Ice on the road

[magicmonkey]

I've had my first ride on icy roads this morning, didn't turn out too bad but I wasn't really expecting it and haven't read up anywhere on how you should deal with it. I ended up going slower and trying to take corners with the bike as upright as possible while still hitting a line with the least ice on as that seemed like the sensible thing to do at the time; is there anything else that should be done as well? It's be nice to be a bit better prepared for next time!

[Jantar]

It depends on what you mean by "ice".

The worst type of all is black ice. This occurs where the road is already very wet when it snap freezes. The result is a clear sheet of ice that is completely transparent, so it just looks like a wet road. It is very slippery and extremely difficult to ride on. I leave my bike at home if there is any risk of black ice. However if you should hit black ice unexpectedly when riding then do nothing. Do not touch your brakes, do not change your throttle setting, just hold on and ride it out. On rural roads you'll often drift to the edge of the road, where there is grit or gravel to give you better grip. In the city you are more likely to be going in a straight line anyway so just ride through it. Once on good road again drop your speed dramatically in case there is more.

The next type of ice is white ice from compacted snow. It is almost as bad as black ice, but you do have time to see it and can slow down before you are onto it. Expect this type any time you are riding in snow that other vehicles have been through first. Once again I tend to leave the bike at home in these conditions.

Then there is glistening ice. This occurs when there is an overnight dew that freezes in the morning. It is rideable, and you should see it well before hitting it. Just take it easy and keep your speed down, apply brakes lightly if needed and accelerate gently. Keep your riding smooth and look well ahead because you won't be able to stop quickly. It is just a bit worse than tar snakes on a wet road.

The best type is just a normal morning frost on a dry road. This is not as slippery as a wet road and can be ridden quite normally. Take care on approaching sheltered or shaded areas as it may change to glistening ice with only a little warning. The biggest danger with morning frost is that riders may think its more slippery than it really is and fail to take avoiding action when faced with a hazard.

As with any riding in winter conditions look for warning signs, like frost on the grass at the side of the road, changes in road surface colour, tyre tracks from other vechicles on an apparently dry road etc. And always look well ahead, like where you will be in the next 9 - 12 seconds.

[magicmonkey]

Sweet, Thanks Jantar :) This morning was the last kind of ice, the frost in the morning. I wasn't expecting it as there wasn't any frost near my house but it must have got a lot colder down by the coast (proven by my frozen hands and the need for a warmer set of gloves!) I did have to do an emergency stop in a corner when someone in a truck was coming the other way on my side of the road and found that the ice didn't really cause any problems so I'm glad you've clarified the different types of ice as I might have wound up doing that on black ice and completely screwed myself over!