Winterprooferisation for a carbon road bike....

bails87

Ok, here's the b]redacted for KB's benefit[/b:

I've got 3 bikes available:
1. Ribble Sportive Carbon, narrow-tyred/narrow-clearanced road bike. Fast, light.
2. Carbon 456 'proper' mountain bike. Not heavy for an MTB but not light comapred to the Ribble, upright, wide bars, no big ring, built/specced for mountains, not the road.
3. Claud Butler Pagan 'crappy' mtb. My old MTB, now on slick-tyres 'hack' duties, still with 18 tonne pig iron suspension fork and 7 speed Tourney gears. The wheels probably weigh the same as the Ribble.

The problem is that I want to keep commuting through the winter, I've got lights and appropriate clothes, so it's just about the bike. I ride down quiet country roads, which are probably going to be very prone to at best thick frost, more likely to be patches of ice in dips and under the tree cover. And if it snows again they'll be low down on the list of gritting priorities, if they even get gritted at all.

So, the road bike could lead to some painful slipping and sliding.....or it might be fine.

So I've got a few options:

1. Keep the Ribble as it is, maybe with new tyres, if anything slick and narrow is going to be better than the Gatorskins I've currently got.
Cheap, fast, easy, potentially dangerous!

B. Use one of the MTBs, maybe the old one with a rigid fork, and I can switch to spiked tyres during the worst of winter.
Slow, heavy, a little more expensive, much heavier.

iii. Buy a CX frame and forks. Buy canti brakes (which would work with caliper levers?) and swap everything else over from the Ribble (105, Shimano RS10s). Could be done for £350 (E.G. PX Uncle John) for a brand new frame, forks and brakes, I can do the work myself. Would add a bit of weight, but would let me use winter-y tyres. If I like it I can sell the Ribble frame and make back a fair chunk of money and use the CX all year.
More expensive, safer, more practical in the long run, slightly heavier, still quick

4. N+1 Expensive!

clarkey cat

N+1.

Kieran_Burns

I stopped reading after sit rep. I can't take any more text after sit rep.

You were lucky I got past the bloody americaniZation in the bloody title.......

I now hate you and am plotting your downfall.



Oh, and I have a CX bike with Winter tyres, so I don't have this problem. So nuh.

bails87

Kieran_Burns wrote:

You were lucky I got past the bloody americaniZation in the bloody title.......

Ahem....it's an 'S'!

notsoblue

bails87 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

You were lucky I got past the bloody americaniZation in the bloody title.......

Ahem....it's an 'S'!

Also, it really shouldn't be capitalised. Is that a northern thing?

bails87

notsoblue wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

You were lucky I got past the bloody americaniZation in the bloody title.......

Ahem....it's an 'S'!

Also, it really shouldn't be capitalised. Is that a northern thing?

Why, are capitals a southern thing?

DonDaddyD

If you ride your best bike in winter it ceases to be your best bike.

I don't make the rules. I live by them.

Of course if your Ribble has Athena on it, it becomes a girls bike.

They're the rules.

edhornby

option B - go to a bike jumble sale (or maybe get lucky at the local tip?) and get some cheap rigid forks ? sensible tyres would help, and you can put mudguards on

you will appreciate your best bike(s) more when you ride them
your winter hack will survive the winter water/grit/crud/abuse better than the other 2
least faffy option

stuaff

DonDaddyD wrote:

Of course if your Ribble has Athena on it, it becomes a girls bike.

They're the rules.

Still this old chestnut...perhaps you're just not man enough to ride it
Presumably when SRAM Clint and Shimano Butch come out, you'll be first in the queue

stuaff

Anyway, back on topic, CX sounds like a good move.

bails87

The notion of a 'best bike' doesn't matter to me. I ride my road bike to get to work and back, that's pretty much it. For the odd occasion that I go out on it at the weekend/evenings I think I could live with a CX bike. I don't do races, club runs or anything like that. Has anyone switched from road to CX for a commute? Did it make a big difference in terms of speed?

I might have to do a test run on the sh1t bike to see how unpleasant, or not, it'll be doing 30 miles a day on it.

essex-commuter

bails87 wrote:

Has anyone switched from road to CX for a commute? Did it make a big difference in terms of speed?

Yes me. No.

DonDaddyD

bails87 wrote:

The notion of a 'best bike' doesn't matter to me.

Yeabuwha?

