Full Carbon Bike For All Year Use??

NWLondoner

I am seriously considering getting myself a full carbon road bike early next year and I am looking at spending between £1600 - £2300 for the right bike and wheel-set (fulcrum 3 probably). Probably a Focus Cayo Expert or Bianchi C2C but will wait to see the 2009 range.

Now I have read about many people that have "winter" bike and just wondered what they meant by this?

I do not have the cash or space to store yet another bike.

I have read about the whole "is carbon strong enough" debate and am satisfied with the safety of carbon. It's just that when riding in the winter months so much crap/stones etc get thrown at the underside of the frame that i am worried about the frame getting chipped.

Also what are your thoughts on Carbon Chainsets??

giant_man

You could try the Pearson Audax as this is one of the few carbon frames AFAIK which has full mudguard clearance for winter use, and for the summer just take them off. Not as sexy as a Bianchi or Focus but still very good, and a 9/10 review in the magazine.

I understand what you mean about winter riding, I don't know about the frame getting chipped, but carbon and the lacquer on top of it is quite strong and resilient. Carbon isn't that fragile believe me.

I only use my carbon bike in the summer and do indeed have a 'winter bike' which has mudguards and is a much lower grade bike. This is aluminium.

http://www.pearsoncycles.co.uk/index.html?action=107=

blorg

Race Blades fit very well to the Cayo, I have them on mine in rainy weather. I wouldn't insist on a bike that takes full-length guards. To be honest with what we have been having recently I would very much be expecting winter to be drier.

Regarding the Focus, I went for the base model Cayo as I didn't really think the Expert justified the extra money (Dura Ace rear mech and shifters.) Also I didn't really place the Fulcrum 5s as being that much better than the Aksiums and wanted my own choice of wheels. Upgraded the wheels to DT Swiss RR 1450s, saddle, seatpost, stem and bars (all on comfort grounds but was amazed how heavy the stock bars were.) The frames are the same although the fork on the Expert may be a bit lighter, it may have a carbon steerer. So spent a bit more than a stock Expert in total but got the bike just the way I wanted it and with a really top-notch wheelset.

ride_whenever

FFS, they have made carbon freeride bikes, it'll be fine. The reason people like having a second winter bike is so they can then be beardy and have a second bike! Also they are worried about the finished being matted by miles of road work in the winter months.

I personally don't find mud-guards necessary, my skin is waterproof. If you are worried about frame finish then helicopter tape the frame on arrival, it'll add a few grams, but it'll keep it looking pretty and stops frame chips etc, but wont protect from chainslap and suck if that is an issue.

I have not tried a CF chainset, but I'm not sure I will. Aluminium ones seem to work fine and a lot of the cf ones have an aluminium spine anyway.

giant_man

Stupid comment about having a second bike for beardy reasons. I have four so that doesn't add up.

The bottom line is raceblades are ok, I have these on one of my bikes, but don't keep the worst of british weather off you or your bike, so full length mudguards are the way to go.

ride_whenever

ah but do you need 4 bikes? could you not nake do with one...

il_principe

ride_whenever wrote:

ah but do you need 4 bikes? could you not nake do with one...

Since when has that been the point?!

I have 3 bikes and use em all. I agree with giant mancp - I only have a Winter bike to spare my lovely Summer Bike from getting filthy and hopefully to extend the life of it's components. Carbon is fine for all year use, it's bound to get chipped a bit, but if you by a dark coloured frame you can keep a lot of the cosmetic damage hidden.

NWLondoner

Thanks for all helpful advice.

I use raceblades on my current bike so would be planning to use them on my full carbon.

I think i'll have to pop down to the London Cycle show in October to see where my hard earned cash will be going in 2009 :shock:

ride_whenever

Which is why I suggest it is all a big willy waving exercise.

incidentally I have 4 bikes and a spare frame/forks although one of the bikes isn't ridable at the moment...

I has huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge willy!

With proper maintanence your parts shouldn't wear much quicker in the winter than the summer, it's a vanity thing. Although, I do understand the need for multiple bikes.

