Winter riding

Kallaen

Hey. I'm quite new on this forum, even though I have been following it for some time. Great forum. Love it!

Since the winter is over, I have some questions about it, because it have been my first 'bike winter'. I do drive daily, but only about 2kms on some old mountain bike to the train station, but proper bike riding (trips above 30km), then this have been my first winter.

How do you cope with the extra tearing of the bike through the winter? I've experienced that the winter is pretty though on the bike, more than I would ever have imagined. Sadly because I bought a new bike in October and have driven it through the winter, and parts like the casette and chainrings soon needs replacement - already.

How do you keep riding through winter? It was pretty hard to keep riding, even though I only planned about 3 days outside on the bike. Everytime I had to clean the bike aswell, which added more time to do my favorite sport. It's hard to keep the wheels going through the winter - espessially long rides.

I must say I love riding my bike, no matter which condition its in and no matter what the weather is. I will ride next winter aswell. Waiting for the winter to pass, just takes too long!

I write in the commuting forums because when I ask these questions I think about commuting, everyday use of the bike, or atleast using it to get to work.
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rally200

two bikes.

weekend bike that gets washed & lubed every time it gets remotely wet, and an old 8 speed hack that gets put away wet & grinds through a (cheap) cassette and chain between Novemrber & February .

cjcp

Another newcomer! Hurrah! Welcome!

Yep, two bikes helps. A certain amount of will power to keep going throughout the winter also goes a long way.

Aidy

Two bikes?

You guys think too small.

Aidy

cjcp wrote:

Yep, two bikes helps. A certain amount of will power to keep going throughout the winter also goes a long way.

That and SC Stats....

wgwarburton

rally200 wrote:

two bikes.

weekend bike that gets washed & lubed every time it gets remotely wet, and an old 8 speed hack that gets put away wet & grinds through a (cheap) cassette and chain between Novemrber & February .

Eight speed? Nah... one or three.... :-)

But yes- the "winter hack": a second bike. Cheap and cheerful that you don't mind getting dirty and a bit rusty. Durable parts, cheap to replace (eg 10 euro single speed chains, not 50 euro 10-speed ones).
Try a bike reycling project, or build from used parts.
Cheers,
W.

turnerjohn

+1 for two bikes ...or more
One thing tho, make sure you keep an eye on your chain through the winter. Make sure its kept cleaned and lubed (but not over lubed as this collects dirt). Get a chain checker (Park do a good cheap simple ones thats only about £8). Change your chain when it starts to wear and your find you dont replace the cassette as much...recon 3 chains to a cassette ish...cheaper to replace chains then whole drive chains !
Winter kills bikes thats for sure lol

ex-pat scot

Fixed wheel for winter grime.

You need at least 7 or 8 bikes, really

Kallaen

Well okay... I didn't write it, but the winter bike is my second bike. I have a Bianchi C2C racing bike from 2008 (2007 model, with shimano 105 parts) and the new bike is a crossbike, Scott CX Comp with a mix of shimano 105 and tiagra, which have become my winter bike, even though it have cost more than my racing bike xD
The reason that I've bought a crossbike for commuting was the ability to have fenders and larger tires for the winter period.
And the distance that I commute is 31 km oneway, so a single speeder would probably get me killed on that distance. :P
I try to commute 1 - 3 times a week, it isn't constantly because sometimes I choose to ride after I've come home instead of. My goal however is commuting 5 days a week with the ability to take a ride in the weekend aswell.

cjcp

[quote="Kallaen"and the new bike is a crossbike, Scott CX Comp with a mix of shimano 105 and tiagra, which have become [/quote]

Nice. I had great fun on my crosser during the commute this winter.

I try to commute 1 - 3 times a week, it isn't constantly because sometimes I choose to ride after I've come home instead of. My goal however is commuting 5 days a week with the ability to take a ride in the weekend aswell.

Sign up for Silly Commuter Stats! You'll soon be riding everywhere!

