Winter vs summer bike

mmmcheese

Please forgive my naivety but whats the difference between a summer bike and a winter bike?

Slimbods

For me, a winter bikes about comfort. I put 25c tyres, double bar tape a big saddlebag and mudgards, with heavy sturdy wheels. It's also a bit older and alloy so I'm not worried about cleaning it after every ride. Summer bike is a light carbon race machine with impractical expensive tyres, race wheels and kit that I keep nice for swanning around feeling pro on the local club runs and races

anto164

IMO, a winter bike is a bike which you're not fussed if it gets soaked and covered in road grime.

Winter bikes will generally be metal with a middle range groupset, with capabilities to take mudguards for when it's wet. This bike is normally cheaper to fix and maintain.

Summer bikes are normally something a lot more expensive, with a better groupset which looks nice and is fast. This bike doesn't see wet weather and because of that, it can't take mudguards. This bike is normally made from something that isn't steel or aluminium.

I'm going to be buying a summer bike when i'm back on my feet (missing the summer due to an injury on 3rd July which means i'll be back on the bike 1st sept.... ) and then demoting my cheap all year bike to a winter/commuting bike

markos1963

About 19 gears, I ride a single speed/fixed bike in winter. It has guards 28mm tyres, double bar tape and lights. It also lives outside under a cover in winter at the front of the house so I don't have to carry a dirty bike through the house after every ride(we have no access to the rear)

bill57

anto164 wrote:

Winter bikes will generally be metal.
Summer bikes are normally something a lot more expensive, with a better groupset which looks nice and is fast. This bike doesn't see wet weather and because of that, it can't take mudguards. This bike is normally made from something that isn't steel or aluminiu

Well we're right up bike snob avenue here, aren't we? All my bikes are metal, either steel or aluminium, and do me just fine. They all look nice, and if they go fast, it's nowt to do with what they're made of.

merak

It's all about the mudguards. Winter bikes should have mudguards to keep the muck and salt off your backside and the guy riding in your wheel.

Wet weather doesn't do any irreversible damage to bikes - wet and road grime wash off - everyone washes their bikes at least once a week - right?

Oh - and +1 on the "all my bikes are steel or aluminium" There's nothing wrong with Reynolds 531, Reynolds 653 or Dedacciai SC61.10.A. Or Ti? Why would anyone think that the only decent road frames are carbon?

Roadtart

One is your MISTRESS, and the other is your WIFE.......if you're a man......for the female contributors........one is a YOUNGER model, and the other is your HUSBAND.

Generally, it's one that can be used / abused, and another that is loved, honoured, worshipped, and placed on a pedestal.

markos1963

Roadtart wrote:

One is your MISTRESS, and the other is your WIFE.......if you're a man......for the female contributors........one is a YOUNGER model, and the other is your HUSBAND.

Generally, it's one that can be used / abused, and another that is loved, honoured, worshipped, and placed on a pedestal.

Are you going to tell us which way round this applies to you or are you scared of your misses?

Roadtart

I love all 3 of my girls. My soon-to-be wife, (Laura) my summer bike (also called Laura), and my winter bike (Liz), in that order. No fear factor involved.

I love them equally, and they get lots of attention and are lavished with lots of nice things.

John.T

The winter bike is the one that you use to wear out all the bits you took of the best one when you up-graded it. It should be based on a cheap frame that will take mudguards, in my case a Ribble Winter/Audax one. Nearly everything else is a hand-me-down.

Secteur

How do people keep their summer bikes dry?

If that was the case where I live, you'd never be able to use it!

My only bike goes out in every condition - wet or dry.

John.T

We don't but we only use them if the weather looks reasonable. If roads are likely to be covered in wet mud then out comes the winter one. As much to protect me as the bike.

NWLondoner

I use my only bike in all but the worst conditions. I.e snow and ice.

The 1st year I rode bareback, I.e no mudguards. Only complaint was that my white assos jacket got oil stained :x

I did use crud catchers last winter so that my jacket didn't get any worse but binned them in spring as they were a pain in the ass.

This winter the only changes i'll do is swap my carbon wheels and 22 mm tries over to my aluminium rimmed wheels and some 24 mm Tyres.

Monty Dog

Firstly, doesn't anyone not want a good excuse to get another bike?

