Winter Bike to Good Bike - When?

autobahn
autobahn Posts: 114
edited February 2011 in Road beginners
Those of you who are luckily enough to have a winter training bike and a good bike- when do you put the winter hack away? Is the time approaching soon?
I know it is weather dependent , but do you phase it in and keep the winter hack on standby for bad days, or have a specfic month/date when the good one comes out and that its?
Do you stick to 6 months for each bike? Do you keep it ready for a really good day and give it a blast? Do you spend days preparing it and if so how do you get it ready?
Sorry for all the questions, Im intrigued to hear what people who own 2 bikes do.

Comments

  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    edited February 2011
    Just wait till there's no danger of the roads being gritted again, bout July usually!
    Manchester wheelers

    PB's
    10m 20:21 2014
    25m 53:18 20:13
    50m 1:57:12 2013
    100m Yeah right.
  • Kidge004
    Kidge004 Posts: 123
    Ah man, just my dilemma! Have my 2010 Cinelli just sitting in my garage waiting to be ridden.... currently riding my 1990 muddyfox courier comp....

    Was going to take it out today however it started raining just before i went to work...
  • ADIHEAD
    ADIHEAD Posts: 575
    You think you've got a dilemma? Try having a winter bike and a summer bike with 2 sets of wheels and tyres!

    I will get my summer bike out on the next time it's dry and warm enough not to need to wear overshoes. Probably with training wheels and tyres. Once it get's a bit warmer the best wheels with lightweight tyres go on. If it rains, or if I'm riding early morning after overnight rain, then it's the winter bike. If it's rained overnight and it's gonna be a long ride then it's summer bike with training wheels and tyres!
  • MaxwellBygraves
    MaxwellBygraves Posts: 1,353
    Starting to think about it now, especially as it seems quite mild at the moment.
    No set date for me, just do it by 'feel'.
    It's usually around this time of year I start getting impatient as you're so nearly out the woods, but not quite; there's still lots of crap about on the roads. Maybe not this weekend but the week after if the weather is nice.
    "That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer
  • Lagavulin
    Lagavulin Posts: 1,688
    edited February 2011
    The last two years I've had the Wilier out in early March with Racing 3s. I didn't bring the bling wheels out till June or even July.

    Have already had my CAAD9 out for one blast this year in mid-Jan' wanting to see if my new wheels were OK out of their boxes, it being my birthday, off work and a generally glorious day for January. Hasn't been out since though. :(

    Yesterday was a real gem of a day up here and having headed out I was tempted to pop back home to re-assess clothing and change steed. Didn't bother in the end but saw a fair few other riders seemingly taking advantage of the dry untreated roads to bring out their new/best toys.

    Appreciative of the generally milder weather but still a walk to the garage for the hack or the MTB for now.
    2010 Cannondale CAAD 9
    2008 Wilier Izoard
  • MaxwellBygraves
    MaxwellBygraves Posts: 1,353
    Just to add, when summer bikes are starting to wake from their winter hibernation is exactly the time these threads pop up :)
    "That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Winter bike never goes away. Still gets out in 'summer'. Managed 3 rides on the 5200 so far but the Madone is staying in for a while yet. The 5200 is going back to TT mode for the end of Feb so the Madone may see action then.
    My Fleet.
  • geebee2
    geebee2 Posts: 248
    Those of you who are luckily enough to have a winter training bike and a good bike- when do you put the winter hack away?

    Never, I will ride both bikes throughout the year, but the good bike doesn't get many outings from November through February., and hopefully the Winter bike will not be needed much from May to August ( but still, if it is wet or the roads are wet I will use it ).

    I think I have ridden Winter bike about 35 times so far this year, good bike about 5 times.
    My new bike
  • Lillywhite
    Lillywhite Posts: 742
    When the temperature reaches 18C, the roads are dry and I'm safe to wear my bling silver carbon soled shoes. :wink:

    However what passes for my winter bike has no mudguards and is an 12 year old Look carbon bike so is not exactly shabby and kept in top notch condition and cleaned after every ride.
  • rc856
    rc856 Posts: 1,144
    Getting back into cycling a few years ago I bought a basic Ribble that became my winter hack when I got my Chorus equipped Giant TCR Composite.
    When the weather is really bad I tend to stay on the turbo but as long as there isn't any snow or ice I just take out the Giant these days.
    Mainly because I prefer riding it. It gets cleaned as soon as I get home so I'm not too worried about it getting run down etc.
  • walsht1105
    walsht1105 Posts: 120
    I have a training bike and a racing bike and a commuting bike.

    Training bike is used for training > no matter what the weather - Madone 4.7 2009 with 105

    Racing bike will be used for racing and 1 or 2 rides a week > I have started using the racing bike already because I have races starting in march so need to get used to the feel of the different bike - Madone 4.7 2010 with Hope deep rims (flat races/crits) or Mavic Ksyrium SL (hilly) - Ultegra

    Commuting bike is used for commuting to work, shops etc, leaving outside. Trek 1.2

    Theres nothing wrong with using any bike in any weather, just make sure you clean it well
  • Berk Bonebonce
    Berk Bonebonce Posts: 1,245
    Lillywhite wrote:
    When the temperature reaches 18C, the roads are dry and I'm safe to wear my bling silver carbon soled shoes. :wink:.

