This Aspect of European Cities Amazes Me..
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- Опубликовано: 27 май 2024
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There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
dus dat!
Genau!
I also say that often!
That saying rhymes in Swedish.
@@Steffe you win! 🏆 😃🍾
As a dutch woman its funny cause when its snowing its usually the cars that are in trouble. The bikes are fine. Worst case, you fall and get back up. Worst case for a car would be way different.
And when you have cycled all your life you know fresh snow isn't hard to ride on. Its the ice patches you need to watch out for if it rained and got cold at night. But even an ice patch, just don't stress and glide it out. You'll be fine.
I love the snow cause it makes everything look idyllic and romantic. Especially if they put up the lights and everything. And there as less cars on the road so that makes cycling even better.
german living switzerland, that white thin line of snow is the point where in germany and switzerland car drivers starts to either panic or crawl around every corner in walking speed...
and you always have the one who still have sommer slick tires on its car and blocking everyone else...
i ride my bike 365 days a year, snow, rain, heat, there is no reason to walk...
@@SirHeinzbondIf you have long snowy/icy winters, especially if there is ice underneath the snow, tyres with spikes are quite good. But you can't have spikes quite in the middle of the tires, because then you can't cycle on pure asphalt/tarmac.
Long ago we used chains on our bicycles in Finland in the countryside. I think Nokian made winter tyres for bicycles, too.
I have Nokian rubber boots and you can fit them with spikes, too. Boots that are "common" among orienteerers.
Snow is also nicer than rain, as you can just shake it off and you don't get as wet from it. Sadly my local area gets lots of rain so I don't get to enjoy the dream of riding in snow much.
One thing that does help is "Pogies//Bar Mitts". Its like an over sized glove that you put on your handlebars and you can wear what ever glove or no glove you want by sliding your hands inside of it. Keeps your grips and shift/brakes clean during the winter months.
@@leiflillandt1488schwalbe marathon plus winter mtb
funny thing the dutch bike i rented had no problems and all the other mountenbike style bikes i see all the time slided like crazy
I'm a Finn. I ride bicycle year around. I change studded tyres (just like car owners change studded or non-studded winter tyres) when the weather demands for it because my summer tyres are almost slicks. Oulu, a Finnish city close to the Arctic Circle is considered to be the world capital of winter cycling. Not Just Bikes made a funny video about it. ;)
If you wanna know more about cycling in the snow in Europe, The amazing channel "Not Just Bikes" (super informative videos from a cannadian that moved to the Netherlands) has a great video about it, called: "Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)"
Yup, that's a good video.
Second this! 👍
Great channel 👍
Dude, when the snow is fresh, cycling isn't scary at all, it's when it's icing over that things get tricky. Rain or shine we do our thing here
Even icing isn't really a problem. It's easy and pretty cheap to change studded tyres to bike. The real problems are if there has been really heavy snow fall before it is cleared. I would say anything exceeding 10cm, will make it pretty hard to pedal through. The worst one tho is if you get snow and temperatures go to positives and it melts a bit, just for it to freeze again at night. That makes horrible grooves that can suddenly swerve you. Even better is when you get some fresh snow to hide those grooves, so that they are complete surprise.
Fresh snow is scary because it cover all the ice. If you know that there are no ice then it's not a problem. Walking on snow covered ice is scary.
@@juhokaartoaho
Heavy snow isn't really that bad if you have deep enough groves and a electric bike.
The front wheel can function like a rudder, and with the electric engine helping out if the groves are deep enough it's able to dig your way through the snow.
You're pretty exhausted and wet when you get there, but it works.
Also depends on the steepness of the road, where I live it’s really dangerous even in fresh snow just because it’s almost impossible to stop while going downhill on some slopes, unless you have special tires. (And also going uphill later is 10 times harder)
@@juhokaartoahoStudded tires? Literally no-one has them on their bike here. Ever. 😂
German here, we learn to ride our bicycles in snow from early on, because many of our children ride their bicycles to school every day.
I think if you are not used to ride your bicycle all year round from early on, it won’t cross your mind so easily as an adult.
In Southern Europe you won’t see many people (if any!) riding bicycles in the winter though, so it’s definitely not "all of Europe”, and of course you are right: The Netherlands are on a different level 😄 But it’s 100% normal to see bicycles in the snow in Germany too - at least in Northern Germany where the land is flat. It’s probably a different thing to ride up and down hills when it’s slippery.
How to ride a bike in the snow: put bum on saddle and feet on pedals. Rotate the crank by pushing the pedals down in an alternating fashion. Take turns slowly if there is (or might be) ice.
If there is indeed snow, you are now biking in it.
Quite accurate!
Dont touch front brakes.
@@lindgruen3118 unless you have studded tyres.
@@lindgruen3118 Yeah, I learnt that the hard way 😅
Also if it's deep snow, slow down.
