Snow chains cope well with ice on the roads

Yes the snow did freeze overnight which means a lot of treacherous ice on the roads. Previously I’ve used my mountain bike and stuck to the busy roads where cars have worn the ice down a bit, but that means sharing a narrow strip of road in the dark with cars that may or may not be able to brake effectively and are likely to have limited visibility – not usually a pleasant experience. Intersections are still a major problem where snow has banked up and often I had to get off and walk to make it through.  Instead I fitted my home made snow chains and took my usual route down the much quieter Peterborough Street and along Hagley Park. There was a lot of black ice and frozen snow, but with the chains fitted I didn’t feel the wheel slip even a tiny bit and thoroughly enjoyed the crisp morning with setting moon over snow laden trees and the not so scenic earthquake demolitions. More photos and instructions are available at snowchains2012