Also, i'll re-iterate, helicopter tape, miraculous stuff!

aracer

Winter bike:
Mud-guards - my skin might be waterproof, but my clothes aren't and neither do my eyes like to be filled with grit - I presume you ride alone in winter if you don't feel the need for guards.
Cheaper bits - means I don't have to worry so much about doing proper maintenance - I do the basics, but don't have to be so concerned about stuff wearing out faster.
Wider and heavier duty tyres - for when the roads aren't so nice.
Cheaper and less desireable looking - means I can happily leave it locked up somewhere winter or summer.
Has rack fittings - for if I want to go touring.

Summer bike:
No clearance for guards
Nice expensive bits I don't want to risk wearing out faster
Looks nice and stealable - hence never gets left anywhere public

(my other 5 bikes are all distinct in purpose - CX, MTB, TT, fix, tandem)

No reason not to use a carbon bike in winter though.

redddraggon

My "Winter bike" isn't really a "winter bike" I've got mainly for taking to university and has the added benefit of guards. It's got very few expensive bits so if it got damaged it'd be cheap to replace.

My "best bike" is for home use in N. Wales - but it will get used in the winter when I'm at home for the weekend or the christmas break. At home it's easier to keep the bikes maintained than in university so there's less of an issue with components wearing out.

blorg

aracer wrote:

Mud-guards - my skin might be waterproof, but my clothes aren't and neither do my eyes like to be filled with grit - I presume you ride alone in winter if you don't feel the need for guards.

This is a good point; TBH you need to be as much concerned about whether the guy in front of you has guards as whether you have them on your own bike. A lot of audax events used to mandate mudguards for this very reason, it's not for your own benefit but the people behind you.

Monty Dog

I've a carbon-framed bike that I use as my trainer / manky race bike and have some comments about winter use. No problems about the carbon, but lots of cleaning and some cleaning agents dull the lacquer, so you need to use a decent wax polish now and again. Many carbon frames use alloy drop-out inserts, as well as seat collar and headset seats - if they are bare allow they are exposed to corrosion in the wet, so more maintenance is a neccessity if you want it to last. IME many frames are poorly finished in these areas.

APIII

Since when has rain been confined to winter? Understand the bit about guards if you are riding in a group, but I don't buy the bit about components wearing out faster. Cheaper components may wear out faster tho.
I think a lot of corrosion/degradation comes from slinging wet bikes into a cold shed and leaving them to fester, rather than storing them in the centrally heated warmth of the house. Show your bikes some love!
My best bike gets ridden year round. No problems.

il_principe

ride_whenever wrote:

Which is why I suggest it is all a big willy waving exercise.

incidentally I have 4 bikes and a spare frame/forks although one of the bikes isn't ridable at the moment...

I has huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge willy!

With proper maintanence your parts shouldn't wear much quicker in the winter than the summer, it's a vanity thing. Although, I do understand the need for multiple bikes.

Also, i'll re-iterate, helicopter tape, miraculous stuff!

Not sure I agree. I commute via bike and generally get round London via bike all the time. I could do this on my best bike of course but I don't like the idea of leaving several thousand £'s worth of bike locked up outside - even if it wasn't stolen, the parts alone are expensive so it's just not worth the risk. So instead i ride a Pearson SS around London and secure it with 2 decent locks. If it gets nicked I'll be very f*cked off but not nearly as f*cked off as I would be had it been the Pinarello. The winter bike makes sure I get off my arse in the wet. Otherwise I'd look at the weather and think "sod it, I'd go but can't be arsed to spend 2 hours cleaning the bike post ride!"

Anyway those are my excuses and I'm sticking with them...

aracer

APIII wrote:

Since when has rain been confined to winter?

It's not, but at least round here the roads tend to be muckier, and also in summer it doesn't matter so much if you get a wet bum - you have more waterproof bits exposed (skin) and less non-waterproof bits (clothes). Anyway when it's really wet in summer, the winter bike comes out:

(last July - had to ride through BB deep water to get there!)

APIII

pah! that's no more than a puddle

blorg

aracer- I did that myself once and had a mystery squeak that drove me nuts for the next year. Generally not a great idea to submerge hubs or BB methinks.

aracer

Depends whether that's the only way to get where you're trying to go - using the car would have been a ~50 mile diversion!

...though the BB does need replacing

blorg

Ha sure, to be honest though after the last experience next time (hopefully there won't be a next time) I would wade carrying the bike I reckon.

Bet you are glad you had full length mudguards to stop you getting wet