Kallaen

I've actually thought about it. But I don't know... I can't compete with the top 5 atleast. :P

mudcovered

Kallaen wrote:

I've actually thought about it. But I don't know... I can't compete with the top 5 atleast. :P

Neither can I but that didn't stop me and it does help if you have motivation issues when the weather gets bad. On the subject of winter riding:

1. Multiple bikes are a necessity. Had to switch to an MTB for some of the winter to cope with the snow and ice.

2. Don't stress too much about most moving parts on the bike but do keep the wheel rims or brake discs clean.

3. Same applies to the chain. Keep it clean and lubed.

4. When buying replacement parts look at durability. So well sealed bearings and strong materials rather than super light.

I did my winder commuting on 2 bikes: A Trek Top Fuel and a Kona Jake The Snake. Neither are cheap bikes but both have made it through without anything over and above maintenance I was expecting to do. The Trek has had new suspension bushings and headset but they were already starting to go before the winter. Kona has had new wheels (due to rim wear on the old set after 6000 miles).

Mike

Kallaen

Thanks for all the comments - and so fast answering.
The thing is, I don't know how long the moving parts last and how often things should be changed, however I do change parts if it is needed. My bike mechanical skills aren't that good which means I have to go to a bike shop to get repairements done, but I feel that the shop have let me down. They haven't given any advice or anything and they aren't cheap either.

Clever Pun

Kallaen wrote:

I've actually thought about it. But I don't know... I can't compete with the top 5 atleast. :P

you and 95+ people.... I'm on the cusp but with a gap of 135 miles (and that's only cause No5 is ill)

ex-pat scot

Kallaen wrote:

And the distance that I commute is 31 km oneway, so a single speeder would probably get me killed on that distance. :P

I commute 32km each way, on a fixed wheel bike, with 8km of steep hills (16-20%) each way...

I wonder why I'm always tired?

Kallaen

ex-pat scot wrote:

Kallaen wrote:

And the distance that I commute is 31 km oneway, so a single speeder would probably get me killed on that distance. :P

I commute 32km each way, on a fixed wheel bike, with 8km of steep hills (16-20%) each way...

I wonder why I'm always tired?

Hehe. Well I've actually never tried to bike a fixed wheel bike, but I could imagine that it would be hard on steep hills. No need for strength training legs afterwards.

snailracer

Kallaen wrote:

...
How do you cope with the extra tearing of the bike through the winter? I've experienced that the winter is pretty though on the bike, more than I would ever have imagined. Sadly because I bought a new bike in October and have driven it through the winter, and parts like the casette and chainrings soon needs replacement - already...

My belief is that most transmission wear is due to grit being thrown from the front tyre onto the chainring area when riding on wet surfaces. The chain then carries the grit to the cassette as well.

I would suggest a front mudguard with a mudflap long enough to block the spray. Mudguards are never sold with a sufficiently long mudflap, so you may have to DIY one.

davis

Welcome!

Kallaen wrote:

My bike mechanical skills aren't that good which means I have to go to a bike shop to get repairements done, but I feel that the shop have let me down. They haven't given any advice or anything and they aren't cheap either.

It's probably worth your while learning how to do some basic stuff. I'd probably start with:

Puncture* repair
Keeping the bike and drivetrain (chain etc) clean, and lubing the drivetrain.
Brake block adjustment/replacement
Learning how to adjust brake and gear cables correctly.
Finding out if your chain's worn, and replacing if necessary.

All of these jobs are really very very simple -- check bicycletutor's videos and various instructions on Youtube, and I think many problems are simply caused by poorly adjusted cabling. Once you get those done you can move on to slightly more complicated things like cassette replacement, cable replacement... can anyone else think of simple but vital skills?

*: Yes, I said it.

Kallaen

davis wrote:

It's probably worth your while learning how to do some basic stuff. I'd probably start with:

Puncture* repair
Keeping the bike and drivetrain (chain etc) clean, and lubing the drivetrain.
Brake block adjustment/replacement
Learning how to adjust brake and gear cables correctly.
Finding out if your chain's worn, and replacing if necessary.

Thanks for the welcome.
The only thing I have trouble with on the list is adjusting gear cables and adjusting the derailleurs. And ofcource chain wear, I'll buy a tool for that.
Wear on the chainring and cassette is easy to spot, and will be changed when needed, which is quite soon.

essex-commuter

davis wrote:

anyone else think of simple but vital skills?