That's not a blizzard, that's what we'd call a lovely summer day in Finland.
😅
Hot 🥵 summer day!
Summer, the most beautiful day of the year!
The mercedes is most definitely on summer tires, for the weather I think you can go anywhere but USA and find people living life no matter the weather, but absolutely everywhere in europe
The Golf had its front right come off the bead and fold over. You can see it flop around.
@@Yvolve Probably spun out and hit the curb.
@@JC130676 Most likely. I never had it happen fortunately, but I've come close.
Aren't summer tires illegal in winter?
@@Savadais Not in the Netherlands. It doesn't snow often enough to make it mandatory. The amount of snow seen in the video is quite extreme.
In the Netherlands it snows maybe one or two days a year and when it does it's an absolute chaos, both traffic and public transit. None of the people in the video is used to snow and hardly any car would have winter tires, all season at best. Which is probably why everyone is driving very carefully and still slipping. Cycling is actually easier, safer and faster, and ensures you don't have to walk the entire way home because the bus company decides to stop all services.
I've been cycling since I was a small child and never thought of cycling in snow as anything special. You have to be more careful when taking corners and can't brake as aggressive, but other than that, it's just how you get from A to B.
When I went to school and university I always went by bike all year round. At school there was no (useable) public transport in that small city and at university it was faster and easier by bike (and I didn't have a car). I continued for the first years of working because the parking was bad at my office. Nowadays I cycle in cold weather but not in snow anymore.
Swede here, I agree with you 100% I´m retired now and I still use my bike every day all year.
I'm Dutch and love walking/cycling in the rain or snow. Feels very freeing.
For snow scenarios I would check out northern Europe. None of the cars are any problems to drive with winter tires. The ones stuck were on summer.
Everyone here almost any age took their bike almost as usual during winter time. At least when I was a kid. Never even thought about it being strange :)
I learned to drive in thick snow using a car that only had nearly bald summer tires. It's not the tires that make the difference, it's the driver in most cases. And for the last ten to fifteen years, traction control is making things harder than they should be too. Whenever it snows, I make sure to turn ESP and all the other so-called helpful acronyms off, because they mostly interfere with my ability to respond to how my car deals with loss of grip...
@@indus3270 If you try to drive A-N-Y car, even a 4WD, on NEW summer tires in thick snow..... you are going a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y N-O-W-H-E-R-E. You will be stuck on the first stop.
So stop making $hit up :)
@@martinsv9183 I think it would depend on exactly how thick the snow is. We don't get much more than 30cm here, if any at all (which is the same sort of winter weather as in Amsterdam btw), so those are the circumstances I'm used to dealing with when it comes to snow. That said, I was taught to drive in those exact conditions by an instructor who happened to be an amateur rally driver, who taught me some techniques that you can only perform with a manual gearbox on a FWD or AWD. I can even do a hill start in those conditions, without any electronic aides whatsoever, granted that the car doesn't slide down the hill when the parking brake is on. So no, I'm not making $hit up, I'm merely admitting I got lucky to have had a driving instructor that actually taught me to drive in worse conditions instead of teaching me to pass an exam...
@@indus3270 It doesnt matter what instructor you have because no person on earth is going to alter physics :)
If you try and drive in even 10 cm of snow with summer tires you are going to get stuck even with a 4WD. On flat ground. Unless its some super powder snow you can blow away with your mouth.
@@martinsv9183 I think you are severely overestimating the difference between summer and winter tires, because the difference in braking distance is 15% at best. I know from experience that it's possible to drive without accidents in up to 30cm snow on summer tires, even when the bottom layer of snow has thawed and re-frozen into ice, because I've done it multiple times.
That said, you do have less grip, so for everyone's safety I wouldn't advise it, just to be clear, but to say it's impossible is simply not true.
This reminds me of one video that I would recomend you check out, I'll try to find it and link it to you, it's about how the city of Oulu in FInland handles winter maintenance of bike paths and roads, and how LOTS of people ride their bikes there in the winter. They also compare it to Canada, another country where you would think they'd be snow-clearing experts, but it doesnt appear so based on what's included in the video
At least this video is about Oulu: "Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)" by Not Just Bikes. If everything stopped just because of little snow and ice here in Finland, the country would stop for half of the year.
Winter cycling:
NJB on Oulu
ruclips.net/video/Uhx-26GfCBU/видео.htmlsi=5B7rC4yHwmLH4GEy
Oh the urbanity! on Canada
ruclips.net/video/OdtR3T2Pg4s/видео.htmlsi=Cb2bGYKI-9b94lVy
and others...
@@hazeman4755 Yeah, specially in the northern half of the cvountry!
Yes, @IWrocker should definitely have a look at that one.
Came here to make sure someone already said this. I fell down laughing when he literally did the "kelatkaa tää jengi polkee lumessa" meme.
