My winter bike is Zwift. I used to go out in all weathers when I was younger, caked in mud, freezing cold and loved it. Nowadays I’m a fair weather road biker. I got a Boardman road team in 2011 and rode it in all weathers to work and back until a few years ago and other than a new chainset as the FSA worn, it has served me well. Cleaned up it looks new. I fancied a new bike so went with the SLR 8.9 a few months ago, as the road team had done me well. So the road team sits on the trainer and the SLR is hung up ready to go just in case we get a good day.
Personally I think your better off just using and enjoying what bike you have, as long as you maintain it through winter it won't look any different 👌👌👌
Definitely, maybe up the cleaning/maintenance game a bit over winter and most people will be fine. Of course I need to take my own advice here. 🙂Thanks for the comment, YT.
I wish I had your motivation, for me cycling goes from a pursuit to just the commute as soon as the clocks change. Frumpy old schwalbe marathons, full length mudguards and fingers crossed I don't have to deal with a 30mph headwind in both directions!
The motivation definitely ebbs and flows throughout the year. At the moment I'm really up for cycling but incredibly time poor, which can be a bit frustrating (although the rubbish weather helps). A regular commute is great for keeping that base fitness ... really miss my commuting days but like you say not so much the headwinds both ways! 🙂
In the days when every bike was made of steel and the roads were thoroughly salted it made sense to have a winter bike. Mine was about twice the weight of my track bike, it was fitted with mudguards, rack and occasionally panniers and with a less aggressive riding position with higher, wider bars. It made for more comfortable longer conditioning rides. Then they 'invented' mountain bikes so of course I had to have one of those as well 😆 I still have 4 bikes, although each is ridden sedately for pleasure these days!
I ride all my bikes through winter the key thing I've found is you HAVE to wash and relube it straight away after a ride putting it away salty gritty and wet is what does the damage.
That's so true and it's tough to always do this, especially when you finish a ride knackered and cold (and in my case don't have an outside hose). The temptation (at least I find) is to put the bike away without cleaning it ... but always a big mistake in the winter. 🙂
It's an interesting topic and initially, I thought not but I can see the attraction after consideration. I have a rebuilt 1984 Colnago Profil CX and that never goes out if there is even a whiff of rain in the air. I don't have a winter bike as such but I do have multiple bikes so I have options when the weather is bad. I think if you have a bike that is special to you, either sentimental or due to the high cost, it's much more likely you are not going to want to take it out in the winter. Ride safe. Jay
The Colnago sounds like it could happily be hung on a wall as a work of art! :) Same as you I have a few options but nothing really with a 'winter bike' only tag.
For my road riding I like to have a winter bike, all mudguards and fatter tyres. My current one has lasted brilliantly, it doesn’t seem to want to dissolve like previous ones. It’s a silver Boardman cyclocross bike with added mudguards. Weighs a few kilos more than my summer bike but handles well in all conditions. Most importantly, it’s proven reliable and robust. It’s also comfortable for the long cold steady miles. Hopefully I can keep it going for many more years. For my mountain biking I have one bike all year round, it’s muddy summer or winter. Just the quantity of clothing changes 😂
Long, cold steady miles ... that's a great description of a winter day on the bike. Also found my Boardman coped well throughout last winter, weirdly with the exception of the stem clamp bolts, which developed surface rust quite quickly. Easy/cheap to replace in the spring though. I asked a mate of mine recently who's an outdoor instructor if he's starting to dig the cold weather gear out now and his reply was 'It's been out all year!' :)
Living in Northern Ontario, Canada; we have fat bikes with studded tyres for winter riding, keeps us riding 12 months a year….heated gloves and heated socks too…good to -30°C..
Now that's proper cold riding conditions, great stuff! I lived and worked in NorthWest China for a few years back in the 90s - similar temperatures (not quite as cold) but it didn't stop the cycling. Definitely gone soft since then being back here in the UK. Thanks for the comment and happy cycling!
