winter's coming

[marco polo]

winters on its way and im new to cycling and riding a camerra road bike will I have to change my tyres for the winter? I do not want to fall off
if I do where is the best place to get them on a low budget ?
Also will I need mudguards and will they fit my road bike?
what can you recomend again on a low budget

 

[fossyant]

No real need to change - i never have, although riding when icy isn't recommended - it might be cloudless, windless, but don't put the bike on the road unless you have gritted roads.... i've seen the dark side... (well been hit by the ice... 3 bad falls in a 20 mile commute (one at 30 mph down hill) - arrived at work a bit battered, clothing in tatters, mtb ok. Phone call a bit later, the boss had ridden a mile to the station, fell off at a junction, no speed, broken leg - then blood clot, off work for months. My advantage then, early twenties, compared to mid 40's - I bounced, he didn't. I'm late thirties now and have commitments.... ice stops me these days.

Best thing is maybe to get beefier tyres if you commute, as they will be more resistant to sudden deflation (no P words ere)

 

[Oldlegs]

What bike / tires do you have?

 

[PBancroft]

I'm hoping to cycle at least some of this winter. Most of my 12 mile route is on a main road, but a couple of miles is on a hilly country lane.

What do folk recommend? Keep to the longer (and hillier) main road, which is likely to be gritted?

Also what do experienced riders consider indispensable which they did not consider even needing when first started riding in winter?

 

[Ceedee]

Watch out for manhole covers, they are very slippery no matter what tyres you have. Also lines painted on the road can be a bit of a nightmare.

 

[neslon]

I commute every day from newcastle to cramlington, regardless of the weather and the most important winter accessory I find necessary is some way of stopping the end of my knob from freezing. GoreTex shorts under the tights did the job( -8 was the coldest, two years ago).

 

[domtyler]

If you live in a big city like London then it is possible to commute by bike all year round. I didn't miss a single day in the past twelve months, even when we had all that snow. It took me ages to get into work, about three times longer than normal, but the office was still empty when I got here!
The biggest challenge was the gale force winds we had for a couple of weeks, a nightmare coming in but being blown home was fantastic

 

[alecstilleyedye]

what carrera bike do you have? some of the more recent ones have mudguard brazings (little holes just above the wheel axels on the fork/frame) which will take a standard mudguard.

my virtuoso is a race frame so has not got these, but then i have an old hack for winter which has mudguards.

a cheap option can be fitting halfords own crud catcher style mtb guards. elegant they aint, but they do the job.

 

[Melvil]

Mudguards are pretty much obligatory in scotland - even in the summer! - for winter mudguards are a must, to stop your back and backside from being all cold and wet.

Winter tyres help, too, as they will resist more general crud etc than summer ones.

But other than that, sensible clothing, and a bit more cleaning of your bike, not much else is needed for winter.

 

[goo_mason]

Cycling through the winter last year, I found that crud-catchers are pretty useless. The rear does OK, but the front is poor and you get sprayed and soaked anyway.

I just accept that I'll get wet & mucky and I'm not really bothered - I have a hot shower and clean, dry clothes waiting at both ends of my route.

Just make sure you have good gloves to keep your hands warm, waterproof overshoes, a Buff and working lights - those, combined with my dHB bib-longs, ProBikeKit long-sleeved top and a Lidl cycling jacket did me just fine. I kept the same tyres (Schwalbe Marathonm Plus) on all year too.

 

[palinurus]

Also what do experienced riders consider indispensable which they did not consider even needing when first started riding in winter?

Cycling specs/eyeshields, whatever those are called. Keep the wind out.

A reliable, low maintenance, bike with (fairly fresh) puncture resistant tyres.

A gilet.

A very fast and effective transmission cleaning/lubing regime that takes < 5 minutes so you can do it before your hands go numb and still have a bit of time spare to wipe down the rims.

Something to keep the ears warm.

Spare lights and batteries (if needed), always, even if it's just a set of Backupz. Plus a really good front light if you use unlit roads. I struggled too long with not-quite-good enough gear in that respect.

 

[marco polo]

What bike / tires do you have?

hi,
only name I could find on tyres was - Innova are these any good

 

[marco polo]

bike is a carrera cyphon, 700 t6 road pro is this bike any good?
Also on the front forks it says [comp blade ]does this mean they are carbon fibre? excuse my ignorance but im new to bikeing and started just , to loose weight and get fit , so went into halfords and just liked it.
Yes it has eylets to crew mudguards on does this mean i can fit any full mudguards

 

[fossyant]

Sounds fine for commuting, just put some full mudguards on, and as said, try to stick to gritted roads when the temps drop - I've had some nasty falls on ice !

 

[johnr]

I've managed every day for the past 2 winters both on a hybrid. As a wimp, I do not subscribe to the just get thicker socks theories. I've got everything I can get my hands on.

Bike: yes to muguards; most big tyre makers have winter recommendations. I used specialized - but not on a road bike. Keep as clean as you can. Get a decent lube - I use purple extreme. The salt is vicious.

Weather: Harder. You need to balance wind, water and cold protection against comfort when exerting yourself. I've spent quite a lot on clothes, but when I started I got most of my cheap from Lidl, Aldi or Tchibo. Their stuff is more than adequate, and really cheap. You'll need base layers, shirts and a jacket. Aldi did some great trousers last winter with water resistant panels at the front. I use rainlegs - I found that waterproof trousers made me wet with sweat faster than the rain. But wet thighs are worse than uncomfortable! Most of the water comes up from the road rather than down from the sky, so get used to wet calves!

If you are going to spend a little bit of cash I'd go for some decent gloves and overshoes or waterproof socks. Before I got clip in pedals, I wore light walking boots which kept me dry. Toasty fingers and toes will make everything else seem bearable. If you're absolutely certain you're going to keep going all winter, a merino will base layer is worth it. They stay warm even when wet, wick sweat away from the body really well and don't smell! Howies have some in their sale at the moment for about £35.

Some sort of under-helmet protection against cold and water would be good. I use a buff until it gets really cold. I've got a Tchibo hat £3 which did the trick when it was really cold or pouring down. Buffs are great for covering exposed areas between top of shirt and head.

Safety: Decent lights so they can see you. I got a Foska bones jacket for Xmas my first year and on-coming traffic imediately slowed and dipped headlights. Even more dramatic was the effect of flashing reflective armbands from Aldi: at £2, the best buy I've made. The worst thing about winter commuting is idiots who drive towards you at full beam, so some glasses with a slight tint even at night are essential for me on country roads.

Enjoy!