SMA tarmac

[ericonblackbird]

If the above 'not tested on bikes' is true - how the feckin hell did they get away with that, and are the councils liable as its not been tested on bikes.

Yes it is true it was never tested especially wrt skid resistance (another of my 'campaigns'), how do they get away with it, simple, just as the Home Office Scientific Branch does with speed cameras. When questioned they produce a simple statement 'whilst no detailed testing has been carried out, no special problems are envisaged for motorcycles.' ...................... and when you question them again with "OK so no detailed tests have been carried out, but that means some tests have been carried out please give me the details."................the response is "no tests have been carried out"

A lot of SMA is used 'down west' Glos/Avon & Som / Wilts and I note that the common practice is to put 'slippery road' signs up after it is laid. Grip improves a bit after 6 months heavy use yet the signs still stay. B4008 into Glos (Yoshi probably knows this road) had over 10 accidents due to the sma - the signs still remain 1-2 years later and the speed limit has been dropped.

The Councils are fully aware of the 'problem' but SMA is cheap!

EDIT

I've seen what I think is SMA laid on a roundabout just after Warminster (towards Salisbury)

Yes it is.......... and the stretch leading up to it.

 

[Centaur]

Am I missing something here?

The second paragraph of the Gov's answer says they haven't used SMA since the 1990s. Is what they are using now SMA by another name?

 

[scotsy]

Yep we got a lot of the fucking shit and yep it ain't had any tests with bikes

out yesterday with Stan and Deejay for a spirited ride to Newtown A483 mile after mile of lol twisty stuff and lots of sections with SMA on it

Deejay said a few times he could feel the tyres start to let go when pressing on a bit through a corner

I just back off now as a matter of course on the crap as I've fallen victim to it I don't want a repeat this year

I was down there last weekend on the reccomend of a mate who rode it the weekend before and it's a cracking 22 miles of bends of various severity, some as slow as 30mph and some at three figures and i enjoyed every yard of it. We stopped for lunch at crossgates when the subject of SMA tarmac was brought up, One of the lads said there were a few stretches of SMA along the road we had just done at megaspeeds and i didn't notice any problems with grip (newish storms fitted). We decided to go back the same way so this time i clipped the rear facing camera on the bird and 'led' the group (6) towards Newtown at a decent pace but it soon became clear that i was pushing too hard into the braking areas and had a couple or three rear wheel 'sqiuggles' which may have been caused by me changing down too soon before knocking the speed off with the brakes, or did the chat about SMA just get 'into my head' and ruin my concentration. Lets just say It was a lot less enjoyable so i calmed the pace down and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the trip home.

I deliberately do NOT read about road deaths or anything that might 'play on my mind' whilst riding, i'd rather think about the positive things about riding my bike, my rideout mates and the 'craic' we will have at every brew stop, the 'twisties' that we all head for, the scenery we will pass through and the 'bikers nod' to like minded people.

Ride safe guys

Ian

 

[Rob N/West]

Get your bike sprayed Red , instead of the 'Go Slow' Blue and everything will be fine.

 

[scotsy]

Get your bike sprayed Red , instead of the 'Go Slow' Blue and everything will be fine.

:violin:




How come my 'slow' BLUE one has to wait for your 'fast' RED one at every junction on rideouts then? (and if my memory serves me right your Red one is 5mph slower in a straight line)

The ever disillusioned RED bird owners have escaped the asylum again, send for the men in white coats man8um

 

[Rob N/West]

Yes , your slow blue one was faster in a straight line, when my back brake was sticking and my carbs were out of balance , but now they are fixed normal service has been resumed

 

[blumeeni]

I was down there last weekend on the reccomend of a mate who rode it the weekend before and it's a cracking 22 miles of bends of various severity, some as slow as 30mph and some at three figures and i enjoyed every yard of it. We stopped for lunch at crossgates when the subject of SMA tarmac was brought up, One of the lads said there were a few stretches of SMA along the road we had just done at megaspeeds and i didn't notice any problems with grip (newish storms fitted). We decided to go back the same way so this time i clipped the rear facing camera on the bird and 'led' the group (6) towards Newtown at a decent pace but it soon became clear that i was pushing too hard into the braking areas and had a couple or three rear wheel 'sqiuggles' which may have been caused by me changing down too soon before knocking the speed off with the brakes, or did the chat about SMA just get 'into my head' and ruin my concentration. Lets just say It was a lot less enjoyable so i calmed the pace down and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the trip home.

