Intrigued following on from the hardtail thread below...............how many have winter bikes!
โ
I have bikes I use in winter. Yes. I use them in the summer too. And spring. And autumn.
Winter road (my mud guarded cross bike) and off road (alfine geared steel 29er) bikes here. Works for me.
summer too
what's one of them? ๐
Both my bikes get used all year round. Neither are dedicated to a single season.
Just one at the moment, used all year round.
Building a new project and guess that will be the same.
Me, SS steel 29er, mainly because when I've done a quick ride all it needs is a kick to knock the lumps off. then i can throw it away til next time..
It's quite liberating to not worry about gears and stuff.
what's one of them?
That's called the 'Alps Week'. Thats summer time for me.
Sort of. I have a bike that I will choose to use if I know it is likely to get thrown in the shed after the ride without a clean, but all my bikes get used in winter. What I don't have is a bike that only comes out at a certain time of year.
Not so much a winter bike but a muddy conditions bike - a SS rigid 29er.
Have a CX bike for winter road use too.
Not so much a winter bike but a cheap'n'cheerful hardtail I use when conditions dictate. Reliable like a carthorse but not highly strung like a racehorse.
Winter road bike - mudguards, steel, low gears. I could probably do with a workhorse type mtb too.
Yes. Started as an Inbred with bits handed down from pub bike which morphed into a Cotic Soul. That got stolen and now it's a ti hardtail with dropper post etc.
I have a winter road bike for commuting and a summer road bike for commuting. Don't have a winter mtb though, although the only working one is a rigid steel singlespeed so ideal for winter.
I've got a FS & HT, but choose not to ride the FS when it's going to get totally caked in sandy grinding paste, hence the HT tends to get most use in the winter and the FS more use in the summer. Except last year.
Leku...impressive winter bike
I do, rigid with a Rohloff hub at the back and a SON dynamo at the front.
I commute off road so the bike, and me, gets plastered in mud twice a day for 11.9 months a year. It just needs the occasional wipe of the chain and whatever cheap oil is lying around plastered on it.
My CX = Winter road bike/comuter(most of the year)/tourer in the Summer.
I only use hardtails ,so there is :-
Best hard tail ..gets used for race/events and big days out.
Not best hard tail ..gets used for winter night rides and training.
I also have 4 back up /reserve bikes ๐ณ
yes, 29er HT, simply it works better in the mud than my FS'ers
I built an inbred 29er last year and put rigid forks to use through the winter as it's a commuter as well.
But I still ride the FS for big stuff in the winter, just have to wash it more.
Yep - An Orange Pure 7. However, I've discovered that I love riding it in the warmer months too.
Built a ridged Inbred with the intention of it being a winter bike. I then discovered how much fun it was to ride and ride it more than my 5.
Sort of.
I have a SS MTB primarily for winter mud plugging but it's also quite good fun to ride it during the summer too so I do.
I have one geared road bike and I've just bought a fixed road bike but both are intended for year round use, the fixie is mean't to take the brunt of my commuting from now on, and the geared road bike will be used for weekend road pootles with mates and the odd commute, up to now it was used for commuting and weekend road riding but I just want the simplest possible commuting bike I can now for minimal maintenance now...
I think it's more a case of having certain bikes which are more for the summer i.e. I have a Dirt-jump bike which will only come out if the weather is nice, same with the BMX and my DH bike really only seems to be getting "Fair Weather" use now...
Bearing in mind the fact that wet/cold "Winter" conditions seem to make up almost 3/4 of the British year now, it's probably wiser to invest in all year round usable bikes and kit than heap the cash on a bike you'll only use for 3 out of 12 monhs and spend most of your time on a scrapper...
My winter bike is an old Stumpjumper M4 frame with recycled parts bought from here. I've used it almost exclusively since my Turner broke. It does the job well, and I don't worry about it getting trashed on muddy gritty trails.
i have bikes i wont take out in winter save for racing - i wont take my roadie out on a group ride as nothing is less plesent than getting sprayed off someones wheel - winter bike has full guards on.
my carbon frame XTR drive trained MTB rarely gets out the shed in winter - but then i ride my Ti rigid SS instead - just cause its summer doesnt mean i dont ride that though , it rides just as well in summer as it does in winter ๐
I only have a winter bike.
Winter road bike = commuter = fixed wheel with mudguards
Winter mountain bike = HT with hub gears = summer bike
HT will be singlespeeded for summer months once I acquire some wheels.
