Wet weather bike

mikebikemike

I was thinking that in a few months I could do with buying a second bike with fixed mudguards for winter months to protect my posh bike from road salt/self from road spray. This month's rotten weather has made me think of bringing the purchase forward. I've noted Ribble and Dalon have nice mudguarded aluminium bikes but also there's a load of touring bikes out there which might be more robust on rough roads in poor light.
Has anyone any experiences of either?
Plus groupsets. Are there issues with downgrading to Sora/Tiagra?

lc1981

In a few months? If you're based in the UK, it would come in handy now!

Grill

Get a cyclocross bike!

ALaPlage

Grill wrote:

Get a cyclocross bike!

+1 I have a Kinesis Crosslight. Absolutely great for the poor weather and for runs up tow path and old railway line routes. Alu frame with carbon forks and 105 groupset all for the princely sum of three hundred English pounds off EBay. It has added another dimension to my cycling as well as allowing me to keep the CF bike for the dry days

Bobbinogs

If you can get a decent mudguard solution onto your current bike then why not ride that? I have an alu bike (with carbon fork/seat stays) and am happy to ride it in all weathers. I do stick 'winter wheels' on when the roads are salted but that is about the only concession I make. SKS Raceblade Longs work well (forget about the small bits forward of the brake bridge) and stay firmly fixed or can easily be removed on the one day each year when it doesn't rain.

If I am honest though, I try to avoid getting my steel framed bike too wet (it has a bit of a design flaw in that it has internal brake cable guides set into the top tube).

Oh, Tiagra works very well in my experience. 105/Ultegra is a little nicer in operation but if you are mashing it up a hill then you won't notice that difference or the minor weight penalty

MichaelW

Touring bikes are useful , esp if you want to tour with heavy luggage but any road bike is more than strong enough for actually riding. Touring bikes have thick, tough rear stays that don't crack when you load them up. If you are worried about hitting potholes in the dark, thicker tyres provide protection.
If you are considering a dedicated fowl weather bike (good for ducks boom boom) then consider your braking. Rim brakes take a few revs to dry off, disk brakes are active immediately. The best sporty rain bike is probably a disc-equipped aluminium CX style with rack and mudguard eyelets and the rear brake on the chainstay.

jermas

I'd try getting a 10 speed groupset, that way you can swap worn parts (chainrings, cassettes etc) from your summer to winter bike.
Try getting a frame that accommodates 25mm tyres and full mudguards. Full mudguards are so much more effective than clip ons.
The Dolan you mentioned has very tight clearances. Getting the rear guard to fit (with 25mm tyres) properly involves making a bracket over the brakes.
Get something you'll enjoy riding as you'll spend quite a lot of time on it. Having a crappy bike that you dread riding isn't the way.

Secteur

As per Bobbinogs I have just one bike which I use all year round, wet or dry. In the wet I just clip on my SKS raceblades which do the job.

I dont have a super expensive bike as I dont trust myself with it, so perhaps less of an issue for me than if it was a carbon beauty!

rdt

I just use one bike and leave Crud Roadracers on it all year round. They weigh nothing, and the bike looks no worse with them on. I only take them off now if going abroad and/or sticking the bike on a bike carrier. Means I'm not fussed if it begins p1ssing it down while out, and done wonders for keeping my jerseys/jacket clean!

However, I try to avoid the worst weather, esp. in the heart of winter, and never set out if it's already raining because I'm a puff.

To me, bikes are for using. So unless I had some precious, vintage bike that deserved to be molly coddled, I'd treat any modern bike similarly (no matter how pricey). And I'm not interested in a "fleet" of bikes: it's just more stuff to depreciate, to maintain, and ultimately to have to get shut of once it's sh@gged.

skyblueamateur

Neither having the money or the inclination to get a wet weather bike is there anything I need to be doing post-ride after riding in the wet?

At the moment I make sure I dry the bike down and give it a bit of wipe down. I also make sure I de-grease and lube the chain on a regular basis.

Is there anything else I should be doing?

jermas

SkyBlueAmateur wrote:

Neither having the money or the inclination to get a wet weather bike is there anything I need to be doing post-ride after riding in the wet?

At the moment I make sure I dry the bike down and give it a bit of wipe down. I also make sure I de-grease and lube the chain on a regular basis.

Is there anything else I should be doing?

Sounds like you're doing the right thing. In winter, especially when there is salt on the roads, use plenty of anti-corrosion spray on your gears and sparkly bits. A coat of car wax on the frame is something else to consider.

alwaystoohot

Its only a bike, I ride in all weathers and accept in 5 years it the bike'll be shagged but at the same time I'll be ready for a change anyway.

mikebikemike

Thanks for all of the above. Lots of ideas which have expanded my options (cross bikes/discs etc) I'll probably have a trip to a bike shop and have a test ride or three. Ideally I'd like to give them the trade if they're not outrageously uncompetitive c/w the net
There's a few reasons why I don't want to winterize my posh bike but ta for that thought.