Also, I'm surprised he didnt mess around in the snow with bicycles when he was young.
5:32 It's not a blizzard like in the US. Usually it's just a few degrees below freezing point and just a little windy, not necessarily really stormy (though it might be sometimes)
I had the same thought. As a German I'd never call the weather shown in the video "a blizzard" - it is simply snowing that day, just as it may snow at many winter days depending on where you are located. Absolutely normal winter weather.
@@HerzschreiberAmericans tend to call any significant rainfall a (rain)storm. There is a tendency to use more exaggerated language, for example when praising something, stronger words like great and excellent are more often used compared to German at least, but probably most of Europe.
@@aphextwin5712 Quite, and it always confuses me (German) if storm is used for something other than strong winds...
Besides, the regions with more snow probably know many expressions for different kinds of snowfall, like we do for rainfall (Es nieselt/regnet/gießt...)?
The Benz on Summer Rubber😅no Chance
Unimog, and a G-wagon?
There are not so very many days of snow and some people just don't have winter tires - In Germany for some years now you have to have all-weather or winter tires in such conditions or you might get fined. In NL I don't know ...
@@zsoltpocman6673her snow tires
He was indeed using summer tires and summer tires aren't made for snow. Also that particular E-Class appears to be RWD, given that the rear wheels at spinning a lot.
@@la-go-xy same ! it's a European thing .
In Europe we have summer tires and winter tires, that Mercedes has just ignored to change tires as the law says in most countries where the winter gives snow and ice.
Here in Scandinavia is it a matter on life or death.
Sweden here. I used to always cycle to school regardless of the weather. In rain as well as snow, and I've cycled to work every day some winters. Cycling on snow and ice is mainly about being careful. Keep your speed down, don't lean into turns or you'll hit the deck, and the same will happen if you use your front brake. You may also want to consider studded tires, they have pretty poor grip on tarmac, but the grip on ice is almost as good as the grip on tarmac
.
Oh, and accept that you'll occasionally hit the deck.
The big thing for driving safely in the snow is to have good winter tires. Up here in Norway it's mandatory to have 2 sets of wheels & tires for your car. One set for summer and one set for winter.( winter tires may be studded or unstudded) Summer tires in winter conditions are really bad, and winter tires in summer isn't alot better. Some countries in Europe approve of all season tires, but they aren't very good in any of the seasons !😉 Also, how do you ride a bicycle in winter? With care !! 😆
I recommend watching, Stockholm Sweden, "Why Arlanda Airport has never closed (day out with the snow removal team!)" on the topic of winter/snow it's really gives a good and interesting view of inner workings of snow-removal at an airport. I think you would really like it.
Dutchmen cycling or walking in the rain, or in the snow often say: I’m not made of sugar.
ahahah sure try cycling with temp over 30 or even 40°C
@@icoborg 40 is very exceptional in the Netherlands. I experienced it only once. I had to go to the supermarket by bike, it’s only 2 minutes, but indeed it was hot. 30 is comfortable. On a bike you make your own wind.💨
@@icoborg Even then you see people cycling
@@jurriendevries3522 i believe you, but i cant shower at work :D
@@icoborg I have cycled extensively in South and Southeast Asia.
50c in central India. 45c+ everywhere....
What's your point?
A few years ago, when there was a lot of snow in the capital city, a website informing about public transportation informed about buses, trams and/or trolleybuses being canceled in one part of the city and they said "to go to the center, you can use winter sports" 😄 When it snows, nothing stops here, but the public transportation sometimes has delays.
When the world was still normal, we used to have snow since the end of November until the first half of March here in Slovakia. Less in the south, huge amounts in the north. Now we are lucky if there is one or two weeks of snow, especially in my city. Snowy weather is actually the only one that makes me happy about going outside, I love snow and I miss it very much, especially in summer, which I hate.
Sweden/Gothenburg here. I ride my bike the year around, there's usually no problem, but if there have been snowfall during the night and it's more than say 5 cm of snow and they have not had time to clear it, you will have to work your legs a bit extra. :)
At my work, I would say somewhere around a third of the bikers ride all year long while 2 thirds retire their bikes for the winter months. And if there's that heavy snow fall during the night, my bike is pretty much the only one standing there outside my office. :)
I know many people who ride a engineless motorcycle to work every day in winter, in Stockholm. They have studded tyres. I have ridden a regular motorcycle in snow and on ice, in freezing temperatures quite a lot.
It snows rarely nowadays in Amsterdam, so many of the cars will be on summer tires, which is no good in snow and ice. And I would not call that weather a blizzard. It is only a bit more than average heavy snowfall.
Summer tires is indeed no good in snow and ice, but considering how rare it snows in the Netherlands, it's almost no point making winter tires mandatory.