I'm more likely to take my SS HT out when the weathers nasty than my FS. Less (or none) cleaning to be done afterwards.
[b]Winter Bike(s)[/b]
456 Hardtail - cheap fork
Inbred - with skinny tyres and rigid fork for the road
[b]Inbetween bikes[/b]
100mm FS
[b]Not wet weather bikes (aka summer)[/b]
140mm full suss, play bike
200mm bad boy
Not a specific winter bike, but I generally dont ride my full susser in winter.
The 1x9 HT gets ridden on local trails all winter, while the FS only at winter visits to trail centres. I ride the FS more over the summer.
The HT is just much easier to deal with maintenance and cleaning and quite technically capable as well as fun. It's just tiring on long days and fast/rough trails.
is there that much difference in summer and winter these days?
Mountain bikes are both all year round. However I do have a nice summer road bike and a winter road bike. Winter one is a heavy crosser fitted with mudguards. It's still a great bike to ride though.
I use a SS for winter
Used to have a rigid Surly 1x1 commuter / fat tyred winter bike.
Got knicked though.
Winter road bike - decathlon triban 3,use it for club runs in winter and it also gets used for commuting the rest of the year
winter mtb alfine inbred, easy to clean just ride and forget, in summer this tends to get lent to work mates
One bike, just had six months use out of a BB and rear wheel bearings. I know OEM stuff soimetimes is lesser quality, but replacement is still less than a winter bike, as much as I'd like one.
I have a commuter bike which I use year round and on club runs in winter because it takes mudguards and fat tyres.
I tend to ride my hardtail more in winter as short days mean I do more local riding where a FS isn't required. For the depths of winter I put on rigid forks as it is just a mud fest.
Still ride the FS but only when it is worth the effort in cleaning it. More that I have a choice of two bikes and I prefer the HT on easier trails.
winter road bike; 25yr old 531C frame, largely original bits (even BB and headset) - my 16th birthday present rescued from the depths of the folks garage.
winter MTB; Dialled Alpine HT, with durable components. Currently in classifieds, I go so bored of the relentless lousy weather I all but gave up MTBing last year. Its been either 'worthwhile' riding (trips to wales or overseas etc) or road riding for me the last 12 months.
Rigid '94 Hahanna with home brewed 2 speed singlespeed, is that possible!
I got my road bike out today WHOOOeee. been grafting around on my singlespeed old '92 rocky mountain vertex shopper/pub/commuter/doitall bike all winter, and the winter has buggered it up (not washed since sept). and to fly about on my fresh mothballed roadie today was a revalation! woof! might have to go for a biglongride this week ๐ SUN makes so much difference
never bothered, flip between the hard tail and full sus all the time (Though the HT has just been canablised for a couple of parts) They all have moving parts, some are more fun to ride that others.
FWIW I choose not to plough through bogs and knee deep mud as it's not really fun and head to the rocky or better maintained/weather proof trails instead.
I'm another 'sort of'
The rigid Charge Duster (with a bent/twisted frame) that I commute on is kind of my winter bike too. It falls into the 'bodge it when it breaks' camp instead of the 'keep it running nicely' camp which the 456/Gimp/Macinato fall into.
I have a winter bike... it's British, steel and fully rigid... great fun and sorts out my bike skills ready for ripping up the dry summer trails. Sometimes it feels absolutely 'right' if you know what I mean ๐
I tend to pick the fully rigid geared marin when its gopping. Mainly for bike sympathy as I like to keep the full sus well looked after and they're expensive to maintain!
Fixed steel road bike, geared titanium road bike, single speed steel hard tail Kona for the snow. Sheds getting crowded with everything else.
One bike, one gear. It's all I ever need.
No ambition.
I have ended up with an 06 enduro as my winter bike and a 2012 enduro as my summer bike...keeps me happy 
I have a spare bike which I use more in the winter. Similar to the main bike but with cheaper (and heavier) bits. Both full suspension, same length cranks and near identical riding positions.
Winter bike? Er, yes, I suppose so......
Road - Alu C'dale Synapse with mudguards.
Every eventuality bike - 1998 Marin Pine Mountain with Exotic carbon forks. Was a god send in the snow.
My road bike is about to become my winter road bike. On account of a summer road bike arriving soon ๐
I have a GT Avalanche which I got last February as a 'winter bike' to save the wear and tear on my FS bearings... but as it has been like winter most of the last year I've done much more riding on it than I expected.