[Closed] Do you run a winter bike? And what should I do?

I kinda run a winter bike, in that it has stickier tyres, more mudguards and sintered brake pads, but it's certainly not a hack.

I mostly ride what I feel like. It's guided by conditions and where I'm riding, but mostly it's what I fancy riding on the day.

Life's too short to run bikes you don't enjoy, especially if it's out of some misplaced idea of what you should be doing.

I have the same YT and use a cheap HT for the winter... for the same reasons. The YT is my pride and joy. I'm not saying it's rational but I think the same as you.lol 😁

I've got a really cheap HT, a second hand Bizango with Suntour suspension seat post for comfort and mud mudguards... because it won't get properly cleaned all winter. That's just a motivation killer for me, cleaning the bike in the cold/dark.

If you really want an fs get a cheap single pivot frame perhaps and don't be afraid of running mudguards or such? So much easier and no muddy/cold arse either.👍

I used to, but then I realised that it usually cost me far more in the long run than just replacing parts on the main bike if/when they wore out a bit quicker.

We are lucky in some respects that down here the mud is sticky and claggy but we don’t tend to get the same amount of abrasive content in it so stuff does tend to last longer unless you head over to the N Downs, Swinley etc where it’s a bit sandier and grindier!

Nopes, my bearings are free from Whyte, only costing me time and effort to replace, so i just use the same bike winter, summer, etc.

I'd use the same amount of pads if i use the HT, i'd use the same tyres etc.... So the only thing different is frame bearings.

Yes(ish), I ride my singlespeed a lot more in the winter.
On the other hand both my main bikes run IGHs, so are pretty winter proof anyway.
It's sandy and/or claggy round here, so a full sus in winter would be daft.

I bought a cheap carbon frame and I built a winter bike from all the parts left over from when I have upgraded the other bikes, still a decent enough spec to enjoy with 10 speed XT/XTR and saddle/bars etc off new bikes, gets ridden in all the worst condition,s gets serviced the same as the other bikes and basically costs me nothing to run other than a new gear cable recently.

Same frame, different tyres. It means I get the same feel of bike all year, just with grip when the ice is out.

It does, however, mean that I have to replace a cassette and chain every year (max) and get through a set of pads in about six months. It's still better than taking the bus though.

My nice road bike is just over 2.5 years old, but I haven't taken it out during or just after rain to date. Only once have I been out and got caught in a proper albeit short shower. I've had a V2 of the Cube proprietary mudguards for a while, but they came with an insufficiently long M5 bolt for the chainstay bridge and I still need to get around to sorting, but even if I did I think I'd still be reluctant to take the bike out in the wet.

Since buying the Cube, my fat bike has become the n+1, but it rarely does much besides commutes these days. With nice tyres fitted on the 29er wheelset, it's not that heavy at just over 10Kg before adding bottles, but the more upright position and consequent extra drag adds to the extra effort and fatigue on rides over ~90mins... So I hardly ever take it out to the likes of Beacon, Old Winchester and Butser (where I often go on the road bike).

Part of me really fancies a "winter" adventure road bike, but money is very tight while desperately trying to accumulate deposit money. I'm far more inclined these days to jump on the turbo rather than do a local ride on the fatbike in the rain, so I'm not convinced a new bike would change that!

Might have to hold out on this plan until the fatbike goes one way or another, even though I love the thought of building up something like those Merlin G1X ~£300 frames or a Full Monty SL etc.

I winterise my bike, jts not fancy enough to warrant a whole new bike, its probably cheaper than your proposed winter bike.

Sintered pads, solid (not ice-tech) rotors, singlespeed, and give it a once over checking bearings etc.

In spring it gets another thorough check and soft brake pads go back in.

Same on the road, it gets a once over and the cheap wheels go on with tougher tyres and mudguards. Tempted to get another (3rd!) cross bike and make a winter bike with bigger tyres.

Yes, titanium, rigid, winter-ish tyres.

"Cheap-ish" drive train.

Most of the riders where I live including myself(and there aren't many,most hibernate until spring) who continue riding frequently offroad throughout the winter ride hardtails.Where I live it is all low level woodland riding,relatively smooth trails,with mainly different types of slick mud,not much peaty loam and sandy soil.
If you live somewhere burlier,rockier and with more elevation I can see a hardtail may not be the best tool though,having said that my hardtail was still great fun in Wales on rocky trails -just more fatiguing after multiple days .