I deliberately do NOT read about road deaths or anything that might 'play on my mind' whilst riding, i'd rather think about the positive things about riding my bike, my rideout mates and the 'craic' we will have at every brew stop, the 'twisties' that we all head for, the scenery we will pass through and the 'bikers nod' to like minded people.

Ride safe guys

Ian

Most of the time it's OK if your riding moderate to fast speeds in coolish conditions
the big probs with sma seem to be when it's hot
the mastic becomes waxy so when pushing through a corner at a good pace the tyre starts to loose grip this generates even more heat between the rubber and mastic
but doesn't regrip as it would on a normal road surface this all happens in the blink of an eye so down you go

 

[blumeeni]

There's an article in this months Bike on SMA worth a read
I'll be emailing them shortly

 

[jamiec501]

How do you know if it's SMA tarmac ?

as you slide you say sh*t my ar*e

 

[niff5855]

SMA facts

If you're interested, I worked in the technical dept of a Quarrying/Asphalt producing company for many years so know a bit about this stuff. Enjoy.......lol

SMA (Stone Mastic Asphalt) is smooth and slippery when new, but should improve over time as the traffic wears away the top layer of bitumen to expose the aggregate underneath.

The surface should then become mega grippy as a high PSV (Polished stone value - ie grippy) aggregate is used (usually gritstone or another hardstone).

Although, sometimes limestone is being used as the aggregate (still grippy though but will smooth off over time - unlike gritstone).

So as the road trafficks the surface will become grippy. Although thats no consolation if you have an off before its been sufficiently trafficked.

By the way -

They even use broken glass, ground down, in some areas and then wonder why bikes slide on the smooth glossy surface??!!??!!
Glass is only ever used in the basecourse, which is then overlayed with the surface course. Glass is never ever used on the running surface.

 

[Ben_]

Thanks for the input here.

When it is really hot (say 30 degrees C and above) does the SMA start to lose its grip levels?

Also, I have noticed that freshly laid SMA is extremely slippery when wet. What is the percieved wet grip levels once the SMA has been "trafficked in" ?

Thanks in advancep0pc0rn41

 

[blumeeni]

Thanks for the input here.

When it is really hot (say 30 degrees C and above) does the SMA start to lose its grip levels?

Also, I have noticed that freshly laid SMA is extremely slippery when wet. What is the percieved wet grip levels once the SMA has been "trafficked in" ?

Thanks in advancep0pc0rn41

WTF you asking that for you know it does
the stuffs FUCKING SHIT :cry: :cry: :cry:

 

[niff5855]

When the temp rises I would imagine the grip levels could fall as the bitumen warms up and becomes soft. There's trouble with freshly laid SMA in the summer rutting (cars/lorries runing in the same tracks and creating a groove).

Not sure about the better trafficked stuff though.

Wet SMA again would be slippery when new but after its trafficked the wet shouldnt adversley affect grip as long as its laid with a camber allowing the water to drain.

If not then water can pool because as far as I remember its not porus.

:yo:

 

[blumeeni]

Het Niff yuz just down the road from me I'm in Llangennech are you the Guy I keep seeing on a black B/B

 

[Ben_]

Het Niff yuz just down the road from me I'm in Llangennech are you the Guy I keep seeing on a black B/B

No Pete, that's the Grim Reaper!

He's tried to get you a few times now but he's told me you're too much of a match for him so he's gonna leave you alone for a whileb0x1

 

[blumeeni]

No Pete, that's the Grim Reaper!

He's tried to get you a few times now but he's told me you're too much of a match for him so he's gonna leave you alone for a whileb0x1

I think the fucker lied,have you seen all the new SMA he's laying down our fav roads
BASTARD

 

[niff5855]

I doubt if Its me you've seen mate as I havent been out much recently.

Cheers

 

[stan the man]

I doubt if Its me you've seen mate as I havent been out much recently.

Cheers

watch blu,niff...he's a stalker ya know.........



















p0pc0rn41