Huh. The notion of a best bike... you mean you don't have a bike you wheel out into the dinning room to show guests anytime the wife has a dinner party?

You don't have a bike you adorn so much love and attention the wife/gf/kids feels a little jealous.

You don't have a bike that you find so insanely pretty that you (i) have developed a minor OCD about and (ii) secretly siphon funds to spend on it?

If you don't then get one.

As to your dilemma, I'd probably strip down the mountain bike giving it lighter forks, wheel, carbon seat post, good slicks and ride that through the winter. Or the CX option.

Also what the hell are GatorSkin's doing on a carbon bike? Dude get 4 seasons or if you're feeling racey the best of the best GP4000s. No I don't have a reason. It's just because!


I ride my road bike to get to work and back, that's pretty much it. For the odd occasion that I go out on it at the weekend/evenings I think I could live with a CX bike. I don't do races, club runs or anything like that. Has anyone switched from road to CX for a commute? Did it make a big difference in terms of speed?

I might have to do a test run on the sh1t bike to see how unpleasant, or not, it'll be doing 30 miles a day on it.[/quote]

cjcp

I've gone from road to CX for the last two winters. Bit of a difference in top-end speed, but things tend to be slower in the winter, so not a problem. It's the lack of braking power provided by the cantis which is the issue.

Torvid

cjcp wrote:

I've gone from road to CX for the last two winters. Bit of a difference in top-end speed, but things tend to be slower in the winter, so not a problem. It's the lack of braking power provided by the cantis which is the issue.

Yep thats why i'm looking to see if i can get something like this on the cycle to work scheme http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cro ... apour-disc

cjcp

Torvid wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I've gone from road to CX for the last two winters. Bit of a difference in top-end speed, but things tend to be slower in the winter, so not a problem. It's the lack of braking power provided by the cantis which is the issue.

Yep thats why i'm looking to see if i can get something like this on the cycle to work scheme http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cro ... apour-disc

8). WANT.

rjsterry

cjcp wrote:

I've gone from road to CX for the last two winters. Bit of a difference in top-end speed, but things tend to be slower in the winter, so not a problem. It's the lack of braking power provided by the cantis which is the issue.

Consider a change to discs? See Frankenbike thread for further info, but surely you need better brakes (rather than worse) in the winter.

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I've gone from road to CX for the last two winters. Bit of a difference in top-end speed, but things tend to be slower in the winter, so not a problem. It's the lack of braking power provided by the cantis which is the issue.

Consider a change to discs? See Frankenbike thread for further info, but surely you need better brakes (rather than worse) in the winter.

I've no idea if it's possible on the Kona; never checked. Will do, though.

It's counter-intuitive, yes.

CiB

DonDaddyD wrote:

bails87 wrote:

The notion of a 'best bike' doesn't matter to me.

Yeabuwha?

Huh. The notion of a best bike... you mean you don't have a bike you wheel out into the dinning room to show guests anytime the wife has a dinner party?

You don't have a bike you adorn so much love and attention the wife/gf/kids feels a little jealous.

You don't have a bike that you find so insanely pretty that you (i) have developed a minor OCD about and (ii) secretly siphon funds to spend on it?

If you don't then get one.

Answer to all of the above is yes, yes, and yes but without the furtive syphoning of money - if it needs money it can have it. That bike is the weekend bike, the Sunday run, Saturday run and commute special all rolled up into one v nice carbon road bike (BMC SLX01 if you're bothered). I don't get the logic of having a great bike and then not using it in case it wears out or gets dirty or you might fall off it and damage it. Use it, have three years or so of having and enjoying the best bike bike for miles around, then when the time comes buy another one a bit better and repeat. The alternative is to ride something that's not as good as the bike you've splashed out a good bit of dosh on just to hide it in the shed. Nuts or what?

And where does this idea come from, that on October 30th Britain freezes over and it rains every day until March? Not in my world it doesn't. Winter is full of grey days, bright sunny cold days and the occasional day that involves cold wet weather. On those days it's the gear that's wrong not the weather; more layers, get on with it. If it's icy or snowed up then I'm in the car.

Anyway.