I'd say persevere .Are you running highish volume tyres ?

Failing that I would think something like an Orange with just two easy to change frame bearings would be good option .

Fatbike, innit.

My nice road bike is just over 2.5 years old, but I haven’t taken it out during or just after rain to date. Only once have I been out and got caught in a proper albeit short shower.

😳

In the UK?!

Why would you ride a shitter bike than usual ?

Bearings cost on average £35 whats to worry ?

My all year round hardtail sounds cheaper than some of the winter builds others have! I hate all the cleaning winter brings so my gt grade with full guards that I commute on takes on most of my winter riding. It was the best £450 I've ever spent, running tubeless it positively glides over peak roads.

I sort of do in that my gravel bike will be used when the trails are completely minging, otherwise I'll just choose where I ride and keep to places which hold up in the wet and/or don't destroy bikes. I.e not swinley!

Yes a hardtail with narrow-ish 2.0 mud tyres. Did think about just keeping the full-sus, but there's 12 bearings, and an expensive 12 speed cassette on there, so nuts to that.

I.e not swinley!

Like what ? Pads ? a bit of grit in the chain ? I only go there once every 5-6 weeks in winter, but never noticed an issue as such.

I ride my cross bike on the road over autumn/winter. Off road I have an old 26"-wheeled 1x10 geared Ragley Mmmbop fitted with Mudhugger guards front and rear that I use when things get wet and gritty round here in the Peak. I'm not fussed about drivetrain wear or cosmetic damage, I just hate the whole of my lower body / legs / arse being plastered with cold, wet, gritty sludge.

The Mudhuggers mean you can ride through huge water-splashes and stay more or less dry and they're time consuming to fit and remove, so I've ended up with a dedicated winter trail bike. If I was bothered about chain / cassette etc wear I'd go back to singlespeed, but I'm not.

The bike's pretty ugly thanks to the guards, but functional and rides pretty well in a harsh, direct sort of way.

Personally, I'd say if you prefer riding the Capra then ride it, but try and get past the preciousness about its cosmetics. Wear and scratches just go with the territory. Think of them as battle scars and just go out and ride it.

I used to ride a single speed hard tail off road in winter and also a single speed road bike with full mud guards etc for winter road, minimal maintenance required, nothing to go wrong and don't really miss the summer bikes when the weather is foul.

im running an sworks frame atm. Ill br running it through over and around loads of rocks, mud and grinding paste all winter.

I tried the winter bike but then i realized i had a nice bike just depreciating in the garage.

Like what ? Pads ? a bit of grit in the chain ? I only go there once every 5-6 weeks in winter, but never noticed an issue as such.

I'm not the biggest fan of swinley as it is, but the sandy, gritty stuff there is bloody horrible! It turns into a grinding paste.

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Meh, its gritty, but washes off, just sounds terrible at the time and when you get it out of the car.

Yeah tbh it probably does sound worse than it is, my local trail centre is similar and rideable all year round so I just go there when it's been horrible weather. My local non trail centre riding is a nice combination of a chalk base with a thin layer of sticky mud so it's horrible in winter too.

I do seem to recall finding sand from swinley in my car/shoes/everywhere for a good few weeks after going there 😁

Hahahahaha yup, i can't argue with that at all.

I see people moan about pads etc, but never had an issue with it there on my pads.

Nope, lifes too short to ride a sh*t bike.

I had a Solaris, but ended up being an expensive HT, as it felt crap with a rubbish spec. Then it was just a rubbish bike compared to a FS.

Just ride what I have.

After many, many years I came to the conclusion that during the winter months I should just sack off riding an MTB, it's just not as much fun as when it's sunny...
I'll just clean it up sometime between now and (if we get some late nice weather) mid-October, and put it to one side until at least late March/April...

Instead my (cheap) Gravel/CX type bike is essentially my winter alternative (skinner, knobblier mud tyres will be going back on soon) which I can flog about the local countryside.
And of course a mudguarded road bike...

[Awaits general derision]

I remember when people used to ride MTBs around their local countryside

I remember when people used to ride MTBs around their local countryside

Yep, I do that now but with a Gravel bike, which feels a bit like an early 90's MTB to ride, just with slightly better brakes...