Watch out for black ice!

Although it’s now snowing a bit out, Des Moines hasn’t seen much snow in the last six weeks. Best winter weather in years!

However, there are a few gotchas that winter cyclists do need to consider. Many cyclists are sticking with their road bikes as they travel to work and play. This works fine when the weather is above 32F…. which it generally is in daylight hours.

But heading to work in the morning may be another story. Even on completely dry days, a small amount of dew may freeze overnight. Cars seem to be able to increase this amount so that — at intersections, particularly — there is a black sheen on the asphalt.

This black sheen is ice. It often is not thick enough to be noticed. Especially when the asphalt is a little rough. But you may leave bone-dry streets at home and run into heavier black ice at lower elevations.

If you are on a non-studded tire bicycle, you need to be cautious when you run into this situation. There are several things that help (although the safest route would be to get studded tires…):

• Get off the bike and let some air out of your tires. Lower tire pressure gives you more contact area which may prevent you skating across an intersection.
• Avoid sharp turns at speed. If you do hit a sudden ice patch, your balance in a curve may be just enough off to send you flying.
• Slow down! Braking isn’t the best thing to do on ice.
• Get to know your route and road conditions. Paying careful attention to potential icy spots and knowing what conditions create them is invaluable information.

If you constantly find yourself riding on ice, you may want to consider studded tires. The money you spend is good insurance against a nasty fall.