Forum menu
My winter roadie is much like my winter mtb - steel & singlespeed 🙂
it all seems a bit daft to have a bike for every weather forecast.
One for good weather, one for bad weather. It's not rocket science.
🙄
Coming off in winter due to poor conditions is a fair comment, but I think the wear and tear thing is over stated. I rode my only road bike all winter without any significant wear. But then I do keep it clean so grit and salt never had a chance to really trash the drive train.
+1 for the cheap option. I bought a £600 Sora Giant Defy from Pedalon and with thier podium points system got defy specific guards, overshoes and a few other bits thrown in. As mentioned when not being uised on the road it sits on the turbo - guards an' all.
There's something incredibly frustrating for me about constantly faffing with mudguards taking 'em on and off.
...is the only thing stopping me from selling the above Defy and buying a Kinesis Crosslight (well, that ans an annual plan which excludes 'cross atm).
But why put up with a crap ride all winter?
I don't, I have a British built 853 mudguard bike which was specifically built for me to take Salmon guards with standard drop brakes. It rides very much like my best road bike which is 6Al/4V Ti except that its about 4lbs heaver.
Doesn't 4lbs bother you?
Q) why get a road bike?
A1) see posts above.
A2) see posts above.
A3) see posts above.
etc.
if you don't agree with those answers, then the solution is really simple, don't get a winter bike.
Carry on as you are, good for you.
No mol', it doesn't bother me that my winter bike is 8, yes EIGHT, pounds heavier than my nice bike. most of that weight is in the cheap wheels*, marathon (plus) tyres, mudguards.
but guess what, my winter shoes are heavier than my summer shoes. my winter gloves are heavier than my summer gloves, more clothes weighs more than less clothes.
i'm a bit slower in winter, and it doesn't bother me.
(*deore hubs that just won't die)
Doesn't 4lbs bother you?
No it doesn't. Why, should it? It's a mudguards bike, it's for riding a lot, rather than frotting over.
It's still about 21lbs with solid aluminium mudguards and nearly 20 year old wheels built up for me by Monty Young.
it's for riding a lot, rather than frotting over
That's what my carbon bike is for. In fact, that's what all my bikes are for!
Nice bike is 7.2 kilos, winter bike is 9.2 kilos. Of course there is a four pound (two water bottles and tools) weight difference, but the absence of gears and freewheel is a bigger difference. That and the rather nice flexy steel frame. I love riding the winter bike, but for different reasons to the nice bike, hence I don't feel the compromises others might.
Of course I'd rather like to save a kilo and go titanium custom, but I'm kidding myself it would improve what is already a very nice ride.
To me, the point is to have a bike better suited to riding conditions in winter. As a few people have said, it doesn't have to be old or low spec necessarily, but it is a shame to ruin good gear if you aren't one for keeping on top of the washing routine in winter. It doesn't have to be inherently worse spec. Just different.
So that means mudguards, fatter tyres, possibly disc brakes, possibly dynamo lights. All elements that you probably wouldn't want permanently fixed to your summer bike, and that are a hassle to swap frequently (there are after all days in the winter that take you by surprise when you can ride your 'nice bike' for a treat if the roads are dry). It is about a bike that protects the rider better from the elements thrown up by the road, one that can handle worse road conditions more comfortably and is more resistant to corrosion. It might even have a different geometry to feel better when you are wrapped up like the Michelin Man and can't flex as much!
In some respects higher end kit is actually better suited to winter riding. The more you pay, the better the bearings should be. The better sealed the cables should be, the less prone to contamination related shifting issues you will have. And ultimately, electronic changing is even less prone to dirt. And also, better components should have more resilient finishes.
Keep it clean, and there is no need to sacrifice riding pleasure with an overweight, worse performing bike. Life's too short.
There isn't a single answer as to why get a winter bike. But on the whole if you can get away with it (space, cost, marriage etc), why not have something that keeps you drier, warmer and more comfortable in a season when it is already pretty hard to motivate yourself to get out of the door?
Here's mine, and it fits most of the above. Discs, carbon, titanium and electronic shifting make ideal wet weather gear. The titanium frame which is extremely corrosion resistant, can be brushed up as good as new every spring.
[URL= http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af11/solarider/IMG_0636_zpsd0686d36.jp g" target="_blank">
http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af11/solarider/IMG_0636_zpsd0686d36.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
Less salt on the roads in Hong Kong than here in Cumbria, though, I expect!?
But a lot more shit (literally!).
