OK, so as I sit here, typing on a Forum that it feels like I haven’t visited in months (I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll be good in the future, I promise), and I’m feeling a little apprehensive. Why, you might ask? Well, on Monday, after a break of about a month, I return to the wonderful world of biking.
However, I am apprehensive because, as you know, it is still brass-monkeys out there, especially at 7.00 in the morning, and that means that road conditions will be less than perfect, especially considering the weather we’ve been having of late (even though 90% of the snow is gone, it’s left thin slush in it’s wake), and I’m worried that my first days biking in such conditions will end up with me biting the cold hard black stuff.
As I haven’t ridden in these conditions before (I finished for winter just before the weather turned truly bitter), has anyone got any tips on what kind of things I should be looking out for, what I should avoid doing (like relying on the front brake) and what I should most certainly be doing to keep myself safe over the period of my return?
Warming up nicely, still some snow around in the car park here (I’m up the road in Farnborough), but that’s mainly just the hoouge piles that they made with a JCB to clear some space, but roads clear of snow & ice, whilst the forecast rain over the weekend should help wash away most of the salt & muck left behind.
So by Monday roads in the SE should be fine if perhaps a little damp, 7am likely to be a bit cold, but no frost forecast for the next few days.
I’ve you’ve not ridden for a couple of months then just wrap up warmly & take it a bit easier for the first day or so in order to get tuned back in, other than that, it’s just like riding a bike!
The first thing to do is to relax. The forecast for Sunday is fine, with temperatures around 7 degrees. That’s not particularly cold and you are very unlikely to run into ice or slush, so, aside from making sure you’re warm enough, it is business as usual.
In cool conditions your tyres may take a little longer to warm up and, yes, of course your front brake remains the principle of the two. Road surfaces are not at their best at present, with residue from gritting and salt, potholes and quite a lot of diesel apparent, so perhaps one shouldn’t expect quite the same consistent levels of grip as a dry summer.
Stay smooth and don’t push the edge of the envelope. Remember that even a after a relatively short time away from the bike, your control and level of situational awareness can suffer while you reacquire the groove.
On the plus side, the best part is that the roads are for the best part mercifully clear of riding gods and scooter loons. Enjoy!
“On the plus side, the best part is that the roads are for the best part mercifully clear of riding gods” … unless you accept Rioting Rob in this descriptor:D
Rumour has it that he is riding East tomorrow morning in the company of experienced riders but we can claim no responsibility for his behaviour:)
Thanks for the advice all, just had a quick ride up and down my road to see if I had the groove. Gear changes were a pile of poo but otherwise I’m smooth enough.
On a totally and utterly unrelated note, does anyone know if you can get heated grips for SV650’s, I might need them next winter… :w00t:
Do watch out for left over grit on the bends of narrower roads.
All the cars seem to have swept it all either into the gutter, fine, or between their wheel tracks nicely on to the biking line through a bend. Not so fine. As I found out this morning, even at my pedestrian speed, loose grit does not have a greal deal of grip.
