Hi,
As a relatively recent convert to road cycling it has become gradually more and more apparent to me that my current commuting plan of cycling every day in good weather and taking the car whenever it's nasty out or rain is forecast is not likely to work through the winter. In short, since starting cycling again regularly in March I am totally hooked. I simply can't face the idea of taking weeks or months off daily cycling whilst waiting for Spring to arrive, as I had originally assumed I'd do. However, nor can I face the idea of dragging my lovely shiny road bike through rain, salt and slush...
So, I have just begun scouting about for a suitable winter bike option, but feel a bit lost as to the best way forward. My priorities are low-budget, durable and low maintenance. I would prefer something reasonably light and quick, ideally (though not essentially) with drop bars. It's very flat where I live, so perhaps gears are not essential, though I've never ridden single-speed/fixed and we do get a lot of strong winds so maybe ditching gears altogether would be a mistake? I want guards but don't need panniers. Strong wheels for the bad roads and tyres with decent grip in all weathers and as much puncture protection as possible are also high on my agenda.
Initially I was looking at getting a 'proper' commuting bike with hub gears, but further research has made me wary. Then I was looking at fixed gear options, which I am still keen on but aware that I know next to nothing about fixies so might not enjoy riding one, especially in the wind, as I know some people don't get on with them at all. The third viable option seems to be CX, which ticks most of my boxes except the low-maintenance - I was angling at saving up for a CX bike for next year anyway, but can't afford the kind of CX I'd really like in time for this winter. And to splash out a lot of money on a CX that I'll feel just as attached to and which will require just as much maintenance as my current roadie seems to defeat the object somewhat.
I'll see if I can find links to some of the things I've been looking at to give a better idea of where my thinking is at. Sorry for the long post, would really appreciate any advice from others who ride through the winter on what works best for them.
Cheers, Steve.
As a relatively recent convert to road cycling it has become gradually more and more apparent to me that my current commuting plan of cycling every day in good weather and taking the car whenever it's nasty out or rain is forecast is not likely to work through the winter. In short, since starting cycling again regularly in March I am totally hooked. I simply can't face the idea of taking weeks or months off daily cycling whilst waiting for Spring to arrive, as I had originally assumed I'd do. However, nor can I face the idea of dragging my lovely shiny road bike through rain, salt and slush...
So, I have just begun scouting about for a suitable winter bike option, but feel a bit lost as to the best way forward. My priorities are low-budget, durable and low maintenance. I would prefer something reasonably light and quick, ideally (though not essentially) with drop bars. It's very flat where I live, so perhaps gears are not essential, though I've never ridden single-speed/fixed and we do get a lot of strong winds so maybe ditching gears altogether would be a mistake? I want guards but don't need panniers. Strong wheels for the bad roads and tyres with decent grip in all weathers and as much puncture protection as possible are also high on my agenda.
Initially I was looking at getting a 'proper' commuting bike with hub gears, but further research has made me wary. Then I was looking at fixed gear options, which I am still keen on but aware that I know next to nothing about fixies so might not enjoy riding one, especially in the wind, as I know some people don't get on with them at all. The third viable option seems to be CX, which ticks most of my boxes except the low-maintenance - I was angling at saving up for a CX bike for next year anyway, but can't afford the kind of CX I'd really like in time for this winter. And to splash out a lot of money on a CX that I'll feel just as attached to and which will require just as much maintenance as my current roadie seems to defeat the object somewhat.
I'll see if I can find links to some of the things I've been looking at to give a better idea of where my thinking is at. Sorry for the long post, would really appreciate any advice from others who ride through the winter on what works best for them.
Cheers, Steve.