When I was little I cycled through a blizzard. When I made it to school in time I looked like a yeti. Funny thing was, the students were at school but the teachers weren't cause their cars got stuck in traffic on the motorway. 😂 The bikes, not a problem.
This winter at some point the roads were frozen and there was some snow (not a lot). My municipality did a great job clearing the seperate bike paths. I rode my bike from the train station back to my house and it was just smooth sailing. But then when I was almost at home, cycling in a residential area on a cobblestone street in the dark, I suddenly realized that I was cycling on solid ice. And as soon as I realized it, I fell. The bike and I slid for another 3m or so, it was so slippery. And I got up, walked to a dryer patch and got back on. All I had was a bit of a bruise, bike was still fine. No problem, just winter things.
My dad used to fit his bike with studded tires for the winter so he could bike as much as possible. He did have to give up on it when the company moved and the distance went from 1.9 to 8 miles. He replaced the bike with a 125cc Piaggio scooter as long as it was safe and used the car in winter.
From the day I turned 16 and got my moped license I used it all year as long as it was possible. I got stuck up the hills on my way home many times.
A busy walking and cycling city with fresh snow is lovely for the sounds alone. The snow absorbs all the noise and it's a lovely kind of quiet that makes you feel like you can understand conversations 200 meters away, and when there is also ice skating on the canals it's even more wonder winterland.
Cycling in the snow is really not that difficult, it is slippery but doesn't take you buy surprise. Black ice and frozen up snow are a different matter though, that could seriously slow you down.
Cycling in sunny Amsterdam would be fun to react too, lots of improvisations, negotiating and quite a few different vehicles: ruclips.net/video/pqQSwQLDIK8/видео.html
Definitely ❤
When I went to school (Austria), I used my bicycle all year long. Especially in bad weather public transportation was crowded and delayed. So either one hour by bus or 10 to 15 minutes by bicycle...
A few years the tram even stopped working for half a day due to snow when I wanted to drive into the city.
Snow in Western Europe is actually quite a rare occassion, its more common in nothern and in Central Europe. Based on my experience, people in France or UK for example are not really used to drive in snow, maybe because of absence of snow (we call it winter) tyres... On the other hand, there is lot of bike enthusiasts (including me) with nopb to bike/walk when snowing or raining. We say - we are not made of sugar.
My one experience going to England in winter back in 2004 was a great example of this, the friends I visited there said it was "the worst snowfall in 20 years" and it was just some mild snow, the guy who picked me up at the airport had parked while it was dry, and it had snowed while they were waiting, so first roundabout out of the parking lot he spun around, and seemed so shocked "wow, it's slippery!"
Along the motorway there were cars in the ditch like every 200 meters, I've never seen so much chaos over some slight snow before. XD
1:36
Doesn't look like a storm, just snow, no?
5:10
His issue isn't the model but his tires.
Here in Norway we have at least two sets of tires, often three.
Summer, winter and studded.
This condition would be a winter tire condition, softer rubber, and deep groves designed for grip in the snow, perhaps even suction cups too.
Live in Sweden ride bisycle almost all year round. In the winter i use studed tires. No problem
To be fair, this is all footage from Amsterdam, winter is generally very mild here. The snow you see in the video is about the most we get once every so many years and usually doesn't last more than a day or two. It doesn't get extremely cold here either, right around freezing temperatures. (That's why the snow usually doesn't stick very long).
Cycling in snow is ways better than in rain - you don't get soaked and just brush it off afterwards. Might be a bit slippery, so you have to go slower and be more carefull (especially in traffic), but that just adds to the fun as you can do epic akira drifts, lol
Jup, and crashing when you overestimated yourself is part of the fun
@@jurriendevries3522 indeed, always a good laugh for anybody watching. Fortunately the snow breaks the fall a little and is very effective in preventing bruises. Trying that on gravel... yeah it works too, but I've got marks on my forearms that will last a lifetime.
I try to use my bicycles year round. I am in Stockholm. November to April are the tough time of the year when it is both cold,dark and snowy, but thousands of people commute to work during the Winter here. Better today though, warm and sunny. 27C today.
And a month ago there was half a meter of snow. At least here a bit outside of stoxkholm
That's because currently summer in the Northern hemisphere, well summer technically June 1st which is this Saturday
@@automation7295 where I live winter ens in 29 of april and summer start 3 of may... the days between is spring.
@@matsv201 That's because meteorological reckoning of seasons isn't used in your country.
I had a chat with SMHI and they informed me that Summer arrived to Stockholm in late April this year. And it sure feels like it. Winter feels a long way away.
In the Netherlands they usually put/spread some kind of salt on busy streets asap so the snow melts away. They have special trucks for it. You usually do not see that much snow on a busy road.
