Winter Cycling - 'Winter bike' - I don't get it, so please explain.

I usually only go out in the winter when it's dry, but this year I've really caught the bug, so I want to go ride through wind and rain and save the turbo trainer for when it's icy.

So excuse my ignorance, but please explain to me why anyone 'needs' a winter-specific bike.

Why can't I just use mudguards and budget wheels on my road bike? What going to happen to my bike(s) (Wilier Mortirolo and Bianchi Infinito - both carbon) if I ride them through the winter?

Thanks.

all the salt and sand here destroys the bearing, chain and gears in the winter. sometimes in the spring i see piles of salt and sand still in the middle of the road:notamused:

all the salt and sand here destroys the bearing, chain and gears in the winter. sometimes in the spring i see piles of salt and sand still in the middle of the road:notamused:

But don't you wash the bike down after every ride?

Add in freezing temperatures that could be as cold as -43C , snow, and ice and you might understand the need for a different ride for winter.

But don't you wash the bike down after every ride?
no. i don't have a garage or heated area where i could wash it it down plus it would be a ton of work if i had to wash it every time i took it out. during winter i just drive it like i stole it and rebuild it in the sping.

No, water won't evaporate... it freezes and then you're stuck with a mess. I don't wash the bicycle for months. Even if you wash it carefully you can watch the rust forming somedays!

But don't you wash the bike down after every ride?

In these types of winter climates, outside faucets and hoses will freeze up so they are usually taken out of service; there is nothing available to wash your bike down with. Even if you did have access to running water, it would freeze on the bike within minutes or even seconds, causing malfunctioning components.

Must be nice to not have to worry about that.:)

But don't you wash the bike down after every ride?

In the winter? Oh gawd no!

no. i don't have a garage or heated area where i could wash it it down plus it would be a ton of work if i had to wash it every time i took it out. during winter i just drive it like i stole it and rebuild it in the sping.

Plus you don't want to store the bike someplace warm. Big temperature changes, like going from a nice warm barn to a frigid commute, can cause strange and sometimes bad things to happen.

Bear in mind the OP is from the UK, and generally will not deal with our winter issues here in Canada, things like ... winter. Do they even use road salt in the UK? Occasionally they might see some snow flakes. If your winter is a general coolish drizzle then by all means fenders and grotty condition wheels, possibly some differing brake pads (Kool Salmons perhaps). You might have some drive train issues come spring, but nothing a couple parts can't take care of.

Never underestimate the protective qualities of a layer of filth and grease, but this is reserved for real winter riding. From the sounds of the OP's bike description, this won't happen. Winter carbon riding, anyone?

It's absolute tosh when people say riding in bad weather ruins your bike, I ride every week of the year(except for holidays and snow) on a carbon bike with decent wheels and 23mm tyres.
As long as you clean the bike and re lube the chain after each "dirty" ride you will have no problems at all. Personally I don't bother with mudguards, you and the bike are going to get wet and dirty with or without mudguards!
I think that there is nothing more invigorating that a good long ride in the rain.

Do you get that winter conditions vary by region? It doesn't sound like you need a winter bike, as you don't ride in a region where winter seriously alters road conditions. Some people want more wheel clearance to fit fenders and studded tires. Some people want a frame that doesn't rust in all the road salt, or one that they don't care whether it rusts. Some people like having a single-speed or IGH drivetrain so they don't have to deal with snow and ice packing into the cassette. Some people like having an excuse to own multiple bikes. Why do you have two? Would you like to have three?

Mind you, I don't have a winter bike. I just put studded tires on my sole bike and keep going. Since you plan on remaining a fair weather cyclist, not riding when it's icy, then winter tires probably won't do you any good. Just slap on some fenders and ride what you got, if that's what you want to do.

Plus you don't want to store the bike someplace warm. Big temperature changes, like going from a nice warm barn to a frigid commute, can cause strange and sometimes bad things to happen.

I store the bike in a garage. No heating. So I guess the temperature range is only going to be about 15 degrees max. I have a cousin in Tronno, so I know what you guys have to suffer.

We do have salt over here, but it's reassuring to hear from clx1, who's basically articulated what I kind of suspected.

I agree (GriddleCakes) - over here it seems more like an excuse to buy another bike rather than a necessity. In which case I think I need a singlespeed! ;)

It's absolute tosh when people say riding in bad weather ruins your bike, I ride every week of the year(except for holidays and snow) on a carbon bike with decent wheels and 23mm tyres.
As long as you clean the bike and re lube the chain after each "dirty" ride you will have no problems at all. Personally I don't bother with mudguards, you and the bike are going to get wet and dirty with or without mudguards!
I think that there is nothing more invigorating that a good long ride in the rain.

