Winter bikes do make sense!

[ed_o_brain]

Having seen the effect a short period of winter commuting can have on a tandem I'm a convert.

Even if you have an all year round bike, what do you ride whilst it's in bits having all the winter crud removed? I mean, there is only one way to clean a bike properly!

I see a good case for having winter/summer tandems B)

 

[hackbike 666]

Nope my bike keeps going till bits start falling off.B)

 

[mickle]

I agree. A failed attempt earlier this evening to equip my Speedy for a night-time commute (front lights... no. Rear mudgourd... no. Sigh) has convinced me that I definitely need two recumbent trikes.

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

I have always had at least two bikes, I have also found that if the winter bike is a basic cheaply one the winter seems to show less affect than it does on a light weight/more expensive bike. They seem very fragile in salty wet conditions.

 

[snakehips]

After the weather we have had recently I am beginning to come round to the same way of thinking

 

[andylaw79]

After the weather we have had recently I am beginning to come round to the same way of thinking

+1. I'm fed up of cleaning crap of the good bike every couple of days and I'm in the process of converting an old MTB frame that I had lying around at my parents to single speed.

 

[fossyant]

I've always had a winter bike - makes sence not wrecking the bling...although the old 'Winter' bike doesn't have guard clearance these days (on it's 3rd frame following RTA's)...so it's the MTB that's for winter, but it's not really a hack - old, but with XT and LX components - just keep them well lubed...

Currently waiting for cycle to work scheme, then I will get a commuter/winter road bike, with just one fixed gear - no mechs to keep in tip top condition.

 

[ChrisKH]

I bought a new commuter for winter use in September and asked on here if I should change the tyres for winter as they were slicks/semi-slicks. Got a few responses from people saying they commute on the same all the year round. Now wishing I had followed my intuition and bought a more hardy pair for this ice and snow we have been having.

 

[neslon]

I have all the bikes I have ever bought, except for the one that got squashed going round Marble Arch in 1978 (I was a very silly, pissed student and still have a mangled finger to show for it).
The Carlton tourer from 1981 is now a stripped down fixie, which I use through the winter, unless its really wet, in which case I use:
The Ridgeback hybrid from the early nineties, which has guards.

There is my road bike, which comes out when there is no salt anywhere.
And is a cheapo Revolution mountain bike, which I use mostly not for commuting. I thought it might break, but I think I will first.
Morale?
Horses for courses (and a wife who understands why one bike needs to live in the hall and one in the Kitchen)

 

[HLaB]

Its just the same commuting bike all year round for me but seeing the difference between my road bikes (summer & winter) I wish I had more room for a summer commuter.

 

[another_dave_b]

Nope my bike keeps going till bits start falling off.

Are you selling your old one on eBay?

 

[HLaB]

Are you selling your old one on eBay?

The handle bar grips look fine and there's still a few miles left in those tyres, it just needs a little oil and new tubes and it'll be good to go

 

[jimboalee]

Oh lucky Jim.

£10 cash-in-hand for a Halfords County 3 speed Sturmey gent's upright.

Liberally splattered with grease and furniture polish, it gets me in here come howling blizzard.

Look a complete nerd though, and an Apple Store draw-string bag round my neck finishes the job

 

[HJ]

This sounds a wee bit like the question "what is the ideal number of bikes to have" to which the standard answer is n+1....