I have two bikes but tend to ride the same one all year round. One reason is the tracks I ride aren't too challenging but can be full of puddles and I value my full mudguards. I've had so many days when I've been soaked from the spray off the front and back wheels without them. If I had to deal with mud then I'd have to take them off in case a build up of mud caused problems. Personally I prefer the look of a 'naked' bike but I like to stay dry. I do have a second set of wheels and tyres. Since fitting mudguards I've found chains and cassettes last longer. Nice ride and a great subject of discussion. Thanks for taking the time to share your ride.
Thanks, Colin. I'm with you, prefer the look of bikes without mudguards but they are invaluable when the weather really turns. A rear mudguard that runs right down the seat tube makes such a difference to the amount of crud you get on the front chainrings and derailleur. Appreciate the comment as always! 🙂
I don't ride in winter any more. Done that for many years. I don't enjoy it any more. I might ride on a dry bright day though if there is no salt on the roads. Having said this though riding in summer, autumn and spring can be pretty grim as well, the British climate is so bad. The best thing I ever did was get Rohloff geared bikes with belt drives so even when the weather is shite during summer I don't have to spend hours cleaning and relubing the transmission like you have to do with a derailleur geared bike to stop it sounding like a combine harvester rusting and jamming up. Derailleur geared bikes are high maintenance and a PITA if you ride a lot of miles and every day in all weathers. Ok on hot dry summer days with NO rain but the slightest drop of water and they are problematic. If there's lots of snow then I go out for a few hours on my Kona fat bike which also has a Rohloff hub.
Thanks for the comment, Alex. You've definitely got to stay on top of the maintenance with the British climate (any season like you say). I know what you mean about derailleur geared bikes. My MTB drivetrain crunches and clicks almost every ride now when it gets a good dose of crud on it. Any downsides to the Rohloff set up if you're not bothered about weight?
@@onemorecyclist Nope, no downsides. I wish I hadn't struggled with derailleurs for as long as I did. Well not struggled as such just put up with them. At the time I was cycling 10-12k miles a year and aside from all the actual riding, to and from work for quite a few years, the constant washing of cycling gear, eating and sleeping AND all the maintenance of a derailleur geared bikes it got to be a real PITA and I hated it in the end. So when I did eventually buy my first Rohloff hub and fit it to my bike a Surly Troll it was a revelation, even with a chain and an enclosed chain glider guard. Yeah it's a bit heavier but nothing you don't get used to. Now I think nothing of it. I really like the Rohloff hub. Really robust and very reliable. Good spread of gears and steps between the gears makes riding with loads and touring so much easier. So much so I have a couple of other bikes with Rohloff hubs now, one as I say with belt drive a Cube hybrid which initially had an Alfine 8 spd hub which I swapped for a Rohloff hub pretty much straightaway as it was so limited in range and gearing was not great. Now my Cube Rohloff belt drive bike is my go to bike. It's a hybrid but light aluminium frame is very strong so can carry a lot of weight without problem ie flex and is still comfortable. I wash it maybe once a year. In fact I don't think I've washed it for a few years now. The belt never seems to get dirty. Still looks like new after 5 years and I must have ridden 20-25k miles on it. But I carry a spare just in case. But the days of scrubbing clean and re-lubing a derailleur transmission are long gone for me. Although bizarrely I still keep my derailleur bikes. I might ride my aging Trek Modane with Ultegra groupset or Condor Barachi 853 team race bike with Campag Chorus groupset very occasionally on the middle of summer, with NO RAIN forecast though, but tbh I don't seem to have the enthusiasm for them any more. It's probably a couple of years since I last rode them. I ride my Brompton a fair bit though which is derailleur and chain but with 3 speed internal hub gear so not that high maintenance. It's just so practical. Plus I have toured on it in Southern Spain and taken it to Gran Canaria. I might clean and relube the transmission on this once a year. But for me IHG or sealed gearboxes are the way to go. I would love a Pinion gearbox bike. A bit out of my reach at the moment and tbh I have all the bikes I need for the rest of my days. Should spend more time riding than spending more money buying bikes. Time is getting on and something we cannot buy. ATB to you.
