Kids being wrapped in cotton wool

[Zippy]

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

Switch electronics off, inflate tyre pressures a bit - preferably with bald summer tyres, lots of reves + dump the clutch - enjoy being a drift master

[darbeze]

I made the most of "snowmageddon" and bivvied out on Dartmoor last night specifically to get snowed on.

It was cold, we were slightly uncomfortable and didn't sleep that well.

It was great!!

Si

[whitestone]

Accepting complete responsibility ... it makes me happy

The number of drivers who state "The car lost control!" following a crash as if they themselves had nothing to do with it.

[Zippy]

Accepting complete responsibility ... it makes me happy

The number of drivers who state "The car lost control!" following a crash as if they themselves had nothing to do with it.

Yeah - they do that all by themselves don't they!

[middleagedmadness]

Accepting responsibility was, is part of growing up , I've brought my 2 kids up the same , you mess up ,you put it right ,wipe your mouth and move on .it winds the hell out of me seeing people trying to blame others for their own short comings .wife says I'm a little tough with the kids but they know I'm there to help them as long as they accept what they have done and the consequences that follow

[psling]

Smooth is good. Things like gear changes should go unnoticed by your passengers.

Low engine revs, high gear. You need really good clutch control when setting off - people spin their wheels which basically melts snow and turns it to ice. What you want to emulate are those massive transporters that move at about 1 metre a minute.

Anticipate things. Look ahead a long way, if the car 200 metres ahead is braking or you can see it slowing down then take your foot off the gas and begin to slow down yourself. Try and do all your braking in a straight line not in the corners, it's too late then.

Give yourself space - lots of space, it's the fear of hitting something that makes your driving jerky, i.e. not smooth.

If you do lose traction point your front wheels where you want to go, don't brake but apply a little power to try and regain control, again it's small corrections you need.

Smooth.

[Borderer]

My boy loves being out in the wilds, but wouldn't do it if I didn't make him. He always moans about it beforehand, then the minute his arse hits the saddle he is happy. As he doesn't go to school, I get round this by telling him that it is the home-ed equivalent of PE and I would get in trouble if he didn't do it. If he hated it then I would find something else to do to keep him active. I think it is hard enough for adults to motivate themselves to get outside, all the digital distractions available now mean it is even harder for kids to self motivate. So I find ways to make him, but in a nice way. By doing so I am hoping to build up a store of memories of being happy outside that he can draw on as an adult and hopefully choose to return to. It's nice hearing people like single speed George and Karl say that is how it has worked with their own childhoods.

We camped when I was a kid, but only ever on campsites, so it was all quite tame. My mum used to take me and my friend down to the beach though where we would make a driftwood fire and cook beans and sausages. These were some of the happiest times of my childhood and it is those memories that have made me want to take my boy outside more. You don't have to do a great deal for it to make a big difference to a child's mindset. It was lovely to see Blair taking the kids to over phawhope bothy recently. It's only a mile to ride, but a big deal to a little kid.

The most important thing I think is to make sure it is fun for them. That's fairly obvious but can be easily overlooked. If they are having fun playing in the stream then just forget the plans for the day and play in the stream instead. It's these things they will remember.

Our cycle tours and bike packing trips have already altered his DNA, I'm sure. He is a lot more physically confident and greatly enjoys the bragging rights that come with having done things his peers haven't. I know that his outdoor experiences have contributed to the confident, happy, self reliant kid he is, and that is really all I could ever wish for.

[ianfitz]

Accepting complete responsibility ... it makes me happy

The number of drivers who state "The car lost control!" following a crash as if they themselves had nothing to do with it.

Yeah - they do that all by themselves don't they!

Most news headlines reporting vehicle violence, car related dangerous behaviour and other legitimased crimes would have us believe that is the case.

Car hits pedestrian

Car lands in front room after crashing into house

Etc.

[RIP]

Oh gawd, don't start me as well please (with jumpleads or otherwise). The other side of the "personal responsibility" (which I agree with of course) coin: I'm afraid I vehemently disagree that things are "accidents" in many cases. It's a fantastic ploy used to minimise and excuse the act of not controlling a weapon/vehicle (please use interchangeably) properly and responsibly. Trying to keep this on-bikes-topic, the word is nearly always used in an unplanned vehicle/cycle interface situation, eg. "the car accidentally ploughed into the cyclist while the person inside was on their phone". The keener student of responsibility-ducking will also note the use of "person inside" rather than "driver in charge of". The result of this is a frequently woefully disproportionate "punishment", or disincentive-to-others if you will. 6-year old Victorian kids' arms ripped off by spinning jennies, how could they have been held "personally responsible" for the "accident"? And if you want to spawn a whole new OT - this applies to most of the population's financial acumen as well: "if my decision goes tits up or doesn't work out to my advantage the Govt/BoE/granny will bail me out". Hence the country being bankrupt. And no of course I'm not referring to people who are in dire straits in the first place. Er, where were we. Oh yes, cotton wool. Useful for starting woodburners.

