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Depends what you class as "shite weather"
Bad enough to get the Aldi jacket out the cupboard.
"Bad enough to get the Aldi jacket out the cupboard."
Ahh, summer....
Fill your road tubes up with Stan's milk = No punctures to fix in the cold rain 😆
Don't know if it was mentioned, but always give your bike a rinse off and quick blast of WD40. The road salt is evil.
Oh, and be VERY aware of how much worse your brakes will stop you in the wet on a road bike, particularly if you've got mud onto the rims. I very nearly had a trip into a river yesterday as my rear brakes were having none of it. Ironically, on the next descent they grabbed a lot quicker than expected and on wet cobbles, that's not so much fun.
Get a CX bike with disc brakes and nice fat 32mm tyres, pumped to 80psi. Fit a set of mudguards and you'll be able to ride your usual road routes AND nip along that towpath or track if you feel like a shortcut. On my usual 2 hour training/cafe ride with 1750 ft of climbing my heavier CX bike was only 8 minutes slower than my carbon roadie.
For those of you who like long dangly flaps I got some of these
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You can get them online via http://www.buddyflaps.com/index.htm for $14, different designs available and they'll do custom designs as well
I quite fancy a CX bike, unfortunately after two new bike builds last year and a baby on the way, 2012 will be a year of biking austerity!
Atlaz, my brakes are bad enough in the dry. Must get some new pads and give the rims a good scrub.. What pads for winter...?
What pads for winter...?
KoolStop Salmons work for me
KoolStop salmons here as well.
Proper guards (SKS) make a world of difference, Cruds are ok but not as good as the real thing. With a bit of ingenuity you can make them fit a lot of full-on race frames.
All the rest has been covered above such as black bar tape, CO2 canisters etc, but one thing I'd add is Gore cables. Combined with the near ubiquitous cartridge bearings they make a bike more or less winter-proof with little needed beyond a rinse down, squirt of oil and brake pad/chain changes.
This seems like a sensible place to ask for mudguard recommendations. My road bike does not have mounts.
Are Race Blades quick to put on and take off?
What is the best lube for road bikes in winter ? i have been using my usual finish line green that i use off road but it gets very claggy
Are Race Blades quick to put on and take off?
Hold in place, clip clip clip clip done. Repeat for other wheel. Obviously the initial fitting is slower, cutting the bands to length, knowing exactly where to fit.
also worth putting some insulating tape round the contact points on the frame, esp seat stays
Winter on a road bike... any tips?
shorter rides with a training plan.
Hi fellas
Just started this roadie lark and second ride in got a puncture as the farmer had cut his hedges-grrrr
What tyres would you recommend to reduce the chances as it spoilt a nice ride- typically 1 mile from home!!
pop all good tyres are good, if that makes sense. Folders seem to fare better than wired and decent air pressure helps.
I use 25mm Continental Gatorskin folding. Light comfortable and puncture resistant.
Oldgit- I know what you mean ( I think)- the tyres are in fairly good nick and I had them pumped up pretty hard so I just thought whether the tyres marketted as puncture resistant helped
uponthedowns- cheers for that will have a look at them- do they roll the same as 'standard' tyres- I dont need any more resistance beleive me!!
cx bike discs landcruisers and full guards, aldi snowboard glovesfor £6 layer up and i like ot get out early so 7am in the dark this morning was lovely and quiet, shame tomorrows will be a commute rather than a nice loop back home
Top tip from todays ride. Head out into the wind and enjoy the freebie back. 🙂
Karnali. That never works for me 🙂
9am to avoid the ice, and have time for a light brekkie.
Landcruisers are a no no here, they're a magnet for the bloomin Blackthorhn.
7am is a quiet time though.
Top tip from todays ride. Head out into the wind and enjoy the freebie back.
If only - I had a ok tail wind to start with but hail stones and a headwind on the way back.
Top tip from todays ride. Head out into the wind and enjoy the freebie back.
don't do as i did out with the wind then turn for home, blow up and grovel for 20miles!
What tyres would you recommend to reduce the chances as it spoilt a nice ride- typically 1 mile from home!!
Could have been worse. Problem with road bikes is you can find yourself 20-30-40 miles from home before puncturing without spares (or having used your last spares).
As for the wind... as the saying goes "You never have the wind with you -- either it is against you or you're having a good day"
Definitely a top tip, the last five miles into a strong headwind was good practice on the drops, though gusts made it quite tricky to hold a line.
Also stupid hedge trimming here resulted in a flat with about 10 miles to go, shall try the stans in tubes for next ride. Also a top tip... if you take your saddle bag with tubes and pump off to give the bike a wash, don't forget to put it back on before heading out 😳
I'm not a fan of mudgurads, I don't really like the look or the wobbly fit, so I don't use them even in the yuckyest of conditions. I'm not bothered about getting a wet bum, so long as I'm in good training mode and hacking long I jut keep warm that way.
I'd suggest you slam some decent climbs in your rides. Whether they be rep's of short sharp ones where you do interval up them then do them again or whether they take an hour to climb, just climb more use your rotation and pace to regulate breathing and don't blow up, just keep going.
I'd also suggest intervals on the road, look ahead, spot a small rise in the road, ride the heck out of yourself to get over it then relax and rotate and bring back your breathing to a reasonable rate, then repeate. This will focus your mind, something that can be a bit of a grind on long flat sections.
