Cycling in the winter months

[DrSquirrel]

So my question is this....Does anyone use there road bike for winter/city/town commuting, or do you purposely have two bikes for the job?

A frend has mentioned that I should keep the road bike and just buy some better tires for it (700x25) but since Iv not ridden the road bike in winter im unsure what the best bet would be.

Any advice for me?

I've ridden my road bike through winter fine, I kept it clean though. But now I have a cheap fixed gear bike for the job and ive even been using it durning the summer! (main road bike has tubs on it for the races...).


Do you ride often other than work? having another bike for work helps you keep the kit on that bike you want for the commute, rather than changing things all around to go on a weekend ride etc.


You shouldn't need "better" tyres for the winter, I use 23c, used to use 25c on the fixed but now im on 23c On anything but ice what you have will be fine...

 

[Leaway2]

Just use the roadie all year round. Its surprising how few days are wet (and I'm in Manchester). I don't have mudguards either. If I have to replace parts to the road bike, its still cheaper/healthier/more fun than driving.

I also have a hybrid for shopping.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Id keep it !. My main bike is my skip bike. It's a old GT road bike and all the worn parts from my competition bikes go on the GT. Tyres chains Mechanics. This way I always have a good well maintained competition bikes.

Also I don't fancy knocking about going down town, shopping on my competition bikes, getting my good bikes nicked aint fun or getting them full of dirt on a daily basis. My skip bike gets thrown about/ scratch up from locking it up ect...

I also have a commute bike for work, this is a old track bike converted for road. Reason is for the low maintenance. Fixed track bikes run for years and only have to replace the chain n tyres really.

I think 3 bikes is a good number. One bike ain't enough also because if it breaks your stuffed till ya fix it also

 

[Lucheni]

One bike ain't enough also because if it breaks your stuffed till ya fix it

Agreed! I thought I had a nuisance weekend when my good bike was in the workshop, it would have been ten times worse if I actually had to go to work or travel further than a mile.

 

[fossyant]

Fixed road bike for commuting all weathers other than ice and snow - out comes the MTB with studded tyres for that.

The two other road bikes are for weekend/evening use, not commuting.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Just use the roadie all year round. Its surprising how few days are wet (and I'm in Manchester). I don't have mudguards either. If I have to replace parts to the road bike, its still cheaper/healthier/more fun than driving.

I also have a hybrid for shopping.

+1

If that's true in Manchester, it's even truer in London. You're more likely to get wet in August than in winter and when it's mid-winter wet, it's rarely really cold. And while there were a couple of days last winter when city cycling really wasn't feasible on a road bike with slicks (and it was bad by our soft southern standards), there were far more days when public transport failed.

(Though having once allowed a ''stretched'' chain to grind my cogs fore and aft down to shark's teeth, I've decided it's cheaper to keep a very close eye on the chain first.)

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I have a geared bike for summer Sundays and a fixed for commuting and general running about. When the clocks change at the end of October the geared bike gets put in the shed until the spring, I use fixed for all riding during the winter.

 

[XC26]

Hi, just looking for some advice and thoughts...

I currently have two bikes - a road bike and an hybrid - iv not touched my hybrid for the last 3 months since getting my road bike.

Im now toying with the idea of selling it (would get about £400), but I realise it would probably be a good bike for winter due to its larger fatter tires.

So my question is this....Does anyone use there road bike for winter/city/town commuting, or do you purposely have two bikes for the job?

A frend has mentioned that I should keep the road bike and just buy some better tires for it (700x25) but since Iv not ridden the road bike in winter im unsure what the best bet would be.

Any advice for me?

Get a 3 speed speed, with drum brakes for winter commutes. They are lower maintenance than derailleur set ups with rim or disk brakes as the vital parts are not exposed to the weather and grit/salt etc . Save the road bike for other occasions. I built my own commuter from a single speed by building up some wheels with Sturmey Archer drum brakes and 3 speed gears. It's also much nippier in stop/start traffic situations.

 

[byegad]

Two bike is a good thing, three better, and four even more so.

But using your hybrid for winter and so saving your 'better' bike is a good idea.

 

[Moodyman]

I have two commuting bikes - flat bar road bike (28mm tyres) and rigid mtb (1.75" tyres).

I ride both year round, but the mtb feels sturdier and more confidence inspiring in sub-zero temperatures. It's also made of aluminimum which will oxidise, but not corrode & rust like my steel road bike.

But so long as you clean your bikes regularly, you can ride any bike for commuting. A guy I work with rides a full on carbon fibre beauty.

 

[Moodyman]

+1

If that's true in Manchester, it's even truer in London.

You're right it might not be wet from above, but the ground is almost always damp and greasy in the mornings.

 

[BrumJim]

I have one bike that I use all year round, for both commuting and weekend fun. Its a road bike with skinny tyres. Even rode it in the snow this year, although I probably shouldn't have done on one day. Actually, I definitely shouldn't have done.

Only mod is mudguards off for serious weekend riding (e.g. Sportive), and in December, addition of Christmas tree with lights.

 

[tyred]

Get a 3 speed speed, with drum brakes for winter commutes. They are lower maintenance than derailleur set ups with rim or disk brakes as the vital parts are not exposed to the weather and grit/salt etc . Save the road bike for other occasions. I built my own commuter from a single speed by building up some wheels with Sturmey Archer drum brakes and 3 speed gears. It's also much nippier in stop/start traffic situations.

+1

 

[martint235]

I have one bike that I use all year round, for both commuting and weekend fun. Its a road bike with skinny tyres. Even rode it in the snow this year, although I probably shouldn't have done on one day. Actually, I definitely shouldn't have done.

Only mod is mudguards off for serious weekend riding (e.g. Sportive), and in December, addition of Christmas tree with lights.

Ooh where can I get one of those???