How to Bike On Black Ice
November 18, 2011 | by Tyler Pell | Posted in Featured, Resources
Recently, we provided a few tips for effectively biking through wet leaves, which have just about saturated Portland’s streets. With temperatures expected to dip below freezing soon, now is the time to prepare for safe winter bicycling and icy conditions ahead.
Black ice refers to a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface. It’s virtually transparent on asphalt, making it practically invisible to bicyclists, but just as slippery as regular ice.
Keep reading for tips to avoid being caught by surprise on slick roads.
Get your bike ready for ice.
Lower tire pressure to the lowest recommended psi.
Lower your saddle slightly to lower your center of gravity. (It’s also easier to get your feet down flat on the road should you suddenly need to.)
Plan your route ahead of time. Keep in mind: side streets might not be treated for snow or ice.
Be aware of how ice affects different surfaces.
Streets are most slick when it first begins to rain or snow.
Metal, including manhole covers and bridges, and painted surfaces can be especially slick.
Bridges and overpasses can freeze more easily and take longer to thaw than regular roadways.
Know what to do when you encounter ice.
Slowing down may not always be the safest option. Speed provides momentum, and momentum keeps a bicycle upright. As always, use your best judgment.
Take turns much more gradually, and don’t lean into turns as much as you normally would. Try to keep the bike as upright as possible.
Avoid sudden changes of direction and maintain a smooth pedaling action.
Give yourself longer stopping distances, and keep a firmer grip on your handlebars.
Lay off the front brake. On ice, you don’t want to lose any of your front wheel’s traction — loss of control at the front is going to be sudden and very hard to recover from.
Tags: General Bicycling Tips
(Note: posted here without their permission or knowledge....)
I hit some dandy black ice on the road in front of the duquesne incline gravel parking lot about this time last year. they have no drainage so all the water sheets off the parking lot and lays in the road connecting west carson to station scare. slid on my ass for about one hundred feet. more fun than fail imho.
Frankly, it doesn't look like black ice is going to be an issue any time soon. My studded tires are not on my bike yet, and I don't think I'll need to put them on before next year at the earliest.
I just coat my tires in napalm and light 'em on fire when its icy out.
I never get very far, though.
hit some black ice yesterday morning i was riding in indiana county on route 403 the bike went right out from under me lower leg is a little sore but i still finished my 10 mile ride i was on the ground so fast i dident even rea,lize what happened till i was laying there
+1 on the bridges freeze first shenanigans.
this morning, getting on to HPB from the east (ARB) there was a fair amount of ice as it went from "road" to "bridge". Not necessarily black, but unexpected, since both surfaces (slick and ok) looked identical due to the snow strangeness.
and I'll add another comment - as you cross those arbitrary and invisible boundaries between maintenance ownership of roads, conditions can change abruptly. Usually it's visible, but it's something that keeps my commute interesting every winter, no matter which direction I travel or via how many wheels.
These tips are OK at best. They strike me as written by someon who is not familiar with black ice.
"just as slippery as regular ice"
Regular ice is rarely, if ever as smooth and slidey as black ice.
My solution for black ice is to walk your bike. Granted, I've usually practiced it as "fall on your ass, then walk your bike," but without studs, black ice strikes me as unride-able.
What I've noticed over the years is that black ice is un-see-able. Maybe you have a few milliseconds of realization that the wheel didn't go where you pointed it, maybe you don't.
However, gravity works fast, and if you're not finely attuned to how solidly your tire is contacting pavement, you will be on your hip or butt, pronto.
I thought the tips helpful, just not particularly inclusive or detailed.
What I've noticed over the years is that black ice is un-see-able
That's the primary argument I keep making to myself to put the studded tires on.
(Note that I have not successfully convinced myself, and will likely need to fall on my unmentionable or my unprintables at least once before I am persuaded.)
Studded tires have saved my unmentionables several times, the thing I hate about studded tires are the days you don't need them and don't have time to put other tires on.
You know for the price of a pair of studded tires, you'd be close to the price of a used tricycle. I've been eying Craigslist...
Mr. M, build up that 2nd set of badass wheels w/the chukkars and studs. Lots easier to swap wheels than tires...
I want chains for my bike. Anybody see any feasible diy instructions on crafting chains?
@ejwme: Unless you've got disk/drum/coaster brakes (or are riding fixed), I've not seen any really good chain solutions. Anything that wraps around the rim will certainly interfere with your brakes.
That said, an ultra-cheap version is putting lots of zip ties around the tire and rim (heaven help you if you need to change a flat, though); a spiffier version is demonstrated here, and _might_ work with rim brakes if you're really careful.
@ edmonds59 that is my plan. The new rims will be my winter rims with my studded tires.
I hate my studded tires because they slow me down, are noisy, and it seems wrong to wear down the studs on days when you don't need them. So I've been putting off mounting them. However, yesterday, riding across a bridge on the way to Braddock Cemetery, I suddenly missed them, noticing the curious loss of control on the frozen surface. Scary. So I guess it's time to put them on.
Unfortunately no 700x~35 size, but since he makes them in the US, I bet if enough people bug him, a commuter size might happen.
Works with rim brakes too.
boo. This is the only time I have regretted not insisting on disk brakes while finding my bike.
Perhaps this is an excuse for a winter bike. I sense a slippery slope ahead...
My plan to date has been to simply stay home if I can't bike in it (if I can't bike in it, I can't drive in it, and nobody else can either so I won't walk in it). I think that makes the world a safer place.
