Alternative to rock salt on the roads?

Isn’t there an alternative to all this f*cking salt they shower over the roads every winter?

I heard that in Scandinavia they use some kind of chemical to de-ice the roads that doesn’t rust the sh1t out of bikes?

I use acf50 but would still prefer an alternative to rock salt on the roads.

just do what evryone else does either become a summer rider or ride a **** bike in the winter.

Just interested in better alternatives - if there is one why not use it?

In the meantime I’ll continue as a winter rider and do my best to mitigate the effects salt has on the bike.

Some countries use crushed up volcanic rocks , I heard cheese juice was being looked at somewhere and also a variation on salt … sticky salt … it sticks to the road so does not go spraying up on to the vehicles .

Interesting suggestions.

Anything that stops your bike looking like it was dragged up in a fishing net after just a few years of heavy winter use.

Some tarmac on the roads would be a start :angry:

Lol! Yeah - the road infrastructure is starting to look a bit post-apocalyptic. :smiley:

warmer winters? :smiley:

So far they have only salted the M1 once this year.

The voice of reason.

Salt is not a problem this year.

Ive had more problems with Gloucestershires finest Brocks wandering over to Hertfordshire to die in their allotted 5 minutes.

Right you are - obviously no point in discussing this subject as the world is due to end in 2014 anyway - there will be no future salt encrusted winters to worry about, ever.

The voice of reason indeed . . . :doze:

Show us the salt.

I’m talking generally about an issue which a lot people experience at least 5/6 out of every ten winters and which can make a real mess of the bike.

A pretty innocuous subject with a direct relevance to biking with no political implications to put anyone’s nose out of joint.

So why so hostile Mr Jetstream?

(They chuck salt down at the slightest provocation where I live - there was a very light frost the other morning - the previous night I saw the lorry out spreading salt - its out quite frequently - even in a mild winter like this one.)

Working for the council we use salt to clear pavements and roads I know they was looking at alternatives…
2 I know of are a liquid that clears all but is expensive to set up the info structure ie fitting vehicles, the actual liquid and also a hand held version for pavements
And not using salt or anything at all and just using man power to clear with shovels and plows but once again the cost was too much
The problem is that because it’s not a all year round problem they don’t want to waste tax payers money into that and instead spunk it on projects that get nowhere and by having too much upper management

Mr Jetstream is hostile because he’s grouchy, feeling ill, has not been out on his bike today and generally out of sorts. Sorry:blush:

And has seen no salt lorries or any salting this year, mainly because it’s not been cold but also we both live in boroughs too tightwad to even think about it til after the event. :wink:

Here’s an article from Michigan Dept of Transport which lists loads of alternatives to rock-salt if you’ve got the inclination to read it :doze: I see Urea is one of the suggested alternatives :laugh:

Annoys me when it’s a mild winter, yet in order to get rid of their bought in stock piles of salt they just chuck it down on the roads anyway. They could dispose of it another way, but then the council want to squander the budget they allocated for gritter drivers so that they don’t end up with a surplus :frowning:

What is it :exclamationmark:

I hope he is feeling better today and manages to get out on his bike as the sun is out! :smiley:

Correction, it’s started raining now . . .

That’s interesting, thanks for the inside knowledge - at least they have actually considered alternatives and it has obviously crossed their mind that salt not only damages vehicles but is also sh1t for the environment.

It’s a shame that the cost issue is a problem - whenever we get a harsh winter it’s always a bummer knowing that your bike is going to be having a salt bath for the next 2/3 months.