When that rain turns to snow, slush and ice, the temps drop down to well below 0C and roads accumulate a nice collection of salt, grit and crap, you'll trade in your "tosh" for "OMG you yanks are crazy!" :D

It's absolute tosh when people say riding in bad weather ruins your bike, I ride every week of the year(except for holidays and snow) on a carbon bike with decent wheels and 23mm tyres.
As long as you clean the bike and re lube the chain after each "dirty" ride you will have no problems at all. Personally I don't bother with mudguards, you and the bike are going to get wet and dirty with or without mudguards!
I think that there is nothing more invigorating that a good long ride in the rain.

See, no winter to speak of. Nothing to see here , move along :)

Is the temperature difference really a big deal? I live in an apartment with no outside storage (i guess unless i can sell my car and build a fortress in my parking spot) and there's no way in hell I'm leaving my baby out there for the bastards to steal or vandalize it... I was just figuring that I'd have to spray it down and lube it once a day...

Bike thefts drop off when it's colder than -30C.... :D

Few people experience winters as severe as ours, unless you are from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

For us it is about dealing with the cold as we don't have the same humidity and large snowfalls they get in the east but we still get our fair share of the white stuff.

Cold and wet is our spring and fall... and today.

Am riding a proper British 3 speed today that does not care a whit about the weather and keeps ticking along happily on it's hub gears.

Bike thefts drop off when it's colder than -30C.... :D

okay, it gets cold here, but rarely THAT cold. Lots of other things drop off long before -30C, including my interest in going outside, even for a minute.

Is the temperature difference really a big deal?

The only thing that I've noticed is that snow builds up on the frame and drivetrain faster and thicker when the bike is warm than when the bike is cold. I think this is because snow will melt when it comes in contact with a warm frame, then immediately freeze. If the bike is already below freezing, most of the snow will bounce off. This only lasts until the bike cools down, but if you're throwing a fair amount of snow then you can pack the cassette full within minutes and lose the ability to shift. I suppose that more snow and ice on the frame means you're hauling more weight, as well.


Bike thefts drop off when it's colder than -30C.... :D

"I swear I didn't mean to steal the bike, I was just checking it out and my hand froze to the frame! I was walking it to the nearest warm water source to thaw us apart, and then I was gonna bring it right back, I promise!"

It's 42C today with the humidity, and this thread had me looking forward to a nice winter snow ride.

Is the temperature difference really a big deal? I live in an apartment with no outside storage (i guess unless i can sell my car and build a fortress in my parking spot) and there's no way in hell I'm leaving my baby out there for the bastards to steal or vandalize it... I was just figuring that I'd have to spray it down and lube it once a day...
You could do what tsl does and bring your bike inside, hang it in the shower, hose it down, leave it to dry, and then reapply lube (or at least I assume he re-lubes it). Me... I'm happy to have my unheated garage and I'm hoping my new bike will require almost zero winter maintenance.

I bring mine to a heated garage @ where I can hose it down, and it drip dries in the house afterwards. Mucho lube is used over the course of the winter. In the messenger days we had a firehouse that would hose our bikes down to get all the salt and crap off.

You could do what tsl does and bring your bike inside, hang it in the shower, hose it down, leave it to dry, and then reapply lube (or at least I assume he re-lubes it).

:D

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/kit/hanging-in-bath-1.jpg

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/kit/hanging-in-bath-2.jpg

It's not so much that I'm a clean bike freak, but that the only place I have to store my bikes is the living room...
http://www.brucew.com/images/wordpress/2010/3-bikes-hangin-out-800.jpg
...and I do so dislike slush on the hardwood floor.

In any event, three years of winters on this bike with no adverse effects, other than expected chain wear.

Few people experience winters as severe as ours, unless you are from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The mixed blessing about Calgary is the chinook. It's wonderful when it melts the snow and drys out the roads, and you can ride your road bike in warm clothing and enjoy a sunny day. It sucks when all it does is turn the snow to ice before a re-freeze - the most fun you can have on two wheels

i would never want to clean my bike in the shower because i would not want to have to clean the mess it would make. the closest my bike gets to being washed is me parking it in a snowbank and the snow starting to melt.

i would never want to clean my bike in the shower because i would not want to have to clean the mess it would make.

What mess? The dirt off the bike runs down the drain just the same as the dirt, hair and whatever that comes off me. The only time you can tell I've washed a bike in the shower is when the shower already has a coating of soap scum and the dirt sticks to the soap scum.

Anyway, I have only one choice: Mop the slush off the living room floor, or rinse it down the shower drain. I'll choose shower drain, thanks.

