Is your winter road bike ready?

I thought I better dig out my winter bike and make sure it’s ready for the task of getting me to work for the next few months (although riding last night felt like a summer’s evening 😆 ) Popped some new Gatorskins on, gave the chain a wipe over and it’s ready to go.

Let’s see your winter wheels.

My winter bike is also my commuter so it’s just a case of using that for road rides rather than the “summer” bike. Have now got a singlespeed as well so I’ve a choice this year! 😆

No pics to hand

It is. Apologies for crap photo.

It will be this weekend, the mudguards are being fitted to the Paddy Wagon along with more lights. It’ll need new tyres soon as well but they can wait a few months.

Rear brake is in such fine fettle that it doesn’t have the strength to pull the cable through – so yup, good to go!

Yup, mud guards went back on at the weekend. I can’t post photos but…

2015 Kona Jake with 32mm specialized infinity armadillo and cromoplast mud guards

My one and only road bike has now got mudguards on again. I’m gonna be using it a fair bit this winter so it might get treated to some new bits come spring.

mudguards go on for Il Lombardia and come off for Milan San Remo.

Actually a +1 for my winter bike being my commuter, and having lights and mudguards fitted permanently.

It’ll need new tyres soon as well but they can wait a few months.

that’s cursed it 🙂

my ‘bad weather bike’ is, just like it is the other 364 days of the year if that’s what you mean…

Been commuting on it all summer, need to decide on the right guards for winter given it wasn’t a wholly sensible choice for a winter bike:

I used to have a bike with no mudguards, no dyno lighting and mucky rim brakes… Yes, my year-round bikes are ready.

Your winter bike is too clean to be a winter bike 😉

That looks very familiar Simon 😆

99% ready, but one of the rear guard fixings must have dropped off as it’s making a really annoying clattering over bumps.

As the fleet is now … 1 … I just chucked the guards back on – job
done and fleet ready for winter 🙂

Well I’ve fitted the Marathons and have mudguards on year round, so yeah.

And it’s well mucky on the canal towpath now (it’s surfaced but leaf litter gets everywhere this time of year until spring).

No,still faffing about over what to use as my son stole has borrowed my winter bike.Didn’t really need one here last year mind,it was so dry and mild,they only gritted the roads a couple of times.

Mine’s already got stuck in to Winter. Got some different mudguards to fit a some point, so will probs have to give it a clean 🙁

Same as bez, my bike is always ready. Gave up taking the mud guards off years ago as we seem to gave more rain in the summer. One bike = a used bike.

Yep, one bike here too – used for road & off road summer and winter.

My only difference for winter is that I put an ass saver under the seat if it is particularly wet.

Yep! Didn’t see the point in waiting for winter either, have been riding it like this for a couple of months now, only thing that might change is to put my Marathons back on if the Vittorias pick up too many punctures (only one so far…).

Spent a lot of time and money getting it just so, chased all the creaks, replaced stock juddery and squeely cantis with mini-vs, got the position just right, found some extra fancy rubber anti-vibration washers to make the PDW guards work with Charge’s weird eyelet positions, even chopped the seatpost down to save that vital extra 30g 8)

Worth it though, easily my favourite bike now and my brand new road bike hasn’t had a look in yet 🙄

The best part is I could easily save half a kilogram just by fitting a spare road wheel I had kicking around (the stock front wheel weighs over a kilogram!) and replacing the mega chunky BMX chain with a 3/32nd MTB chain. Will wait till spring perhaps.

edit: ridiculously pleased with my custom mudflap upgrade also 😀

The Tripster has ugly bastard mudguards attached. Lights fitted. What else is there?

That’s a snazzy flap 🙂

My winter bike is my commuter, a 2012 TCR Advanced SL.
I’ll put the arsesaver mudguard thingy back on for the rubbish weather.

Was out on the Roubaix last night fitted with Crud guards, the back roads are a mess with water running over, huge puddles hiding potholes and all kinds of debris spread on the road but we came through and made it to the pub in Pendleton for a swiftie before the final race back to Whalley. I use lightweight Veloflex Open Corsas, which ride like a dream and grip like a grippy thing thanks to a soft compound but I don’t get more than 2 or 3 punctures a year.

Just needs mudguards..

Always ready to go year round training bike…

Since had a Di2 upgrade and new DCR wheels.

Not yet, it will stay on the trainer until the ice and grit appears!

The Paddy Wagon now has its winter fork and mudguards, the real winter bike is always ready, and the winter cross bike that has no guards is my ride of choice today.

yep, no gears, 38c tyres that weigh the same as a small moon, full mudguards, and a rear rack. Lovely

Yep

It’s time to take it off the trainer and put the summer bike on it

Nope, not sorted one yet. Had been undecided what to do, then decided on a new Kinesis T3 frame with a load of bits I have lying about fitted, and… Every size in stock except for 54cm! So waiting for the 54’s to come back into stock… In the meantime looking around at other ideas, including discs again. Thing is, I’ve got 2 sets of non disc wheels, calipers and a groupset kicking around already if I stick with rim brakes, and if it’s gopping I don’t ride anyway. So it’s more of a “not sunday best” bike than a true winter bike I need if I’m honest but there we go…

Winter pickenflick

My winter road bike is my summer road bike and remains ready.

My winter road is the same as my summer road, and is bike ready, as ever.

Actually humbled by MisterP and Simondbarne’s chainrings, I knew I was pushing a wee gear but didn’t realise how small it looked 🙁 (being cautious of sore knees, often take a hillier route)

Plus, am actually disappointed at the poor selection of ‘winter’ bikes above. I know life is too short to ride a shit bike etc. etc. but just sticking some guards (or not!) on a nice road bike does not a ‘winter bike’ make 😉

The Flyer is running 46 / 18 which is fine for my commute as it’s only 800ft over 21 miles.

OK phew, not as humbling as I thought, I’m 40/16 which is 2% easier 😉

…although I also have half the climbing in my commute 😳

Had been considering going up a tooth on the front ring once I was finished with my spinny intervals that I’m trying to do at the moment (CX training). It’s starting to get a bit sweaty in the waterproofs for that sort of business so a slightly bigger gear and slower leg speed seems in order!

Don’t worry my singlespeed is 39-16 so even less humblebug. The chainring was in place when I converted it from an Alfine hub so just kept it.

13thfloormonk – Member
Actually humbled by MisterP and Simondbarne’s chainrings, I knew I was pushing a wee gear but didn’t realise how small it looked (being cautious of sore knees, often take a hillier route)

Plus, am actually disappointed at the poor selection of ‘winter’ bikes above. I know life is too short to ride a shit bike etc. etc. but just sticking some guards (or not!) on a nice road bike does not a ‘winter bike’ make

For you, 13thFM.

Wintry winter road bike, taken on a winter road, in winter. With low gearing. 42/12-34. 11T missing off the 9speed block to fit on the 8sp freehub body.

42/16 fixed on my Paddy Wagon, 900ft over 12 miles though that’s almost all condensed into 2 hills. A 17 or 18 tooth cog would be be much more pleasant for the hills but it’d make the rest of the ride too slow and too spinny so I grind up with the 16 tooth and can take a geared bike if it’m feeling particularly unfit/lazy