winter bike or

bikeit65

Not.
I have been cycling close on twenty years and have ever only had one bike for using all year round, i like to have a decent bike with like wise equipment, so do you have two three or more bikes that you use for different times of the year, i was of the belief that if you look after your bike that it will last for many many years without any problems.

slowbike

We had this discussion recently. Mixed results.
If you take good care of your bike in winter then the increased wear will only be slight. If you're out all weathers then a second or even 3rd bike could be handy - especially for commuters who need to have a bike on the road.

bikeit65

Increased wear in the winter on what?

kwi

Bikeit65 wrote:

Increased wear in the winter on what?

Drive train and brakes/rims.
There is a train of thought that the wet conditions helps road crud up onto your drive train and brakes creating a highly abrasive paste. That and carbon components dissolve when wet.

bikeit65

Surely if you do proper maintenance on your bike and parts it will not make any difference whether it is summer or winter, LBS have that idea that carbon dissolve when wet.

kwi

Who's you LBS? I'm in NI too. Cushendall to be more precise.

bikeit65

Greenbikes in Newry

sloppyschleckonds

Bikeit65 wrote:

Surely if you do proper maintenance on your bike and parts it will not make any difference whether it is summer or winter, LBS have that idea that carbon dissolve when wet.

The problem in winter is the lack of daylight hours and the time to clean your bike after every ride if required. If you are only going to ride on a Saturday or Sunday or don't work and have unlimited time, then one bike will be ok.

rickeverett

What a load of Bull Shi*. Carbon does not melt when wet. Inflact its less reactive to corrosion compared to aluminium and steel. Its reenforced plastic.

Tape over the brake caliper holes, wipe or spray Alan key holes and other heads with WD or GT and keep the bike clean after each ride. I don't wash a bike with water or soap because that adds to troubles.. Esp cleaners . just wipe down with a wet and dry microfibre. Clean and relube the transmission once a week or so and your sorted.

MountainMonster

n+1

Bozman

Deja vu .
I used my "winter" bike on Wednesday but without the mudguards, on the ride the only issue was a wet arse and the grit grinding in to the wheel rims.
I stripped the bike down on Friday, the BB and the seat tube had water inside and the drive chain and mechs were caked in grit. I'm sure that riding with that grit grinding on the drive chain and rims will have an adverse effect on the life expectancy of the components. If you can live with that and you don't mind spending hours cleaning your bike then fair enough.
Most of the issues would be solved with a set of mudguards and some winter wheels, you either put them on the one bike or you have a second bike set up for wet weather and commuting.

The winter bike is an individual choice, but the only issue that I can see is that there are a hell of a lot of bikes out there that don't have the clearance for mudguards, I'd guess that most of those are high end frames, I'll assume that Mr Lucky won't want his EPS equipped Parlee with lightweight wheels taking that abuse through the winter months, he'll buy a piece of crap instead.....probably a nice piece of crap if he owns a bike like that.

bikeit65

I use car wax on the frame, great protection and makes cleaning a breeze, and wash the bike after every ride in the wet, i also use GT and keep the whole drivetrain really clean summer and winter. where are the brake caliper holes?

MichaelW

If you check out the other winter bike threads you will see that all-weather roadbikes are different to summer bikes in design. They have more tyre clearance, long drop caliper brakes or discs, threaded eyelets for mudguards and possibly luggage rack. They usually have gearing for non-competative riding rather than racing.
The "winter bike" is a better choice for most riders and for most riding except competition racing.

LegendLust

Bikeit65 wrote:

I use car wax on the frame, great protection and makes cleaning a breeze, and wash the bike after every ride in the wet, i also use GT and keep the whole drivetrain really clean summer and winter. where are the brake caliper holes?

All the religious cleaning in the world won't stop grit getting into your brake pads and chain the minute you set off on a ride in the rain or damp conditions. So imagine what that's going to do to your rims and drivetrain on a 3 hour ride?

I wash and keep my winter bike spotless after every ride, but I'm under no illusions that it takes a hammering in the winter, grit, salt, mud etc all take their toll.

desweller

All kinds of reasons. You're more likely to have an off in greasy conditions or poor light, less exotic bits usually have more conservative design so are often more robust and less painful to replace if they're damaged in a shunt anyway. Wider, more compliant tyres mean you can handle the deterioration of the road surface that often occurs; likewise stronger rims and 32 spokes can handle a bump better. Fast race frames don't have provision for full mudguards, which are not just for comfort; full guards keep the spray off the chain and BB shell, so they stay oiled for longer.

Drivetrain parts do take a pounding from the more grotty conditions; if you don't commute it's less of a problem, you get more time between rides to carry out basic servicing. I commute on mine so it gets 10 outings minimum between visits from the oil can.

rickeverett

Bikeit65 wrote:

I use car wax on the frame, great protection and makes cleaning a breeze, and wash the bike after every ride in the wet, i also use GT and keep the whole drivetrain really clean summer and winter. where are the brake caliper holes?

