Will you use your best bike through winter ?

kingrollo

Will your new pride and joy be on the road this winter ?

For - whats the point of an expensive bike in the garage ?

Against:- I can't bear the thought of rain on my pride and joy !

maddog 2

I had a winter hack for a while but I always ended up riding my good bike.

It's a ti frame so I'm not concerned about corrosion and I simply fit winter wheels, mudguards and then replace anything in spring that suffers over winter, like chains/cables etc.

dodgy

I voted 'no', but the summer bike will still get used if we have some nice dry (but cold) days over the winter.

bompington

Main issue for me is wear and tear on parts - I figure mud, grit, salt etc. are better off on the entry-level stuff I use on my old Raleigh than the nice shiny Sram kit on my new bike.
Even if that means my steel frame is out in the winter while my nice rustproof carbon sits pretty in the garage.
BTW, a few dings on the old 531 are starting to show rusty - any tips for touching up steel frames? Preferably quick, cheap & easy, aesthetic quality not important!

Pokerface

I use my good bike all winter. Indoors on the turbo trainer.

I ride my good bike outside when it's dry - all year round. And try to avoid riding in the wet, no matter what time of year.

uptonspark

Voted yes, but had to as my best road bike is my only road bike. Until the spring that is.

idreamoftailwinds

Only got one

softlad

I will ride my tiagra/sora/mudguard equipped winter bike when the weather turns, but the best bike will still come out on dry, sunny days.....

bompington

I will, of course, bring out my best bike on dry, sunny, grit & salt free days.

i.e. in May if I'm lucky.

Another factor is that, since most of my riding is commuting & even if it's not I always go out early in the morning, I always need lights in winter, & I certainly can't be bothered either getting another set, or changing them over - I resent even having a bottle cage spoiling the lines of the new bike!

ex-pat scot

Best bike(s) will be used sparingly, on dry clean days.
Not because I'm particularly anal about cleanliness: more the practicality of keeping the cr@p off the bits and wearing it out, and the admin of swapping over light brackets etc.

I used my tourer as a winter bike last year, and even with full guards the country lanes on my commute threw a fair bit of muck on the drivetrain etc.

This year, I've got my fixie and I'll be tweaking it with the full 'guards and lights to be the main commuter.

Escargot

I only have one road bike so will be using it but not during peak winter. I tend to be a fair weather cyclist so will wait for the dry(ish) days. Not so bothered about salt as most of the bike is alu/carbon but am a bit anal about keeping it clean.

As I also bought an MTB this year I intend to hit the hills more when the weather starts to get really bad.

daviesee

Yes!

Any parts that wear out need to be upgraded

Slow Downcp

Depends if it's wet or dry, and also what type of ride I'm planning - I have a Kuota Kharma for dry, Enigma Etape with full guards for wet. Old Raleigh triathlon for commuting dutes now built but will also be stripped down in deepest winter for the odd fixed ride.

I used to buy into the "wrap up the best bike in winter" idea but figured if I use a bike twice as much but it only lasts half as long then there's no difference, other than I get to use a better bike more often.

Mister W

Of course not. That's what my winter bike is for.

Barrie_G

Only got the one

Worse yet, I've only got the space for one I had suggested to get rid of some of our lounge furniture but swmbo put her foot down about that. :roll:

Lagavulin

No and it stays in the house. I don't think I could sleep at night if I thought it was all cold and lonely, surrounded by those nasty mountain bikes in the garage.

Smokin Joe

Lagavulin wrote:

No and it stays in the house. I don't think I could sleep at night if I thought it was all cold and lonely, surrounded by those nasty mountain bikes in the garage.

You're not wrong!

The thought of leaving a defenceless road bike alone in a dark garage with those dirty perverted MTBs'... :shock:

Porgy

idreamoftailwinds wrote:

Only got one

+1

x8swift9x

I'll be using my good bike as the others have also said, when it's dry and no crap on the road. Dreading using my old bike, even though I've only had the new one since friday!

I want to get a single speed/fixie and mudguard it up. But I don't really have space for 3 bikes Also, I need my geared dawes to keep up with club runs in the rain....

hopper1

Use my nice blingy 'Best' bike in winter?....
Will I f*ck!

Currently searching high and low for a nice winter hack...

Takis61

I bought it so will damn well use it - last winter was really mild on the South Coast, and I always wash it after the long Sunday ride anyway, so not worried about the grime - roads round here rarely salted but like many of you I will stick to the turbo if it is really bad

donnie murdo

I will be using a good bike for riding in winter.

On a freezing cold December morning I need motivation to get my a$$ out of bed for an early morning ride. Going out for a ride on a piece of sh!t hack bike is not a motivator for me. At the end of the day the winters are not that much worse than the summers these days anyway. You only live once and so what if you need a new chain and some new bar tape come next spring. Get out and ride and enjoy the winter,

bristolpete

I hope to ride my best road bike, but last year I hibernated and came back out well overweight which has taken me all summer to shift. But, this year I have a £2k MTB to ride through winter and I will on road and off and save the road machine for nice winter days when you can get some decent miles in and get warm. I hope.

xraymtb

One bike for all seasons.

If my £2.5k mtb can handle being thrashed through the mud all year round, I'm sure a bit of grime from the roads won't do the road bike much harm.

I think mtb'ers have got used to replacing parts more often though - chains etc. wear out much quicker with the dirt and mud of riding off-road - last year I replaced my chain 3 times. How many times have you replaced your road chain in a year?

inaperfectworld

i want a winter bike to shove in the garage and forget about and not feel bad about it. the chain gets horribly dirty after just one ride and i ride 3 times a weeek all weathers and cleaning a bike in winter is miserable; actually i think most things in winter are miserable
feels good in spring to feel a bit of warmth on your back and then you relise what fun a great bike is, all over again

donnie murdo

I agree with xraymtb

It seems that roadies just dont want to get their bikes dirty and have to clean them. Coming from MTB's first, I am used to having to clean my bike after nearly every ride no matter the time of year ( I actualy enjoy it). If I have paid 2.5k for a bike I expect to be able to use it all year round. Cycling is by its nature an expensive sport so you just have to face the fact that things wear out and figure that into the budget of being a cyclist.

This makes cleaning a faff free and pretty easy job and can be used anywhere:

http://www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk/pro ... r-pump/244

Dustine

Ive decided to take up audax this winter, so its either do it on my fixed gear commuter, or slap some of those crud road mudguards on my 'best' bike and ride that every weekend. Gives me a good excuse for some upgrades come the spring too...

lfcquin

For me it's not to do with the good bike being covered in crap, in this country the good bike gets just as wet and dirty in the summer as the winter (ok, I know you don't get the salt).

Personally I like a change, I look forward to riding my fixed wheel in the autumn and then my 'cross bike with full mudguards in the Winter. Come March I am absolutely chomping at the bit to get the good bike out again. Variety is the key for me. Keeps the motivation levels high!

fast as fupp

no

unless its a dry bright day on nyd

Downwardi

As per others
Only in the dry.

chriskempton

like lfcquin, I get a big boost in spring when the summer bike comes out, so the winter bike is part of maintaining motivation over the year.