• python@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    Makes me curious - are there some sort of specific winter tires for bikes? I’ve been riding mine around with its regular tires fine enough, but I do stay on the plowed parts of the roads. Would be cool if I could just drive through the actual snow

    • white_nrdy@programming.dev
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      20 hours ago

      Knobbier tires help. I ride a hybrid bike year round (its my only bike) that has 35mm tires. Last winter was my first winter riding. At first I used the older slicker tires I had, and then ate it at one point taking a turn through some slush. That weekend I bought some knobbier all season tires. They’ve been fantastic.

      They also make studded tires that have metal/ceramic studs throughout the tires to grip on ice. From what I’ve heard, they’re not ideal unless you’re constantly riding on solid sheets of ice. Since riding on pavement will wear them down. And you cannot wheel your bike inside with them since it’ll destroy interior flooring

    • Droggelbecher@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      I don’t cycle when there’s snow on the road (bc I hurt myself that way once), but know from others there are spike tyres for bicycles. Keep in mind though that this still won’t give you the amount of stability you may be used to from something four wheeled. Be careful not to lean into turns too much, ime that’s the situation where slipping is most likely.

    • bluesheep@sh.itjust.works
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      20 hours ago

      The chance that any of these people even on a helmet is pretty much 0, we’ll be dead in the ground before wearing one

  • kindnesskills@literature.cafe
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    23 hours ago

    What kind of steroid do I feed my bike to make it beefy enough to work in snow?

    Mine just slides around regardless of steering attempts.

  • FishFace@piefed.social
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    2 days ago

    I once tried cycling in a similar amount of snow to that and found:

    • I slid in one place and nearly fell off
    • My glasses got covered in snow and using your finger as a windscreen wiper is annoying
    • My gear mechanism got gummed up so I could only shift gears in one direction (pulling the cable worked, but the spring tension was not enough to retract it again)
    • My chain got covered in snow which washed off the lubricant and in salt-water from road salt which rusted it quickly

    so since then I have not tried again. Also we don’t get much snow so there are few opportunities…

  • sepiroth154@feddit.nl
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    2 days ago

    Uhrm wtf? All our trains and planes stopped working for a couple days so I would call this a victory for snow…

  • Swemg@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Been cycling under the snow this week and I saw cars and motorcycles having issues driving whereas none with bicycles

    • Droggelbecher@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      The reason for that is almost certainly psychological, you’re way more careful if you can feel every tiny slip and know there’s no metal cage protecting you. Similar to how youre less likely to hurt yourself with a sharp knife vs a dull one (though theres more reasons than the psychological aspect there). And I guess part of it is ow speeds; but even then:

      Bicycles are more likely to slip on a snowy, icy or even wet road, simply because they have a smaller surface that touches the road. Also, as opposed to anything 3+ wheeled, they lean into turns and can slip sideways that way. I have a cool laceration scar on my chin to prove that.

      So, I guess my point is, don’t take this comment to mean bikes are the safest vehicle in the snow, folks.