Headset adjustment, and knowing when it needs doing. The amount of friends bikes I'be seen with loose headsets amazes me!

Cafewanda

Aidy wrote:

Two bikes?

You guys think too small.

He's got to start somewhere!

mudcovered

Kallaen wrote:

Thanks for all the comments - and so fast answering.
The thing is, I don't know how long the moving parts last and how often things should be changed, however I do change parts if it is needed. My bike mechanical skills aren't that good which means I have to go to a bike shop to get repairements done, but I feel that the shop have let me down. They haven't given any advice or anything and they aren't cheap either.

That can make quite a difference cost wise. I do most of my own maintenance which cuts down on costs a lot as I only end up paying for parts. The only things I change less frequently that a bike shop would recommend is my chain and cassette(rear cogs). I always seem to end up with the chain so worn that I end up replacing them together. I normally run them until the point where the chain looks like it might fail or the cassette teeth are worn badly. Not sure I'd recommend this approach to everyone though.:)

If you want to increase your ability to fix your own bike take a look at http://www.parktool.com/repair/ for step by step instructions on common tasks.

Mike

davis

Kallaen wrote:

The only thing I have trouble with on the list is adjusting gear cables and adjusting the derailleurs. And ofcource chain wear, I'll buy a tool for that.
Wear on the chainring and cassette is easy to spot, and will be changed when needed, which is quite soon.

Derailleur adjustment is fairly easy:

http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-front-derailer
http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-rear-derailer

Basically, that should take care of the gear cable adjustment; if they're sticky then sliding the inner (metal) wire out of the outer and either cleaning the outer or cutting it so that it's got "fresh" ends will usually help. You'll need cable cutters for that; buy the best you can't quite afford -- buying cheap tools means buying them twice.

Changing a cassette is easy, but again, you'll need a chain whip and cassette lockring tool. You might find wear is accelerated by dirt/grit/salt water.

msw

I read somewhere that "if you're worried about getting your commuter bike dirty, your commuter bike isn't sh*tty enough".

It also helps if you enjoy cleaning it (I find it very relaxing of a Sunday).

Kallaen

Thanks for all the links and advices.

msw wrote:

I read somewhere that "if you're worried about getting your commuter bike dirty, your commuter bike isn't sh*tty enough".

It also helps if you enjoy cleaning it (I find it very relaxing of a Sunday).

Well no it ain't shitty, because it's pretty new and I spent quite a lot of money on it. :P

How do you make sure that both bikes have equally saddle height and handlebars angle?
I was out on the racer today and it's quite a different feeling compared to the crossbike, but my knees started to complain, on and off feeling. No pain after the ride however.

jedster

Kallaen,

I have two bikes for commuting but only because I leave one in London at the end of my train journey. My cross bike does about 16 miles a day all through the year. I have it set up for commuting - full guards, rack, dyno hub/lights - so it doesn't compromise as a best bike. The group set is all Shimano 105 - so good, reliable but not too expensive to replace (particularly if you keep your eyes open for web deals on chains, cassettes and put some in stock when you see them cheap).

I do have a third bike but it is a MTB which gets a bit of use at weekends. If I was to have a second road bike, it would be a "Sunday best" road bike rather than a summer commuter (if you see what I mean). I wouldn't want my best bike to be loaded up with guards/rack/dyno etc but I'd miss them if I didnt have them on my commute.

I tend to clean the bike properly about once a month and just lube the chain, adjust/replace brake pads if necessary between times. From time to time, I'll replace chains/cassettes - think it normally works out as two chains and one cassette per year. Wheels have needed replacing after 3 years (rim wear). Probably change tyres about once per year.

Although I do that stuff myself, I do get my local bike shop to do a full service (replace cables, strip down and lube all bearings, etc) once per year. It costs about £40.

HTH,

J

Kallaen

Sorry for the late reply. But thanks a lot. All this is really helpfull and I'll try to keep up with the cleaning and maintaining of all the parts.

See you on the open roads.