Just started new years resolution to ride every day.

 

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Another one bites the dust!

 

All the best

 

David

 

I hope that is not my 906.......Or is it an Arctic model in training?

Your 906

 

No Eddie

 

Much to Gail's delight (not!) your 906xc Tourer is still in the hall, we did put some holly on it over the Christmas period though!

 

This is my bike that I leave out in all weathers to test for rusting and other problems associated with the wet.

 

All the best

 

David

No Eddie

 

Much to Gail's delight (not!) your 906xc Tourer is still in the hall, we did put some holly on it over the Christmas period though!

 

This is my bike that I leave out in all weathers to test for rusting and other problems associated with the wet.

 

All the best

 

David

I have the same problem with the hallway and my bike is consigned to the garden if I'm home during the day, fortunately I now have a warm garage to keep it in at work. I can see the need for an anti rust chain now as it happens suprisingly quickly when left outside.

:D No snow in North Norfolk today or overnight. The road through our village is wet but not icy for around 5 miles. So my wife and I got out for a cold and windy ride but boy do we feel good!!!

well they got it right this time...it snowed last night in London and a little today but they forecast heavy snow from 3 pm and It is hammering down now...Glad I got some shopping in yesterday:rolleyes:

 

My son & friends just made a 12 foot snow man on the common, he may well be on the BBC news:)

snow problem

 

Hi all

 

snow prob in snowy Ceredigion with a Powatryke

My eldest son (age 6) was off school today and we all built an igloo in the back garden, went sledging in our field then had baked potatoes in front of the fire.

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The pic is Mrs Django and youngest son.

 

Utterly fantastic day.

I love the snow, it brings a bit of brightness in the winter gloom.

 

But, it does need treating with respect. As long as I don't go mad I have found I can cycle pretty much all the way to work. I was the only one in today

 

What I have found is that trodden or driven snow is dangerous, the hard lumps pushed down by feet and cars take the front wheel all over the place. Cycling in virgin snow is relatively safe.

 

One of my other hobbies is growing and keeping bonsai and mini bonsai trayscapes. I have created several such trayscapes based on Bag End and Hobbiton in The Lord Of The Rings...

 

Of course, it snows in Middle-Earth too

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2529/4200538182_6ed962f05a.jpg

Chris.

That's brilliant Chris, love the little snowman!

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is there a reason at all why city buses dont have snow chains available....to keep local transport operational?

is there a reason at all why city buses dont have snow chains available....to keep local transport operational?

 

Chains do a lot of damage to both roads and tyres if the snow isn't very deep, and we don't usually get much snow in Britain. That damage is more severe when heavy vehicles like buses and trucks are involved, their tyres are far from cheap and there are safety implications for damaged tyres on buses.

 

I've tried both chains and arm clamps in the past and don't rate them highly, even suffering wheels spinning within them when wet and giving no traction.

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fair comment...but their are alternatives these days to chains. one called the auto sock or something like that and the spike spider plus a XX style rubber gizmo as well. (these are used a lot on motorhomes)

What snow, I haven't seen any in ages. I'm quite glad I don't live in Scotland at the moment but if I did then a pair of Nokian snow tyres would come in handy, a bit more extreme and capable than Schwalbe's offerings.

 

Last year I wondered why the e-bike season starts at the end of May. The Sled Dog Association of Scotland - It might be worth fitting a cytronex kit to one of their wheeled chariots to help the huskies out when there is no snow.

 

If wheeled chariots are exempt from e-bike regulations:cool: it could a prove popular alternative to the e-bike.

 

Commuting fun all year round unless it floods!

fair comment...but their are alternatives these days to chains. one called the auto sock or something like that and the spike spider plus a XX style rubber gizmo as well. (these are used a lot on motorhomes)

 

True, but I don't know how well they'd stand up to really heavy vehicles. Some years ago I tried a four arm spider device and it threatened to shake the vehicle to pieces and the tyre slipped around inside it when wet, no matter how tightly it was clamped on.

 

In Sweden where they've so much more experience than us, they use steel insert tyres which grip while keeping road damage to a minimum, but even then there is a compulsory date when they have to be removed and changed back to normal tyres, to avoid road damage.

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Edited January 6, 201016 yr by flecc

Last year I wondered why the e-bike season starts at the end of May. The Sled Dog Association of Scotland - It might be worth fitting a cytronex kit to one of their wheeled chariots to help the huskies out when there is no snow.

 

I don't know what Scottish law says about it, but English law bans the use of dogs as beasts of burden to pull trailers of any kind. Despite that, in some parts of both England and Wales, huskies are used to pull wheeled trike sleds in competitive events, this shown on national TV at times, another example of the law seemingly turning a blind eye as it seems to with some of the things we do with e-bikes.

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I don't know what Scottish law says about it, but English law bans the use of dogs as beasts of burden to pull trailers of any kind. Despite that, in some parts of both England and Wales, huskies are used to pull wheeled trike sleds in competitive events, this shown on national TV at times, another example of the law seemingly turning a blind eye as it seems to with some of the things we do with e-bikes.

.

 

Perhaps Huskies are exempt?

 

I think that the law turns a blind eye unless there is public concern. The public seem to accept that huskies have been bred for such activities and do not believe that the huskies are being harmed by the experience.

This is the time I'm so glad I got a bike not a car as my main transport - the roads round here are mostly snow+ice and llittered with abandoned cars, but that doesn't stop me

 

Although the freezing temperatures has been playing havoc with my gears, keeps getting stuck in first and the brakes froze up when I left it outside today.

Perhaps Huskies are exempt?

 

I think that the law turns a blind eye unless there is public concern. The public seem to accept that huskies have been bred for such activities and do not believe that the huskies are being harmed by the experience.

