Why have a winter bike?

nternal1
Posts: 58
I live in Vancouver where, while it may not be fun in the cold rain, one can ride pretty much all year. I am planning on using my bike for conditioning (after giving up 30 years of jogging). I am currently using a Defy 1 for training and was thinking of getting a Defy 2 Advanced because I understand that the ride of carbon is smoother. My local Giant dealer suggests that I keep the Defy 1 for winter training. Why have 2 bikes?
0
Comments
-
To save your best bike from the horrors of winter! The muck/water/grit/salt encountered on the roads throughout the winter months will eat a drivetrain and wheel rims for breakfast. Why destroy expensive shiny nice things?Edinburgh Revolution Curve
http://app.strava.com/athletes/19200480 -
Darn, I really only have room for one bike in my apartment.0
-
doug5_10 wrote:To save your best bike from the horrors of winter! The muck/water/grit/salt encountered on the roads throughout the winter months will eat a drivetrain and wheel rims for breakfast. Why destroy expensive shiny nice things?
Because you buy them in order to use them and not to have them as decorative shiny items in your living room I suppose.
And indeed I have the same query with OP. Why having a second winter bike in Vancouver which seems to have almost an all year round winter? :? (and not, for sure, what I personally know as summer)
0 -
Now that's just rude! We have rain and we have less rain0
-
So you can keep your best bike in good condition easier. You could clean your bike after every ride but road dirt and grime acts like grinding paste and as mentioned will eat through gears and rims quite quick. Plus after a few hours out in the cold and rain it's nice to just chuck the winter trainer in the garage without having to clean it all down.
Another bonus is that in the event of a crash you won't scratch up your nice bike as it'll be safe at home.
I must put 4 or 5 times the mileage on my trainer than my 'best bikes' which makes for interesting pence per mile costs!0 -
gavbarron wrote:Another bonus is that in the event of a crash you won't scratch up your nice bike as it'll be safe at home.
^this. Far more likely to bin it when it's icy and I'd rather put down a cheaper bike. Another good reason is when the weather cheers up in the spring your best bike will feel great!"It never gets easier, you just go faster"0 -
Wouldn't dream of putting lights or mudguards on my Carbon beauty.0
-
Whereas some of us can only afford / have storage space for, a single bike. In my case it's a carbon Scott.
Although I'm thinking of getting a second wheelset, I suppose I would be wise to at least use my stock wheels during the winter? The winter being defined as when there is salt on the roads?0 -
trek_dan wrote:Wouldn't dream of putting lights or mudguards on my Carbon beauty.
If you are going to be that anal about it, please refer to it as a 'Carbon Princess'I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles0 -
The problem I have is that after spending circa £590 on a road bike after riding for the last two years on my Massey Ferguson hybrid will her indoors let me spend more money on a winter hack.
Or do I ride my road bike throughout the winter, next summer and subsequent winter then buy a more expensive road bike and then use the current one for the subsequent winters.
Unless that is somebody based in the NE has a winter hack they want to sell me for very little ;-)0 -
nternal1 wrote:Now that's just rude! We have rain and we have less rain
I didn't mean to be rude..I was joking Sorry..But I suppose that it rains all year round there, so if you keep your old bike for a "winter bike" then you are going to use only this and not the new one. So what's the point to buy the new bike in the first place?
You buy it to use it in Vancouver.. that's all.. take the new bike in the rain and don't even think about this again.
I never feel sorry for any damage I do to my bikes due to use.. I buy them to enjoy them.0 -
trek_dan wrote:Wouldn't dream of putting lights or mudguards on my Carbon beauty.
Why not?? I use everything that makes me feel safer and more comfortable. If you don't even want to think of using mudguards, how do you use your carbon bike in a place that rains all year round?? :?0 -
Generally, a winter bike is very useful for racers who put in a lot of miles throughout winter. You can use your good bike in winter and a lot of people do. Just keep on top of the cleaning etc. Where I live, it is quite possible to come home after a 100 km ride looking like you have just finished a wet Paris Roubaix. That's a lot of cleaning. :O
P.S. The smoothness of carbon is quite subjective.0 -
so I'm a one bike guy (at the moment, only been cycling 15 months) and I gotta say, riding through the winter can be expensive when you have to keep replacing parts, especially if you dont keep up with cleaning and maintainance.
winter bikes normally have cheaper components and so when it comes to replacing said components, it's a lot cheaper...
...over a long time it might pay for the nice bike, but lets be honest, you'll just spend it on another bike or more equipment you dont need
so the other reasons are better - you'll have a nice, smooth, non crappy looking bike for summer0 -
Two bikes for me - but one is a CX that I use for wet/winter/family rides - it has two wheelsets with 23mm and 32mm tyres on. It can take full mudguards and a rack. It's also been used to tow a kiddie trailer (hard work off road up a hill!)
