We had our first snow the other day. They laid down a lot of salt and even more at the parking lot at my work.

Should I clean down my bike daily when they salt the roads? And if so, is it just the frame I need to wipe down?

I don't personally, but then my bikes aren't expensive. They stay outside the whole winter. One might get cleaned up a bit if I am going to bring it in to work on it. Don't want to get debris in the house, but that's about it.

You'll really have to use your own discretion. Salt's very hard on aluminum and alloy components even anodized ones. Corrosion's accelerated when the salt dissolves in water so like a car, bringing the bike into a heated garage isn't a good idea unless you're prepared to wash it down. Doesn't have to be a spit-shine, just a rince. And if you leave the bike outside I wouldn't worry about salt until things get warm enough to melt anything on the bike.

use water sparingly. if it gets in the cable housings it can freeze and seize up your shifting, rags and brushes are your friend

You might want to post your topics in either the commuting or winter sub-forums but not both as it fragments the conversation.

Thank you all.

gecho: Thanks, but I disagree. You get more opinions from different spots. I dont see how it fragments the conversation. You have people who JUST read the commuting forums and people who just read the winter forums.

That's why I have a winter beater. 22 year old Aluminium Rocky mountain that I just take to the basement to thaw.
I would never take a nice bike out in the salty sandy -20 and colder conditions I ride in. I couldn't imagine subjecting
especially a full suspension bike to those conditions and getting salt in every crevice. No matter how many hours you spend washing
it there will still be salt down in all its inner workings. Derailleurs, hubs, spoke nipples, suspension linkage,brake pivots EEWWW!

I have taken my full suspension bike out a few times (it is sooooo comfy compared to a rigid AL bike) but only at just
below freezing and after a fresh snowfall, and i put a really extended front fender on with a wide plastic piece at the bottom,
So I could stay out of the crap.
I hope for a few more of those days because it is a much more enjoyable ride.