Well its that time of year again....

[kevin_cambs_uk]

The mountain torture bike (MTB) is out, after it having a lovely 6 months off, its off the rack and now ready for the winter. Its immaculate ! its a shame it has to go thru winter, 3 months of hammer, but come March it gets all the bits replaced and then back on the shelf.

Yesterday and today the road bike has been taken apart, new tyres, new cables, new chain, cassette, rim tapes, jockey wheels, brake blocks, all ready to be fitted once its been completely cleaned. After the last 2 months of the Guided bus way I have never seen some much grit and crap.

So the frame is done, the wheels are done, just the components and then back together where it will hang in the garage until March.

So that's it, 3 months of hell, not including the weather which I am so fond of!!!

Roll on spring and dry roads, warm temperatures, daylight there and back from work, lie in's before going to work, less clothing, shorts on!

 

[HLaB]

The fixie stayed out last year for me last year, amazingly it hasn't fallen apart yet !

 

[downfader]

I tend to use a CX bike with 35s on the wheels. Theres been muck on our roads since 2011 oddly enough. A lot of the routes dont get cleaned all that often thesedays

 

[DCLane]

I run the Raleigh Airlite road bike all year round, resorting to either the 'bad weather' road bike or MTB when I have to.

Leeds City Council don't seem to have cleaned their roads at all this year - leaving the rain to do it for them

 

[steveindenmark]

My road bike, Koga World Traveller and alu Kickbike are cleaned, serviced and wrapped up for the Winter. I will use my Enduro Electric bike from now on but my steel Kickbike will get the most use during the Winter.

No gears or chain to worry about and much easier to control when the snow and ice gets here.





Steve

 

[Moodyman]

If you have to put your bike away for winter, it would suggest you haven't got the right bike for the job.

I use my 'hybrids' year round for commuting - disc brakes and wider tyres are brill. The road bikes are used for longer sunny jaunts in the quiet lanes. My commute is hilly with lots of stop/starts so it would eat the road bike rims every year.

 

[steveindenmark]

Moodyman, I like to ride different bikes and can afford to have 8 nice bikes.

If I had to stick with just one I think it would be my Koga World Traveller 29. But it is not quite the same as an ICE trike or a Bachetta Giro 26. I can use a few of my bikes all the year round but I choose not to. When Spring comes I just pull out a bike that looks like new. There is very little to sort out on the Kickbike and I can sort the electric bike out during the summer at my leisure. I can probably ride my Kickbike when you would find it almost impossible to ride your hybrid.

It was not the wrong choice it was just my choice.

Steve

 

[fossyant]

I don't put my bikes away. Commute all year round on the 23mm tyred fixed. When it's icy, out comes the MTB. Yeh it's harder work, but I try and take it off road instead. Can't complain about winter, there are some lovely mornings to be had.

 

[steveindenmark]

I don't put my bikes away. Commute all year round on the 23mm tyred fixed. When it's icy, out comes the MTB. Yeh it's harder work, but I try and take it off road instead. Can't complain about winter, there are some lovely mornings to be had.

I love it when it is cold and sunny in Winter. I soon manage to get warm. Being on the Kickbike means I can bail out really easily and if I go down, I dont have far to fall. Coming off a DF in snow and ice can really hurt.

Steve

 

[fossyant]

I love it when it is cold and sunny in Winter. I soon manage to get warm. Being on the Kickbike means I can bail out really easily and if I go down, I dont have far to fall. Coming off a DF in snow and ice can really hurt.

Steve

How far do you get on the 'kick bike' ?

 

[steveindenmark]

How far do you get on the 'kick bike' ?

If the roads I dry I quite often go to work on it. It is about 40 km round trip.

Steve

 

[fossyant]

If the roads I dry I quite often go to work on it. It is about 40 km round trip.

Steve

Blimey, on a 'big kids' scooter ! Gulp. How long does that take ?

 

[steveindenmark]

It always makes me smile when I talk to people from the Uk about the Kickbike/ Scooter or whatever you want to call it. The Kickbike is totally alien in the UK and nobody knows anything about them, yet all over the rest of Europe, Australia and the USA there is a thriving Kickbike scene.

Early on this year a group of Kickbikers rode the Tour de France route. They rode exactly the same legs as the Tour, but were a day ahead of them. One of the guys who did the Tour was Alpo Kuusisto. Alpo has also completer P-B-P well within the 90 hours and ridden across the USA. There is a busy European Championships Series and the World Championships is in Czechoslovakia next year.

Someone is missing out on a business opportunity in the UK. But there is a supplier in London now.

It takes me about an hour to get to work, but I set off at 4.30am so it is pitch black and I have a couple of steep hills to get up.

Steve

 

[Twelve Spokes]

The fixie stayed out last year for me last year, amazingly it hasn't fallen apart yet !

Ahh the fixie.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Some interesting replies, this will be my 5th winter by bike. The first 2 were by road bike and the last 3 by MTB. I did the whole winter by road bike thing, and to be honest it was a bit scary at times, cycling when the snow was on the roads, the small tyres didn't seem planted on the road enough for me, but each to their own.

I remember having to cycle so much more out in the road to avoid the cycle lanes which were full of snow, slush and ice. To me it felt more dangerous.

Then the bus way opened, 12 miles of car free tarmac. When it snowed it just stayed there. So I got myself a Trek 6500 MTB, some spiked winter tyres and never looked back. At over 6 inches of snow last year, the road bike would have never got thru, but on the MTB it was brilliant. There is a section near the windmill which is over 500 yards which is enclosed in a gulley, one day last year it was all ice, on the spiked tyres it was fine, and on the road bike I would be shitting it! I have had broken bones before, it hurts!

So that’s why I change. I tend to think of my Trek 5200 road bike as a bit of a Ferrari, and the MTB as a Land Rover. Also the grit and sludge just gets worse as the months into winter draw on, and my road bike is not designed for anything other than speed!, so to conserver the components, its gets it strip down etc and the put away for winter. You should see me with the car!

As for today well on the MTB, nowhere near as bad as I remember it, forgotten how high the riding position is and how responsive the steering and hydraulic disc brakes are!. Change of tyres as well, no longer on slick Gatorskins, but some Schwalbe things, it will be interesting to see how they last the winter, because the Gators did get a few punctures, more than on the road bike.

One thing I do know is that mud guards are just brilliant! I forgot just how good they are

Overall its okay, look forward to spring!