I've just come back from a 3hr ride around Patley Bridge taking in Brimham Rock, the moors and the long res in the vally floor, it was snowy on top and well slippy but the climbs I added into the ride warmed my up, the decents had to be taken slowly due to the slipy road and water run off, I was wearing a simple marino base layer, 3/4 legs under long legs, a l/s winter top and a thermal gillet and fleece beanie and some cheap thinsulate themal gloves. All in all I was toasty and well comfortable dispite the amount of water being kicked up my bottom..
problem is if you have to stop,if you're wet you'll be miserable pretty quickly.it's hard to warm up again.so you enter into a cycle of getting colder and it being harder to pedal yourself warm.
I'm not a fan of mudgurads,
Burn the Witch. It was mudguard city today. One guy was having a right go at his brother for not having guards, think he was fed up with doing a stint only to have the favour repaid with rainwater, slurry and diesel. 😡
mudguards aren't really for the owner, more courtesy for those your riding with.
oldgit - MemberI'm not a fan of mudgurads,
Burn the Witch. It was mudguard city today. One guy was having a right go at his brother for not having guards, think he was fed up with doing a stint only to have the favour repaid with rainwater, slurry and diesel.
Agreed, cant see the attraction of sodding wet rear end and shoes/legs. Allied to that you'd be as welcome as a fart in a lift in any bunch.
However none of this matters if you ride on your own, all the time. In which case I wish you and your kidneys all the bast.
Now that I've tried mudguards I'm not going back!
mudguards usage is a sign of maturity.
^ I like that guys flaps.
In my club there is a mudguard amnesty from October to March. If you don't have mudguards then your not getting in. Indeed the use of a flap on the rear is encouraged for your following club mates comfort. 100 miles is a long way with constant spray in your boat race.
Whilst we are on the subject those Crud things are ****ing hopeless. They perhaps keep the rider dry but the spray off them! The mark II is better though but SKS are ftw with a big pair of flaps. *insert your own gag here*
Got the Crud Roadracer mk2 here. Bit fiddly to fit. Seems to do the job. Though I've not much to compare it to. Why do you say they're hopeless? Is it just the spray? Keeps me nice and dry but only done solo rides so far.
The Audax guys have impressive flaps
mrblobby - Member
Why do you say they're hopeless? Is it just the spray? Keeps me nice and dry but only done solo rides so far.
Aye its the following rider who gets the thin end of the wedge or rather not a thick enough wedge.
They look like they do a job for the rider but as I say the folk behind have a shower whether they like it or not. To be fair though, positioning is everything. If any guard is off square it doesnt help.
It does look like the mark II is alot longer though with a wider flare at the end. I reckon mark III will have it licked.
Crud 2's here. I'm going to take them off, the clearance is so tight that as soon as you ride over anything that sticks to your tyres it's rub rub rub. I'm sure some folk would be all right with it but not me. I spent ages 'centering' them today to try to alleviate it.
Race guards don't work either if you've got curvy stays, they don't stay put.
SO that's about £70 wasted.
Back to the wet bum. However, I always ride on my own so I suppose I should MTFU.
race blades in all styles are w4nk.
could be worth trying Giants close clearance guards - sort of a cross between proper SKS and Crud
race blades in all styles are w4nk
Mine work a treat, Wonder if it's the bikes?
DO those Giant guards need threaded stay holes ? Looks like it from the pics.
As for race guards, works fine on bikes with straight stays but mine are very curvy (CAAD4) and so in wrong place.
Crud 2 on my frame is pretty tight under the rear brake. Had to do quite a lot of fiddling to get a decent fit that didn't leave the rear guard rubbing at the top of the wheel and the longer flap a good few inches away from the wheel. Chap at my LBS said you can re-shape them a bit if you heat them with a hair dryer, may give it a go.
It does look like the mark II is alot longer though with a wider flare at the end. I reckon mark III will have it licked.
You do get a short and a long bit to stick on the end of the rear flap on the mk2. The long one does seem pretty long.
Crud 2's here as well. Using the long tail makes life much more pleasant for clubmates. Have riveted on a mudflap at the front as the standard ends are far too narrow.
Always have surgical gloves with me for punctures and as a back up for anyone with poor gloves. That said, i now carry spare gloves (sealskin waterproofs) in the winter months for anyone who needs them. Pal took up my offer of them today after i spotted him blowing on his hands. Call me Mr Popular !
Most of the time i use Gore Mistral Windstopper gloves. 3c and snow showers today gave me no problems.
Oh and Woolie Boolies rock.
I've got some SKS P35's on my new Hewitt Carbon Alpine. I had the crud ones on my Jamis and was always trying to stop them rubbing.
These P35's seem spot on, close'ish fitting (on a 28mm tyre) and quite light. Really quiet as well.
Must admit to using winter boots AND overshoes this Christmas on a ride round the Trough of Bowland. Feet kept dry as a bone and therefore warm and cosey. 😆
I'm now a softshell convert, seems to keep most of the water out but you don't sweat like a bugger in them.
When I went for the Alpine from Paul Hewitt, it was the mudguard fittings and the 28mm tyre I wanted.
I managed to get that and the weight of my Carbon Jamis in one all rounder. Just didn't save the money I was hoping in going from a Roadrat and Jamis Carbon to this new Hewitt. 😥
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/17059060@N00/6621842895/ ]P1040343[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/17059060@N00/ ]eastham_david[/url], on Flickr
now I have no excuse at all not to go out in Winter and TBH this is the first winter I have tried road riding and it's not that bad at all.