Secondly, if you're going to 'invest' in new parts, spend it on the good bike and use the downgraded parts on the others - you keep working on this an it's easy to accumulate quite a range - I was up to 7 but looking to rationalise on 6, purely based on the amount of space in the garage to store them safely.

IME quality parts last better than cheap ones because they are better finished / materials - exposing bare steel / alloy as commonly used on base-level groupsets to salty water and road dirt means they don't last anything like as long as downgraded good stuff.

A winter bike for me means durability and comfort - knowing I can go out for 5 hours in whatever weather and have few worries about punctures or mechanicals. This year, my 'training / winter' fleet will comprise 3 bikes:

Fixed gear road - cracked carbon race frame with ENO rear hub and a hash-up of old parts. Tyres, chain and brake pads are the only money ever spent. Owes me nothing.
Single Speed CX - titanium frame with discs for chucking about and nothing to go wrong
CX/Road - No 2 cross bike that after a quick wheel swap can happily take road wheels and mudguards.

cougie

Fixed wheel hack bike in winter with full guards - wider tyres to plough through water filled potholes and liberally daubed with reflective tape and fittings for my lights. Its cheap and bombproof.

Summer bike - hasnt got guards. It will still go out in the rain but gets cleaned that day.

Winters can be hard on components with the salt on the road.

thescouselander

There's no difference for me - I ride the same bike all year round. When winter comes and the cold weather means the roads don’t dry out I put mudguards on and take them off again in spring. Cant say I notice much performance penalty in having a bike that can take mudguards - I suspect any improvement from not having the capability to take mudguards is purely aesthetic.

Mac9

thescouselander wrote:

There's no difference for me - I ride the same bike all year round. When winter comes and the cold weather means the roads don’t dry out I put mudguards on and take them off again in spring. Cant say I notice much performance penalty in having a bike that can take mudguards - I suspect any improvement from not having the capability to take mudguards is purely aesthetic.

I take it you're from Liverpool Mr Scouselander?

Where about do you ride?

thescouselander

Yeah, I'm from Liverpool but living in Bristol now - I don't get back to Liverpool much unfortunately.

drays

Roadtart wrote:

One is your MISTRESS, and the other is your WIFE

That's brilliant!

Chris McG

I just spent all my money on a nice road bike: it goes out in all weather even if it won't accept mudguards. May as well use it otherwise there's no point having it.

(If you have a decent jacket you wont get a wet arse anyway )

...and the Ridley Crossbow is a COMMUTER, not a winter bike.

PeeDee

Cleaning your 'best' bike after every ride is fine in summer, but not really what you want to do in the middle of winter coming home after a long ride in the dark frozen stiff and knacked.

Road salt buggers up components something rotten, so mudguards and cheap/2nd hand kit is the way to go in winter, just bin it when it finally corrodes so much it stops working.

Jason82

I now have two bikes so my 1996 Specialized Rockhopper with slicks will become my winter bike and my nice new boardman my summer bike.

merak

PeeDee wrote:

Cleaning your 'best' bike after every ride is fine in summer, but not really what you want to do in the middle of winter coming home after a long ride in the dark frozen stiff and knacked

Washing a bike takes 15 minutes. Do it as soon as you get home while you're still mucky yourself. If you really can't face it and it's still raining just rinse it off with a hose (gently with that spray!) and wash it next day. Look after your bike and it'll look after you.

Road salt buggers up components something rotten, so mudguards and cheap/2nd hand kit is the way to go in winter, just bin it when it finally corrodes so much it stops working.

What's it with this throw away society? My bike with mudguards is my very high mileage audax bike and my winter bike and has been so for 20 years. It looks better and newer and works better than some six month old bikes I've seen. The only replacements other than tyres, brake shoes and suchlike since new are wheels (the original hubs completely worn out). I'm still running all the original Campag gruppo apart from the cassette. This road salt problem is highly overstated if you wash the bike pronto.The only way road salt should bugger up a bike with decent components in short order is if you neglect it.

richtw

Depends where you live - we never have any salt put on the roads down south (or very very rarely). I ride the same bike year round and have never had any problems. The only concession I made was to buy a cheap comprressor off e-bay so that when I wash it I can blast it dry with compressed air after..... relube/ oil job done.....

Overstated hype in my opinion.... but then if I lived upo North I would probably have a winter bike

jswba

Richtw wrote:

but then if I lived upo North I would probably have a winter bike

I just use my winter bike all year round....