Salting in London

R Lucas <[email hidden]> wrote:
: How do people tell if the roads have been salted?

When you get to work and find your bike covered in corrosive [censored].

Sorry, but that really is the best way I've found, at least round here.

You can't tell from the side street I live on since it doesn't get gritted and by the time I go down
the first road that is gritted it can be hard to tell from looking since the traffic has ground
everything down.

Not very helpful, but true. YMMV.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ "Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

"R Lucas" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

How do people tell if the roads have been salted?

Lick 'em.

R Lucas said:

How do people tell if the roads have been salted?

I live in north London (around Finsbury Park) and commute into the city. Originally I thought the
damp main roads (salt out and absorbing moisture) with dry side streets (no salt) was a sure sign.
But this week it's been very cold, I assume with salt out, but it's been very dry most mornings.

I originate from much warmer climes so salted roads are a new phenomenon for me. I've recently
bought myself a lovely new bike and aren't keen to wreck it just yet!

Ride a fixed. Won't tell you if they are salted but will tell you if they are slippy and how slippy
(also less bits to get corroded by any salt there is)

Tony

R Lucas said:

How do people tell if the roads have been salted?

I live in north London (around Finsbury Park) and commute into the city. Originally I thought the
damp main roads (salt out and absorbing moisture) with dry side streets (no salt) was a sure sign.
But this week it's been very cold, I assume with salt out, but it's been very dry most mornings.

You'll see scatterings and clumps of the distinctive brown grit that contains/is the salt. It'll
eventaully all disperse/disolve if it's very wet or slushy but that takes quite a while. Ironically,
it's nearly as slippery as ice when it's first spread on dry tarmac (usually evenings/late night).

Perhaps ask the local councils' policy if you want a clue in advance as to what exact weather
conditions they go on.

~PB

R Lucas said:

How do people tell if the roads have been salted?

I live in north London (around Finsbury Park) and commute into the city. Originally I thought the
damp main roads (salt out and absorbing moisture) with dry side streets (no salt) was a sure sign.
But this week it's been very cold, I assume with salt out, but it's been very dry most mornings.

I originate from much warmer climes so salted roads are a new phenomenon for me. I've recently
bought myself a lovely new bike and aren't keen to wreck it just yet!

Cheers, Ray

The unsalted ones are covered in snow and ice. The salted ones are wet.

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MSeries said:

The unsalted ones are covered in snow and ice. The salted ones are wet.

Unfortunately the roads can be salty when it's too dry or warm for ice or snow as well.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

MSeries said:

The unsalted ones are covered in snow and ice. The salted ones are wet.

Unfortunately the roads can be salty when it's too dry or warm for ice or snow as well.

~PB

Stained white in that case with lots of sand on the sides (in the bike lane)

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"R Lucas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I originate from much warmer climes so salted roads are a new phenomenon for me. I've recently
bought myself a lovely new bike and aren't keen to wreck it just yet!

I'd rather cycle a salted road than unsalted, as corroding my bike is less worrying than ending up
spread all over the road!

Adrian Boliston said:

"R Lucas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I originate from much warmer climes so salted roads are a new phenomenon for me. I've recently
bought myself a lovely new bike and aren't keen to wreck it just yet!

I'd rather cycle a salted road than unsalted, as corroding my bike is less worrying than ending up
spread all over the road!

How worried should I be about salt corrosion (steel frame, alloy components)? I tend to believe
bikes are for riding, but for 3 days a year I could find some other way to come into work.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I originate from much warmer climes so salted roads are a new phenomenon for me. I've recently
bought myself a lovely new bike and aren't keen to wreck it just yet!

You notice your front tire go white. You can also taste it on your lips sometimes!

--
Mark (MSA) This post is packaged by intellectual weight, not volume. Some settling of contents may
have occurred during transmission

anonymous coward said:

How worried should I be about salt corrosion (steel frame, alloy components)? I tend to believe
bikes are for riding, but for 3 days a year I could find some other way to come into work.

Outside of frame will be protected if paintwork is in good order, although a lot of salt may
eventually dull the paint itself. Some may get inside the frame but you'd need a lot for a long time
to do any real damage.

Exposed non-chromed/stainless steel and non-anodised alloy parts may suffer but again you'd need a
lot of salt to kill them - although certain parts may receive some cosmetic damage. Should be ok if
the bike is cleaned regularly and it helps to store bike in a warm and dry place to allow remaining
moisture to dry quickly. Most modern alloy components are anodised.

Threads, bearings and pivots will/should be protected by grease. Chain and sprockets will wear
out through normal use long before they corrode away so don't worry about the drive train (but
keep chain lubricated). Regrease pedal threads and seatpost & quill stem shafts at least once or
twice a year.

~PB

Pete Biggs <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Threads, bearings and pivots will/should be protected by grease.

....but salty water will flush grease out quicker than any other substance know to man and will then
corrode everything together very effectivily.

: Chain and sprockets will wear out through normal use long before they corrode away so don't worry
: about the drive train (but keep chain lubricated).

Corrosion isn't the problem. The problem is that the mixture of salt, grime and general road grit
acts as a very nice grinding paste that wears chains, jockey wheels and mechs out very quickly

: Regrease pedal threads and seatpost & quill stem shafts at least once or twice a year.

Very good advice indeed. And keep your chain clean and the bike washed frequently with soapy water
(at least once a week, maybe more for a nice bike).

Or do what I do. Put the nice bike away for the three months of the year when there's salt and the
roads and the weather is bad, ride an old fixie and never clean it or do any maintence to it. [1]

Arthur

[1] Actually that's not quite true. Everything, but everything, on that bike that needs it is well
coated with copperslip to avoid it binding. I just do that either when I change something
(infequently) or once a year. The chain just gets the worst muck knocked off with a dry cloth
and some more oil wacked on top whenever it looks too orange.

--
Arthur Clune clune.orgclune.orgOpen ↗ "Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

Arthur Clune said:

Pete Biggs said:

Threads, bearings and pivots will/should be protected by grease.

....but salty water will flush grease out quicker than any other substance know to man and will
then corrode everything together very effectivily.

Quoted message said:

Chain and sprockets will wear out through normal use long before they corrode away so don't worry
about the drive train (but keep chain lubricated).

Corrosion isn't the problem. The problem is that the mixture of salt, grime and general road grit
acts as a very nice grinding paste that wears chains, jockey wheels and mechs out very quickly

That's all fair comment. I suppose the answer is to service the bike more frequently than usual and
perhaps avoid the wettest/slushiest weather following icy (salted) days on the best bike. However,
there's still plenty of dryer odd days throughout the winter when I don't beleive any salt on the
roads is worth worrying about, at least in the south of England.

~PB