The people you see riding their bikes aren't going on a leisurely bike ride, they are going where they need to be. They're out to get groceries, on their way to work or trying to get home after a long day. A bicycle for most people, and especially in cities, is the main mode of transportation. Going through the snow is not optional for us. And we're actually kind of smug about it too, don't ask me why. "We're not made of sugar" is our motto and that encapsulates it perfectly.
I love you video man. I got hooked after your football reviews. Keep up the great work
A few years ago we had some very cold winter days in germany and i was cycling to visit a friend. It was -17 °C that morning and all the sidewalks were filled with pedestrians enjoying the beautiful frozen over landscape.
Here in Sweden some people have studded tires on their bikes in the winter!
It's exactly the same in Copenhagen, Denmark. People ride bikes all year round. BTW, when it snows in Copenhagen, bike paths are cleared of snow first, then sidewalks and roads. I also used to cycle in winter here in Poland- it gives you some portion of adrenaline.
There's no bad weather, only bad clothing!
Tell me ur german without telling u are German
In the mid-80s one day we had a bit more snow as usual. My school was about 4 miles away. Guess who was there in time for the first lesson? Everyone who used to go by bike! Missing were the ones who took the school bus, got driven by parents or walked to school! But as more than 80% of the kids didn't show up, they sent us back home. It's no big deal to bike on snowy roads.
Some people in northern Europe put on spiked tires for the winter to make it safer and more comfortable. Especially useful with narrower tires. Wider tires dont slip as easily.
I can guarantee it's not like this in Ireland the rare times it snows here. We're just not ready for it so if it's really bad we all take the day off😂
A few years back I spent a couple of months travelling around northern and western Europe (including UK/Ireland) over winter. I loved it although sadly only got two or three proper snow days. The biggest snowstorm I saw was in Amsterdam. The next morning was beautiful and sunny but the snow on the ground had iced over. I remember walking around having to try really hard not to fall over. I was wondering what techniques the locals had for dealing with this only to look around and see that everyone else was having the same problem.
1:41 snowstorm 😂
A light dusting at best. A Canadian might put on long pants.
This is similar to Denmark, here there is only a strong gale or a full storm that prevents people from cycling
Here in Sweden I have been cycling to work for many years, the only difference in winter is the clothing and the spike tires on the bike! Works fine as long as the snow plowing is good, which it usually is. The bike tracks are priority, same as the main roads.
Yes, this is how we grow up, just walking and biking in the snow. To school or work. There's not a lot that will stop us, although since I have a car too, if it gets really crazy ( especially rain and wind) and the distance is long, I will take my car. But the problem is getting stuck in traffic with your car, while on a bike you won't. So that's why I will choose my bike more often. I hate just sitting in my car, not driving, stick for a long time. While on my bike I can just get on and go home again.
My mom use to say when as a child I didn't want to go play outside on the rain or snow or didn't want to go on my bike to school: you are not made of sugar. :)
LJ
We are so used to cycling here in The Netherlands that it has become a necessity for many, it is the fastest and easiest way to get somewhere. It hardly ever snows in The Netherlands, maybe a few days a year. We are used to cold weather, but it is not often below -5 degrees C. So not much snow. If we have any snow, life goes on and we try to make the best of those few rare days and enjoy the snow.
And from first hand experience: it can be really scary to drive a bicycle on snow, even if you are used to it. Slow speeds is key here, especially in corners or with a heavy load on the bike (groceries, or a passenger on the back).
Where I live in Croatia snow is very rare, like veeeery rare....and if it snows everyone forgets how to drive and walk xD
2012 was the worst year....we never had sooo much snow let alone ice in this region and the hospital recorded over 700 broken bones. 😅 But we also definitely had some fun since we dont get it as often. That year was actually crazy in general, even the Sahara saw some snow. It was wild.
When I lived in Germany though seeing people on bikes even in snow was normal.
And one thing I do miss besides german bread is snow. But well I got the beach instead now.
Dutchmen here 🙋🏼♂️.
There’s indeed no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.
We don’t get much snow, but once every few years we get a decent amount of snow for a few days or weeks. As a kid, I used to ride my bicycle to school through snow. Some 12 kilometers a day (which is nothing special), through any kind of weather. My parents dropped me off at school only a few times, because I had a cast on my leg, thus wasn’t able to ride a bicycle.
When I was 16 I got a moped. I drove that one through snow (and all other kinds of weather). It was even quite a nice step up from the bicycle, as the center of gravity was lower and as you were sat on the thing without having to paddle, your center of gravity remained in the same spot. I used to put my feet low to the ground while driving through snow as some kind of training wheels.
Anyway, I’d still drive my bicycle through the snow without any problem. Even though I own a car, if it takes me longer with the car than by bicycle, I’ll take the bicycle.
As a kid I’d be outside when it had snowed and I’d go to a place where I knew cars would’ve get in trouble. We (my friends and I) would be there, waiting on cars to get in trouble, so we could help ‘em out (pushing them back on the road). Sometimes the driver would even give us a few gilders or euros, which was nice, but really not why we did it. We just loved seeing cars getting in trouble (and well, than you just help ‘em out).