The "best bike" now has more expensive components on - it doesn't matter if it is wet when I ride, but I'll probably not take it out for too many wet commutes - that's what the CX is there for. I can then keep the "best bike" for best and enjoy it more then.0 -
firstly the minimum number of bikes is 3 and the number you need is n+1!!
you could probably get away with getting some winter wheels (these will probably take a lot of the stick) if you were struggling for space and the replace the bit that the grit eats come spring time!www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes0 -
Alitogata wrote:nternal1 wrote:Now that's just rude! We have rain and we have less rain
I didn't mean to be rude..I was joking Sorry..But I suppose that it rains all year round there, so if you keep your old bike for a "winter bike" then you are going to use only this and not the new one. So what's the point to buy the new bike in the first place?
You buy it to use it in Vancouver.. that's all.. take the new bike in the rain and don't even think about this again.
I never feel sorry for any damage I do to my bikes due to use.. I buy them to enjoy them.
We actually generally get a relatively short but amazing summer here. It's better in fact than summers in most parts of the world because, for about 3 months, there is virtually no rain and it's warm but not too hot (averaging about 22-25 C with low humidity). In most other places it's either too warm or too humid or both. Seriously, it's unlikely that you would find a better place in the world to spend a summer.0 -
What a load of tosh we get on here, must get a winter bike so I can ride in the rain, or will my bike I ride in the summer rain be ok, will the wheels disintegrate after 100 wet miles, will the carbon dissolve, maybe I should have 3 bikes as suggested, come on guys get real, if your only bike wears out, just replace it, and to be honest if its serviced and lubricated regularly the problems will be minimal.
Or do you think we should be insisting the big players mark their bikes/ wheels/ gears etc as summer winter use.... Get real.0 -
Mickyg88 wrote:What a load of tosh we get on here, must get a winter bike so I can ride in the rain, or will my bike I ride in the summer rain be ok, will the wheels disintegrate after 100 wet miles, will the carbon dissolve, maybe I should have 3 bikes as suggested, come on guys get real, if your only bike wears out, just replace it, and to be honest if its serviced and lubricated regularly the problems will be minimal.
Or do you think we should be insisting the big players mark their bikes/ wheels/ gears etc as summer winter use.... Get real.
Yes, because those lucky enough to have £5K+ bikes should just ride it through winter and have to spend a good whack of that every spring replacing everything thats turned to mush????Edinburgh Revolution Curve
http://app.strava.com/athletes/19200480 -
Mickyg88 wrote:What a load of tosh we get on here, must get a winter bike so I can ride in the rain, or will my bike I ride in the summer rain be ok, will the wheels disintegrate after 100 wet miles, will the carbon dissolve, maybe I should have 3 bikes as suggested, come on guys get real, if your only bike wears out, just replace it, and to be honest if its serviced and lubricated regularly the problems will be minimal.
Or do you think we should be insisting the big players mark their bikes/ wheels/ gears etc as summer winter use.... Get real.
I agree summer/winter bikes are tosh, which is why I have a dry bike and a wet bike*. The dry bike will last for many years because it rarely gets wet. Its components are expensive so I intend to replace them very infrequently.
* well, several, as n+1 is in operation: wet bike (decent proper-mudguarded trainer), ice bike (rigid MTB with ice tyres), winter salt-on-roads bike (the rigid MTB with 28c gators), general for-a-change wet bike (old 531c antique owned since 1986), and an MTB.
If you have space or budget for only one, fair enough, but if you have neither constraint then go ahead and have a bike for every occasion, why ever not? I love how this forum has so many people where if someone's views are different to theirs they flame them as "wrong" instead of just realising everyone's different. Not aimed at you specifically Micky, by the way.
Truth is, bike number 2 (or 3, 4, . . .) means I don't have to clean it and care so much for it as my dry bike. Since I have a life, this is a handy benefit.0 -
nternal1 wrote:
We actually generally get a relatively short but amazing summer here. It's better in fact than summers in most parts of the world because, for about 3 months, there is virtually no rain and it's warm but not too hot (averaging about 22-25 C with low humidity). In most other places it's either too warm or too humid or both. Seriously, it's unlikely that you would find a better place in the world to spend a summer.
Photos please..How will I choose otherwise my next holiday destination??
0 -
One bike here, have been riding for over twenty years and have never had a winter bike, if you look after your bike cleaning, lubing etc you bike will last for years without any problems.https://www.instagram.com/seanmcgrathphotography/
Trek Domane SL7 GEN4
Planet X RT58
Cannondale CAAD 10 2012.
Pain.. Is weakness leaving the body.
HATING LIFE-CYCLES FROM 20110 -
Of course you can get by with just one bike - but are you as likely to go out in the wet and cold if your bike hasn't full mudguards ?0
-
I go out all year round three or four times a week, don't own mudguards :shock:https://www.instagram.com/seanmcgrathphotography/
Trek Domane SL7 GEN4
Planet X RT58
Cannondale CAAD 10 2012.
Pain.. Is weakness leaving the body.
HATING LIFE-CYCLES FROM 20110 -
I made do without mudguards for years - but once I tried them - I'd not go without them again. It's a much nicer ride when you aren't jet washing yourself. Give it a go !0
-
What guards did you fit?https://www.instagram.com/seanmcgrathphotography/
Trek Domane SL7 GEN4
Planet X RT58
Cannondale CAAD 10 2012.
Pain.. Is weakness leaving the body.
HATING LIFE-CYCLES FROM 20110