No idea what to do about a winter bike

[vickster]

How about something like this if wanting new?
https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-malt-g2p-tiagra-gravel-bike-2021-197427.html
they take C2W but there’s a 10% surcharge

 

[Lovacott]

I notice from another one of your posts that you're a mudguard user (like myself). Mudguards protect you and your bike from the worst of the grit. I have no idea how it works, but on my winter/wet bike, about 99% of the grit ends up on top of the rear mudguard and the rest of the bike stays surprisingly clean. I rarely clean it to be honest, and it looks pretty good.

Because I use knobbly tyres, the front wheel picks up a lot of mud and then throws it backwards towards the drivetrain.

I've solved that problem with a fairing and a mudflap on the front mudguard. I've also put a line of protection down the seat tube to keep back tyre mud off the front mech.

Where I am, the roads are actually cleaner at the moment because harvests have been completed and there isn't so much farm machinery dragging mud onto the lanes. It was horrendous about a month ago and one morning in the dark, I very nearly cycled into a field because the road was so muddy, I couldn't tell the difference between the field and the road.

I've become pretty methodical with my cleaning and oiling routine but the whole thing takes me less than half an hour per week.

I am going to get myself a half decent road bike though. That one will be purely for speed at the weekends in the summer months. I'm targetting doing the run along the North Devon coast from Ilfracombe to Watchet incorporating Porlock Hill. I'm nowhere near fit enough for that yet but I am getting there.

 

[faster]

I

I am going to get myself a half decent road bike though. That one will be purely for speed at the weekends in the summer months. I'm targetting doing the run along the North Devon coast from Ilfracombe to Watchet incorporating Porlock Hill. I'm nowhere near fit enough for that yet but I am getting there.

I'm not local to there, but I've cycled that very route as part of Lejog.

It's lovely round there, but my god is it hilly - especially on a loaded up touring bike. You'll want a bike with some low gears. Good Luck!

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Hate the increased problem of toe overlap, the rattle, the utter crap look of them. I ride my MTB and have no problem with mud or getting wet, it’s part of the fun. I try to ride any enjoy rather than look for reasons to moan. I also invested in a very nice Muc Off pressure washer and enjoy cleaning the bikes down after a ride. I live in the UK so the weather is what it is

Toe overlap is only a problem if you ride a bike with too short a wheelbase. You do not get toe overlap with regular road-going machinery; in fact I believe the BS standard for bicycles actually prohibits toe overlap.
The bike getting covered with crap without mudguards is the least of the issues. The bigger one is when I go out for a ride I don't want to come back absolutely plastered in crap and have to do a load of clothes washing every time. I have enough regular work gear that needs washing anyway, without multiplying that just because some idiot bike designer decided being able to fit mudguards wasn't necessary. In the UK they are.
When I've spent time outside in the cold and wet the last thing I'm wanting to do is start washing down bikes, I'm more interested in going indoors and getting warm and dry.

 

[Lovacott]

I'm not local to there, but I've cycled that very route as part of Lejog.

It's lovely round there, but my god is it hilly - especially on a loaded up touring bike. You'll want a bike with some low gears. Good Luck!

All of North Devon is hilly and I do a fair bit of up and down on my commute every day. My legs can do the hills but I haven't yet been out for anything longer than 2 hours at a time. Next crispy clear weekend day, I'm going to have a crack at a three hour hilly ride then I'll see if I can stretch out to six hours or so.

 

[Tripster]

Toe overlap is only a problem if you ride a bike with too short a wheelbase. You do not get toe overlap with regular road-going machinery; in fact I believe the BS standard for bicycles actually prohibits toe overlap.
The bike getting covered with crap without mudguards is the least of the issues. The bigger one is when I go out for a ride I don't want to come back absolutely plastered in crap and have to do a load of clothes washing every time. I have enough regular work gear that needs washing anyway, without multiplying that just because some idiot bike designer decided being able to fit mudguards wasn't necessary. In the UK they are.
When I've spent time outside in the cold and wet the last thing I'm wanting to do is start washing down bikes, I'm more interested in going indoors and getting warm and dry.

Good for you. You sound miserable as hell as if everything is a pain and everyone else but you is stupid. I disagree about toe overlap. I have had a professional bike fit by Condor and multiple steel framed bikes and all to some degree with guards on had toe overlap. Without them I just cleared. I am ordering a new bike and everything geometry wise points to a 56 frame and a 58 will be too big. The wheelbase, top tube, etc etc is very close to my Genesis day one, in fact the wheelbase is shorter on the new bike amongst other things so I expect guards would cause toe overlap. Washing does not bother me as I have young children so spend alot of time cleaning dirty muddy clothes. If I was so desperate to get warm and dry and despise cleaning my bike or my clothes then I would find another hobby
Carry on been happy 👍

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Toe overlap is only a problem if you ride a bike with too short a wheelbase. You do not get toe overlap with regular road-going machinery; in fact I believe the BS standard for bicycles actually prohibits toe overlap.
The bike getting covered with crap without mudguards is the least of the issues. The bigger one is when I go out for a ride I don't want to come back absolutely plastered in crap and have to do a load of clothes washing every time. I have enough regular work gear that needs washing anyway, without multiplying that just because some idiot bike designer decided being able to fit mudguards wasn't necessary. In the UK they are.
When I've spent time outside in the cold and wet the last thing I'm wanting to do is start washing down bikes, I'm more interested in going indoors and getting warm and dry.

