New type of road salt being trialed in Warminster

[RichTT]

Just heard on BBC Points West that they are going to trial a new type of road salt "sugar salt" in Warminster this winter. This is normal road salt coated in black molasses, to help it stick to the road for longer.
What's that going to do to my paintwork?

[BladeTriple]

Not sure but it will be a lot nicer to lick off your bike :-P

[Scotty]

More to the point, how slippery is the stuff going to be? :o >:(

I'd worry more about your metalwork than paintwork Rich - engine casings, wheels, brake calipers, fasteners, chains, linkages, fork bottoms, shock absorbers, mudguards on yours - they all get a hammering from road salt - might be worth joining the queue for Nooj's magic winter treatment [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[RichTT]

Looks like it may turn out to be better than just salt

"The addition of beet juice not only reduces the corrosive property of salt by 53 percent, lowers the freezing point, and the stickiness factor helps it adhere better to road surfaces." (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2570441/deicing_highways_and_roads_using_sugar.html)(http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2570441/deicing_highways_and_roads_using_sugar.html)

[Nooj]

I've heard about this sticky salt before, but have yet to see any being used round here.

The stickyness factor will make it harder to wash off your bike, so even if the salt's been neutralised to some degree, it'll linger longer than plain salt, so may actually do more damage to metal parts over time.

And it's very slippery in the wet so I've been told (anyone confirm this?).

[Scotty]

...And in addition to that, won't everything go purple instead of white? :-? :-? :-?