About to move to Singapore (trying to convince myself that I am somehow making my way back towards home!).
Average 'winter' temperature of 30 deg C, but it rains a lot and it is so hot that the riding takes place after dark, so the mudguards and lights will still be relevant, but just for different reasons. Plus, we have just heard that we are expecting our first child, so my riding will have to be in stolen moments regardless of weather and light.
What I wouldn't give for a ride in the Dales or Lakes tomorrow, even in the middle of winter.......
Yup, I've got raceblade longs on my CAAD which is a comprimise instead of getting a winter bike.You can get mudguards that will fit almost all bikes now.
It isn't hard to snap on some mudguards or even survive without them
You've either not experienced the utter missery of riding on a cold day after a shower and getting soaked with water from below, or don't ride in a group.
You can convert a race bike for winter riding, but it's just not as nice as something more specific. When your enthusiasm for getting out the door on a drizzly sunday morning in Febuary is already low, at least having the propper kit tips the ballance back the other way a little. Disks/canti's, bigger tyres, more padding on the saddle, full guards, IME all just as important as nice gloves, balaclavas, windstoppers/gillets, overshoes and roubaix tights.
Speaking of which .... What tyres for winter guys ?
but it is a shame to ruin good gear if you aren't one for keeping on top of the washing routine in winter
What gear gets ruined?
weeksy - Member
Speaking of which .... What tyres for winter guys ?
Ignore all the fancy bollocks and get some Michelin Lythion 2 folders for £15 each. Excellent winter tyres.
What gear gets ruined?
All the Aldi stuff init 😉
What gear gets ruined?
Anything to do with drive (chain, cassette, derailleurs, chainrings) will wear down with the abrasive paste that builds up if you don't keep on top of the cleaning. Untreated bolts will rust. Cables can seize. Wheel rim brake tracks unless you use discs. Saddles and shorts/tights wear faster once wet and gritty. Frames and forks are more prone to internal and external corrosion.
Generally, winter is harder on gear. It's just an unfortunate downside of riding throughout the winter months.
What gear gets ruined?
My ultegra chain and cassete went from perfect to 'two shifts up then one shift down borked' in 40 biblicaly wet miles. They were getting on a bit anyway, but for dry use they'd have done another summer. I thought there might be a shower, but I went out anyway, the dry lube lasted a matter of minutes!
A winter bike wouldn't have avoided that, but it would be nice to have a drivechain for those days that I knew would always be a bit worn, and one for nice days. And those days are nearly always simoultaneous with wanting mudguards, and bigger tyres are nice in winter as the roads break up, and stronger brakes in the wet, etc.
If you ride with a club your clubmates will hate you if you have a bike without guards. Dangerous for them as well as mucky - spray in their eyes is not safe.
The clip-on guards aren't as long as full guards so they don't stop this happening.
I ride 25mm tyres in winter - wetter and icier roads need more grip. I didn't quite get this when I first got a winter bike and have a scar on my chin and got a broken finger for my ignorance...
IME it only takes one winter for a newly-converted road rider to go off to the shop with credit card in hand for a winter bike when they see how wrecked their £2k+ summer bike has got...
My ultegra chain and cassete went from perfect to 'two shifts up then one shift down borked' in 40 biblicaly wet miles.
Well in all my years of biking I've never had a worn chain and cassette do that. Gunked up cables do that all the time.... Also I've ridden in enough pouring rain to know that rain doesn't wear out my cassette. As I said, had my road bike seven years, it must've had 4 or maybe 5 cassettes.
You can get mudguards that will fit almost all bikes now.
And they're rubbish. Proper SKS fitted guards FTW.
Its an interesting debate I'd say
But are we really saying summer bike and winter bike or Wet bike and dry bike
Because it can rain in the summer and often does
I'm quite entertained by the idea that one needs to spend the winter on a rubbsh bike to appreciate you nice
You really don't need another bike and if you look after it, a derailleur-geared road bike will last perfectly well in rubbish weather. I'd strongly recommend full length mudguards as they protect you and the bike from lots of road muck. Forget about having a pristine drivetrain, just keep it nice and oily and black with regular applications of gloopy wet weather lube and give it the odd rinse if it's been salty. You might want wider tyres but equally, lowering the pressure a bit gives you more grip and comfort.
And they're rubbish. Proper SKS fitted guards FTW.
No they aren't. Raceblade longs provide about 2/3 of the protection of P35s and are an excellent product. I bought 30 pairs for our club last winter (still have a couple spare). Mine are ready for their second winter on my (ahem) OTHER road bike - Teen1's CAAD8, which I shamelessly ride on faster club runs of an evening.