Loving the channel!
There are stages on the Giro d'Italia (basically the Italian Tour de France) that will sometimes feature snow as it is earlier in the year and some of the mountains are still partially covered. Look up the Passo di Gavia 1988 on here for the best example
Great and interesting topic 👍. I´m from Sweden and since I was little kid I have used my bike all year. Now I´m retired and I still use my bike every day all year.
Yes, in the Netherlands we just wipe the snow off our bikes saddle 😙 I clean my handles and bounce my bike up and down so some of the snow falls off, and I'm on my way! You do have to be careful sometimes, when the streets are icy it can be better to walk that part, but the bike roads are usually sprayed with salt so the snow melts ✨ love winter and snow!
It's really easy to bike in the snow with the Dutch grandma bikes. You probably imagine those light weight bicycles with tiny tires, but our are thick and heavy. They're much easier to handle in snow. Some people let out some air of the tires to increase their grip on the bikes. And - of course - you can put on winter tires for bikes!
I use my bike in snow. Im in Munich, Bavaria. There are still so many that use their bike to either go to the train station, or work or shopping. Its quite common.
That Mercedes is a W212 E model. I own one too and I'm pretty dissapointed when having it in mushy conditions (mud, snow, sludge,...) Driving backwards is the best option. Or go by bicycle ;)
We learned how to bike all year long in all conditions because we had to from our parents. It's just what you have around. We'd be biking to all activities and school for instance. Heavy rain? here, have a raincoat or an alternative piece of plastic. Snowing? Have plastic pants too. You'd be stopping every 500 meters to get rid of the snow and move on. If it got too bad, you'd go on foot. And snow is supposed to be fun. At least as a kid. Nothing beats putting a snowball down somebodies neck.
Worst case of (im)mobilty is doing 35 kms in 7,5 hours time and 0,5 hours for the drive back when the roads were cleared.
There are anti-slip shoe covers with small studs that are easy to carry in a pocket and are amazing to have when the streets are slippery. Especially when you're pushing a pram or handling a large suitcase.
With the right bicycle and right amount of training snow biking is super ok. I've been in all kinds of weather with my bicycle and consistently, the worst (for biking as a whole, and that includes all powered two wheel bicycles) is when it's frozen. That's when you have the highest chance of falling. When it's fresh snow or even a thick layer, it's aok. Actually quite fun. I love the sound the tires make on about 10 cm of snow freshly dropped. Really funny sound.
Somewhere in the eighties we had a cold winter, one morning -17°C, i rode the bicycle to school 🥶.
Then my mom suggested to get a month ticket for the bus. But it costed more time to travel by bus and sometimes going home the bus was completely full, so i had to wait for the next bus.
I was happy when the month was over so i could ride the bicycle to school again.
Snow is not the problem, ice is.
I have studded winter tires for my bike, it's fine to ride bike most of the winter except for the coldest days or when it's been snowing heavily and the bike lanes are not plowed.
I remember back when I lived in Kyiv for a couple years, they had over 1m of snow in 1 day twice while I was there (a couple years apart).
The day it snowed, many places closed and people off work but they were already clearing it and the next day was like normal but with huge snow banks everywhere.
Normally it didn't stop at all for snow.
It only snows like that once every couple of years and its usually only just for one day.
Riding your bike in the snow is kinda cozy, much better then heavy rain because that's miserable. When it snows like that you can always see people crashing with their bike.
I used to ride my bicycle to the school bus way back when I was a teen 35+ years ago (Before you were born, I guess), on half-an-inch of snow on a farm road. Biking in the snow wasn't much of a problem, actually, not even going down and up a pair of rather steep hills. The paved part of the distance to the bus stop was the worst. Even doing walking speed next to the other kids, I still took a 180 if I pulsed the rear brake. I never understood why the other kids around didn't ride their bikes in the winter.
My reason for doing it was that it was simply too far to walk, and unless the ice on the lake was safe, I couldn't cross the lake either. Not that I liked ending up getting on the bus at the next stop either.
Thats it don't let the weather stop you, get out enjoy life, it's nearly winter in Western Australia and i can't wait to get out set up the big daddy swag and go fishing .
I've slipped a couple of times riding my bike in the snow, but it's no big deal. You don't really get hurt from that height and at the speeds you're doing when it's slippery out. I lived and biked for 12 years in Malmö, which is just as bike friendly as Copenhagen.
Snow is not a problem. It is very grippy and fun when it crunches. Ice, hail and strong winds spoil the game, everything else is fine.