I think that's a great way of winterising the bike! 2.8" is pretty hefty and I'll bet makes a massive difference traction wise on the gravel bike. Thanks for the comment and happy cycling!
Nothing I can say. I have a Winter bike, a gravel bike, a 'best' Summer bike and a bike for the indoor trainer. I don't actually need the Winter bike as I ride indoors in Winter. And I don't need a 'best' bike as the gravel bike is adequate for my needs. Hang on! I don't have a hard tail anymore. Hmmm 🤔
🤣no hardtail ... at the moment 🙂. I think with this area it's possibly more the world of nice to haves, isn't it? - and, is there enough storage for what you'd like to have. I also have a basic indoor trainer but really struggle with motivation to use it. Thanks for the comment!
Good points. If you're racing then you definitely have a performance-optimised best bike, one with a better groupset & wheels, thus more expensive replacements/consumables, so a more affordable mile-eater makes sense, especially with UK grinding paste conditions. When I lived in France and went out with non-racing club riders the winter bike concept wasn't as well-developed, although many of the cyclotouristes used 'guards all year round because it was an Audax rule-of-entry back then. BTW : A lot of MTB'ers put their full-sus machines into hibernation and use a hardtail for the worst of autumn/winter.
Grinding paste is a great description. Easy to not realise, until you maybe remove a BB to clean up or replace, or take a wheel hub apart etc. just how much crud gets into these parts of the bikes (despite your best efforts with standard post ride cleaning). Do you have a particular cut off date in the year Gordon, when the winter bike comes out and stays out, or just keep an eye on the weather etc.? Thanks for the MTB note btw. 🙂
@@onemorecyclist Good point, Martin. Bottom brackets, wheel bearings, freewheels take a hammering. I used to fit a neoprene headset gaiter to the lower race (in the days of external cups) because that stuff would find its way through, even on a bike with full mudguards. In the old days we'd mothball racing bikes after the final events, so early Oct for TTs and late Oct for hill climbs, and you wouldn't see a best bike on group rides until late Feb. I'll probably follow a similar timetable this year but keep one summer bike rolling until road salting begins.
I think it depends on the price of your bike. If I had a 2k or 3k bike, I wouldn't use it in winter. But I can't afford anything in that price bracket, so I'm OK lol
If your summer bike has nice components (hi spec), winter muck will reduce their life drastically. Winter bike should be easy to replace parts (cheaply) and tyre choice is important for grip, comfort and safety. People should swallow their egos when riding a winter bike. Speed doesn’t matter. Comfort matters.
Couldn't agree more. I was hearing all about 'Strava Mules' this week for the first time. Sad doesn't even begin to describe it! Thanks for the comment!
As soon as the frost hits and they start salting the roads, I ditch the road bike and get on the hybrid. Why? A new cassette for the road bike is £90 where as a new cassette for the hybrid is less than £30. Not sure if you need a winter bike when you have a mountain bike but, the same is true for cassettes and chains. When the roads are salty you want to be killing cheap kit and not the dear stuff.
My winter bike is Zwift. I used to go out in all weathers when I was younger, caked in mud, freezing cold and loved it. Nowadays I’m a fair weather road biker.
I got a Boardman road team in 2011 and rode it in all weathers to work and back until a few years ago and other than a new chainset as the FSA worn, it has served me well. Cleaned up it looks new.
I fancied a new bike so went with the SLR 8.9 a few months ago, as the road team had done me well. So the road team sits on the trainer and the SLR is hung up ready to go just in case we get a good day.
Personally I think your better off just using and enjoying what bike you have, as long as you maintain it through winter it won't look any different 👌👌👌
Definitely, maybe up the cleaning/maintenance game a bit over winter and most people will be fine. Of course I need to take my own advice here. 🙂Thanks for the comment, YT.
