Mountain Biking - winterize my mtb

So for my P.2 to be winterized what should i do.

get new tires (slicks)

get new tires (slicks)

its a poll,

edit: just kidding, i realized i have to either hit view results or actually vote in the poll to see the results sorry

How would a rigid fork or going single speed help in the winter?

How would a rigid fork or going single speed help in the winter?

or slick tires....?

well if the cold is going to affect how well my suspension works why would i want suspension when its below freezing, my old suspension would compress about 3/4 of the way and then stay there. with single speed there are less moving parts to freeze up, and i can replace parts like chains for a lot cheaper than a cassette or a derailluer. By the way my bike has horizontal dropouts so no tensionner necessary.

i said suggest a tire not suggest a slick tire. I think slick tires would be terrible

with all these suggestions maybe i should put on a paddle wheel and ski up front and have myself a snow bike.

Suspension forks and cold weather aren't a good combo due to lowered oil viscosity and frozen seals.


Which forks in particular have you had problems with that did not exist at warm temperatures?

hey! see my post "attention canadians"!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=346910

None of the above. Buy warm gloves.

Liberally coat everything short of the braking surfaces with WD-40 and keep riding.

Maybe you should just not ride your bike in the winter since you are so afraid of hurting it.

Liberally coat everything short of the braking surfaces with WD-40 and keep riding.

HORRIBLE SUGGESTION

if you want to get near this idea then please use lube not SOLVENT

HORRIBLE SUGGESTION

if you want to get near this idea then please use lube not SOLVENT

I'll second that.

Drain the water bottle or put RV anti-freeze in it; pack the bottom bracket in cosmoline; dismount the tires and sprinkle talcum inside and remount; fill the tubes with fresh, dehumidified air; take off the chain and put it in a zip-lock bag with cosmoline; change your brake fluid with DOT4 LMA and run graphite lock lubricant down inside your cable housings. That should button it up for winter.

Rigid fork, SS, spiked tires for ice [Nokian or Schwalbe], lots of Phil Wood Tenacious Oil on the chain, 30 psi in the tires, the aforementioned warm gloves, ear/face protection, nice pot of chili for when you get home.

Maybe you should just not ride your bike in the winter since you are so afraid of hurting it.

im not afraid of hurting it. Theres almost no point of riding a mountain bike, because the good trails close in october, if you go in the park rangers will scream at you, and escort you out. The bad trails aren't worth riding, and im not exagerating i would rather not ride my bike than ride these trails.

Buy a new(to you) bike specific for winter use. Everybody my age does it, it's the coolest!

HORRIBLE SUGGESTION

if you want to get near this idea then please use lube not SOLVENT


What surfaces or materials are OK to use WD-40 on?
WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40.

Living in the infamous Northeast Rust Belt for nearly all my adult life, and having had years of positive experience doing just as I suggested, I would say that my advice is justifiable, YMMV. :)

What surfaces or materials are OK to use WD-40 on?
WD-40 can be used on just about everything. It is safe for metal, rubber, wood and plastic. WD-40 can be applied to painted metal surfaces without harming the paint. Polycarbonate and clear polystyrene plastic are among the few surfaces on which to avoid using a petroleum-based product like WD-40.

Living in the infamous Northeast Rust Belt for nearly all my adult life, and having had years of positive experience doing just as I suggested, I would say that my advice is justifiable, YMMV. :)

Are you serious?

Are you serious?

Yes.

Please tell me about your real world experience and how horrible it was. Did your paint dissolve? Did all your stickers melt? Did the welds fail on your frame?

All I've ever noticed is that my bike is easier to clean when I get home, and doesn't develop corrosion in relatively corrosive (salty slush) conditions. Unfortunately, this is some sort of anomoly centered around my immediate person, and will not prove to be the case for anyone else.

I therefore retract my previous suggestion as completely ludicrous and apologize that my empirical evidence lacks validity.

Yes.

Please tell me about your real world experience and how horrible it was. Did your paint dissolve? Did all your stickers melt? Did the welds fail on your frame?

All I've ever noticed is that my bike is easier to clean when I get home, and doesn't develop corrosion in relatively corrosive (salty slush) conditions. Unfortunately, this is some sort of anomoly centered around my immediate person, and will not prove to be the case for anyone else.

I therefore retract my previous suggestion as completely ludicrous and apologize that my empirical evidence lacks validity.

i like the way you handled this situation

Get some studded tires and really warm gloves. Maybe a scarf. A rigid fork doesn't sound bad, but I'd want suspension for any large clumps of ice hiding under the snow.

Yes.

Please tell me about your real world experience and how horrible it was. Did your paint dissolve? Did all your stickers melt? Did the welds fail on your frame?

All I've ever noticed is that my bike is easier to clean when I get home, and doesn't develop corrosion in relatively corrosive (salty slush) conditions. Unfortunately, this is some sort of anomoly centered around my immediate person, and will not prove to be the case for anyone else.

I therefore retract my previous suggestion as completely ludicrous and apologize that my empirical evidence lacks validity.