All my bikes have toe over lap, I don't remember ever having a bike without toe over lap, I'm a short arse and ride small framed bikes, its not a problem, though manoeuvring the fixed at low speed can be interesting.

 

[Tripster]

All my bikes have toe over lap, I don't remember ever having a bike without toe over lap, I'm a short arse and ride small framed bikes, its not a problem, though manoeuvring the fixed at low speed can be interesting.

Exactly, its common amongst alot of bikes. Modern frames may well be more compact but that doesnt mean its not a ‘proper’ frame as Skip jack whatever he is called said. Technology has moved on and advanced and I dont think frame builders are ‘idiots’ either. Definately know a thing or ten more than he does

 

[MichaelW2]

Personally I think all "bikes" should by default be general purpose, all weather machines of varying sportiness with options for more generous tyres and mudgyards with toe clip overlap. If you want a "race bike" for fitness, sport, club rides etc that should be a special type you have to seek out. Few of the riders on entry level race bikes will ever race and would be better served by a more general purpose machine.

The toe clip overlap is "only a problen when riding slowly" which is not an issue for sport and training but is an issue for shopping-laden commuters in heavy traffic and for newbie riders.
One cause of TCO is overly big wheels in smaller frames. There is only so much angle bodging you can do. I dont think that compact style frames are any more prone to TCO than trad race frames. TCO is a combination of short top tube, steep head angle and fork rake and not an issue of exposed seatpost.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Compact geometry frames are no worse than trad ones, and you're correct about geometry bodging on the smaller sized bikes with 700c frames. Some of them have horrendous combinations of angles, that are significantly different to their larger sizes.
It's perfectly avoidable though. You can always use ISO 590 or 597 rims on small frames rather than 622's, which is what manufacturers like Raleigh used to do. Tyre choice is still reasonable on 590s so it's a viable option. The other thing you can do is have longer top tubes and fit shorter stems on small 700c frames which mitigates the overlap problem, but keeps the overall reach similar. Then there's fork rake, which doesn't have to be ultra short and has to be chosen in relation to head angle anyway as they are interrelated.
Its just poor design ultimately, and driven by marketing. The vast majority of riders, and the road conditions they have to ride under, are never going to get all the potential performance out of the most racing oriented frames anyway, but the marketers use the racing specs to justify the pricing. Docile, long wheelbase bikes are perfectly capable of being ridden fast if that's what the rider wants to do on them.

 

[T4tomo]

Personally I think all "bikes" should by default be general purpose, all weather machines of varying sportiness with options for more generous tyres and mudgyards with toe clip overlap. If you want a "race bike" for fitness, sport, club rides etc that should be a special type you have to seek out. Few of the riders on entry level race bikes will ever race and would be better served by a more general purpose machine.

The toe clip overlap is "only a problen when riding slowly" which is not an issue for sport and training but is an issue for shopping-laden commuters in heavy traffic and for newbie riders.
One cause of TCO is overly big wheels in smaller frames. There is only so much angle bodging you can do. I dont think that compact style frames are any more prone to TCO than trad race frames. TCO is a combination of short top tube, steep head angle and fork rake and not an issue of exposed seatpost.

good job you don't work for a cycle company marketing department then, it would have gone bust

 

[straas]

I think I'm going to keep the Ribble 7005 and buy a turbo instead of a new winter bike.

The ribble is heavy and quite an unforgiving ride, but I think the turbo might give me more training options than a new bike alone.

 

[biggs682]

If i didn't already have a winter bike fleet the this would suit me


View: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/486694818954885/?ref=search&referral_code=undefined

 

[Tripster]

I think I'm going to keep the Ribble 7005 and buy a turbo instead of a new winter bike.

The ribble is heavy and quite an unforgiving ride, but I think the turbo might give me more training options than a new bike alone.

Just shy of 10 kilo’s the specs say. I always thought the 7005 was steel but seems not. Its maybe a kilo, few pounds heavy but really no mortal would ever tell the difference when its rolling. Loads of people use the 7005 as winter training bikes and rides. You could use the turbo and then on a decent crisp winter day take the Ribble for a ride. Some of the nicest days are Autumn and winter for me. Love that time of year.

 

[Tripster]

My winter steed is the same (Ribble Audax/winter frame).

I used to use clip on half mudguards, but they clogged up the brake calipers. Since retiring, haven't bothered with mudguards and run conti city contacts 28mm tyres. I notice the improvement in ride over the bumps.

99% of my rides are solo rides and being retired can choose the days I go out. I avoid really wet days and will be avoiding frosty days in the months ahead. I have a basic turbo, which I will bring out if we get extended bad weather, but for most times I just use the days in doors for rest/recovery/DIY days.

So my vote would be to get 28mm tyres, ditch the mudguards, only go out when it's dryish and forget the turbo.
Save the pennies for a summer bike upgrade.

Happy cycling

Im not retired but this is what I do in winter. Just purchased a new bike in steel but it will be ridden (when it arrives late Jan21) like Sharky says above. Just pick the days, of which I find a good few even when I am home short periods. Loads of guys on here with rim brakes who use them all year and can help with block choices, descending technique. I actually like the look of rim brake bikes more and the simplicity. Only reason my next bike is disc is because the company dont do a rim brake bike