Winter road bike

What’s best for winter and what width?

Sks raceblades the best for keeping dry?

Thanks

Very subjective, but I’m a big fan of discs and clearance for 28’s with full guards (clip ons and race blades don’t offer anywhere near the protection) myself. Weight is less of an issue.

proper full guards are best .. 28mm if your frame can handle it 🙂

Depends what your local roads are like in winter and what you like to ride.

Chromoplastics the best for keeping dry.

Cheap and dependable for the winter IMO. I ride 23’s all year round without issue. Whatever you get make sure it takes proper full length guards. I still run a cheap 9 speed setup for the winter and I replace the rings, chain and cassette every year for not a lot of money.

Got some formula 1’s on at the moment so you reckon some gatorskins I think 28mm will be the best fit.

Regarding the mudguards I can’t have proper full on mounts as it’s not got the lugs.

I should probably get a dedicated winter bike but at the moment can’t really afford.

CDF30 in standard guise with zefal swan guards here. Keep me dry but no good in a group 😀

35c tyres are comfy and not that much slower for an old buffer like me.

30 hilly dark miles earlier at about 16.4mph. On a good summer day on the carbon road bike I do same loop at 18.

last winter was quite mild and i rode to work on 20mm tyres with no mudguards – I’m still alive.

I’m pretty sure you can’t get studded tyres in anything thinner than a 35

I currently got 22’s so probs up to 25’s as they’ll fit the frame then get mudguards when it’s real nasty

If you want a great bike for winter…look no further than a fat bike
The best bike for the most extreme weather
I use my road bike all year round I don’t feel the need to have another in winter, when the weather is crap..out comes the fatty
The bigger tyres give you a great work out……I can’t wait for snow!!

I’ve just built up a Dolan Preffisio this week as a winter roadbike. Done a few rides on it and have to say it’s superb. It’s not too expensive, compatible with full mudguards and nice and comfy. There is a lot of talk online that it won’t take a 25mm tyre with mudguards fitted…not true as works perfectly on mine.

Fitting the SKS Blumel mudguards however has to be one of the worst biking jobs! I read somewhere that it’s considered by many to be a right off passage & one of the worst spannering jobs going…couldn’t agree more! The instructions are completely wrong!

23mm with raceguard longs on a decathlon road bike for me. Decathlon bike top value. Raceblade longs are very good if you are happy with 23mm tyres can get hold of them. Portland design works have something similar. Gatroskins are, in the view of a load of my clubmates a terrible winter tyre, lack of grip being the quoted reason,. I have just ordered some michelin lithions for a possible second winter hack, good reviews and cheapish

Just gone down this whole route, in the end went for a Planet X London Road, with full width SKS Chromoplastics and Durano 28mm tyres (it comes with mega comfy 32mm slicks, but they are monstrously heavy). Make no mistake it takes a bit of hauling around the Dales compared to my Canyon Ultimate SLX..but its bombproof, and it keeps me clean–ish. And the effing Mudguards hopefully wont snap every few rides as the Cruds do every winter previous.

My winter road bike still has downtube shifters.

I’m close to my perfect winter/commuting/training bike – Kinesis 4S with SKS guards, rack, PowerTap, SP dynamo and Vittoria Paves. If I had loads of cash to spend the only things I’d change would be to get the Kinesis GF Ti Disc frame and the Shimano R785 groupset.

Gonna use schwable duranos for winter as I got some of their mtb tyres and get on well.

I did have some maxxis road tyres that were fairly good?

neilsonwheels – Member
Cheap and dependable for the winter IMO. I ride 23’s all year round without issue. Whatever you get make sure it takes proper full length guards. I still run a cheap 9 speed setup for the winter and I replace the rings, chain and cassette every year for not a lot of money.

Pretty close to this tbh. Although mine is a 5 year old Allez still on 8 speed! I do have a spare drivetrain for it from when my father had one and upgraded loads.

I’ve a pair of 25 tyres to go on but haven’t seen the need yet. My other road bikes are on 23 so I’m used to them.

I just have the bars a little higher thanks to a taller ht, etc but then tend to worry less about getting aero in a winter jacket anyway.

Only other touches are a sram mount for the garmin as it has a nice positive click which is useful when wearing thicker gloves.

I do have some sks mudguards but generally just use an Ass Saver most of the time.

My winter road bike still has downtube shifters.

Mine doesn’t need shifters 🙂

Kinesis Racelight TK2 here with SKS Chromoplastic guards and 25 mm GP 4 Seasons. Good bike that’s done me proud over the last 6 winters but its a bit lardy and sluggish compared to my summer carbon bike.

If buying today I’d go for a carbon frame that can take full guards, something like Dolan Dual. Discs would be nice but as yet I don’t think there are any carbon framed winter bikes that run disks- at least I can’t think of any

There’s the Spesh Roubaix SL4 but whether you want to class that as a “winter bike” is another matter. A mate’s got a Spesh Roubaix with disks but I don’t think it’s the SL4.

Just got back from a hilly 162Km ride on the Croix de Fer – definitely harder work than on the summer bike. I do need to get some mudguards for it, I got some yesterday but they are too narrow so will have to swap them.

benji – Member
My winter road bike still has downtube shifters.
Mine doesn’t need shifters

I have one of those too!

Surely it doesn’t matter so much if it’s a bit of a slog. I would rather have slower tyres than sorting a puncture mid ride.