 

No exemption for huskies, but it's an old law from a time when abuse could well have been more likely. Not really relevant here now, especially with fun activities like these. Dog trailers are used elsewhere, I've seen photos of St Bernards towing them in Switzerland.

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is there a reason at all why city buses dont have snow chains available....to keep local transport operational?

I noticed that London buses come to a halt before other vehicles and it turns out they have near slicks fitted all year round, they don't need snow chain but just decent tyres.

 

Fun in my road last night, just after I started on the hill one car went sliding past me into the kerb and just up ahead another car turned sideways and ploughed into the fence. I didn't try coming down it this morning but took the long way round on main roads.

 

I noticed that London buses come to a halt before other vehicles and it turns out they have near slicks fitted all year round, they don't need snow chain but just decent tyres.

 

Tyres with large area flat surface profiles are the norm on trucks too, why they also fail to grip early in slippery conditions.

 

These tyres are necessary for a reasonable life on heavy vehicles, since deep treaded tyres carrying high weights on roads don't last very long due to the lack of support area. Since snow occurs rarely and for so little of the year, it would make no economic sense to use deep tread profiles.

 

Even if they were used, the many cars using low profile tyres which are equally useless in snow would still bring the roads to a halt.

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I was interested to note this morning whilst clearing the close I live in that our postie has Mud & Snow tyres fitted, he had no trouble climbing our small incline...

I don't know what Scottish law says about it, but English law bans the use of dogs as beasts of burden to pull trailers of any kind. Despite that, in some parts of both England and Wales, huskies are used to pull wheeled trike sleds in competitive events, this shown on national TV at times, another example of the law seemingly turning a blind eye as it seems to with some of the things we do with e-bikes.

.

 

When I worked for Defra I remember seeing this in the Protection of Animals Act 1911 but am unsure if the new legislation has changed things slightly.

 

there was an issue with an insufficient number of normal large breed family dogs being made to haul their entire families in carts which is why the law was brought in, although I have books which hint that as recently as 1969 there was an off license in Sudbury where you could order cases of booze and it was brought to you by a dog cart!

 

I think in more recent the RSPCA and other authorities adopt a pragmatic approach to this sort of activity, only acting where there is geniune cruelty. I am very fond of nature and try to be kind to animals whenever possible, but wouldn't have a problem if I could get a couple of Staffies to bring me a sled or cart loaded up with cases of Adnams

Tyres with large area flat surface profiles are the norm on trucks too, why they also fail to grip early in slippery conditions.

 

These tyres are necessary for a reasonable life on heavy vehicles, since deep treaded tyres carrying high weights on roads don't last very long due to the lack of support area. Since snow occurs rarely and for so little of the year, it would make no economic sense to use deep tread profiles.

 

Even if they were used, the many cars using low profile tyres which are equally useless in snow would still bring the roads to a halt.

.

 

I wouldn't have thought that a 'tread' would make any positive difference on a motor vehicle on an icy or powdery snow surface. If you haven't got studs or snow chains (which effectively cut into the surface) what you need is surface area in contact with the road, as the recesses in a tread would either clog up with snow or not contribute materially on an icy surface.

 

As far as bus tyres are concerned, much the same consideration applies in the rain at the moderate speeds a town bus travels. In general, the tread contributes to sweeping away surface water but doesn't provide grip in itself, and at low speeds it's rather less important.

 

Where a tread might contribute more directly in terms of grip would be where the surface is soft but sticky (i.e. on mud or damp earth). These conditions don't usually apply in icy conditions with or without snow. Even partly melted snow doesn't have much cohesion, as most of us will have discovered well enough while on foot from time to time.

 

I can vouch that much more important in general is the composition of the rubber mix from which the tyre is made. A 'soft' mix has better grip in all conditions, as it conforms to the surface with which it is in contact and can be made with a higher stickiness so the coefficient of friction with the road surface is higher. The downside, as Flecc suggested, is the rate of wear. With heavy goods vehicles the tyres have to carry sutained high loads and need to be 'stiff' so as not to flex unduly. In the case of a car tyre more surface area in contact with the road can be designed in by making the tyre more flexible (i.e. a radial carcass) and also wider and low-profile, as usually there isn't so much weight involved.

 

Motorcycle tyres are these days made from a soft mix because good grip outweighs long life (and the manufacturers don't complain either). Racing tyres are also a very soft mix and have a very short life, and guess what? No tread at all if the race is expected to take place in dry conditions. If the road is dry, you maximise the contact area and therefore maximise the grip. There's no water to clear away as the wheels rotate.

 

It's only my opinion of course. I haven't got loads of scientific evidence to back it up. There must be something to argue about in here!

 

Rog.

Hi Rog,

 

I agree about the compound and it is particularly important in cold weather where harder compounds become even harder.

 

Most tyres designed for ice and snow have big block patterns with tread close to right angles to the direction of travel; the idea being that they bite into the snow or ice to gain traction. Even if they only go a little way in (as on very solid ice) they will still make a difference. A slick would effectively distribute the weight of the vehicle across the whole contact patch, making skidding much more likely.

 

Just my opinion also and I am happy to be shown to be wrong.

Agreed on compounds and I was referring to deep profile self cleaning treads above, such as seen on tractors and true cross country multi wheel drive vehicles. These do improve the grip on snow despite it's nature, since they are able to gain extra grip by lateral compaction, in addition to the forward traction. This simulates an increase in traction width.

 

Not only opinion, since I've worked in all branches of the vehicle trades including on trucks for some while, and I have six years of army experience on twin and multi-wheel drives with traction tyres.

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Edited January 7, 201016 yr by flecc