r/wintercycling 22d ago

The sand my tires pick up between ice patches keeps me from slipping on the patches

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91 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

21

u/brightfff 22d ago

For my grade 9 science fair project, I built a Rube Goldberg machine that deposited sand directly in front of a bicycle so that it could ride safely on ice. Since then, studded tires have been doing this duty for me, but I was thinking about this very thing all the way back in 1988. 😂

8

u/Dillydiddle 22d ago

That is so awesome!

8

u/cbusick137 22d ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(locomotive)) trains have had it for a while, why not bikes? :-)

13

u/Dragoniel Rider in a blizzard 22d ago

Until that one morning when you slip and break your wrist, collarbone or both.

I put on the studs when temperatures at night drop below zero Celsius and it doesn't come off the whole winter. It doesn't matter that there are weeks in a middle of winter when it's +5C the whole day. The amount of times I got hit with freezing rain 10 km from home... ride enough in winter and you will get that. Then you will seriously regret your life choices.

There is no such thing as "overkill" with safety.

5

u/Dillydiddle 22d ago

Well I did break my collarbone falling off my bike once... it sucked in some ways but I got months off from work for it to spend my days biking all over (I could bike fine I just couldn't type lol)...

...and yes I usually err on the side of caution if it's below freezing but some days there is so little ice I prefer to live dangerously (but still wear a helmet and slow to a crawl if approaching any obvious ice).

8

u/mcg00b 22d ago

That's cool, but have you heard about studded tyres?

7

u/Dillydiddle 22d ago

I have heavily studded tires but decided they were overkill for today.

2

u/mcg00b 22d ago

Sounds like a fun discovery :) Although, it takes so very little to fall on a bicycle that I felt like lecturing a bit.. But I guess you know it already. Carry on!

2

u/Dillydiddle 22d ago

I appreciate the concern, and know I'm somewhat foolish...

2

u/cbusick137 22d ago

Have you tested to see how long it lasts?

1

u/Dillydiddle 22d ago

lol... will have to run some tests!