We do have salt over here, but it's reassuring to hear from clx1, who's basically articulated what I kind of suspected.

Don't be reassured, he's mistaken. Salt is the killer but the crud from winter roads also gets ground into a fine paste that does very little good to your drivetrain, even here in the UK. If you really are conscientious enough to clean your bike thoroughly after every ride, the additional wear will be limited. Very few people are, however; especially not those of us who use a bike twice every working day to commute.


I agree (GriddleCakes) - over here it seems more like an excuse to buy another bike rather than a necessity. In which case I think I need a singlespeed! ;)This isn't a joke. A fixie/singlespeed is pretty much the ideal winter bike over here. Nothing in the way of expensive cassettes and derailleurs to chew up - and no need to use a rear brake, which even saves one of your rims!

The mixed blessing about Calgary is the chinook. It's wonderful when it melts the snow and drys out the roads, and you can ride your road bike in warm clothing and enjoy a sunny day. It sucks when all it does is turn the snow to ice before a re-freeze - the most fun you can have on two wheels

Very true. The melt/freeze cycle inevitably produces ice. I like to use studded tires to be safe.

This is directed for TSL............If you don't mind me asking.............What is the story behind all of those locks on your bikes?

To prevent a B&E runaway with all his bikes

I never thought about locking my bike up inside my house ............... until now.

I live in Indiana, but grew up in Wisconsin. I actually think I'd be better off winter commuting back in Wisconsin. At least they get the roads cleaned up pretty quickly. The ride from where I live, out into the country town I work in is going to be pretty brutal.

I'm going to try it with the Surly as is, but I imagine I'll end up with studded tires before long, and lusting after a bike with an IGH.

I never thought about locking my bike up inside my house ............... until now.

You should, most renters insurance or home insurance won't cover more than one bicycle - and not for very much at that either.

This is directed for TSL............If you don't mind me asking.............What is the story behind all of those locks on your bikes?

There are 46 units in my building. I don't get to pick my neighbors, or their deadbeat boyfriends. I don't get to pick who the landlord hires, or who his contractors hire.

The only time I had a bike stolen was from the locked storage bin (concrete block walls, solid wood door) in the locked basement of the locked building where I used to live. I had thought about locking that bike to a drain pipe in the storage bin, but figured that would be an early sign of paranoia. :rolleyes: Anyway, it was definitely an inside job. I suspect my neighbor, the landlord suspected the painters.

Who knows how many copies of the building key and my apartment key are out there, and how secure any of them are. The only locks I control are the bike locks. Thus, no bike is ever left home alone and unlocked.

I'm also car-free. So if my bikes are stolen, I'm SOL. Imagine if all your transport was stolen all at once…

Funny how no one ever asks why people hit the little lock and alarm button on their cars when they park in their own garage. But lock a bike inside, and it's question time. ;)

You should, most renters insurance or home insurance won't cover more than one bicycle - and not for very much at that either.

Depends on the country, province or state, and the company.

Here in New York State, all my bikes are covered at full replacement cost, with no extra rider or schedule on my insurance through Amica Mutual. My old insurance company, State Farm, covered all bikes to only $500, period--no riders or schedules available. My deductible was also $500, so essentially, the bikes were uninsured. Found that out the hard way, see post above.

:D

It's not so much that I'm a clean bike freak, but that the only place I have to store my bikes is the living room...
http://www.brucew.com/images/wordpress/2010/3-bikes-hangin-out-800.jpg
...and I do so dislike slush on the hardwood floor.


I love the living room

There are 46 units in my building. I don't get to pick my neighbors, or their deadbeat boyfriends. I don't get to pick who the landlord hires, or who his contractors hire.

Funny how no one ever asks why people hit the little lock and alarm button on their cars when they park in their own garage. But lock a bike inside, and it's question time. ;)

Hey TSL I agree with you 100%. I also live in a one bedroom highrise apt. Personal security is very important to me and I always keep my bikes locked up. I have three bikes . Whenever one of them gets used , the other two stay locked together. I have a little storage room inside my apt and I keep my bikes locked inside there, they all locked together to a solid object with a bunch of u locks and a chain.

I'm a UK resident, and either the original poster is just winding people up, or chester miraculously missed all the snow and ice last winter. OK, that was exceptional, but we did have weeks at a time of ice on the roads for most of the day. Normal winters in the north of england commonly present riders with black ice.

Road salt is heavily used here, mixed with grit. It wears out drivechains very quickly.

