Cycling to work tomorrow? Did you ride in to London today?

[Andrew G]

Anyone ride in to London today? What are the roads like, anyone been near Elmers End, Crystal palace, Dulwich? After that I'm pretty sure there'll be clearish. I'll use the MTB and can hack it over packed snow or on slushy roads but any clues as to what I might find would be appreciated - me thinks the cycle path up Gravel Hill rather than trying to get up Spout hill might be a better option.

Had another snow day today as I slithered to East Croydon on the 64 and found half the platforms closed, the open ones blocked off due to over crowding, the concourse overflowing with people out the door, and a half hour service (hopefully ) to London Bridge stopping just about everywhere on the way. Can't say I fancy that tomorrow, or have great faith in Southern improving things much over another cold night - as at 1700 they still say only a half hour service from Purley to LB.

[jon avery]

I took the train and tube in today was going to do the same tomorrow, but after my 2 hour trip home, i thought b....ks to that so i like you Mr Green am going to risk the roads, just hope it doesnt ruin my plan to stay injury free this year.

[carl f]

I rode down to catford from cp via elmers. The main roads are fine,a bit slushy and wet but not dodgy,just avoid any minor roads around cp area as they are still compact with icy snow. Supposed to be getting icy again tonight so take care....

[Hal]

I rode the MTB from Croydon to London on Monday and it was a bit slippy up till norwood but then wet tarmac all the way up to town. Coming back was just slushy and wet. Should have done the same today as the trains were pretty rubbish.

Take care

Hal

[Will]

I reckon it will be alright. I rode in yesterday and today on my mountain bike.

Yesterday was fantastic. Lots of the roads were covered in snow and it was all really grippy. I ploughed my way through every pile of snow I could find. Can't remember the last time I had such fun on the way to work!

Bizarrely today was a day for greater caution. There were lightly frozen chunks of snow at the edge of the road (that had been pushed out by cars) and if you hit them they'd alter your line a bit. But not really that much as they were still a little mushy (i.e. not as frozen as you'd expect).

I reckon tomorrow will be ok especially if you stick to the main roads. May be a little colder tonight than it was last night so worth checking in the morning. I have every intention of riding in and may switch back to the road bike.

Bear in mind that I live in Putney and I'd guess it wouldn't be quite as cold as a little further out in Croydon?

[mlocke]

I rode in and and back today from Wallington to London victoria, via Streatham, Brixton, & Stockwell.

Main roads perfectly fine not a problem. Major side roads were slushy and anything smaller a big no no (though I was on a racing bike with thing wheels)

I am riding again tomorrow when I think it could be worse as some of the melting will be turning back to ice overnight - provided the gritters do a job though should be fine

[jon avery]

Rode in today, and apart from the road i live on everything was fine, not even any slush

[Dombo]

Rode to CSS yesterday on mtb to find it closed. Road down off my hill was soft snow but A23 after the coulsdon bypass was fine if a little slushy. Got to EC nicely warmed up as I had dressed in ski jacket, overtrowsies and Timby boots. Trains rubbish both ways. roads ok going back except around CSS roundabout where the slush was hardening up. Waitrose had run out of proper food so my shopping order from mrs dombo was filled with organic wagu minced beef (that'll be one hell of a spag bog), a hand-plaited all-butter brioche as a stand-in for bread, and some hand squeezed unpasteurized mongolian yak's milk for my morning cuppa. With the loyalty points on that lot I'll be getting a new 50 inch plasma telly.
Today was hard-packed ice and snow getting off the hill. Treated with mucho respecto by the many Rangey drivers negotiating the same descent as I hammered down on the hard-tail, though skis might have been quicker. Approach road to CSS was nasty soft slush like riding through sand but hiding ice slabs underneath, and Station Road itself hard packed snow but trains fine.
Am considering making studded tyres out of old knobbies with screws poked in from the inside and lined with anti puncture strip to protect the inner tube. Saw them in Tignes once and they looked great, if a little hard core for Surrey.

[Andrew G]

Thanks for the traffic updates.
My road is still compacted snow and ice in the main but fine. I went up Gravel Hill on the icy/snowy bike path up the side and then the side road which was a bit of early morning fun (looking forward to it tonight when it's darker and my headlights are needed more, might be tempted to dive in to Addington Park and have a nice powdery drop down through the park ). The main road at the top of Gravel Hill down to Shirley is surprisingly still a bit mushy. Other than that it was mainly clear or a bit slushy with a few diversions here and there in to the snow packs in the middle/side of the road to get around cars in traffic jams. Only had one snake when I hit some diesel that a bus had carefully deposited in a nice strip which was now invisible sheet ice - just a bit of a front a rear wiggle as I went over it but it came as a bit of a surprise. One plus was the appauling road surface at Borough was just rolled over easily this morning.

Conditions and a MTB with knobblies at about 30psi meant that my normal one hour easy spin commute was 1hr20-1hr25 of pushing along with quite a bit of effort instead. Held up by traffic more as well as with the snow packed up in the middle of some of the roads I couldn't just ride down the outside of queues like normal.

[Dombo]

Anyone find the conditions today particularly bad? Snow on my hill had combined with rain to form a granular mush not unlike sand but terrible to ride through. Even worse than yesterday. Bike all over the place but once on the A23 was fine. Actually found the hard-packed ice easier to ride on. Got to EC boiling hot even in light cycling jacket but handful of snow rubbed into my face and neck soon cooled me down. Train journey to London Bridge was, as ever, a delight, Southern having shortened the train and turned off the heaters to bolster the Dunkirk spirit. Bike going to Evans later for a new headset - £30 fitting charge.
And they think bankers are overpaid.

[Snoop Doug]

I didn't do London today....but I've been out riding every day since Monday and today was no exception. A short ride to/from a school where I was helping out doing mock interviews (hooooo - boy). I agree with Dombo - foul conditions, a mixture of ice, slush, mush and crush. Orrible. And that misty foggy cr@p did no one any favours.

Yuck

Snoop

[Andrew G]

Didn't ride today but the side road by Gravel Hill was just sheet ice yesterday evening. Keep pedaling and it was more stable but then going faster so the wheel slips on the ice became a bit more hairy.

[Jon H]

Fairly horrible ride in this morning. It was raining a bit as I left home, and I thought that was a good thing as it would wash away the remaining icy bits. I didn't think it was so good when it turned to sleet 2 minutes later. Neither did I think it was good as it turned to snow and started settling on the way up Crystal Palace Park Road. Slightly scary descent going down the other side; not wanting to pick up too much speed and not wanting to use the brakes either. Anyway, got down the hill still upright, then had a wet slushy ride through Herne Hill and Brixton with snow settling on the handlebars, thighs, arms and feet (probably on my head and back too, but I couldn't see those). After Kennington it was less slushy, but I was wet and cold by then, and was having trouble changing gear due to ice build-up in the cassette. When does summer start?