Best bike and winter?

bluedoggy

Ok so I've gone the winter school of thought. Bought a cheap Boardman comp hybrid instead of of using my Wilier Carbon in the winter months.
So what happens now? Do you guys put the good bike into hibernation and not ride it, or just those dry day commutes and special events?

nferrar

Mine pretty much stays untouched for a few months, occasionally put some air in the tyres and brush off the cobwebs is all. I do sometimes think about taking it out when it's a crisp dry winter's day but I inevitably come across some muddy country roads so am always glad I didn't bother.

rich164h

I just ride it straight through and make more of an effort to rinse off any muck/salt that gets on the bike when I get home. I've not seen any evidence of damage through the last three winters of doing things this way.

I really don't see the point in putting the bike away for winter at all.

bluedoggy

I think in these times of austerity where I can't afford bits corroding it sort of gives me a bit of peace of mind. I really care about the winter bike as much. If I was single and had loads of disposable dollar, I would probably ride my best bike all year round. Because I spent a few grand on a bike and kit, I'm skint:)

rich164h

I'm also pretty much completely skint too, but I see no evidence of any corrosion due to winter conditions if appropriate care it taken to wash off the salt etc when you get back from a ride.

I'm not talking about a massive strip down each time, I'm just talking about a quick soaking in water and drying to get ride of the worst, and re-lubricating where needed. nothing more.

zx6man

nice when a boardman comp is a "Cheap" hybrid. :-) My cheap would be an asda special..... which cost the same as a decent set of tyres for the summer bike.

logitech208

rich164h wrote:

I'm also pretty much completely skint too, but I see no evidence of any corrosion due to winter conditions if appropriate care it taken to wash off the salt etc when you get back from a ride.

I'm not talking about a massive strip down each time, I'm just talking about a quick soaking in water and drying to get ride of the worst, and re-lubricating where needed. nothing more.

^^^This.

bluedoggy

Your right, there probably won't be any corrosion with the correct cleaning. But there are people out there who will say the opposite. Peace of mind again.

Bozman

The bike comes in to the house and the wife goes in to the garage, plus it's quite handy having the wife in the garage because she can clean the winter bike after every ride.

OffTheBackAdam

Best bike = Only bike.
It's just had its mudguards put back on.

zx6man

My take on the old winter bike is that my mtb that I use for trails etc takes over as it can handle the wet roads a bit better.

orangepip

seriously think people over-react to this problem of winter cack. Yes it's not the best however if you hose your bike down and re-lube regularly then all will be fine. I'm not a paragon of virtue when it comes to this and I ride my bike all year round including commuting every day and it hasn't fallen apart yet, nearly 2 years on.

Yes your chain and chainrings will wear quicker, but its not like they disolve. How much cheaper is it replacing a chain & cassette to buying a second bike?

AchillesLeftKnee

zx6man wrote:

My take on the old winter bike is that my mtb that I use for trails etc takes over as it can handle the wet roads a bit better.

Snap. The roads around here become very mucky indeed once the weather gets properly wet, so the MTB sprouts road tyres and takes over. Also, I do a lot of my riding in the evening on weeknights on unlit country lanes, so being mounted on something that doesn't mind clouting through the odd night-disguised pothole is no bad thing.

stueys

I kept my Spesh Allez as a winter bike. My logic was that for the money it was probably worth more to me as a turbo/winter bike than trying to flog it. In summer it sits in the turbo with a turbo tyre ready to roll, in winter it gets mudguards and off we go.

Less worried about winter gunk, (though that's a consideration it took me 2 hrs to clean my mine bike after the Dorking Sportive) but more worried about the increased likelihood of an off during the winter months and the expensive carbon bits that would break. Most of my country lane descents are covered in leaves and damp currently, it's a lot more reassuring being on a nice sturdy Alu frame with Alu bits.

Plus I get to train harder as I gain 2.5kg to push around

Critch

I also recently bought a Boardman Hybrid Comp for work commuting and with the additional intention to use it as a winter bike. Its got mudguards, computer, bottle cages and as much as I like the Boardman (its feels like a sportive road bike with flat bars imo) I just haven't gone out riding on it as I would on my road bike. Instead I fitted Crud Road Racers on my road bike and I've used that so far with a wash down/re-lube after each ride. When the weather gets really bad I think I'll just go on the exercise bike (a decent one) with a fan wafting in my face.

simon_masterson

Bluedoggy wrote:

Your right, there probably won't be any corrosion with the correct cleaning. But there are people out there who will say the opposite. Peace of mind again.

My favourite bike is 30 years old. My dad bought it in his early 20s. It's spent its life being fairly neglected; he isn't a 'cyclist' as such and never cared for it fastidiously. It's spend at least two phases being kept out of doors, too. The transmission is still in pretty good order, considering; the rear derailleur has seen better days and the front one doesn't work all that well, but they work, and I've ridden thousands of happy miles on it. I've replaced (amongst other things) the chainrings and freewheel, but the latter was the only one of those I actually used to destruction; the chainrings were simply worn out.

I appreciate the 'peace of mind' sentiment, but it's very silly unless your bike has a top-end transmission (Dura Ace, Super Record, Red, etc) - a full set of consumables for which (chainrings, chain, cassette) can cost more than a lot of peoples' bikes - carbon wheels, and featherweight tubulars. Even if you didn't clean your bike from now until April, it would most likely be fine.

But you've spent your money now, so enjoy the new bike. Mr. Boardman himself likes his hybrids so they must be good.