    I believe you get a few days like that in August.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    They both stay in my room so on random dry days I can take the nice bike with minimal hassle.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • floosy
    floosy Posts: 270
    See this is why I only have one road bike... and set of crud raceguards...

    life can be sooo simple sometimes

    :)

    Dave.
  • ratsbeyfus
    ratsbeyfus Posts: 2,841
    floosy wrote:
    See this is why I only have one road bike... and set of crud raceguards...

    life can be sooo simple sometimes

    :)

    Dave.

    Me too... I guess the question for us is when to take the cruds off?

    I had one of them red bikes but I don't any more. Sad face.

    @ratsbey
  • Buckled_Rims
    Buckled_Rims Posts: 1,648
    floosy wrote:
    See this is why I only have one road bike... and set of crud raceguards...

    life can be sooo simple sometimes

    :)

    Dave.

    I was going to mention Crud Raceguards on my CAAD9 meaning I've abandoned the winter bike syndrome. My CX bike was the winter bike because it has full mudguards, leaving the CAAD9 for summer use.

    However, I bought raceguards and found then excellent at keeping the CAAD clean, so it looks like I now don't have a winter bike but 2 all season road bikes :shock:
    CAAD9
    Kona Jake the Snake
    Merlin Malt 4
  • MikeWW
    MikeWW Posts: 723
    Crud guards came off about a week ago.
    Winters over and race season about to begin
    www.lichfieldccc.org.uk
  • ADIHEAD
    ADIHEAD Posts: 575
    MikeWW wrote:
    Crud guards came off about a week ago.
    Winters over and race season about to begin

    Look out of the window :cry:
  • MikeWW
    MikeWW Posts: 723
    ADIHEAD wrote:
    MikeWW wrote:
    Crud guards came off about a week ago.
    Winters over and race season about to begin

    Look out of the window :cry:

    Only a bit of light rain here (Midlands) and temperature must be close to 10 deg and I reckon most of the salt has got ashed away by now
    Didn't stop about 70 of us doing a 4x17 lap reliability ride this morning either:D

    If your fingers freeze its winter if they don't then its not :D
    www.lichfieldccc.org.uk
  • Phill Thom
    Phill Thom Posts: 50
    I have a hybrid which was for winter use, but I hate it , so use summer bike and just give it a good clean after every use that it gets wet. If something needs replacing on it then I will replace it....My road bike is a joy to ride,so ride it is what I say.
    Just keep it clean and lubed.
  • pianoman
    pianoman Posts: 706
    Neither of my bikes are carbon, I use the titanium bike all year but use the Cervelo S1 to practice TT'ing on once a week except when the weather is at its worst. Then again I've got a race next weekend so here's hoping the rain clouds hold off and I get to do one last mock "10" without soiling my nice new shiny steed :D
  • resus1uk
    resus1uk Posts: 22
    My winter trike (Longstaff conversion) has studded tyres. Still gritting last night here on the Yorkshire Wolds, now heavy rain. Plan to change the tryes back to slicks in March & go back to studs in November.

    The good trike is a vintage Higgins so rarely used in bad weather or for heavy loads.

    Wax polish used on the paintwork & regularly cleaned.

    Trips to the bottle bank/recycling tip warrants the commandeering of the wife's Pashley trike.

    Getting around the nearby big cities (York, Leds, Hull) needs good weather before I dirty a Brompton. I tend to stay off cyles at a fresh breeze (Beaufort scale 5, 18-24 mph, small trees swaying).
  • AndyD2574
    AndyD2574 Posts: 1,034
    When the roads are cleaner......which wont be long as it has p1ssed down here for days and days!!

    Summer bike in getting 'tweaked' at my LBS so its ready for action.............I might not be!!

    Will still take teh winter bike out if sh1te weather no matter what
    Specialized S Works Venge
    Argon18 E114
    Specialized Langster Single Speed
    Scott Spark Expert 29'er
    GT Avalanche
    http://www.glasgowgreencycleclub.co.uk
  • Gav888
    Gav888 Posts: 946
    I use a http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rapitest-RAPDTM ... B0001P0JZU to ensure the meter is green for 2 consecutive days whilst the air temp is above 10 degrees C combined with an acceptable salt level on the roads of 50 grains per square mitre.

    But when I cannot be arsed I look out the window and if its dry and no salt about I use the summer bike :wink:
    Cycling never gets any easier, you just go faster - Greg LeMond
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    I have what people are referring to as a winter bike, but I prefer to think of it as a bad weather bike. It has full mudguards and titanium frame. I've had the 'summer' bike out twice already in February, I only take the summer bike out when it's bone dry on the roads.
    Prior to February, the summer bike was last out in mid October.
  • rake
    rake Posts: 3,204
    11:43:21s on 3rd aprill 2011.

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