I'm not saying that I have actually had experience with using wd-40, nor am I totally ridiculing your claim. I have had no experience with wd-40, but that is due to the (seemingly) overwhelming opinion that wd-40 is not suitable for cleaning a bike. Your claims simply surprised me. But I still wonder how a whole community of people can be wrong.

sticky rubber tires. if on ice, maybe a studded tire, at least on the front.

if it's cold enough where it's slowing up your shock(s) you can speed up your rebound (if you don't already have it full fast) and back off on some compression damping (if not already backed off fully, and if adjustable on whatever you have) for forks, you could also run some lighter viscosity oil.

i've ridden plenty of times into the single digits, and never had any issues with my shock/fork performance.

i have a dj 3 and never use any of the rebound or air assist stuff

I never recomended the WD-40 for cleaning, but for use as a protective layer to deter salty water from contacting the bike's frame and hardparts to prevent corrosion, and to prevent ice build-up, my two major concerns regarding winter bicycling. Almost every piece of seasonal (corrosion-prone) equipment I own gets the same treatment at the beginning and end of the season; snowblower, garden tools, saws, lawnmower deck, et al. This is common practice among people here.

The main purpose of the stuff is to displace water, and it is safe to use on painted surfaces.

I have used it with positive results, year after year.

Perhaps the "whole community" can discuss the differences among anecdotal, theoretical, and empirical.

no wd-40 is touching my bike

no wd-40 is touching my bike

I hear it voids your warranty. :rolleyes:

I hear it voids your warranty. :rolleyes:

The only time i use wd-40 is when i am working in our schools theater

It's stuff like


I never recomended the WD-40 for cleaning, but for use as a protective layer to deter salty water from contacting the bike's frame and hardparts to prevent corrosion, and to prevent ice build-up, my two major concerns regarding winter bicycling. Almost every piece of seasonal (corrosion-prone) equipment I own gets the same treatment at the beginning and end of the season; snowblower, garden tools, saws, lawnmower deck, et al. This is common practice among people here.

The main purpose of the stuff is to displace water, and it is safe to use on painted surfaces.

I have used it with positive results, year after year.

Perhaps the "whole community" can discuss the differences among anecdotal, theoretical, and empirical.

in contrast w/



no wd-40 is touching my bike


that causes confusion

what i meant and what i said were too different things. I meant to say that i will not apply WD-40 to any part of my bicycle

My only gripe is that no one offered any logical reasoning other than "I heard it's a bad idea," or "it's a solvent," almost all liquids are to some extent. I rode my bike through a large puddle of universal solvent yesterday, and it seems to have fared quite well.

If it doesn't harm the paint or peel the stickers, what is the concern? Sub atomic dissonance?

I don't sell the stuff, I was simply attempting to share my positive experience. My one-in-a-million fluke of a positive experience with a product performing as advertised when used in a manner consistent with its labeling.

My only gripe is that no one offered any logical reasoning

If you want to stick around, you'll have to get used to it.

WD is perfect for the use you describe, for the reasons you've given.

The consensus of this forum (if I may be so bold) is that it's not the best chain lube. I believe that to be the source of the other posters' confusion/derision/fear.

If you want to stick around, you'll have to get used to it.



I'm used to it, as this phenomenon is not limited to internet forums.

It's not even a concern, I just become dismayed when my advice (tempered with actual experience) is deemed and seconded "horrible," but no one offers any valid contradictory claims.

Next time I post, I'll phrase it along the lines of "I have successfully done this, but I am only one person and make no guarantees."

i'd rather use a synthetic lube on the rest of my bike, like the parktools stuff.

the thick stuff makes me feel more comfortable, than the liquid when it comes to how well it is lubed. I also like the fact that it is green, and that i can see where it is and where it needs to be spread too.

i'd rather use a synthetic lube on the rest of my bike, like the parktools stuff.

the thick stuff makes me feel more comfortable, than the liquid when it comes to how well it is lubed. I also like the fact that it is green, and that i can see where it is and where it needs to be spread too.

Do you even understand what paul was suggesting you do with the WD40?

Do you even understand what paul was suggesting you do with the WD40?

i looked bake at his previous posts, and he is suggesting that i use wd-40 to prevent my bike from rusting. Which is not really a concern of mine. It is not hard to dry and relube your chain after a nasty ride. I have a stockpile of unused drivetrain components to replace them with anyway, because by the time they are rusted they will probably need to be replaced because of wear and tear.

i looked bake at his previous posts, and he is suggesting that i use wd-40 to prevent my bike from rusting. Which is not really a concern of mine. It is not hard to dry and relube your chain after a nasty ride. I have a stockpile of unused drivetrain components to replace them with anyway, because by the time they are rusted they will probably need to be replaced because of wear and tear.

Have you ridden in the winter in your area to know how fast things will seize up/corrode/rust?

i have never really had a problem with corrosion, and slightly rusted chains are easy to fix.

i have never really had a problem with corrosion, and slightly rusted chains are easy to fix.

There's more to a bike than just a chain.

i know that.
okay then. what do you suggest i do

Winterize a MTB......Southern Comfort in the water bottle.... knocks off the chill.

i don't drink