4b. Stop wasting your time and money washing your bike. Look after the drivetrain and the slidey bits on fork, shock and dropper post. Forget the rest, water is bad and detergents worse!

I have to say, I never get this advice, you spend a fortune on a bike and yet ride a piece of s*it in the winter

I don’t get it either. But then I just ride a piece of shit and that’s fine by me. I may not be the target audience here.

I’ve noticed an odd arms race – a desire to ride tougher trails (or the same trails but faster) and then an equal and opposite desire to buy ‘trail crushing’ bigger and burlier bikes to pacify them back to the same level of technicality to make them accessible to mere mortals level of rideability

riding a modern bike fast/on harder trails is safer than old bikes slowly on easy trails, while generating more adrenaline and less terror. they are a sensible purchase

I’m adamant that it’s washing bikes that kills them quicker. Brush the lumps off, oil the chain and be done.

Squirting cold water into all the cracks and gaps in components just makes the situation worse. Especially if you’re using a detergent that reduces the surface water tension so it can really properly penetrate. The bikes usually get left in a cold shed with limited draught after washing.

Not for me. I ride a rigid singlespeed in winter too but I’m old and miserable already.

I wish someone had warned me about the cost of children before I went and had TWO of them <facepalm> What’s even worse than the financial cost of children is the time cost of them. I had to wait until they were five years old before I could enter them into an MTB race and then COVID struck and we missed a load. Just contemplating the 2023 season and working out how to fit in bike races around their Sunday league football that has taken root in their lives. I hate football.

car share if you are driving to a location is an obvious one, a trip away for the weekend to wales or scotland the biggest cost is fuel

I have to say, I never get this advice, you spend a fortune on a bike and yet ride a piece of s*it in the winter leaving your expensive, perfect for winter bike depreciating away in the shed. They’re not an investment, you bought it, just ride and enjoy the damn thing. Maybe buy a cheap £30 bearing press set off ebay so you can freshen up your bike for the dryer months.

#19: Changing frame bearings is really easy. You can get a bearing press sets off ebay for £30ish that is more than adequate for home mechanics like myself and will make the job of pushing in bearings REALLY easy. It will probably take you the same amount of time to do the job as it’d take to drop your bike to and from the bike shop. You’ll save a wedge of cash and have the satisfaction of working on your own bike. Plus, you don’t need to have a second “winter” bike taking up space. Look at youtube, people have posted great videos re every possible maintenance job.

Yes!