I wish I had your motivation, for me cycling goes from a pursuit to just the commute as soon as the clocks change.
Frumpy old schwalbe marathons, full length mudguards and fingers crossed I don't have to deal with a 30mph headwind in both directions!
The motivation definitely ebbs and flows throughout the year. At the moment I'm really up for cycling but incredibly time poor, which can be a bit frustrating (although the rubbish weather helps). A regular commute is great for keeping that base fitness ... really miss my commuting days but like you say not so much the headwinds both ways! 🙂
In the days when every bike was made of steel and the roads were thoroughly salted it made sense to have a winter bike. Mine was about twice the weight of my track bike, it was fitted with mudguards, rack and occasionally panniers and with a less aggressive riding position with higher, wider bars. It made for more comfortable longer conditioning rides. Then they 'invented' mountain bikes so of course I had to have one of those as well 😆 I still have 4 bikes, although each is ridden sedately for pleasure these days!
Slow cycling for pleasure is very underrated and it's a shame it doesn't get promoted more by the big brands. Thanks for the comment, Joe! 🙂
I ride all my bikes through winter the key thing I've found is you HAVE to wash and relube it straight away after a ride putting it away salty gritty and wet is what does the damage.
That's so true and it's tough to always do this, especially when you finish a ride knackered and cold (and in my case don't have an outside hose). The temptation (at least I find) is to put the bike away without cleaning it ... but always a big mistake in the winter. 🙂
@@onemorecyclist it's definitely easier said than done washing bikes in winter is the worst thing about winter riding apart from black ice.
Would love to metal detect that old path all of them years of people travelling, great video.
I'll bet there's all sorts of little gems up there waiting to be discovered, especially as that was a stopping point on the old pack horse route.
Only things I change for winter riding is chunkier wheels and a different chain that gets changed come the spring.
It's an interesting topic and initially, I thought not but I can see the attraction after consideration. I have a rebuilt 1984 Colnago Profil CX and that never goes out if there is even a whiff of rain in the air. I don't have a winter bike as such but I do have multiple bikes so I have options when the weather is bad. I think if you have a bike that is special to you, either sentimental or due to the high cost, it's much more likely you are not going to want to take it out in the winter. Ride safe. Jay
The Colnago sounds like it could happily be hung on a wall as a work of art! :) Same as you I have a few options but nothing really with a 'winter bike' only tag.
Happy cycling mate
Cheers, Alistair. Hope you're getting out, despite the crappy weather! 🙂
For my road riding I like to have a winter bike, all mudguards and fatter tyres. My current one has lasted brilliantly, it doesn’t seem to want to dissolve like previous ones. It’s a silver Boardman cyclocross bike with added mudguards. Weighs a few kilos more than my summer bike but handles well in all conditions. Most importantly, it’s proven reliable and robust. It’s also comfortable for the long cold steady miles. Hopefully I can keep it going for many more years.
For my mountain biking I have one bike all year round, it’s muddy summer or winter. Just the quantity of clothing changes 😂
Long, cold steady miles ... that's a great description of a winter day on the bike. Also found my Boardman coped well throughout last winter, weirdly with the exception of the stem clamp bolts, which developed surface rust quite quickly. Easy/cheap to replace in the spring though. I asked a mate of mine recently who's an outdoor instructor if he's starting to dig the cold weather gear out now and his reply was 'It's been out all year!' :)
Living in Northern Ontario, Canada; we have fat bikes with studded tyres for winter riding, keeps us riding 12 months a year….heated gloves and heated socks too…good to -30°C..
Now that's proper cold riding conditions, great stuff! I lived and worked in NorthWest China for a few years back in the 90s - similar temperatures (not quite as cold) but it didn't stop the cycling. Definitely gone soft since then being back here in the UK. Thanks for the comment and happy cycling!
