is it me or are the roads super slippy at the mo?

I had my first off 2 days ago whilst descending a hill (slowly). I was wheel spinning going up so i knew it was slippy but i still lost it on the way down. Turns out i could barely walk on the road and i had difficulty re mounting my bike as a result. I won't be using back country roads in wet weather again!

I don't think peeps can pin the blame on a particular brand of tyres; the road conditions at the moment are such that pretty much all tyre brands' grip will break away.

As always I'm on 23mm Gatorskins. Touch wood no offs yet but now I've said it I'll be sure to bin it tomorrow!
Just take it easy - easy to do when it's pitch dark and you can't see properly. To be fair I'm mostly on arterial roads but I've not had too many problems even when I'm in the lanes.

I also had a rare mishap recently - front wheel slid out at low speed when crossing a small central ridge in an uneven but dry cycle path. Moral of the story: that's what you get for riding 25c slick summer tyres in November! There is something to be said for selecting a wide grippy tyre for the winter months and sacrificing some speed.

Our club had two riders crash last week on the same night and we also had numerous nasty slidey moments in corners and people complaining of wheelspin on hills. The roads looked pretty much dry that night (hadn't rained for days) and this was on reasonable tarmac with no obvious moisture/leaves/loose grit/big lumps of salt/etc. so I'm putting it down to the salt as it was nowhere near freezing. We're Oxford based.

I'm switching over to 27mm Open Paves at lower pressures in the hope of finding a bit more grip, but I don't think it's really got much to with tyres considering the mix of brands and designs my clubmates are running.

Panaracer tires are superb for grip in winter but are a very expensive option. I'm running 25c Gatorskins which at 110 psi I did tumble on diesel in January so now run them at 90psi on a damp day much better

It's easy to blame the tyres. I slipped on a roundabout last week on a pair of Vittoria Open Pave 23mm tyres at 90psi, and they are about the best tyres you can get.

Letting a bit of pressure helps a bit, I run my tyres at about 90-95 year round these days, especially in the winter. Only inflate them for crit racing really.

Best thing is to be super careful through the corners and bends, scrub off speed before you get to the corner, safely make the turn, then carry on.

Gatorskins are known as 'Skaterskins' in some quarters, due to their 'slippage'.

I'm on Conti 4000s (23s) and rarely skid/slip. On a club rides this autumn, I've been hammering it down hills with others a way behind. Many have complained about skidding/slipping, but I haven't noticed.

If you want something more hardwearing (or if you have a larger frame), the Four Seasons is a suitable alternative, and if you have the clearance, 25s are supposed to give a better grip.

Agree about Gatorskins being slippy, I think it's due to their rigidity and long wearing compound. Currently been using Michelin Pro 4 Service Course and their grip is awesome... But after 800ish miles the rear is looking quite cut up by road debris, price and weight are good though.

Had my first slide yesterday, Open Paves but still running a higher pressure, dropped 15 PSI out of each end for todays ride.

I had similar issues earlier in August when we had light rain on dirty roads (admittedly I had crap tyres at the time!). Broke my elbow on a fall. I've since upgraded to Continental Grand Prix GT and have had not such problems, no movement at all. I also went up to 25mm. Made a huge difference.

Oh yes, and now use tyre drop to get the correct PSI for my tyres.

I binned it this morning, on the lanes outside bath. was only doing about 12mph on a steep off camber corner, feathered the back brake and the wheel just locked up immediately. then the front broke away and down i went. mostly i was just muddy

That was on Conti GT 25mms which are blackchili compound and normally very predictable. to be honest i think i would have needed ice spikes to stay upright, was just a whole corner of packed down leaves covered in morning dew...

That's the thing - the roads are just treacherous from October until March. If it's not leaves, it's ice, and if it's not ice, it's oil, and if it's not oil it's mud washed off the fields.
Either accept you're going to fall at some point, or brake early and steadily into corners, take them far slower, and don't take any risks descending.
It then takes SO long to rediscover your cornering and descending mojo when the roads dry out. Sad times.

Bang. Went down hard this morning. Nothing really damaged but my pride thankfully but it was out of nowhere on a corner I normally take at 20+mph in the summer but was being winter cautious at between 12-15mph. Front wheel just disappeared from under me. Took the fall on my shoulder and scratched the buckle of my Zxelliums. Had a look at the road and can't work out why I went down. Bike is wearing Conti 4000s, think I'll just stay on the trainer until march.

Went down this morning, 35 on a descent road turned right, tightened up and then I was over and sliding down the road.
Second ride on the winter bike and bent the hanger, and possibly damaged mech,
Ripped knee and arm warmer and a fair bit of skin on the road!

Almost came a cropper twice this afternoon. Back wheel locked up on the approach to a junction, managed to stay upright more through luck than judgement. Then, turning into another road at a T- junction, had a right @*$€ nipper, when the front wheel started to go. Adds a bit of interest to the ride I guess.

I think it's a combination of diesel, mud, rotting leaves and damp.

Roll on summer!

don't know if it is my imagination, but the roads seem far worse than in previous years? whether it is the lack of rain for the last few weeks, a change in the mix they are spreading on the roads i don't know. It isn't nice!!!!!

Glad it's not just me; I was getting paranoid! Two falls in two weeks, slow corners. One a roundabout (where a friend also went down) and one a 90 degree corner. Both pretty much dry, both surfaces coated in a fair amount of black stuff. Front wheel just went from under me both times.

I must admit that I've never experienced roads like this before, problem is I'm now super nervous about all cornering and descending.

Not good.

I had a two wheel slide on Friday, turning an uphill corner that I ride every day. Through my immense bike handling skills (i.e. blind luck) I stayed upright. I stopped to check for punctures as it felt so unlikely to slide at that speed.

So, the question is: Is it worse than previous years and if so why?

I'm running Gatorskins, they are 23's and they are impeccable, I have dropped the pressure down to 85 but the only slip I get is uphill (out the saddle) and hard on the brakes - I won't buy a different tyre, yes the roads are more slippery than usual but I can only tell because those I ride with keep slipping and that's on a multitude of tyres?

Good tyres: anything wider than 25mm I guess. Personally I don't run anything above 25mm due to lack of clearance.
It's possible to avoid wheelspin by evening out the power through the pedal stroke. Overgearing slightly can help, but I'm guessing at 15% grades and higher you're close to your lowest gear and potentially not able to rev any slower.
Scavenging the tarmac for rougher patches can help as the friction here will be greater. Reducing the gradient by zig-zagging is potentially useful but not very traffic-friendly!

Had a scary ride yesterday - three rear wheel slips (23mm GP4000s) but managed to hold them all. Having just come off my first Midlands Cyclocross season, it has had two effects: a) I am definitely better at handling slippy surfaces. b) I am definitely better at falling off .... had quite a bit of practice, especially at Sundowne where slicks where not the right choice!!

Agree with most - roads do seem slippier this winter (and not because of ice).

On an mtb you'd often sit on the saddle nose on really steep stuff so that a) you don't lift the front b) don't spin out the back 'cos you're too far forward, or putting too much torque down at one point in the pedal stroke.

I guess you've run out of gears ? - maybe a bit more weight further back, and controlling your pedal stroke a bit more - maybe with not all your weight through the downwards pedal ?

But what do I know, I mostly ride a recumbent - I've been getting wheelspin on steep stuff very occasionally, I think some little-used back-roads roads are just a bit slippy..

went down on an icy/greasy corner on saturday at a relatively fair speed (32km/h-ish), luckily the bike and gear emerged relatively unscathed (new bar tape needed) but my leg, ribs and shoulder are paying the price now.