I didn't have a winter bike last winter, just used my normal road bike, at times riding on snow/ice for 25miles to work. One of the biggest problems was snow/ice build up on the tyres, jamming between tyre and frame. A winter bike with big frame clearances would have avoided that problem. This year I'm planning on having an old mtb ready with at least 2" clearances, Continental Top Contact Winter tyres (the ones with granules in the rubber) and a rear wheel with a fix cog one side, freewheel the other.

It's absolute tosh when people say riding in bad weather ruins your bike, I ride every week of the year(except for holidays and snow) on a carbon bike with decent wheels and 23mm tyres.

When I lived in Vancouver I rode about 1200 days straight on 23mm tires before I took a snow day.

23mm tires reduce riding months to about 5 on the prairie. See enclosed April weather:

someone say Winnipeg :D

someone say Winnipeg :D

I already did... gotta give those guys props for riding in the weather they have.

Am pondering going back to using a three speed as a winter bike... did that for a season and really liked the way the hub and gears were unaffected by the coldest of temperatures.

Having a really low gear for slogging through the snow is a good thing too.

:D

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/kit/hanging-in-bath-1.jpg

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/kit/hanging-in-bath-2.jpg

It's not so much that I'm a clean bike freak, but that the only place I have to store my bikes is the living room...
http://www.brucew.com/images/wordpress/2010/3-bikes-hangin-out-800.jpg
...and I do so dislike slush on the hardwood floor.

In any event, three years of winters on this bike with no adverse effects, other than expected chain wear.

Do you ride studs in the winter? Does that scratch up your shower at all? Your idea tempts me; my winter bike was totally thrashed after a winter of sand and salt in Minnesota.

I'm a UK resident, and either the original poster is just winding people up, or chester miraculously missed all the snow and ice last winter.

We normally do miss out on snow here - either Snowdonia gets it first, or the Pennines/Peaks - but we did get some this winter; the first real snow here since 1986 if memory serves me right.

I can see, if you really have to use your bike every day, the need for a bike with some tyre/mudguard clearance, but it's the recreational riders, on crappy old bikes that can't be much fun to ride, that make me wonder 'why?'

Anyway chaps, you've enlightened me... at least to the extent that I'm picking up my first 'winter' single-speed tomorrow! :)

Do you ride studs in the winter? Does that scratch up your shower at all?

Yes. No.

You'll notice in the first photo that the hook's backing plate keeps the tire off the wall. It gets scratched up a bit from sliding the bike sideways on to the hook. While the rear tire does directly contact the tile, I'm careful and don't let the bike swing back and forth, and when I need to spin the tire, I pull it back off the wall first.

We normally do miss out on snow here - either Snowdonia gets it first, or the Pennines/Peaks - but we did get some this winter; the first real snow here since 1986 if memory serves me right.

I can see, if you really have to use your bike every day, the need for a bike with some tyre/mudguard clearance, but it's the recreational riders, on crappy old bikes that can't be much fun to ride, that make me wonder 'why?'

Anyway chaps, you've enlightened me... at least to the extent that I'm picking up my first 'winter' single-speed tomorrow! :)
In the past 5 winters I lived 7 miles from a train station and 25 miles from work. The first 2.5miles was on a country road that had black ice at least 2 months of the year. I really really regretted not getting my act together and getting a bike sorted with studded tyres. One memorable morning I had 5 falls in the first 2 miles - and two more in the next 5. All I was trying to do was to get to the train station!
The grit and mud meant I went through 2 chains in winter alone.
If I'd sorted a fat tyre winter bike, I could have ridden 5 miles on frosted/snowy bridlepaths instead of an icy road. Oh, this is in Yorkshire, btw.

Winter bike = summer bike.

Just sayin'

ice is ice no matter how bad your winters are

Having a really low gear for slogging through the snow is a good thing too.

Speaking of which, I am converting my winter bike to single speed. My road bike has a 42t/16t combination which works well for me in summer with my terrain, but I would think I need to gear it lower for snow/ice. If I use a 42t chainring on the front, should I go 17 or 18 or even higher? Also I'll likely be using platforms not clipless for this bike. Any experience with this?

, so I want to go ride through wind and rain and save the turbo trainer for when it's icy.


Thanks.

Wow, that is just the opposite for me. With studded tires ice isn't a problem at all. However, wet windy freezing cold conditions are to be avoided and that is what i do. Even the road is less desirable when temps are above freezing. I much prefer a hard pack frozen surface to a slushy wet one. Regardless, back to the question at hand...do you need a "winter bike?" It appears that is ultimately up to you. I usually set up a couple different bikes for winter mainly because I have them configured differently. One has platform pedals with very aggressive studs while the other has clipless pedals with less agressive studs. Then i just ride my regular bike when road conditions don't require studs.