I have two bikes but tend to ride the same one all year round. One reason is the tracks I ride aren't too challenging but can be full of puddles and I value my full mudguards. I've had so many days when I've been soaked from the spray off the front and back wheels without them. If I had to deal with mud then I'd have to take them off in case a build up of mud caused problems.
Personally I prefer the look of a 'naked' bike but I like to stay dry.
I do have a second set of wheels and tyres.
Since fitting mudguards I've found chains and cassettes last longer.
Nice ride and a great subject of discussion.
Thanks for taking the time to share your ride.
Thanks, Colin. I'm with you, prefer the look of bikes without mudguards but they are invaluable when the weather really turns. A rear mudguard that runs right down the seat tube makes such a difference to the amount of crud you get on the front chainrings and derailleur. Appreciate the comment as always! 🙂
I don't ride in winter any more. Done that for many years. I don't enjoy it any more. I might ride on a dry bright day though if there is no salt on the roads. Having said this though riding in summer, autumn and spring can be pretty grim as well, the British climate is so bad.
The best thing I ever did was get Rohloff geared bikes with belt drives so even when the weather is shite during summer I don't have to spend hours cleaning and relubing the transmission like you have to do with a derailleur geared bike to stop it sounding like a combine harvester rusting and jamming up. Derailleur geared bikes are high maintenance and a PITA if you ride a lot of miles and every day in all weathers. Ok on hot dry summer days with NO rain but the slightest drop of water and they are problematic.
If there's lots of snow then I go out for a few hours on my Kona fat bike which also has a Rohloff hub.
Thanks for the comment, Alex. You've definitely got to stay on top of the maintenance with the British climate (any season like you say). I know what you mean about derailleur geared bikes. My MTB drivetrain crunches and clicks almost every ride now when it gets a good dose of crud on it. Any downsides to the Rohloff set up if you're not bothered about weight?
@@onemorecyclist Nope, no downsides. I wish I hadn't struggled with derailleurs for as long as I did. Well not struggled as such just put up with them. At the time I was cycling 10-12k miles a year and aside from all the actual riding, to and from work for quite a few years, the constant washing of cycling gear, eating and sleeping AND all the maintenance of a derailleur geared bikes it got to be a real PITA and I hated it in the end. So when I did eventually buy my first Rohloff hub and fit it to my bike a Surly Troll it was a revelation, even with a chain and an enclosed chain glider guard. Yeah it's a bit heavier but nothing you don't get used to. Now I think nothing of it. I really like the Rohloff hub. Really robust and very reliable. Good spread of gears and steps between the gears makes riding with loads and touring so much easier.
So much so I have a couple of other bikes with Rohloff hubs now, one as I say with belt drive a Cube hybrid which initially had an Alfine 8 spd hub which I swapped for a Rohloff hub pretty much straightaway as it was so limited in range and gearing was not great. Now my Cube Rohloff belt drive bike is my go to bike. It's a hybrid but light aluminium frame is very strong so can carry a lot of weight without problem ie flex and is still comfortable. I wash it maybe once a year. In fact I don't think I've washed it for a few years now. The belt never seems to get dirty. Still looks like new after 5 years and I must have ridden 20-25k miles on it. But I carry a spare just in case.
But the days of scrubbing clean and re-lubing a derailleur transmission are long gone for me. Although bizarrely I still keep my derailleur bikes. I might ride my aging Trek Modane with Ultegra groupset or Condor Barachi 853 team race bike with Campag Chorus groupset very occasionally on the middle of summer, with NO RAIN forecast though, but tbh I don't seem to have the enthusiasm for them any more. It's probably a couple of years since I last rode them. I ride my Brompton a fair bit though which is derailleur and chain but with 3 speed internal hub gear so not that high maintenance. It's just so practical. Plus I have toured on it in Southern Spain and taken it to Gran Canaria. I might clean and relube the transmission on this once a year.