Behind the Front fork on the opposite side of the brake - on the rear its on the intersection of the seat stays.

I tape them over because spray (at any time of the year) blasts right up those holes. It gets full of dirt and salt. Hidden rust spot too.

Best thing to do before tapeing over is to take the callipers off - clean them and the holes in the frame - protect against water with a re-lube on the threads and a quick spray. Then tape over. Lasts for years then.
Another spot that gets blasted is the gap between the fork and frame as its in the same area.


unless you commute - i dont think you need a winter bike !

bikeit65

Don't commute, go out on a Tuesday & Thursday do about thirty miles each day then out again on a Sunday and do about sixty miles, i really like to keep my bike and car's looking well so i like to spend time cleaning them.

kwi

rickeverett wrote:

What a load of Bull Shi*. Carbon does not melt when wet. Inflact its less reactive to corrosion compared to aluminium and steel. Its reenforced plastic.

Sense of humourectomy performed lately?

Mikey23

Apparently!

The prob with having two is that I only want to ride the best one. I managed to get pretty much all the way through last winter because the weather wasn't too bad down here in cornwall. Lots of dry, cold and windy but doable. What I really can't stand is this spell of wet and windy like we've been having. Even with all the gear I just can't get any pleasure from it so I ain't going to do it. As well as the obvious mechanical issues, my big fear is coming off and wet greasy leaf and crap strewn roads do nothing to dispel this. My last off cost three months of my life and I have no desire to go through that again. So through the worst of the weather, I'm bolted to the turbo. Boring, repetitive and very sweaty... But safe and the only mechanical issue will be a new rear tyre at some point. And if I was a commuter I wouldn't either

desweller

Bikeit65 wrote:

Don't commute, go out on a Tuesday & Thursday do about thirty miles each day then out again on a Sunday and do about sixty miles, i really like to keep my bike and car's looking well so i like to spend time cleaning them.

If I didn't commute or tour I would probably not have an extra bike just for crappy winter weather; as you suggest I'd just keep on top of the maintenance regime.

MountainMonster

I've got a winter bike that I am currently in the process of getting back to be rideable with the intention that I will then use it for commuting as well with racks and mudguards.

ianbar

i was all set to buy a full blown winter bike, but i now have my 2nd bike set up on the turbo ready to go and use my main bike only at weekend. this suits me as its pretty unlikely i will get on the road in the week and i have decided i need to clean it after every weekend ride though. i spent a lot on my bike so would really like to ride her all year round, if you have the money to spend on a bike just for wet wintery rides then go for it, its each to there own really.

Sir Velo

Currently using my autumn/spring bike, winter bike hopefully will not be needed yet. Might get the summer bike out for one last event (club hill climb).

SV

slowbike

Bikeit65 wrote:

Surely if you do proper maintenance on your bike and parts it will not make any difference whether it is summer or winter, LBS have that idea that carbon dissolve when wet.

2 months ago - my bike was spotless - 23mm slicks and no mudguards - I rode it into work and it was still spotless ...

This morning my bike was spotless ... it's got full mudguards and 32mm slicks ...
I rode into work with wet & dirty roads - it's now filthy ...

I know it's only 11 miles to work - but it didn't get filthy in the last 100 yards - it started getting dirty straight away - so I've ridden 11 miles with more dirt and crap on my drive gear & wheel rims ... I'll have to do another 11 miles before I get to clean it ...

so that is 22 miles of dirty riding - it will result in higher wear.

That's why I don't commute on my best bike when it's wet ...

Mikey23

Good point

slowbike

Mikey23 wrote:

Good point

But one that most "just maintain your bike properly" people fail to grasp ...

Htron

25ish mile round trip commute for me each day. Despite using soft compound brake pads, my rims wear at quite a rate. All the time I have is to hose-off pads and rims after each ride, then wipe rims clean with a workshop towel. Glad I bought the Shimano R501 wheel set from Ribble at a price that makes them almost disposable. I am considering disc brakes for the next winter bike.

It's literally the every day grind in wet weather that does it.

keef66

"Glad I bought the Shimano R501 wheel set from Ribble at a price that makes them almost disposable"

Me too. Almost makes the screeching of grit on the rims bearable. I'm just hoping the hubs are as well sealed as my RS10's.

NeXXus

What if you have two winter bikes and an ice stud equipped MTB?

slowbike

NeXXus wrote:

What if you have two winter bikes and an ice stud equipped MTB?

Pah - 1 winter bike and a selection of wheels to go in - including one set with the ice-spikes ... and all on a CX ...

MTB? Wash your mouth out ...

NeXXus

Slowbike wrote:

NeXXus wrote:

What if you have two winter bikes and an ice stud equipped MTB?

Pah - 1 winter bike and a selection of wheels to go in - including one set with the ice-spikes ... and all on a CX ...

MTB? Wash your mouth out ...

Couldn't take a carbon frame out in that, it'll melt