Do you have a Spring/Summer Bike and an Autumn/Winter Bike ?

[Coggy]

Having just bought myself a new road bike, I was considering come mid-late Autumn getting back onto the Hybrid until the spring.

Why ? Just have this idea that the Hybrid would be better suited for the damp road conditions plus the Hybrid is a Halfords Carrera Subway and cost substantially less than the road bike so if there are any nasty substances on the road or chances of damage due to the conditions I would rather it happened to the Hybrid.

Mostly though, I am thinking the road conditions over that period might be better suited to a bike with the bigger tyres etc.

 

[confusedcyclist]

As the roads get slippery (snow/ice) you would benefit from knobbly tyres or more tread. I have put slicks on my hyrbid as I prefer the more upright position of the flat handle bars for my commute. I'll simply replace them with the knobbies once the chill starts.

 

[John the Monkey]

Nope.

I have a commuter/tourer, and a "fun" bike. The commuter has the large tyres, lights &c, and the fun bike has 23s or 25s, and a Knog type band on set of lights, just in case. I could ride the fun bike on the commute (and did do, back when it was my only bike) but I don't, because, if I'm honest, the commuter is kind of fun too.

Both are mudguarded, as riding around Cheshire, where there's a lot of dairy farming, not having guards is a recipe for being covered in... well, you get the idea.

The closest I get to a winter bike is my Brompton - when I really can't face the winter commute, that comes out, as it can go on any train on my multi modal commute, and turns 30 miles in the cold and the wet into 6 miles in the cold and the wet

 

[WozzaTT]

I'll be very interested in any answers to this as I have just bought a road bike and hope/intend to be able to ride it right through the winter. Do people who only have one bike change the tyres for something better suited to wet conditions in the winter?

Apologies for the slight hijack Coggy.

 

[summerdays]

I have a snow ice bike in winter time where I change and put spiked tyres on, but I prefer my normal bike so it didn't get used more than a handful of times last winter.

 

[ianrauk]

Nope. All my bikes are used all year round in all weathers.

As long as you keep up with the cleaning and maintenance then it's never an issue.
I ride exclusively road bikes for leisure and commute on 25mm tyres and have never found it to be a problem in the wet.

Though obviously I don't go out when it's ice or snow.

 

[John the Monkey]

I'll be very interested in any answers to this as I have just bought a road bike and hope/intend to be able to ride it right through the winter. Do people who only have one bike change the tyres for something better suited to wet conditions in the winter?

I never have - our summers are usually wet enough, lets face it

If you have nice wheels, the rims may wear quicker though, so you might want a set on which a rim swap is possible (mine are Tiagra & DRC ST18II) so you don't worry too much about the wear. Also watch out for road treatment - our council uses a weird molasses type stuff now, it sticks to bikes more than grit did, and requires a more thorough rinse down.

 

[raleighnut]

I've got a dozen to choose from (11 of which are ready to ride, the other one is stripped awaiting a rebuild) so its just grab the appropriate one for conditions/task and off. The trike is all I'm riding at the moment due to my leg but "I'll be back".

 

[Venod]

I use slicks all year round, I can't see tread making much difference on the road, off road its a different story with mud to cope with, but I do have a bad weather bike with guards.

 

[Coggy]

I never have - our summers are usually wet enough, lets face it

If you have nice wheels, the rims may wear quicker though, so you might want a set on which a rim swap is possible (mine are Tiagra & DRC ST18II) so you don't worry too much about the wear. Also watch out for road treatment - our council uses a weird molasses type stuff now, it sticks to bikes more than grit did, and requires a more thorough rinse down.

Yes road film is one of the reasons I am considering using the cheapo hybrid.

 

[GetAGrip]

No not really. More to do with where I'm headed, than the time of year. Besides, my bikes need regular exercise to stop them becoming lazy and to keep them nice and trim, flexible and generally looking good

 

[MrWill]

No, one bike does all for me. Kinesis T2 frame, great versatile thing.

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

I rode for two years with just one bike but then when I realised carbon will disintegrate in anything other than perfect dry weather I bought a trusty Raleigh Airlite as a 2nd bike. I stuck some guards on and that's now my bike of choice for really wet days or when the roads are a crappy mess. Have 23mm Conti GP4000s's on both bike and have never had any issues. It's also a nice piece of mind that if one falls down with mechanical issue that I can't fix overnight then I have a backup.

 

[Coggy]

I rode for two years with just one bike but then when I realised carbon will disintegrate in anything other than perfect dry weather I bought a trusty Raleigh Airlite as a 2nd bike. I stuck some guards on and that's now my bike of choice for really wet days or when the roads are a crappy mess. Have 23mm Conti GP4000s's on both bike and have never had any issues. It's also a nice piece of mind that if one falls down with mechanical issue that I can't fix overnight then I have a backup.

Exactly my fears for my new road bike. The chap at the lbs made a point of telling me to make sure it is kept nice and clean. Apparently even some energy drinks can over time cause degradation in a carbon frame.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I have a Monday to Friday bike (commuter), a Saturday bike (road bike) and a Sunday bike (hybrid for riding with our lass) which now I have donated my winter bike to my lad is also my ice bike.

Depending on how I feel and which bike I fancy riding, the Saturday and Sunday bikes occasionally become Monday to Friday bikes.