Kieran_Burns

is waiting....

kelsen

KB works in Insurance?

rolf_f

I see a gradual ebb and flow in my commuting steeds. Currently a Ribble Gran Fondo (with manly Centaur for DDDs benefit - half horse, half man - not sure which half is which though but never mind) fitted permanently with Crud Road Racers to keep the cack out of the bearings/drive train etc (essential I reckon). Once it gets properly dreary, I'll switch to the old school Dawes cos it's all simple stuff and replacement parts cost less than the VAT on the Ribble spares.

Then, when things get really horrible, dark all the time, snow, ice, sleet and (I'll stop now, it's making me depressed!) I'll wheel out the MTB. The marathon winters will go on and come off according to the conditions; if ice is likely, they'll be on.

bails87

Rolf F wrote:

The marathon winters will go on and come off according to the conditions; if ice is likely, they'll be on.

See, this is my dilemma, do I buy winter tyres to fit my old MTB, or buy a bike to fit the winter tyres?

jedster

To be honest, for what you use it for I reckon a CX or light tourer/audax is probably optimal given it would allow you to run fatter tyres, guards and a rack. I don't think you want to muck around with the 456 and your old MTB sounds pretty horrid. Personally I'm dubious about the idea of watching the 10 o'clock news, seeing snow forecast and popping out to the garage to wrestle with a tyre change. Sod that. If you are going to run a set of studded tyres I think you need a spare set of wheels.

I've been using a CX bike all year round for 5 years. I've even used it on a triathlon. I seemed to be able to keep up with most of the road bikes...
Works well but I am also not that impressed by the cantis. Just ordered a fairly similar bike with hub gears and discs.

prawny

cjcp wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I've gone from road to CX for the last two winters. Bit of a difference in top-end speed, but things tend to be slower in the winter, so not a problem. It's the lack of braking power provided by the cantis which is the issue.

Consider a change to discs? See Frankenbike thread for further info, but surely you need better brakes (rather than worse) in the winter.

I've no idea if it's possible on the Kona; never checked. Will do, though.

It's counter-intuitive, yes.

All you need is a new P2 fork with disc mounts. You could live with a canti on the back just stick one disc on the front. I was thinking of doing this to the Boardman when I was riding the whole way. But it doesn't solve the tyre issue in the winter. Or the knackeredness issue all year round.

rolf_f

jedster wrote:

Personally I'm dubious about the idea of watching the 10 o'clock news, seeing snow forecast and popping out to the garage to wrestle with a tyre change. Sod that. If you are going to run a set of studded tyres I think you need a spare set of wheels.

Your bikes are in the garage?!! :shock: What century is this?!!!!

dhope

kelsen wrote:

KB works in Insurance?

Thought that was AppleSpider

bails87

Hmmm.....Planet X are doing carbon Guerciotti cross frame, forks and headsets for £299.......

Being sensible, I might look for a second hand frame. Should be an easy job to swap everything over, possibly spend a few quid on new cables, canti brakes aren't a significant outlay, if I don't like it then spend another hour or two moving everything back, and sell the frame without losing much money.

There's one other regular cyclist I see on my route, she's got a CX, and today (before scalping ) I was chatting to a guy who rides a 23 mile commute on his CX, along the same route as me, but starting from further away. There's obviously some secret Warwickshire commuters CX club I haven't been told about. Maybe the membership card comes with the cape?

jedster

Your bikes are in the garage?!! What century is this?!!!!

Some of them. Since you mention it, my commuting bike tends to live by the back door under a little roof. I put an Abus ground anchor in. Saves faff. However, if I was mad enough to want to swap tyres over because of inclement weather, I would have to go out to the garage to find the tyres!

J

Torvid

bails87 wrote:

Hmmm.....Planet X are doing carbon Guerciotti cross frame, forks and headsets for £299.......

Being sensible, I might look for a second hand frame. Should be an easy job to swap everything over, possibly spend a few quid on new cables, canti brakes aren't a significant outlay, if I don't like it then spend another hour or two moving everything back, and sell the frame without losing much money.

There's one other regular cyclist I see on my route, she's got a CX, and today (before scalping ) I was chatting to a guy who rides a 23 mile commute on his CX, along the same route as me, but starting from further away. There's obviously some secret Warwickshire commuters CX club I haven't been told about. Maybe the membership card comes with the cape?

doesnt that frame have a rear disc mount option?

bails87

Yep, but using discs means buying new wheels, different forks and disc brakes (no point having discs on the back but not the front, seeing as the front does the most braking :wink) and then we're into brand new bike territory.....which I mustn't do!