doug59

I just purchased a new CF road bike (Trek Domane 4.3), which I'm going to pick up tomorrow. My current bike is a Trek 7.3 Hybrid. A friend of mine suggested I save the Hybrid for raining days or when the roads and trails are still wet and use the new road bike for dry days. What do you folks do? Ride your nice bike whenever ? Or do you use and older bike for wet road days and the nicer bike when the roads are dry? I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the old bike because I live in a condo and space is an issue too. Not sure what to do. But the difference in cost of these bikes has me wondering.

A follow question is.... do you wipe your road bikes down after each ride? If so, any products you recommend for bike care and cleaning?

Thanks in advance !!!!

Nachoman

I have a back up bike that I use for rain rides, hooking up to the trainer, and when my primary road bike is in the shop. But it's not a hybrid. It's a road bike.
If I end up riding my road bike in the rain I'll wipe it down after each ride. My back up bike, not so much.

HardyWeinberg

Right now my 'good' bike has a new chain and cassette, w/ new-from-the-factory grease on the chain (the highest state of being as far as I am concerned). I am scrupulously keeping that dry and riding my winter commuter when it's wet out. At some point the fresh lube on that chain will wear out and I will need to do some maintenance on the drive train, and at that point I will start to pay less attention to conditions before choosing a bike.

I don't clean my bikes ever*. I do maintain them which for me means doing whatever it takes to keep the drivetrain from squeaking.




*maybe I should...

hyhuu

One bike. I like simplicity. I wipe down the bike after the rain so it doesn't drip inside.

Fly2High

I would wonder how many wipe down their bikes that do not store them inside. If they are garage or shed stored, do they still wipe them down.

Wiping them down might be done because they do not want to get their home wet/dirty

Hypno Toad

I have a good catalog of bikes, the only one that is a 'dry' bike is the classic (Mondonico) and there's no real reason for it except I like to see it clean. I ride my Felt in the rain and wet all the time. I don't clean it after every ride, I have a cleaning schedule for all the bikes in my house, generally once every 6-8 weeks (depending on the miles). I like to use Dawn soap for the frame and wheels and I use Park Tools chain cleaning system for the drive-train.

All bikes can handle the rain (or should be able to), it makes them messy, but soap and water will take care of that. And you can ride a messy bike, just make sure to add chain lube after rainy rides.

mcours2006

It it doesn't have fenders then I wouldn't ride it in the rain. Two of my bikes have fenders. I ride those in the rain. If I am caught in the rain without fenders then so be it. Wipe it down after the ride is done. But I always check the forecast before heading out every morning.

Dan333SP

I only have one bike, so I ride it rain or shine, but if it's really a deluge and I need to ride I'll do it on a trainer. I've been out in tropical downpours for hours at a time before and the bike hasn't suffered any ill effects. If you do end up in that sort of situation, one thing I've done is pull the seat tube out, flip the bike, and let it drain. A lot of water ends up trapped in the frame sometimes and this probably isn't good for your BB and such. I've also had to deflate my tires to get water out of my rims, but that may just be a side effect of relatively crappy wheels.

I also always clean my chain with a chain cleaning tool after rain rides and then re-lube it. I'll do that once a week or so even in the dry, and I wipe the whole thing down with soapy water/towels maybe every month or so, mainly so I can inspect it and make sure I don't have any big dings or anything to worry about.

RR3

Rain happens. If I start a long ride in pouring rain, I take my Cross bike with fenders and wash it down afterwards and most importantly address the chain. If I get drenched on a ride with one of the other bikes, same routine.

pdedes

i left sks raceblade fenders on one of my road bikes so it sees all the crappy weather. the other three road bikes see alternating duty in the nicer weather.

Jeremy_S

My toys are meticulously cleaned after use period. I do it with both my road and mountain bike. I've done it all my life with race cars, drag bikes, boats, truck, I like my toys that I pay good money for to look nice. Even my golf clubs are scrubbed after every round.

Some people (my wife) have no issue with bikes/cars being dirty as long as they are mechanically sound, it drives me completely insane but that doesn't stop me from riding in rain or anything else, just takes a bit longer to clean.

corrado33

I don't ride my "good" bike in the rain. I ride my commuter with fenders in the rain. If I absolutely HAD to go on a road ride in the rain for some reason or another, I'd take my commuter. (Which is really just a road bike with fenders on it.)

