Winterise a road bike

Blairbiker
Blairbiker Posts: 2
edited September 2010 in Workshop
Looking for best tips and guidance for winterising my road bike

Comments

  • Brewsterwmb
    Brewsterwmb Posts: 145
    edited September 2010
    Guards, thicker tyres with winter Uk road protection-Conti 4 Seasons, But to be honest and having learnt the hard way. Spend £150 on a second hand bike and leave your best until Spring! I've got a great frame, guards etc waiting to go to a good home! But I would say that, honestly, I hit black ice a few years back on my 'best' bike. Its worth having a 'winter-hack' !!
    “Look where you want to go. Not where you are going”
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Stick some mudguards on it. Wipe and lube the chain frequently. Try to dry it if it gets wet. Avoid the ice.
  • jomoj
    jomoj Posts: 777
    edited September 2010
    Full length mudguards, lights, robust tyres and some persistent chain lube would be my first steps. Then just regular cleaning, especially once they start salting the roads.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Ooh yes, forgot the lights. Don't skimp on lights, especially the rear. Smart Lunar R1 is a blinder. Literally.

    And some high-viz reflective clothing if you're cycling in the dark.
  • moonshine
    moonshine Posts: 1,021
    full mudguards...

    SKS chromoplastics if they will fit, otherwise Crud roadracer mk 2
  • Brewsterwmb
    Brewsterwmb Posts: 145
    Crud roadracer mk 2 - if you decide to use them... protect your frame first !!! Small vibrations will rub the paint off... OUCH !
    “Look where you want to go. Not where you are going”
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    Get another bike. It's going to get filthy in places that are impossible to access for cleaning like the bottom bracket area, inside the brakes, between the frame and the chainset, etc.

    I have a steel framed tourer with mudgaurds and 28mm tyres for winter. It has a luggage rack so that I can carry full waterproofs, spare light batteries, thicker gloves, a flask with a hot drink, etc. If you're doing long rides in the winter you need extra space for those sort of things.

    You also want brake pads that work properly in the wet, many don't.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • jomoj
    jomoj Posts: 777
    if you can't get a winter bike then invest in some cleaning materials like sponges and brushes. I also like using a car shampoo like autoglym or turtlewax to give a little extra paintwork protection.
  • father_jack
    father_jack Posts: 3,509
    agree with unuxnerd, I have two bikes for this reason. Also agree with pads, lousy brakes in the wet wish mine was disc brake model.
    Say... That's a nice bike..
    Trax T700 with Lew Racing Pro VT-1 ;-)
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    One of my favourite tricks is to put a blob of vaseline in the heads of all your allen bolts. Squeeze enough in so it is flush with the head. One less thing to worry about.

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