Do i really need a winter bike ?

[adamangler]

I "only" have two bikes

1. Road bike - Good un
2. Mountain bike - Good un

So im not a massive rider, mainly a roadie, the mtb only gets used occasionally if i fancy a change...normally couple of short rides through the week or couple of turbo sessions then usually 1 long ((if 2-4 hours is long) ride on a weekend.

I have been considering buying a specific winter bike but really with 100 miles or less a week out on the roads is it really worth it ? i mean how much damage can adverse weather do to a bike ? genuine question btw, does adverse weather really ruin bikes? even if they are cleaned and maintained well after each ride?

what do you all think ?

i know, i know, it would be nice to buy another bike anyway and its not that i cant afford one but really whats the point buying an inferior, less fun to ride bike ?

 

[gavroche]

I don't think a winter is really necessary if you don't ride every day. Choose carefully when you ride in winter,I.e, in dry weather , clean your bike regularly, and all will be fine. That's what I do and my bikes are fine.

 

[Tommy2]

They’re not necessarily inferior, if you think about it a bike made for the conditions you’re riding in makes it superior to your good summer bike and if it works better in the conditions than your good summer bike then surely it makes the ride more enjoyable. Just my opinion, but then I do ride everyday in all weathers so like gavroche says might not be essential for you if you can choose when you ride.

 

[Jimidh]

I "only" have two bikes

1. Road bike - Good un
2. Mountain bike - Good un

So im not a massive rider, mainly a roadie, the mtb only gets used occasionally if i fancy a change...normally couple of short rides through the week or couple of turbo sessions then usually 1 long ((if 2-4 hours is long) ride on a weekend.

I have been considering buying a specific winter bike but really with 100 miles or less a week out on the roads is it really worth it ? i mean how much damage can adverse weather do to a bike ? genuine question btw, does adverse weather really ruin bikes? even if they are cleaned and maintained well after each ride?

what do you all think ?

i know, i know, it would be nice to buy another bike anyway and its not that i cant afford one but really whats the point buying an inferior, less fun to ride bike ?

You can get some good fun bikes to ride that don’t have to cost the Earth.

Can you fit mudguards on your road bike? If not then a winter bike would be a good idea.

How high end is your bike and do you want all the crud ruining your expensive drive train?

I still ride my ‘good’ bike in the winter but I’ve also got a Defy fitted with mudguards and a CX with chunky tyres and both of these see more action in the winter.

 

[Cuchilo]

My winter bike was my good bike until i bought a better good bike .

 

[Milkfloat]

If you ride in a group then not having mudguards in bad weather is not only trashing your components but also spraying all sorts of muck onto your fellow riders. I have a bad weather bike in order to have decent mudguards whenever I need them, disc brakes to preserve my carbon rims and a cheaper groupset that seems more durable and less costly to replace. It is also black to hide the dirt. I also have a fixed gear with mudguards for the ultimate lower maintenance with few components for my commute.

 

[davidphilips]

Depends, can you clean your bike as soon as you stop cycling or do you have to leave it say at your work all day? Plus how expensive is your good bike?

My advice would be if you have room and can get another bike then go for it, perhaps you dont need a winter bike any more this year than you did last year but its a good reason/excuse to buy another bike.

 

[Slick]

I rode my good bike through 2 winters and thought I'd done a pretty good job of cleaning and servicing but driving over salted roads and sitting at work all day before doing it again then cleaning soon took it's toll on the disc brakes including the actuators which started giving me grief almost immediately. I put it to my LBS before and after each winter for some tlc as I knew that I was being hard on it but the last time I took it in I had to replace the wheels as the salt had destroyed the hubs. I serviced the old ones and will change them over come gritting season. It's still a good bike, maybe better but it's no longer my good bike.

 

[Drago]

You don't need one in the sense that you will die a horrible frostbitten death if you don't buy one.

You do need one in the sense that you are a cyclist, can never have too many bikes, and must have a bike for every different niche of potential use.

 

[DCLane]

Mine gets used in all weathers between October and March, doing 100-250 miles a week. By the end of a winter most of the drivetrain needs re-doing, along with chains every 4-6 weeks due to the weather. As it's 8 speed that is cheaper and easier to maintain.

I'll also tend to go through a pair of wheels in the winter due to grit, etc. no matter how much I clean things. There's no way a decent pair of my wheels will be on the road in bad weather.

It makes sense to protect a more expensive bike, having proper mudguards fitted helps the rider as well.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

i know, i know, it would be nice to buy another bike anyway and its not that i cant afford one but really whats the point buying an inferior, less fun to ride bike ?

Not necessarily inferior

I have two 'winter' bikes as they'd be called, which are more correctly to me '365' bike

The blue Ribble was cheap, but has had replacement wheels, it's a very good ride

Responsive, fast, I've ridden it on group-rides with a few of the local Triathlon Club, & not been left behind, even when they're on full carbons/deep rim wheels & summer clothing, and I'm in bib-tights. etc...
Heck I've even beaten them on some of the hills


The other Ribble (CGR) has superceded it, bought because I wanted the ability to fit wider tyres, as 'blue' would only take '23' max, this can take '35' (maybe '38'??), but I only have '28' on it
Oh!, & hydraulic discs



This means I keep my Gran Fondo muck/grit/grime/corrosion free

 

[mustang1]

I don't really need a winter bike, I just need a bike with rack and guards. If people consider that to be a "winter bike" then so be it. But I use it all year.

I also don't understand the concept of single speed bike for winter use because there is less wear on the components. In winter, I'd expect the winds to be more blustery and i like my cadence of a certain rate which an SS cant give me (in the wind, coz I'm not strong enough).

Caveat: I still want an ss though.

 

[mustang1]

I rode my good bike through 2 winters and thought I'd done a pretty good job of cleaning and servicing but driving over salted roads and sitting at work all day before doing it again then cleaning soon took it's toll on the disc brakes including the actuators which started giving me grief almost immediately. I put it to my LBS before and after each winter for some tlc as I knew that I was being hard on it but the last time I took it in I had to replace the wheels as the salt had destroyed the hubs. I serviced the old ones and will change them over come gritting season. It's still a good bike, maybe better but it's no longer my good bike.

Which disc brakes do you have?
Which hubs?
TIA.

 

[Vantage]

Up until recently I was a monogamous cyclist and every bike I had was used 12 months of the year.
Wear increases very slightly on various drivetrain and brake components but it's nowhere near bad enough for me to warrant a second bike specifically for poor weather.
I do now possess a second bike for shopping runs or trips into town but that's purely so the Spa isn't put at risk of theft from thieving pieces of human excrement.
As per above, mudguards and a front mudflap go along way to protecting your bike from dirt and if you're a nice person you'll stick a rear mudflap on for the benefit of cyclists following you.

 

[vickster]

Why can't you use the one you have? Just put some mudguards on it and clean it after use if mucky as you say

Or the MTB