I do clean and lube it though - which is more than can be said for the owner.
My ultegra chain and cassete went from perfect to 'two shifts up then one shift down borked' in 40 biblicaly wet miles.
Water in the cables. Annoying and if left, can do damage, but can be remedied by undoing the pinch bolt and sliding off the outer.
The speed with which dry lube is removed can be astonishing, though.
Water in the cables. Annoying and if left, can do damage, but can be remedied by undoing the pinch bolt and sliding off the outer.
This is why my winter bike now has Di2 🙂 Perfect shifts all winter.
You'll be crying when you scratch that RD on the ice though. At least my shiny silver 6600 polishes out 😈
It is for precisely that reason that I've been considering Di2. Took a lot of cleaning to restore the shifting after the Ride London gritty jetwash.
Really want some of those Mavic anniversary wheels at the moment(yes I know theres better value out there) if I do get them Im not going to run them through the winter on salty gritty roads.
Sunny sunday best only!
If you're worried about corrosion then surely carbon fibre is an ideal frame material?
I can appreciate different wheels for racing and training, that's fair enough.
Not sure its the frame material thats an issue, my winter frame is alu, summer carbon but the alu is 8 speed and sealed BB inexpensive wheels, headset, saddle, bars etc nothing that can't be replaced for t30 quid or a bit more for the wheels.
TBh my only reservation about using a winter bike is that is makes it obvious how little extra I get from spending on shiny stuff but still think its a good idea to get the best lifespan out of that expensive gear.
Winter bike has a 5700 groupset. Summer bike a mix of 6600 and 5700 so similar.
Winter bikes has handbuilt wheels (dura ace 7900 / open pro)*, Summer bike has factory wheels (Mavic Ksyrium Elite). Makes rim swaps a hell of a lot cheaper on the bike where I'm likely to wear rims out.
Winter bike has full mudguards and 25mm tyres. Summer bike has no guard clearance and 23mm tyres
Winter bike is steel (Genesis Equilibrium 853), Summer bike is carbon (Spesh Tarmac) - both lovely to ride.
Cost - pretty damn similar. I don't want a cheap bike for winter, just a suitable one. My commute is 28 miles each way, I'd have to be nuts to do that on a bike I don't love riding 🙂
*have just fitted a dynamo front wheel (SP / Open Pro)
The "winter bike" label is prob a bit misleading.
I think "wet weather bike" suits better.
Summer or winter, if it's wet, the "wet weather bike" takes over duties.
Had quite a few falls the last few winters because of wet & Ivey roads. The Alu frame shows the scars, if it was a carbon frame I think I would be a little concerned how safe the frame was.
My winter bike is more than just a winter bike. It's also my bike with mudguards for summer rain. My bike with lower gears for particularly hilly rides (it has a triple rather than a compact and a bigger cassette too). My bike with spds for days when I want to ride somewhere and walk around. I'm less bothered about locking it up to do that too. My reserve commuter when my main commute bike has a mechanical. My reserve road bike when my good bike has a mechanical.
I use them both, and it justified a new bike 😉
It depends a lot on what your wet weather/winter riding consists of.
If you go out and do one long weekend ride with not much starting and stopping and then clean everything then there probably isn't as much need to have 2 separate road bikes.
Commuting in a city means my rims have to be replaced every year on my commuter, and when the weather is bad I probably get through a set of pads in 6 weeks. Chains can go in a couple of months and when you get home at 7 in the dark and pouring rain then last thing you are thinking about is cleaning the bike. It gets chucked in the shed shed till morning when the process starts again. Clip on guards have rubbed away the paint finish on certain area's and depending on where I am working I can sometimes just take my bike into a secure area where it doesn't need chaining up but I have also had to leave it locked up outside in the east end of london without shelter.
No way on earth would I be riding my nice carbon framed team edition frame through winter even though its not dripping in dura ace!
For me, commuter and road bike aren't the same at all! 🙂
Although I don't clean either chain very often, and both last ages. In fact, the build up of black grime on uncleaned road chains seems to be the very best protection from the elements.
I do like a second bike, mainly for winter training. But this year I travelled with mine using it for trips to France, Belgium and the Pyrenees saving my good one from the clutches of baggage handlers as well as road dirt and salt.
My good kit is like new every time I race or just ride it. On a side note moving over to Campag I found it very weather resistant.