TobinH

I keep my race bike out of the rain. I don't care about wearing out the drive train or keeping it clean, but wearing out rims gets old and it doesn't take fenders easily.

obed7

If it is going to be really nasty, I do my rollers...
if it has been nasty, I ride my crossbike...
other times I ride my propel or my domane depending on the ride.
If i want to be "cool" I ride my retro aerocomp.

rumrunn6

sadly, I no longer ride in the rain since I stopped commuting. but when traveling/camping with the family I bring one of my older bikes. if we stay at a house, then I bring the better newer bike

Bandera

My Winter/Wet bike with full fenders is getting all the use in this unusually wet Spring while the CF machine hangs on a hook.
Keeping the toxic road spray mixture of petro, pesticides and dog-doo from being flung upon one's self and kit is a good idea.

A hybrid w/ full fenders is a very useful town bike, a brief wipe-off and a chain kept lubed is all that's required.

-Bandera

Blue Belly

Sell the hybrid & build up a decent(not expensive)aluminum road bike for bad weather days. A cyclocross bike isn't a bad idea, if you are dealing with really Nasty conditions or want a good non road day option. Stacking 2 bikes doesn't take that much space if you are creative

MileHighMark

I don't like starting a ride in heavy rain, but if the forecast is calling for rain, I'll grab my fendered good-bike. Said bike also has disc brakes, so cleaning is a lot easier/quicker due to the lack of brake pad residue.



Cleaning a dirty bike is a lot easier when you have the correct supplies. Dawn dish soap works great, and is the choice of many pro/race mechanics. Check out the YouTube videos on how the pros wash a bike, and you can get a bike cleaned/dried/lubed in short order. If you have a lot of bikes, or just want to make cleaning less of a chore, check out the Service Course brushes. They work noticeably better than the generic brushes you find at Target or Home Depot.

GlennR

Carbon fiber doesn't rust.

Just clean your drivetrain after and it will be fine.

Jarrett2

When its funky out, I take my AWOL. It was built for that and is more stable to ride in adverse conditions.

Yesterday morning, I rode after a big storm and there was a ton of debris and downed trees on the road along with rivers of water pouring into the roadways. The AWOL was great for that. I was going down one 11% grade hill at 33 mph with water flowing on the road and cars coming the opposite way. At that point, I was happy that I was not on my light carbon road bike with small, smooth tires and rim brakes.

Since I like to tinker with my bikes mechanically, cleaning them feeds into that. So I'll usually wipe down/wash my bikes after a sloppy ride and check all the mechanicals, clean the rotors, lube the drivetrain, etc. It's not something I feel I absolutely need to do, but it is enjoyable for me and part of the overall cycling experience.

I also hang my bikes in the garage. They almost never come into my house.

2manybikes

I have more than one "rain" bike. I don't take the best bike out if rain is predicted in the morning. I do get caught in the rain on it. Only once or twice in 12 - 15 years, I think. I never put away anything wet or dirty. I have a compressor and a garage, I carefully blow off all the water and wipe all bikes dry after use. That includes the MTB for snow, or dirt, and also the MTB just for ice and snow. When a bike has ice or snow on it, I heat the garage a over freezing when I clean the bike. As someone else already said cleaning a bicycle is nothing compared to cleaning an off road motorcycle.

Bikes I have owned for 10-20 years all look the same or better than when I got them. Some scratched yes, but no rust.

TexMac

With 3 bikes, i don't really care if it rains or not. What i choose to change is the wheels. I don't want to ride Rovals in rain so i go with Yeoleos and yes i do wipe down each bike after every ride, rain or sweat.

doug59

Thanks everyone for the great advice add suggestions! I really appreciate it.

AlmostTrick

Getting caught in the rain is one thing, but I would never plan to ride any bike in it without fenders. Real, full fenders, not skimpy clip ons. Many road bikes can't fit them. They keep rider and bike so much cleaner.

Yes, I wipe down my bike after a rain ride almost every time, mostly because I like to keep it clean.

Canadian_giant

On all my bikes, if I ride in wet weather, when I get home I use the leaf blower attachment from my shop vac and blast off the water and dirt. The remainder I wipe off with a towel. I am not too concerned about the frame, just not a fan of water and dirt getting stuck in components like the derailleur and brakes. It takes 2 minutes tops.

I also added one of these to my road bike, a Giant Arc mini-fender. I haven't had much of chance to see if it actually works yet.

ARC Series (Fenders) - Bike Gear | Giant Bicycles | Canada