Greetings from Ausria 😊
If you were amazed at traffic flow in Holland , you should go to the ancient Medina of Marrakech, in Morocco, where pedestrians, scooters, donkeys and carts all weave through the maze of narrow passages in a never ending dance.
people ride bikes in the snow here in Denmark as well. but then again denmark and the netherlands are probably the 2 most bike friendly nations on earth. but of course it also comes down to where you live, and if it makes sense to even have a bike. personally i dont have one myself. but i used it a lot in my teen years going to school and what not.
If you want to see the other side of life with snow (in the Netherlands), tou shoudl watch the Dumpert tags "Sneeuw" compilation. Lots of bike fails in snow
Never imagined I'd see so much enjoyment on someone's face as yours watching people cycling in the snow!
Just like walking, it's fine when the snow is fresh. It's when it gets iced over that it's dangerous. I know from personal experience!
we would even ride them across a frozen lake in denmark
snow is not that big a deal, the fun starts when ice comes into the picture
then you electrical bike behaves like a car with rear wheel drive on slippery surface
You should see bicycle routes in Finland in winter... I think city of Oulu has promo video about cycling in winter, adults kids whatever cycling in deep snow during winter time..
Hey there Ian, I've got a geography/climate fact about Europe that might surprise you:
New York's latitude is 40.7°
Lisbon, Portugal; Rome, Italy and Istanbul, Turkey are at 41°
Europe is much further north than you'd think but has very mild winters compared to places in the US/Canada on the same latitude. This is mainly due to the Gulf Stream, originating in the Gulf of Mexico, transporting warm water currents across the Atlantic ocean. These currents meet the northwestern coast of Africa and travel north along the Coast of Morocco, then Portugal, then France, split at the British Isles west past Ireland or east into the English channel which carries all the way along the north sea coast from Northern France past Belgium, passing the Netherlands, Northwest Germany, west Denmark and finally southern Sweden and Norway.
You want Meteorology nerd talk? I gotcha:
Most days, Europe generally gets hit with westerly wind from the Atlantic which gets warmed up a bit by the ocean currents. That creates al lot of clouds which is why it rains all the time in Britain, Ireland and northern France. Without these currents, the European climate would be much colder with MUCH harsher winters. Wind from the east is kinda rare and usually means clear skies and a very gentle breeze if any at all. If you'd like some higher level Nerd talk: If the high pressure zone over Europe is strong enough to withstand the wind from the Atlantic, Mainland Europe has beautiful weather from France to Sweden to Italy to Romania and Britain gets a lot of Wind and rain. If that high pressure zone over Europe collapses, it rains everywhere north of the alps with 20-40mph winds, doubled if you're within 150 miles of the coastline. There's a cool barrier effect created by the alps for clouds so weather approaching from either the southwest or northwest more or less creates the opposite wind direction, and thereby weather, on the other side of the alps. If it rains from the northwest in Germany, Italy usually has sunshine and an southwesterly breeze. I hope this was interesting for at least someone, if you made it this far you deserve a biscuit, also here's the link to a map comparing US and EU cities' latitudes:
www.bytemuse.com/post/interactive-equivalent-latitude-map/
In Sweden you have to have winter tires on your car, by law, from Dec 1st to March 31st, unless there's winter conditions earlier, or later, then the tires have to be on already.
Ian, you've plainly seen bicycles over here, but aren't understanding clearly yet. Bicycles are a mode of transport, not purely a recreational activity and an excuse to wear Lycra. They're used throughout the year in all conditions to get around. 🙂
Dutchie here who cycled 20kms per day thru all weather.. in the winter, esp with snow, I just deflate my tires.. esp in the snow.. it helps with traction a bunch. Also trying to stay in the lines of the previous cyclists helps - once the snow gets hard -.
No tropical nights, no bugs to deal with,..: "Race to the 'Finnish' Line: Man Sprints Across Frozen Lake in Finland", "Icebreaker Tarmo, Helsinki 1907", "AVANTO HOLE IN THE ICE", "Skating 100+ km Distance on Lohjanjärvi", "Windsurf on ice at downtown Helsinki", "360 Turn with school bus what you see only in finland", "Dealing with snow and ice at Helsinki Airport", "Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)", "Ice Road Oulu-Hailuoto", "Ice Road Racing Orivesi 2018 (FINLAND)", "Enduro On The Ice." and "Markku Alén & Teknavin nopeusennätys jäällä - Osa 2".
Key to riding in snow:
Don't trust the tracks of others if they're single tyre width.
Fresh snow gives grip, icy patches make you slip.
When I was young (my early 20s) I rode my bike to work every day, no matter if it was raining, snowing or whatever. I remember in the winter I had ice in my hair when I arrived at work. I just didn't care, it was just 15 minutes that I rode 4 times a day (to work and back, and the same once more at lunchbreak). I was never ill back then because of the fresch air and the exercise. Later I changed my work and now I'm riding car every day because I have to drive 1 hour to my work. Definitely a lot of exercise I'm missing today.