But for me IHG or sealed gearboxes are the way to go. I would love a Pinion gearbox bike. A bit out of my reach at the moment and tbh I have all the bikes I need for the rest of my days. Should spend more time riding than spending more money buying bikes. Time is getting on and something we cannot buy.
ATB to you.
I am mainly a gravel rider and have a summer and winter wheelset. 28"×1.75 and 27.5x2.8". Really helps with the mud.
I think that's a great way of winterising the bike! 2.8" is pretty hefty and I'll bet makes a massive difference traction wise on the gravel bike. Thanks for the comment and happy cycling!
Nothing I can say. I have a Winter bike, a gravel bike, a 'best' Summer bike and a bike for the indoor trainer. I don't actually need the Winter bike as I ride indoors in Winter. And I don't need a 'best' bike as the gravel bike is adequate for my needs.
Hang on! I don't have a hard tail anymore. Hmmm 🤔
🤣no hardtail ... at the moment 🙂. I think with this area it's possibly more the world of nice to haves, isn't it? - and, is there enough storage for what you'd like to have. I also have a basic indoor trainer but really struggle with motivation to use it. Thanks for the comment!
Good points. If you're racing then you definitely have a performance-optimised best bike, one with a better groupset & wheels, thus more expensive replacements/consumables, so a more affordable mile-eater makes sense, especially with UK grinding paste conditions.
When I lived in France and went out with non-racing club riders the winter bike concept wasn't as well-developed, although many of the cyclotouristes used 'guards all year round because it was an Audax rule-of-entry back then.
BTW : A lot of MTB'ers put their full-sus machines into hibernation and use a hardtail for the worst of autumn/winter.
Grinding paste is a great description. Easy to not realise, until you maybe remove a BB to clean up or replace, or take a wheel hub apart etc. just how much crud gets into these parts of the bikes (despite your best efforts with standard post ride cleaning). Do you have a particular cut off date in the year Gordon, when the winter bike comes out and stays out, or just keep an eye on the weather etc.? Thanks for the MTB note btw. 🙂
@@onemorecyclist Good point, Martin. Bottom brackets, wheel bearings, freewheels take a hammering.
I used to fit a neoprene headset gaiter to the lower race (in the days of external cups) because that stuff would find its way through, even on a bike with full mudguards.
In the old days we'd mothball racing bikes after the final events, so early Oct for TTs and late Oct for hill climbs, and you wouldn't see a best bike on group rides until late Feb.
I'll probably follow a similar timetable this year but keep one summer bike rolling until road salting begins.
I live in wales,i cycle through crap and bad weather all year! 😂
🤣 ... and fierce hills!
I think it depends on the price of your bike. If I had a 2k or 3k bike, I wouldn't use it in winter. But I can't afford anything in that price bracket, so I'm OK lol
I know what you mean. It's funny, my 'best bike' is a cheapo winter bike for a lot of people. It's all relative I guess! 🙂
If your summer bike has nice components (hi spec), winter muck will reduce their life drastically. Winter bike should be easy to replace parts (cheaply) and tyre choice is important for grip, comfort and safety. People should swallow their egos when riding a winter bike. Speed doesn’t matter. Comfort matters.
Couldn't agree more. I was hearing all about 'Strava Mules' this week for the first time. Sad doesn't even begin to describe it! Thanks for the comment!
As soon as the frost hits and they start salting the roads, I ditch the road bike and get on the hybrid. Why? A new cassette for the road bike is £90 where as a new cassette for the hybrid is less than £30. Not sure if you need a winter bike when you have a mountain bike but, the same is true for cassettes and chains. When the roads are salty you want to be killing cheap kit and not the dear stuff.
Full mudguards with a long flap ,if have friends, or sit on the back.
No proper mudguards on a group ride is just rude.
Yeah, completely sucks when you're getting sprayed in the face from the wheel in front. Been there done that a fair few times! 🙂
I watched this video on mute, I dont want my wife to hear any blasphemy that may get me booted for too many bikes.
😁🙂