note I actually some people riding motorbikes to work this morning! Crazy!

[Koolpc]

-40

[kickstart 1]

Surely its not a case of the temp, its a case of the weather conditions?

[fredered]

Depends what the roads are too, heavily used roads will be gritted but will also be warmer due to the heat from cars, so I guess that in most of London that is the case so its ok.

[dkmech]

Reason the light comes on is that you may be driving through a valley or some other low area where the cold air will accumulate (or over a high hill) and may end up driving through an area with ice. Plus it being 5 degrees now doesn't mean it wasn't -3 at night, and ice in a shaded area may not have had a chance to melt.

[Rack]

^good point, the car doesn't monitor for freezing temperatures in the last 12hours...

I may live in London, but my local roads (zone 4 SE London) don't get any grit... I think if it gets too close to 0 I'll just avoid biking.

The weather conditions dont bother me too much unless there's actual ice falling from the sky.

[dave87]

Install crash bungs, and then you've got nothing to worry about if you come off at low speed*

In all seriousness, if you have a doubt, don't bother riding. It'll knock your confidence, you'll stiffen up, you won't enjoy it and you will arrive at work more stressed than you usually leave. Plus there is always the possibility of falling off/skidding infront of a car.

*not actually meant as sensible advice

[madmaca]

The rule of thumb i normally use is:

If I can get my bike safely to a main road without potential incident - then I will ride. If the side roads are icy/treacherous - then I don't.

It ain't worth the risk imo - especially when you consider the cost of replacement panels for a bike involved in even a minor spill...

[Rave]

I don't really have a choice since I don't have a car- I can use public transport but it would add about an hour and a half onto my commute, which seeing as I'm doing 10 hour shifts this week anyway is too much. Even if I ride all the way home at 20mph, I'm still saving time. I was worried about the ride home at 2am last night but it was actually warmer than my 3.30pm ride in.

I'd rather have a trailbike than an ER5 though, as I daresay it'd be a lot easier to save a slide. Still, a lowside at low speed on the ER5 hopefully wouldn't knacker it any more than it already is (touch wood).

[this_is_gav]

I've been riding throughout winter - missed 1 day due to high winds, but that's been it.

I've been off the bike twice, but both in good conditions in spring or summer - had plenty of slides though. First winter I had a bike I hit a sustained period of ice at about 55mph - luckily on a straight, and it tried to come around 3 times, so I just coaxed it onto the grass where there was a bit more friction, and parked it up against a gate (the stand wasn't going to work) - I looked up, and there were 3 cars off the road, one of which was upside down in a ditch... moral of the story is, riding a bike can be a benefit in the winter as you'll inevitably feel it earlier than a car, especially on straight roads, so you have a chance to prepare a bit more.

Last year I had a fun day when it started snowing during the 16 miles to work - I carried on (it was as far back home as it was to work, and home gets blocked easily) - ended up actually spinning the bike a full 270 degrees without falling at one point... :\

Take your time and no matter what the conditions, you'll generally be fine. Just use common sense, and stay as far into the middle of the road as is safely possible. If in doubt, give the rear brake a quick stab at low speed on a straight - quite a good test for general grip.

Grit residue stays on the road (it takes a lot to wash it away), so temperatures in the minus doesn't often mean icy roads, even when not gritted recently.

It's harder for me than most, as public transport is of no use (the earliest I could get to work would be 9:45am), and I'm not in some urban area - I'm riding along twisty roads in true rural Northumberland.

[Butcher]

Grit residue stays on the road (it takes a lot to wash it away), so temperatures in the minus doesn't often mean icy roads, even when not gritted recently.

I thought most of it ended up on my car.

[schmunk]

Rave - Can't you just take the bus home (literally)?