No idea what to do about a winter bike

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
OP
OP
straas

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
I've taken the ribble out recently and the braking isn't as bad as I remember. I think the issue might have been lack of cleaning because it was my 2x a day commuter and I left and arrived home in the dark, so not much scope to clean during the week.

Just dropped £699 on the wahoo kickr core, 30 day return so if I hate it, it can go back. But it's increasingly looking like a good option as long as I can use it whilst the baby's asleep...
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
That's true, but they don't grit all roads and it's not every day that they drop grit.

A bit of a clean and a drop of oil should negate that.

I can't see why winter cycling would do more damage to a bike than summer cycling?

Cost of the last service on the summer bike- which only gets ridden in the dry: £120 for a full strip and rebuild, including new gear/brake cables and outers, new brake pads, and new bar tape. All bearings were checked and regreased. It didn't need it (except maybe the bar tape, but the cost of the service included new everything), but I do a lot of miles, especially in the summer. At the time of rebuild, the bike was 2 years old and had done about 8,500 miles.
Cost of the last service on my winter bike- which mainly gets ridden in the wet, winter months and gets taken away on holiday- £200. It wasn't a full strip and rebuild, just a general service which is normally £65. It needed a new disc rotor, jockey wheels, headset, new gear cables, and brake pads (I knew they needed replacing, but as it was headed in for a service, it was easier). Bike was just shy of 2 years old, and had done roughly 5000 miles.
I take good care of my bikes, but the wet weather, and salt/grit will do a number on consumables.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
In the old days we ran fixed-wheel bikes with mudguards for the winter, cheap, simple, weatherproof.
No need for Discs IMO, rim brakes have worked well enough for years, just use soft pads on the front.
Use a larger diameter more p*ncture proof tyre possibly with tread.
If I was still commuting I'd spend money on a decent dynohub and lighting rather than discs and any fancy running gear.
 
In the old days we ran fixed-wheel bikes with mudguards for the winter, cheap, simple, weatherproof.
No need for Discs IMO, rim brakes have worked well enough for years, just use soft pads on the front.
Use a larger diameter more p*ncture proof tyre possibly with tread.
If I was still commuting I'd spend money on a decent dynohub and lighting rather than discs and any fancy running gear.

My Genesis Day One will be my winter ride on road as new bike not arriving till next year
 
OP
OP
straas

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
Oooooooo
1605626329924.png
 
OP
OP
straas

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
I'd never really thought about a trainer before, but it makes perfect sense for my situation now. Got a quick 30 mins in last night as the wife was putting the baby down. Felt like more of a workout than 1.5 hours of thrashing myself on the road!

Trying a ramp test at lunchtime today.

Think a trip to screwfix for that big floor fan is in order.
 
I'd never really thought about a trainer before, but it makes perfect sense for my situation now. Got a quick 30 mins in last night as the wife was putting the baby down. Felt like more of a workout than 1.5 hours of thrashing myself on the road!

Trying a ramp test at lunchtime today.

Think a trip to screwfix for that big floor fan is in order.
My wife has a Concept2 rower and though I said I would never use it, I find myself sneaking a go of an evening in the garage. Addictive in winter these ergo thingies😁
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Someone will be along soon to tell you it's not real cycling

It's not real cycling, it's gym exercise. You don't actually go anywhere either, so trying to add turbo "miles" to your actual real miles on the road is cheating. Not saying trainers are of no value, but let's stop pretending that sitting in your garage on a spin bike is the same thing as going out for a ride. It isn't the same thing at all.
 

Chap sur le velo

Über Member
Location
@acknee
Interesting discussion but as a newbie some things aren't entirely clear.

Are some choosing wider tyres (where possible) for winter rides? Safer?

Some are hinting they think accidents and damage to their bike is more likely in winter. Any evidence of this?

Rivers in an excellent post above, gives some real costs of extra wear and tear. Surprised this didn't get more discussion. However running two bikes doesn't seem more economical than one, even if replacement parts for best bike cost more?

Any other reasons for having a second bike?
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Interesting discussion but as a newbie some things aren't entirely clear.

Are some choosing wider tyres (where possible) for winter rides? Safer?

Some are hinting they think accidents and damage to their bike is more likely in winter. Any evidence of this?

Rivers in an excellent post above, gives some real costs of extra wear and tear. Surprised this didn't get more discussion. However running two bikes doesn't seem more economical than one, even if replacement parts for best bike cost more?

Any other reasons for having a second bike?

Ok, let's break down some of the points you're making:-

Tyres. Some cyclists are really obsessed by speed and achieving an absolutely minimal bike weight. Tyres are one area where there are some weight savings and arguably a very marginal aerodynamic advantage to running narrow tyres. Such cyclists often run the narrowest tyres they can tolerate the ride quality from, on their best "summer bike"
They typically won't ride their "best" bike in winter, so they will run a cheaper, slightly heavier one. No-one is as fast in winter as in summer anyway, so they will fit wider and more sturdy tyres they would not use in summer.

Accidents- More riders come to grief in the autumn and winter. Adverse weather, wet roads, mud on roads from farm machinery, slippery leaves, black ice, shorter daylight hours. Crashes are more likely so the logic is it's better to crash a cheaper bike rather than an expensive one.

Multiple bikes:- The running costs of high end bikes can be surprisingly large, because of the price of wearing parts. Some riders will tolerate this all year round, others won't or just can't afford it. The price ratio between the cheapest and most expensive chains, freewheels, cassettes etc can be a factor of ten, and if you do a lot of miles that equates to a significant amount of money over time. Road salt can make a horrible mess of alloy parts and paintwork unless you are meticulous about cleaning. it's much much easier to just knock about over winter on an old beater bike you don't care about, that's fitted with low-end, cheap to replace mechanicals.
Another couple of reasons to have two or more bikes (or two of anything else0 - it gives you a fallback if one machine is out of action, and by having more than one you can optimise them for different uses. If you run secondhand rather than new bikes, then having multiple machines for different uses can work out no more expensive than having just one bike bought new.
 
OP
OP
straas

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
It's more of a luxury than a complete necessity - although inability to install full mudguards might decrease your pool of available riding partners in winter.

"Best bike" might have nice wheels, decent groupset kept in good order and look nice.

"winter bike" generally has wider tyres, heavier but sturdier wheels, full mudguards (with rear flap nearly touching the floor) ideally cheaper components.

If you've spent £500 + for a pair of wheels, you don't want to grind the rims down in one winter season, and conversely it's nicer to not be lugging a heavier bike up climbs in the summer months.
 
Top Bottom