Hang on a minute, this is meant to be Cheery Friday. Woah. Activate soapbox dismounting mechanism. OK: "these cheese oatcakes are pressing my cheery pleasure-button at this precise moment". The bottle of Rev James is probably helping too TBH. Borderer's post gave me a nice warm fuzzy feeling too. As you were.

Here's some cute puppies.

[sean_iow]

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

I'll just leave this here

https://youtu.be/vvA91in0Ofk

This is my experience of driving on snow, though by the time this was filmed we'd managed to cut through to the frozen ground / slush underneath. This is what I used to do for fun before I took up sleeping in a ditch

[Zippy]

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

I'll just leave this here

https://youtu.be/vvA91in0Ofk

This is my experience of driving on snow, though by the time this was filmed we'd managed to cut through to the frozen ground / slush underneath. This is what I used to do for fun before I took up sleeping in a ditch

In 30 seconds, here's something a bit more practical for icey tarmac though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ019JS_2Ng

[fatbikephil]

Citroen zx got me through the winter of 10/11. Dead light, old school chuggy diesel and narrow tyres. Of course when it was really snowy I took my bike (pre fat) as I knew it would always get through.

A significant part of my work is trying to deal with the mayhem at school drop off / pick up time caused by idiot parents who don't seem to realise that its OK to allow their kids to walk to school unsupervised and so will happily drive their cars without a thought for other road users as their child is more important than anything else.

They also don't realise that kids can cross the road without a signal controlled crossing, kids can walk along a footway next to traffic travelling at 40mph, kids can (and enjoy) taking a short cut home from school via woods where they can light fires, throw stones at things (each other), climb trees and generally have fun without any real chance of them coming to any more grief than cuts and bruises.

The sad thing is that the parents were all allowed to do this when they were that age and yet they don't seem to appreciate the benefits of all of this for their own kids....

[whitestone]

This driver might wish he'd been able to do a quick spin round - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-engla ... 757f16587d

[middleagedmadness]

R.i.p ,besides joining the forum for much needed information as just starting out with the bikepacking lark , I do tend to look for your posts they do have me chuckling ,they remind me of my uncle who loves to have a ramble about everything ( he also reminds me of father jack drink feck drink)

[psling]

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

I'll just leave this here

https://youtu.be/vvA91in0Ofk

This is my experience of driving on snow, though by the time this was filmed we'd managed to cut through to the frozen ground / slush underneath. This is what I used to do for fun before I took up sleeping in a ditch

Ooh, a bit of comp safari. I used to do a bit of that 'back in the day'! Mostly trials for me though. Did deliver the Range Rover rolling chassis to Drew Bowler [RIP] for his second ever Bowler Special (sorry, this probably only means something to Sean) and drive with the guy who helped develop the auto boxes with Drew. Helped coach some of the the Camel Trophy teams back in the 80s too.

Only comment I'll make about driving in wintry conditions in UK is even the best of you are only as good as the idiot already blocking the way and bringing you to a halt.

[sean_iow]

Did deliver the Range Rover rolling chassis to Drew Bowler [RIP] for his second ever Bowler Special

You'll of probably recognised that some of the bodywork on mine is early Bowler Widcat 100, as is the main cage but all the rest was self designed and built.

Why do we need tips for driving on snow? If we get any snow down here I won't be driving anywhere, I'll be calling in sick and heading out on the bike biving

[psling]

You'll of probably recognised that some of the bodywork on mine is early Bowler Widcat 100, as is the main cage but all the rest was self designed and built.

I did

Why do we need tips for driving on snow? If we get any snow down here I won't be driving anywhere, I'll be calling in sick and heading out on the bike biving

Seems as good an excuse as any

[RIP]

Hi MAM (great forum name BTW ). It's all good clean fun. I had a subscription to The Ramblers Association once until I realised I'd got the wrong end of the [walking-]stick.

[Willow16]

I'm very lucky in the fact that my late father was a Scoutmaster during my early years. From the age of 5, he would take me camping with the local scout troop and I think this has left me with a deep sense of self reliance. I love going out no matter what the weather, with no fear. I've always returned home in one piece (ok - maybe a little battered). Recently, my wife and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary in a rather plush place in Somerset. Whilst there, she turned and said to me " If you had your choice, we'd be celebrating in a tent, in a field, in the middle of nowhere. How correct!!!