Mountain bike out, spiked snow tires on, take the cable car to a peak in ski ressort and ride down the black piste:) I grew up doing that and riding to school at any weather in any season.
I bike to work all year round. It's 2.5 km (1½ mile), mostly bike paths which might or might not be cleared if it has snowed during the night. It takes a bit more effort, and you have to be careful, but I use to joke that it's OK as long as you don't turn or brake. ;)
my home town is as far north as Moscow - bikes work very well in the snow, ice not so compliant but more reliable than low profile tyres on a car in the snow
Even when it's icy and slippery, we Dutch still take the risk to ride our bikes... In my younger days we went out in the weekends to party and even when it snowed and although we drank too much, we still drove back home on our bikes. It took a while because we often fell and slipped on our backs.
Here in Sweden bicycles are definitely more common in summer, but they are still not rare in winter.
Cars are not allowed to drive in winter with summer tyres if there is snow or ice on the roads. This is a law since a few decades ago.
In highschool I had to cycle to school. Cycling in fresh snow, especially through car tracks is not too hard. Through melting snow is quite a challenge. On refrozen part-molten snow, especially if it has frozen bicycle tracks running through it, is not for the faint of heart. Speed is your friend in such cases but getting up to speed is very hard :-) Very scary with upcoming traffic as they might not be able to stop if (well, when) you fall.
Yes, the children have to get to and from school in every type of weather on their bicycles. Nobody has ever driven me to or from school.
If there is enough snow you will definitly see parents pulling children on sleighs and sometimes even people on ski in the middle of big cities even (at least is germany). Its a funny thing. People try to enjoy the snow when its new and it is not often enough snow during the winter for such fun activities.
You should do a reaction to Not Just Bikes video about Oulu in Finland. One or two degrees south of the Arctic circle and people still cycle during winter.
I think that I have vids where I snowblow in Norway. Reverse sand hills (drop or do it!) Y.T sayd. 2 dangerous to repeat. Summer, dropping load. Y.T not possible. I think that have originals if you wan't them. I allmost back flip my truck going down. You can see tree top and after that the moon. That was fun. After that, I go there only 3 times!
The only time I got in trouble was riding my Puch Skytrack through about 20cm of sticking fresh snow (we call it 'paksneeuw' and it is probably unfamiliar to anyone younger than 20-25 here in NL because we don't get snow like we used to). I was riding my moped slowly alongside a friend on a bike when all of a sudden my front wheel locked up and I went down like a brick. The snow had accumulated between the front wheel and the chrome wheel cover that was about half an inch above the wheel. It just locked up. Luckily I fell into 20cm of soft snow :) You (might not) know what they say: "every disadvantage has its advantage" (Johan Cruijff, Dutch football legend and philosopher)
A similar video from Copenhagen with even more biking.
Winter Cycling in Copenhagen - Viking Biking: ruclips.net/video/HMbS2kRIbTg/видео.html
As a dutch person, its funny to see how unusual it is for you to see people cycling in unwelcoming weather conditions. It is normal for me to see people cycling in any type of weather. I haven't really considered how much of an abnormal thing it is until now :) Here we say "you're not made of sugar", it means the rain won't hurt you (you wont melt in the rain). More broadly, it means you shouldnt make a drama about it. Your reaction makes me appreciate that part of my culture more :) Great video! :)
"How do you guys ride bicycles in the snow?" - In general, a little more carefully than in dry weather. Also: At least here in Switzerland, we wouldn't call that kind of snow fall a "storm" of any kind. That's just snow. It's snowing. It'll make the world around us a bit slower, people get a bit more careful, and we're looking forward to getting into our warm homes and are looking forward to the next day maybe starting with sunshine, so we can enjoy a completely transformed cityscape. And clearly, the Mercedes forgot to switch to winter tyres in time. We switch them around Easter and in October. (In German, "Ostern" and "Oktober" both begin with an "O", easily memorised.)
in sweden we now snow is coming every year.. but we do have laws regulating us to use snow/winter tires for a period of the year.. this looks like its not really "normal" and that they are taken for a bit of a surprice.. here we are more used to it and can actually drive in the snow on regular "summertyres" (if we really need too =)..).. but it praobably can also depend on where you live in our long country ( i live in the north of sweden).
I did do some cycling in thick snow with some ice, and I tried to go at a good normal speed - but then again I was doing a lot of mountain biking back then. I found it super fun to slide everywhere, but it wouldn't have worked if there was traffic.
Also.... I discovered the first time I tried to slow down that the cantilever brake pads freeze 😅 I had to stop with my feet. Real fun but you need to have a good sense of balance and some familiarity with sliding.
You can freeze brake rotors as well. If you have enough snow, hot rotors can melt snow to water which can freeze later. But it will melt again and after one or two seconds of braking. I discovered it's better to fall into snow than on hard dirt 😀